“It started off as a crazy idea,” says Dev Benegal, “what if for one week we could forget red tape, bureaucracy, development executives, financiers, the underworld mafia, film commissions and people who stifle creativity.
What if a person could walk in and make a film?
What if we one could make films for free.”
No questions asked, no scripts scrutinized, no nothing.
What if we gave people an ideal environment to dream? Gave them the best equipment in the world. Followed that with an Instant World Premiere™ in a cinema for the world to see.
And yet made it tough as hell.
24x7makingmovies™ was born of this desire to see how the young generation looks at the world.
Benegal adds, “I picked up the phone and called Apple Computers. Back me on this crazy, impossible idea with your latest state of the art equipment. Give me the best and nothing less. I was expecting to be thrown out, to be shown the door.”
A few hours later Apple Computers called back saying ‘we’re on board, what do you want and when.”
We give participants 24 hours to conceive, shoot and edit their films. Which can be anywhere from 24 seconds to 24 minutes long. The participants too have be 24 years or younger. Digital Video cameras will be given everyday of the festival to the selected participants along with state of the art Apple Macintosh computers running Final Cut Pro to edit their films on. The same systems Hollywood studios use for their million-dollar multi star films.
The most successful event at the Indian International Film Festival in Goa, 24x7makingmovies™ has been acclaimed internationally and locally. Audiences streamed the multiplex venue in Goa preferring films made by young Indians to the other offerings. Benegal and his team realized they’re onto something when one of their films, The Mud Island, a short animated film, was short listed for the Cannes International Festival.
Dev shared this idea with Neeraj Roy of Hungama and he could instantly see a connect of these films with today’s contemporary audiences. Neeraj suggested that apart from theatrical release of 24x7makingmovies™ films we should take them across multiple vectors such as ITunes Video, Internet & Broadband, Mobile Phones, MMC Cards and even Home Video in an innovative manner. Hungama Mobile understood the digital distribution and their expertise came in handy and with this started a partnership, which is today at the threshold of news forms of entertainment for a digitally connected and mobile economy.