It was in October 2006 that I really discovered cinema and got addicted to it. Although it is hard to believe, I watched Aanand, Andhi, and Pyaasa for the first time only then. But since then it has been the most important job for me, to watch as many films as I can and compensate for what I call my 'sins'. 2009 was the best year I have had, as far as cinema experience is considered, with more than 250 good films that I watched for the first time, and I do not count the bad ones or re-watches. Here is a brief summary of the year:
It was the year that made me realize the greatness of Stanley Kubrick and Charlie Chaplin. Also, I saw some of the great films of Martin Scorsese, although a lot remains to be wathced.
Discovered Federico Fellini, and also Jim Jarmusch, the Coen Brothers and Paul Thomas Anderson.
Got introduced to Jean-Luc Godard, Fritz Lang, Andrei Tarkovsky, Wim Wenders, John Ford, John Huston, Billy Wilder, Michelangelo Antonioni, Bernardo Bertolucci, Agnes Varda, Alain Resnais, Marcel Carne, Theo Angelopoulos, Andrzej Wajda, Terrence Mallick, Terry Giliam, Guy Ritchie and the Marx Brothers.
Continued watching more films of Hitchcock, Bergman, Kieslowski, Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray and Woody Allen
Realized that my favourite Hollywood genre is the Western. Apart from a rewatch of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on the big screen, watched Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, For a Few Dollars More, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Finally watched classics like The Godfather - II, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Touch of Evil, Jules et Jim, 12 Angry Men, Chinatown, Lawrence of Arabia, Easy Rider and more.
Discovered the power of the Documentary through Born into Brothels, An Inconvenient Truth, Unmistaken Child and Ayn Rand- a Sense of Life.
And some great Hindi films strengthened my faith in the legacy of our own film industry. Some of them were: Pakeezah, Neecha Nagar, Aakrosh, Nishant, Trikal, Bhumika, Kalyug, Sparsh, Saaransh, New Delhi Times, Bobby, Maachis, Lamhe and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na.
To add to this were many other great movies of the past and some of the best releases of the year. Perhaps for those not exposed to the best of cinema, most of the above will sound intimidating. But those who are really into it would find it difficult to believe that I was so late in discovering such gems. For example, I watched The Godfather-II only recently! I know that I have arrived late, but if few more years be spent as 2009, I hope to catch up soon. I watched almost 80 of the 1000 Greatest Movies list I am following. 10 more years like 2009, and I will cover almost the whole of it. Too ambitious? Well, when you are addicted, and terribly so, do you care for anything else?
Since 2001, numerous first-time filmmakers have arrived on the Hindi Film scene. The list is incredibly huge and includes names ranging from Farah Khan, who gave two back-to-back blockbusters but essentially forgettable movies, to Rahul Dholakia, who after a disastrous debut redeemed himself with the National Award winning Parzania (though not a Hindi film), to the likes of Abbas Tyrewala and Neeraj Pandey, who have just made a successful debut. We saw Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgan and Nandita Das turning directors. We saw people like Nikhil Advani, Shaad Ali and Rakeysh Mehra who impressed in one film and disappointed in others. But there are some filmmakers who arrived with a promise and fulfilled that through their subsequent works. Here is a discussion on those who kept their promise.
The first name that made it big as early as in 2001 is Farhan Akhtar. His Dil Chahta Hai can easily be considered as one of the very best films of Hindi cinema. Although with Lakshya and Don, he could not really recreate that magic, but we also know that films like DCH are not made very often. He later indulged in production and acting and singing and hosting TV shows, but we all know that he has the talent and the temperament to give us another great film as a director.
Imtiaz Ali has established himself as arguably the best teller of love stories of the times. My personal favourite remains his first, Socha Na Tha. But going by the commercial success that his later films – Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal achieved, he is currently one of the most loved writer-directors.
Shimit Amin is perhaps the most versatile director of today. He has changed genres like none other, from the dark and gritty Ab Tak Chhappan to the popular and slick sports flick Chak De India to the subtle Rocket Singh. The last film has generated a mixed reaction and I invite debate by including his name in this list. But I think, he has kept his promise.
If there is one filmmaker who has won hearts across the country and met with the most incredible financial and critical success, it is Rajkumar Hirani. He has a style of his own, and all his films – the Munnabhai series and 3 Idiots, have been extremely entertaining, enlightening and warm. Being hailed as the Hrishikesh Mukherjee of today is an extremely prestigious achievement. If he makes just 4-5 more films like these, he will ensure his name as one of the legends of Hindi Film history.
But the man who has surprised us all with his rise from the composer of Chaddhi Pahan Ke Phool Khila Hai to a master storyteller, and whom I consider the most talented man in the film industry today is Vishal Bhardwaj. He writes, directs, composes music and sings. He makes films as innocent and heart-warming as Makdee and The Blue Umbrella, and has the courage to adapt Shakespeare in the form of dark, psychological dramas called Omkara and Maqbool, the latter being a cinematic masterpiece of our generation. And then he defies his style with the commercially successful Kaminey. After the decline of Ashutosh Gowariker, Vishal is now my favourite Hindi film director.
There are two more names that I am certain would make into this list by next year. Dibakar Banerjee (Khosla Ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky Lucky Oye) and Sriram Raghvan (Ek Hasina Thi and Johnny Gaddar) have had a great start to their film careers. They both have shown extreme maturity and unique personal style in telling their stories and I hope with their next films, Love Sex aur Dhokha and Agent Vinod, respectively, we will have two more names in the list of the five above.
One name that I have not included in the list is that of the gutsiest filmmaker of today – Anurag Kashyap. I have two reasons for that. One, his films – No Smoking, Hanuman Returns, Dev. D and Gulaal have been inconsistent, and have generated extremely varied opinions. And two, his filmsstill give the feeling of the excitement a bright kid has on getting access to his medium and none could match the maturity he exhibited in his first release –Black Friday. He still remains a huge hope and the biggest promise, and he still has to fulfill what we, his fans more than his critics, expect from him.
P.S. Please remind me if I have missed something. I have considered filmmakers who arrived in 2001 or later and who have given at least three films in this period without disappointing in any of them.
Film captures image discretely, frame by frame. And relies on the physiology of ‘persistence of vision’ to create the illusion of moving image. But this phenomenon has no aural equivalent. Sound must be captured in real time, that is, it must be recorded continuously. This basic difference did not allow the two to merge and thus cinema was born mute. Later, sound could be converted into electric signals and further into light signals, giving birth to the concept of optical sound and enabling sound films or Talkies. But this equipment of recording sound was noisy and thus recording sound on location that is while shooting, was discouraged. The artists were supposed to dub later in a sound studio, trying to match their lip movements, looking at the edited film clips.
In the late 40s, the development of tape, or magnetic sound recording enabled recording sound on location. Later, further improvements in optical sound also helped to achieve this. This procedure is called the Sync Sound technique. The equipment used to record sound is called Nagra. The device on which microphone is fixed to reach close to the actors is called Boom. Sound is recorded essentially separate from the film. The final print that is sent for exhibition contains the audio track incorporated in the film.
Aesthetically speaking, Sync Sound technique is a better alternative and adds authenticity to the film, and has been widely accepted. However, Italy and India – two major film making nations have been reluctant to accept it. In fact, the only technical drawback of Fellini and Antonioni films is the sound they use. In India, it is more to do with the professional discipline required while using Sync Sound, which along with its higher costs has been an important reason to prevent it from being the norm.
Sound Mixing involves editing the sound track of a motion picture, that involves three parts:
The dialogue spoken by the actors, recorded on location or by dubbing
The background score, i.e. the pre-recorded music
The sound effects: All that constitutes the ambient sound of the scenes using pre-recorded sounds. To appreciate it better, look at a clip of a crowded market place from any good film. If you listen carefully, you will realize that there are layers of sound, not only corresponding to the visuals, but also relating to things we do not see, but can imagine being present in the scene around the frame. Each sound, from the movement of a cycle to the cry of a bird to the rustling of leaves to blowing of the wind, each little detail that we never really notice while watching a film, is created artificially. It has to be done because shooting in real locations also does not record these sounds- films are mute and do not capture sound! But when the scene is getting readied for presentation, the audience must feel the ambience as realistically as possible. Even in scenes with no music or obvious noise, you will find a layer of sound, making it real. Just sit quietly for a while in your room at night, when there is no obvious sound, you will still listen to the music of the ambient sound. Creating that beautiful effect is the job of the Sound Editor/Mixer.
These three elements of a soundtrack are modified or reinforced to alter the quality of sound. The levels are made appropriate. And then the sound track is ready to be merged into the mute film to create the audio-visual product called a movie.
Last month an upcoming production house hired me as their first in-house writer. And just a year ago I was going through the biggest struggle of my life. My decision to give up the job of a doctor in the Armed Forces to join in the Hindi film industry had caused an unprecedented disapproval for me by my family. The boy whose futile grades had always made them swell with an unreasonable pride was just not supposed to give up everything for a lesser and riskier life. I was called names. I was emotionally blackmailed. But since I refused to bend, they had to. Today, things are better. Although my dad still does not talk to me, and although not a single day has passed when I have not thought about all that has happened and all that is at stake, all is well. Today I called my mom and asked her to go for a movie ASAP, and to take dad with her too. The movie is what the entire country is dying to watch today. The movie is what the entire country should watch soon. Two years ago there came a movie that talked about taking care of your child. The commercial success of that film actually caused a significant change. Hope the same happens again, this time for people like us.
Last year, when I asked my mom to trust me for one final time, she had one big argument, among others – what would the people say! These ‘people’ are the immediate and extended family, and neighbours, and all those who have showered their honest or pretentious compliments on my parents for my ‘achievements’ since childhood. I used to tell my mom, and I still do, that I do not give a damn to what ‘people’ think or say. The only thing that matters to me is whether my own parents believe in me. But I understand that they are not wrong. The entire system is based on the mad rush for these conventional ‘achievements’. My parents are away from us, and surrounded by ‘people’. And they form a part of the ‘people’ for the parents of some other kid. And this has resulted in the society we have today – a society where a man has to take decisions not from his heart, but thinking of the ‘people’ around him.
Today, I have got a ‘fixed job’ in a ‘company’, never mind I am still a writer. I get something as a ‘salary’, never mind my friends are earning almost twice that amount as Army doctors. All those who were busy talking about me got tired long ago and had moved on with their own petty complications of life. They ‘feel good’ when they come to know about this recent ‘progress’ of mine. Perhaps making them happy is as easy as infuriating them. Only, neither matters to me. It has been thirty months since I went home or met my dad. And at times I do feel like going back for a short vacation. I have no idea when that will happen. But I know that I am ecstatic at the life I could create for myself, against all odds. And the only people I have to thank are those who helped me during the toughest phase of my life, when my own ‘people’ had denounced me as a disillusioned idiot.
For the way it relates to me, Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots is my favourite movie of the year. For the way the medium of cinema is used, it is possibly the best too. This post is perhaps the most personal post on this blog. But all inhibitions are actually shattered when you experience something as warm and wonderful as this. I won’t recommend this movie to you. I recommend this to your parents. Make sure they go for it.
Two more frames for you to compare aspect ratios. I have tried to find similar frames from two different films shot in different aspect ratios. In fact, being a cinemascope film is one of the reasons that make Pakeezah such a pure cinematic experience. The funny thing is that the effect is subconscious and most of us do not know what is actually great about a certain film that appeals us. 'Getting Cinemate' is an attempt to understand such things better.
The ratio between the height and the width of the projected image is called the Aspect Ratio. The TV has the aspect ratio of 1.33:1. This ratio, arbitrarily, became popular since the beginning of cinema. It was eventually standardized by the Academy, hence being called as the Academy Ratio or the Academy Aperture. In the 50s, the television revolutionized audio-video media like never before and its growing popularity was a threat to cinema. So, to make cinema a unique experience, ‘Widescreen’ ratios came into practice, ratios ranging from 1.66:1 (common in Europe) to 1.85:1 (common in America) or even greater.
To achieve this ratio various methods are applied. One of them is the use of Anamorphic Processes. Twentieth Century-Fox made the process with the trade name of Cinemascope. But it is now used as a common noun for anamorphic processes in general. And although it is just one of the methods to achieve it, it is often used as the general term referring to the widescreen aspect ratio.
Paramount Pictures’ answer to Cinemascope was Vistavision. It is a non-anamorphic process and instead uses film two times wider than the traditional 35mm film. This film, with an increased width-height ratio is the 70mm film used for shooting. For projection it is reduced to 35mm print which enhances the quality by reducing the graininess.
Widescreen ratio provided so much of space around the subject that it increased the visual appeal of cinema. Action sequences, musicals, outdoor shots – everything looked better. Just compare the two pictures of similar shot compositions and see what a widescreen ratio does.
P.S. Since I was a child I wondered what Cinemascope is. And also, why they write 70mm on the censor certificate? 70mm is 7cms, and the screen is so huge! Poor me, I had no one to answer these questions.
-->The first foreign-language films that I watched, three years ago, were No Man’s Land and Amelie. The reason, obviously, was to know what was in them that they scored above Lagaan at the 2002 Academy Awards. No Man’s Land left me stunned and I remarked, hypnotized and in a hasty overstatement, that this was possibly the best film of my life. And Amelie was merely a new cinematic experience, interesting rather than impressive. Since then, I have re-watched Amelie whenever I could, and now consider it as possibly the best film of the decade. While the Bosnian war drama was an example of the political statement cinema can make, the sweet little story of this crazy French girl threw open for me the numerous possibilities of aesthetic innovations. Things were never the same any more. Foreign language cinema became the oxygen for my life. Within three years, I was distinguishing between Japanese and Cantonese, and French and Italian by the way they talked. I learnt that the French for ‘yes’ is ‘oui’ and the Italian is ‘si’, and that a Chinese name has monosyllabic parts like Wong Kar Wai while Japanese have longer names : Yasuziro Ozu or Kenji Mizoguchi. Foreign cinema became my window for the cultures of the world and the stories these masters said made cinema the passion of my life. I should avoid the word ‘sorry’ but this is what I feel for those who are blissfully ignorant towards cinema from out of India. They just don’t know what they are missing. There is so much to know and appreciate in this small life of ours. I thank God that I got rid of my prejudice sooner than later and how much more beautiful life has become. Kurosawa’s Japan, Fellini’s Rome and Kieslowski’s Poland look so much familiar to me. And I don’t yet have a passport!
By the way, for all those who love Amelie, here is a short film, Foutaises, by the same director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet. It was made twelve years before the 2001 film and clearly shows Jeunet preparing himself for the fabulous feature-length beauty that shaped my destiny.
When we look at a frame, the brain registers its image, which stays for a short while even after the frame has been removed. This physiological phenomenon is called the ‘persistence of vision’. If at least 12 such frames appear in a series before our eyes per second, a psychological illusion is created that forms the basis of motion picture. Ingmar Bergman called this phenomenon as a ‘defect’ of human visual process. But thanks to this ‘defect’ that the art of moving image was born.
FPS or Frames-per-Second is the number of frames exposed during shooting from a movie camera. It can also mean the number of frames projected from the movie projector. During the silent era, films were shot and projected at 16-18 FPS. But as the Talkies arrived, 24 FPS became the norm. This current standard is also called ‘sound speed’ and it is this FPS at which your TV or even your Laptop shows you the images. Thus, the silent films which were shot at 16-18 FPS look speeded-up. Chaplin’s comedy appears more comical today than to its original audience!
If shooting is done at 240 FPS, while being projected (at 24 FPS) the action seems to be taking ten times more time than normal. This is the basis of Slow Motion Photography. Similarly, to achieve Fast Motion, camera allows exposure of frames at a lesser rate, say 3 FPS, which on projection appears eight times faster. Also, you must have seen shots of Extreme Fast Motion or Time Lapse Photography in which a night sky gives way to morning, the sun rises and it is day – all in a matter of seconds. It is achieved by allowing camera to expose frames intermittently, say 1 frame per minute. When the series of frames is run at the ‘sound speed’, the desired result is achieved.
Perhaps the oldest talkie I have seen is Lewis Milestone's 1930 epic All Quiet on the Western Front. It is considered possibly the first War film with sound that not only set an standard for war films, it gave birth to the numerous cliches that now essentially find their way into this genre. While watching it, I was reminded of the entire range - from Saving Private Ryan to Border to No Man's Land. I do not generally prefer war films these days, after having seen so many of them. But this one was special. The scale on which it was made - shot over an area of about 700 acres with thousands of extras, and the incredible montage it uses to present the elaborate battle scenes, it is worth a watch even today, eighty years since it was released. The following link can give you a glimpse of the epic that it was: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXKq73fSQT0
Based on a German novel Im Westen nichts Neues by a war veteran, Erich Maria Remarque, the film was awarded the Best Picture and the Best Director at the third Academy Awards. It tells the story of young and disillusioned German boys who enlist themselves in the army during World War I, only to suffer extreme mental and physical trauma, realizing that "death is stronger than duty to one's country" and "when it comes to dying for your country, it's better not to die at all!". Later, on returning from a leave, and experiencing a strange detachment from the civilian life, the lead character tells his fellow soldier: "It's not home back there any more... At least we know what it's all about out here. There are no lie here." The film, thus, does not glorify war or sacrifice in the name of patriotism, and has an extreme anti-war statement. They said the League of Nations should secure a print, dub it in all languages possible, and use it for promoting peace.
The psycho-political issues aside, All Quiet on the Western Front is a landmark film due to its historic and aesthetic importance in cinema. It was remade as a TV film in 1979 and another remake is under production now. I sincerely doubt, however, that it can match the achievement of the original. German soldiers talking in English throughout - they got away with this way back then. Today, it would seem ridiculous.
When the screenplay is ready to shoot, it is called the Shooting Script. Each scene is then broken down to shots, as shooting is essentially a shot-by-shot procedure. After this, each shot is sketched: its subjects and essential elements within the frame. This series of drawings and captions that show the planned shot divisions and camera movements of the film is called a Storyboard. It greatly resembles a comic strip. And the art is called Storyboarding.
Akira Kurosawa used to paint his frames himself prior to shoot. But otherwise, most directors take the help of a Storyboard Artist who sits with him and gives suggestions and helps him in getting his vision documented in the form of sketches. This is the stage where cinema moves from written medium to the arts.
Note: The arrows in the storyboard signify intended camera movements.
The screenplay is the only document that exactly describes the narrative structure of the film. After that, it is broken down to pieces, in order to achieve what it describes. Even the shooting is not done chronologically, and it is a shot-by-shot process. There are many improvisations during shoot that go beyond the screenplay. So by the end of the shooting, the director is left with an enormous amount of footage, millions of shots preserved in cans (and several among them from various camera angles), and with a total loss of objectivity. Now, he needs a person who has been detached with the process to help him put these pieces together. Here comes the editor.
So, Editing is the process of re-constructing the narrative structure of the film, mainly based on the screenplay. But it also incorporates the improvisations, and makes certain decisions regarding the flow of the film, as it is now that the actual film starts appearing. Some scenes may have to go. Some extra shots may need to be added. And apart from ‘film editing’ or splicing the shots together, with the transitions like fades and dissolves, it involves the adding of the soundtrack: voices, ambient sound and background score. In fact, editing is the process that actually makes cinema a unique art-form. Writing, acting, photography, music, art-direction, choreography – all are contributions from other older forms of art. Editing combines them together to make cinema – the art of the moving image.
