Film's new funda is digital

SO YOU have always dreamt of making a film someday? Without those ``commercially majboor bharpur jaipur choli'' numbers, without the running around the trees and hills, giving the flowers, birds and the bees a break.

Without the heroine `singing, dancing n drenching' sequences with consequences of cold, pneumonia, flu, viral fever, sinusitis, pharyngitis and the like.

Without the mandatory mother separated from her sons at birth, or the sister falling victim to the bad guy.

Without the twin brothers having to adopt a slightly different mannerism, for the audience to tell the difference.

Without the hero turning incognito, just wearing dark glasses, fake moustache (that comes with an optional French beard) and a hat (or a `pagdi' as the case may be).

Without the villain who wears fancy clothes and swears at the hero (mostly animal references in case of a `U' film or the cliched unmentionables in the case of an `A' certified film) every fifteen minutes.

And finally, without the police charging in frames before the curtains go up, late as usual, announcing that they have surrounded the baddies from ``charon taraf'' (four sides).

Well, yes, now you can dream and make the film you always wanted to make, irrespective of commercial ingredients, irrespective of genre, subject, star-cast and style.

The news is that Shekhar Kapur has floated `Digital Talkies' along with Delhi based industrialists specially to produce and promote independent film makers through the digital medium.

The company is in the process of identifying talented film-makers as well as established film-makers, to create content using digital technology and thereon to preserve, upgrade, showcase and distribute archival material.

Digital Talkies therefore, will organise a seminar in the city on October 22 at the Film Chamber to create awareness on digital technology that would revolutionise film-making in India and take it to a global plane.

``The cost of film-making using the digital medium is just 1/20 the cost of making films,'' Yamini Tiwari, Associate Producer says. It would cost about Rs.5-10 lakh per film, is the estimate.

The response the company has got, is ``immense'', she says. Some top technicians from the city have expressed a lot of interest, she adds.

The company would accept proposals and ideas till the end of the month, shortlist and produce or co-produce a few films using digital technology, and also take care of distribution of films.

``But we are also looking at distributing already produced films in any format,'' Yamini reveals. If the new technology excites you, you can get more information by email: siddharthkumar@digitaltalkies.com or yamini@digitaltalkies.com.

Digital Talkies will then host the Digital Talkies Festival 2001 sometime in March. Want to watch your film screened there? Get clicking.

Without having to worry about a producer or distributor hovering over you on ``Why is the estimate figure against heroine's costumes so high?''.

By Sudhish Kamath

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Section  : Entertainment