Author: Geek

Dear Participant,

A note to give you a few details and some tips which I hope will help.

What we NEED FROM YOU

1. We need stamp-sized photographs of your Core Team for the Photo IDs. The Core Team includes – you, your editor and whoever will be assisting you on your edit and needs 24 hours access to the 24×7 Hub at the multiplex.

The Core Team will get Photo-IDs.
The other members of your team will get a temporary entry pass if they wish to attend on a particular day for a short while – the screening of the films etc.
The photographs should be passed on to us at least one day before the workshop date, at the pre-registration counter, between 11am & 1 pm and 4pm & 7pm. The counter will open on 23rd September. Out-of-town participants can hand over the photograph on the day of the workshop.

2. Please email us as soon as possible the names of the members of your team. Please mention the part they play in your team – Director / Editor / Cameraman / Assistant / Scriptwriter / Actor. Also tell us which of them are part of your Core Team and require Photo IDs
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EQUIPMENT & SOFTWARE – you will work with.

1. Camera: MiniDv Camcorder – Panasonic AG-DVX102B

2. Editing: Final Cut Pro (FCP ) editing software from Apple.

3. The equipment will be at the 24×7 Hub at Fame Multiplex, 24th September onwards.
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SOME TIPS:
We do hope you are working on the following aspects or at least giving them some thought.

1. Screenplay – though you have already submitted your screenplay/ script we hope you are still mulling over it.
Think about your characters and characterization; how the screenplay is unfolding; the logic in the story – is the story convincing; has it captured the mood of the story; the beginning, end and climax of the film etc. etc.

2. Music: if you are planning to use music, make sure it is not copyright protected. You are free to even record your music beforehand if you have friends who are musicians.

3. Locations: make sure you have identified the locations – take into account the traveling time. The locations should ideally NOT be too far apart, since the traveling time will eat into the shooting time.

4. Actors/Casting: cast your characters well. Once you are done with casting, rehearse the script with your actors. This will allow you to not only test the ability of your actors but also the effectiveness of your script and dialogues.

5. Time-line: divide the 24 hours between your shoot and edit optimally. Ideally the shooting time should be 8 to 10 hours (including travel time) and 14 to 16 hours for editing (picture edit, sound + music track-laying, titles).
Work out your shoot schedule carefully. The locations you decide on, should ideally be close to each other. to save on travel time.

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Broadly the schedule is as follows
– Workshops . . . . . . . .23rd Sept to 30th Sept
– Filmmaking . . . . . . . 1st Oct to 8th Oct
– Awards Function . . 9th Oct

The SCHEDULE – Workshop and Shoot Dates

sorted by Name

Click here for the exact timings
for the Script Workshops of each TEAM

sorted by Shoot Date

35 short fiction films will be made
5 films every day for a week
starting 1st October 2006, at the 24×7 Program.

The participants are young creative people, who have something new to say, in a fresh, innovative style.

If you are an Actor and passionate about acting, you may wish to act in one or more of the films.

You would wish to act in these film because:
– the participants are young, up & coming filmmakers, with interesting stories to tell;
– it is an opportunity for you to show-case your talent;
– and if you are a veteran actor, you may wish to support new talent;
– the filmmakers will be mentored by renowned filmmaker, Mr. Dev Benegal;
– each film will be shot in not more than 8 to 12 hours – that is all the time that you will need to commit;
– the films will all be shown on the big screen at the Fame Multiplex as soon as they are made;
– the films will be sent to film festivals, both national and international.

If you are interested, please write back to entries@24x7makingmovies.com with your CV and photographs, and we will try and put you in touch with the filmmakers. Please mention ‘Actors – 24×7’ in the subject column of your mail.

Schedule
– Pre-production:
The filmmakers will begin interacting with the actors during the workshops, 25th Sept onwards, at the Fame Multiplex, where they will be casting and working out the production details of their films. The exact time and date will be put up on the website.

– Production:
The films are being made in 24 hours flat – that is about 8 to 12 hours for shooting and the balance for editing and completing the film. The filmmaking week is between 1st Oct to 8th Oct 2006

– Screening:
Films made each day, will be screened the following day.

The entire event takes place at the Fame Multiplex, at the InOrbit Mall in Malad, Mumbai. The films will of course be shot at locations the filmmakers choose – not at the multiplex.

Please go through the rest of the website to know more about the program.

Please Note:
– We are only helping create a platform to bring the actors and filmmakers together.
– The casting is entirely up to the filmmakers themselves.
– If you expect any fees, you may discuss this directly with the filmmakers. However considering that most of them are students, it is unlikely that they will be able to afford any payment.

HOME

Congratulations!
The team at 24×7 has loved your ideas and the stories you want to share with the world.
At this point you must be working on your scripts and polishing your stories.

Here are a few things we’d like you to keep in mind;
I’m going to keep this simple.

1. Please SHOW us what happens.
2. Let us SEE how events unfold in the lives of your characters.
3. If they are happy or sad do NOT tell us they are happy or sad.
4. SHOW us a detail or something that happens to them which conveys this to the audience.
5. Write in the active tense. This will help you.

Keep it simple.

The best entries we have received are the ones where the idea is simple.
Don’t worry. The best movies are the ones with simple stories.

That’s it!

So here’s an example I just made up:

Agastya Sen steps onto the platform.
He looks around.
The station is tiny. The sign reads Madna.
He can’t see anyone.
He’s all alone.
In his jeans and t-shirt Agastya is totally out of place.

But don’t write it like a novel:

Agastya Sen was lost on the platform. He wondered if someone was going to come and meet him. He wasn’t sure how he would get to the rest house. These thoughts overwhelmed his mind.

(I’ve made that up as well and it’s not from the novel. Which is my favourite!)

Animators:

Please send us your story boards. Not the whole movie just the KEY FRAMES.
They should be small jpeg Not larger than 1024×768 or 720×576.
Send us your script as well.
Tell us what visual style you will adopt.
Will you use paint, crayons, chalk, clay, digital or some new style and technique we have never heard of.

Whatever it is TAKE RISKS. Be ORIGINAL. Do something NO ONE is doing!

All the best,
Dev Benegal