I’m starting a sub-section in the blog to host films by amateur filmmakers and (hopefully) get them more eyeballs than on the vast, anonymous seas of YouTube.
These films are not going to be rigorously curated. The idea is more to help these filmmakers get noticed rather than separate wheat from chaff.
But that does not mean you shouldn’t have an opinion. Do share your thoughts in the comments space.
The first short is by blog reader Amit Joki, and it’s called “Kadesi Aasai.”
All the best, Amit.
Baradwaj Rangan 
venkatesh
August 25, 2016
A very good attempt BR. Kudos.
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sadhana
August 25, 2016
Very well done Amit. Thanks BR for sharing.
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ramitbajaj01
August 25, 2016
Sir, it would be really helpful if (from the next post onwards) the description also mentions which language the short is in. Thanks.
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Amit Joki
August 25, 2016
Sadhana: Thanks!
BR: Thanks a lot. The views have finally crossed 100 😂😂😂. It was on 40s from the day it got published.
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udhaysankar
August 25, 2016
Looking forward to more such attempts.. 🙂 ..
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praneshp
August 25, 2016
Saw this a few days ago. Good job Amit!
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Amit Joki
August 26, 2016
Udhaysankar: Are you referring to me?
Olemissterana: If you are reading this, do watch the video to confirm that I am really what I claim to be.😁😀😁 You had doubts reg my age I guess.
Praneshp: Thanks a lot!
P.S
I would appreciate if someone could pick out what didn’t work, what worked.
I know the short film is amateurish and edgy, so would be happy if someone could rip it apart so I could use the feedback constructively.
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udhaysankar
August 26, 2016
Yes, amit. As a college going guy who tried and made two horrendous short films, I know what it is like to go through it. Making a short film without proper resources is hell. At the start I had hyperbolic expectations. Then, you feel optimistic. Three days later, you realize that your optimistic expectations were actually hyperbolic. And that’s when I realized filmmaking is a money game and you need money to make real good shorts.
The main problems
1) you don’t have a dslr. Renting one costs a bomb. all those short-films on YouTube shot with iPhone have really skilled men behind the phone.
2) lighting. And the YouTube tutorials are like ‘3 point lighting schemes’. My mind goes like ‘inga onnuthuke vazhiya kaanom’. Street lights are extremely hard. I tried using butter paper to make it soft. There was a diy lighting scheme on YouTube that costs 400 $!! wtf..!
3) sound. dubbing is not an option. I tried Dubbing and it is extremely difficult without prior experience. Capturing on the spot is not an option with cheap Mikes as noise cannot be separated. The Dubbing I did was in my college studio. If you aren’t fortunate you would have to rent a studio for an hour that again costs a bomb. Zoom H4n costs 20000₹.
4) Casting. Sollave thevai illa.
If you can sort these four problems you can make good shorts.
Karthik Subburaj’s first three or four shorts were extremely amateurish and had lot of production problems. But, he improved as he invested more money and time. So, you can only improve as time goes on.
And try to keep yours shorter by length.
Never diss the three-act structure for your short film however short or long it may, as you need a conflict to attract interest. For ex: in your short if you had started the film with a guy trying to commit suicide (as in he tries, and you say no more) and dive into a handmade video made by him explaining his decision, the conflict would have attracted interest and viewers. If you don’t catch them with the first 30 secs they are not going to watch your short. And watch lots of great shorts on YouTube. From the bigger ones screened in Sundance to the amateur ones made by Velai illadha eng grads in TN. You’ll get what works and what doesn’t. 🙂
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Amit Joki
August 26, 2016
Udhaysankar: How I connect with all those issues! And that hyperbolic expectation is true. All that came crashing when I released it on YouTube. BR thankfully redeemed me.
I had planned for another short. All these problems came to haunt me. Castingku friends a nambanathu sutham.
DSLR unavailability meant no thing called focus. But still my 5k Yunique could somehow take Full HD videos.
Cameraman nu oru friend a kutitu vandhu pudika vecha he is trembling worse than an alcoholic. So no steady shots. That’s when I realised how important tripod was.
As time went by the main cast got disinterested and oor sutha poitanga.
But I had to make a short, because Aishwarya Dhanush’s Ten Entertainment was accepting entries. If I could get selected, I could be sure that Dhanush would see and would offer me a job and the sailing would be smooth.
So I thought of my reliable resources. Me. My phone camera. My hand turned cameraman. My home as location. Then to tackle out the shaky shots, decided that the short has to do with something like live coverage with hand held cameras. Then developed the story knowing that I could make use of two filters my built in camera app had. That’s when ghost idea came in.
The location with some sort of bars behind was meant to let the audience feel a sense of entrapment. Finally as the cherry on the cake, I took a cue from Visaaranai’s last scene and emulated the same only-audio no-video.
Adhukkavadhu adult voice keta adhayum yaarum tharla. I had to speak it too with slight variations which I hope would be distinguishable.
Irony enna na submit pannatha avanga reject pannirkenu kuda acknowledge pannala 😀😀😀 which is why I had to release it myself to my horror of no views at all.
The happiness of staying late up in the night to complete 3 hours of rendering, came crashing down. I wanted my short film to pave way to a career in films. Parents ku innum theriyaathuu ipdi pannirkenu. Middle class mentality to have a settled job is what they want and that will be forced upon me.
I thought the short film would work big time and someone in the know of industry would identify me and offer me a chance. Hyperbolic expectations. True.
I now somehow take heart from BR posting it in here upon my insistence.
Also why I asked if you were referring to me was because venkatesh offered kudos to BRs noble attempt of giving aarthal to uyirinams like me.
So thought you were also talking of that attempt.
We could may be connect on Facebook if you don’t mind, because we have lots of similar interests.
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Udhay Sankar
August 27, 2016
Amit: Sure. Click on my profile for the link to my fb profile.
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Raj Balakrishnan
August 27, 2016
Great initiative Baradwaj. Liked the short. Well done Amit Joki.
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the brangan fan
August 27, 2016
Dear Amit,
i am also a 17 year old student having exactly the same problems and ambitions but coming from a middle-class tam-brahm family in which watching a movie is considered as criminal as consuming alcohol,these dreams have got buried inside and i am on my way to becoming an engineer
as usual brangan’s blog has been my only respite for the last two years
i really liked the short….sooo relatable to a 12th std student… though i felt the camera angle was a bit monotonous…
Dear BR,
after seeing you take this initiative it is like seeing god come down to earth and helping out his devotees
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Amit Joki
August 27, 2016
Udhaysankar: Have sent you the request.
Raj Balakrishnan: Thanks!
The brangan fan: I hope I don’t end up becoming an Engineer. Also yes, I agree with on camera angle being monotonous. But as I have already stated, I can have only as many hand holding out the camera.
GVM once visited this blog. How I wish I could discuss all this with him 😔
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Kid
August 27, 2016
Amit: In case you want your film to also be viewed by people who don’t understand Tamil, you might want to add subtitles to the video.
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Amit Joki
August 27, 2016
Kid: I have the subtitle ready at https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwN0LQw15vxYbE1PTDhnSWhuTms but I am unable to upload it in my mobile. I currently don’t have a laptop yet.
I have enabled the community contribution though. The subtitle is in proper .srt format but YouTube isn’t accepting it.
If anyone of you can help me upload the subtitle, it would be of great help.
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venkatesh
August 28, 2016
Amit Joki: Saw the short today, a good first attempt.
Yes its amateurish and i had to make myself sit through it cause well, i know where it came from. The key thing though is you are willing to put yourself out there and that is always the first step. This is a good first attempt.
Re: the nitty gritty, UdhayShankar has really laid out the details, i would only add one more thing . Look at this way, you can only get better from here. All the best.
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MANK
August 28, 2016
Amit Joki, that was a really brave thing to do . i salute your courage and passion. i wish i was this brave and ambitious to put myself out there when i was your age.
yes it is rather raw and amateurish. but as Venkatesh said, it can only get better from here on
For your reference, i put these 2 short films made by Martin Scorsese and George Lucas when they were students. hope this will serve as an inspiration for you
Good Luck
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Amit Joki
August 28, 2016
Venkatesh: Thanks! I will strive to make the next one better.
MANK: They do inspire. Thanks. I have bookmarked them. Will see them once I have more than 2G.
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hari ohm
August 28, 2016
BR kudos for highlighting such shorts.
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brangan
August 28, 2016
hari ohm: Can you send me a mail with details about that short (will post it separately)? Is it yours?
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praneshp
August 29, 2016
Thanks for the videos MANK. The Big Shave one made me uncomfortable and want to stop watching. Kudos to the filmmaker I guess.
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Rahul
August 30, 2016
Amit joki – Best wishes to you! Will definitely watch and comment when the subs are fixed.
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hari ohm
August 30, 2016
BR have asked the maker of the movie to get in touch with you. Thanks.
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brangan
August 30, 2016
hari ohm: Yes, thanks. I didn’t this comments space to be spammed with films. I’d rather have people commenting on the featured film…
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Amit Joki
September 2, 2016
Rahul: I have updated the subtitle. Please do have a look.
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Vighnesh Hampapura
September 16, 2016
Amit, this is a really good attempt 🙂 Cheers!
I say this because leaving all the filmmaking aside, you have a conviction on what to show, and have sat down and thought about how to do it. May be the implementation lacks resemblance to the dream, yet, the dream was true. And that’s what is required. That’s about your work.
I understand fully your aspirations and pain. I am studying 12th too, live in Karnataka, and am from a conventional middle class family, and my situation is no different. But you must expect no support Amit. It wont be a smooth sail, it will be a difficult one – a hard ship, but it rocks, it is worth the difficulty! Hoping to get in touch and interact…
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Amit Joki
September 16, 2016
Vihgnesh: I found you pretty quick in Facebook and have sent you the request.
Thanks for your words! Means a lot.
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