Ranjana… please don’t come again!

Every film-maker has a hangover or what they call , a favourite subject! Bergman had issues with Christianity, Antonioni with communication and spaces, Woody Allen had New York, our own Ritwik Ghatak had partition. For Bengali film director Anjan Dutta (who started off as the 'angry young' face in the films of Mrinal Sen and Buddhadeb Dasgupta in the early 80s) its basically two - Darjeeling and Bangla Rock/band music. Anjan had been quite prominent as a solo modern song-writer and singer since the mid 90s after Kabir Suman (then Suman Chatterjee) brought in some energy to a new type of Bengali modern songs which harped on our existence. Gone are those romantic lyrics - these songs in many cases came out from the streets and directly into our favourite playlists.

Previously Anjan made a smart and sleek film in Madly Bangali which dealt with a young gang of college students and their ambition to become a successful rock band. It was quite an enjoyable film - true to times and honest in its rendition.

The latest film by Anjan Dutt Ranjana ami aar asbona (meaning "Ranjana I won't come again" - this is a song from Anjan's first released album of the mid-90s) however dabbles more with self-indulgence to the extent of narcissism.

            Most Bengali film directors of today (and unfortunately I do write this in almost every article of mine on contemporary Bengali films) play the 'nostalgia' card dripping with sugary emotions so much so that even the sepia undertones have become monotones! Anjan used to be quite different - smart and entertaining. He seemed to have been lucky not to carry the 'hang' of being a Bengali - culture vulture prying from old treasures. Unfortunately enough Ranjana... seemed to fall in that genre. There had been explicit and abundant references of Anjan's own songs which are hits (though the character's name is Abani), Kabir Suman plays the role of a senior musician Stanley Bose who like Suman himself was the torch-bearer. Stanley of the film actually sung Suman's "Gaanwala" a lyrical masterpiece. So, references are galore. And in the midst you find Abani Sen - a successful 'legend' of the music industry who raps up with this mofussil girl dreaming to make big in the city. Then what follows is self-pity, indolence, overdose (And I mean OVERDOSE) of smoking and boozing - the typical bengali sentiment of an artist defeated by fate and so lonely - ahha, you have to feel for him. Its his creativity which makes him unwind every girl on his way and throw away like sanitary napkins, its his "good inner soul" which makes him worry for the girl when she doesn’t return for long (he actually leaves her in street because he wants her to be "lost in the city" ) - what crap bullsh#t! Give me a break!!

There was one interesting collage however in that "know yourself only when you are lost" sequence where the city of Kolkata came up close - in the Park street, the banks of the Ganges, the Kumartully where the Durga idols were being made and so on. But the parallel verbose from Abani about what is music and what is art seemed jarring. When will reel characters be less prophetic?

The character of Stanley Bose is intriguing - he is the only ray of hope - not because Abani Sen confessed to him that none of Sen's songs are like Bose's but more because Bose had an aim, a focus and the strength of will and character to pursue his goals. He is unattached, economical in his associations and radical in his vision.

Like any profession majority of the Bengali directors should also understand that there is need for a retirement age - else you repeat and you repeat and whatever you preach in your film, in actual, you don't step aside to give way to a newcomer. It is a distant dream hence, if they can be like Bose in the dissociation of their pet objects. Simply because art should not be wasted as toilet tissues.

Cinema Wins

Reading my article Cinema using DSLR (published in The Statesman on 17 June 2011) a friend insisted that if there can be some more details that can be provided since this topic did create interest in him presumably. Hopefully a few more as well. At the outset, it needs a clarification – I am not a technical expert. But, like I mentioned in that previous article, I am one of the many in the crowd who are happy to witness a phenomenon that strips cinema from its commercial overcoat.

            Digital SLRs will and have already cut down the cost of production by factors in the order of 5 atleast. That is, whereas a RED camera per shift rent is around 15-16 thousand in Kolkata, a Canon 7D is expected to be around 3 thousand maximum. The proportion almost balances the same for the cost of these new devices. This gain without significant loss in the output should actually push film-makers to venture new and potentially parallel modes of distribution wherein an initial investment may lead to make the cinema making experience even more inexpensive. So much so, that Hindi films and quite a handful of regional cinema viz Tamil, Telegu and Bengali has started reaping the advantages. The controversial Bengali film Gandu is shot in Canon 7D and the director Kausik Mukherjee found the black-white texture rendered by the interchangeable lens talk what he wants to say. While it is difficult for an Indian audience to view Gandu (due to censorship), the effects of Amol Gupte’s Stanley ka Dabba are electrifying. The camera successfully cloned as one of the students and mixed with the others effortlessly. The size of a DSLR helps actually in becoming an identity of its own. The flip side is to keep it steady unless the jerk is intended. Even popular film makers like Ramgopal Verma is using Canon 5D to shoot his latest Tamil film.

            Shallow depth of field is a common filmic technique which many urban-centric films try to achieve. In soft saturation frames or in city settings this blur effect creates a dramatic impact. Just like during the transition from Black-white to colour cinema, the pan and track came into fore, with the advent of DSLRs blur is set to have a new meaning. The major reason for the embossed effect is the large sensor which is intrinsic to DSLRs for their primary role of capturing static images.

            All these DSLRs give you video in full high definition, that is 1920×1080. They come with variable frame rates which allows for even more interesting outcomes. A traditional film is shot in 24p i.e 24 frames per second. However, using one of these DSLRs you can shoot a narrative in 60p and then track it in a 24p timeline on the editing floor to generate stunning slow-motion effect. Though this is not a feature of the DSLRs alone, what is important again is the cost – the rent cost is so reduced that you can actually shoot the same piece with multiple settings and then try out in the edit machine for the final that suits you best.

            Most of these DSLRs produce good results in natural lights – Stanley.. was shot in natural lights and it produces natural cinematic effect on screen. However, what needs to be kept in mind is to colour correct the film in post production appropriately to give it a 35mm effect instead of a digital one. There are three basic guidelines (there are many which one may find on the internet) that can be of help for a DSLR beginner though the radiant truth is to experiment and explore:

Ø       Shooting Mode – This is a cinema that you are shooting. So it has to be Manual always. Now, controlling the focus is a challenge that you have to take, gleefully.

Ø       ISO range – Best result is with ISO 100. In low light conditions the result can be exponentially drastic at the cost of making the image brighter.

Ø       Shutter Speed – By default, set to double the frame rate, so in case you are shooting at 24fps, then your shutter speed should be at 50 or 60 (you probably won’t get a 48). In some cameras it will be referred as 1/50 instead of 50!

Coming to the limitations of shooting videos in a DSLR – actually there are more than a few. But to list the major ones, here are they:

Ø       Duration of a clip is always a challenge with maximum of 10-12 minutes footage per clip on an average

Ø       Overheating of the cameras - however funny it may sound, it can actually ruin your schedule if you tend to overlook it.

Ø       The fixed LCD monitor in most DSLRs can defeat its advantage of being lightweight and marked for effortless maneuvering

Ø       Sound – most of these DSLRs are poor to capture live sound. So you need to back up for mixing audio during your editorial process.

Ø       The most prevalent and accepted editing software across the globe is Apple iMac’s Final Cut Pro (fondly referred as FCP). FCP has serious issues with the Codec H.264 that these DSLRs use. This might catch anyone by surprise on edit desk. But there are few work around available if you Google.

The purpose of these is to make a new DSLR video practitioner aware of the tool at her hand. She should know its limitations well to tame it to her will.

            Amongst the camera manufacturers, there is no doubt that Canon started this buzz around DSLRs. As a result you will find the Canon 1Ds, 7Ds and 5Ds all over the internet with their specifications and success stories. Whereas it’s true that Canon literally revolutionized the scene, it is also worth remembering that Nikon, Sony, Panasonic or the other giants are not far behind. Nikon’s D7000 for instance has reproducible good output. Within Canon stack as well, Canon 550D is a low-cost optimum camera which can turn an amateur into a professional practitioner. Priced almost half than the bigger and heavier Canon 7D, the video output measures up leaving consumers rushing for it to add in the kit.  One can taste a slice of DSLR video photography here: http://nofilmschool.com/2010/01/10-examples-of-stunning-dslr-cinematography/ (accessed on 21-June-2011).

            All these will prove that DSLR is the future for semi-professional film making – feature or otherwise. It doesn’t dilute the art of cinema, it rather bolsters the science behind it by making it inexpensive for many. It’s you to decide if you want to take it up in your hand and experiment. The latent creative persona within you may just erupt. The camera manufacturers should strive to create a competitive platform where the consumer comes out winner. That will ensure that cinema as an entertaining art also triumphs.