Hollywood producers talk about “high concept.” A high concept refers to the central idea that drives a story. Often, it can be expressed in a single sentence, such as: “An alien, who is left behind, befriends an Earth kid.” And “An unheralded heavyweight boxer unexpectedly gets a chance to prove himself by battling the champ.”
A strong concept doesn’t guarantee that a movie will be a hit. But a weak concept almost always results in a flop. And according to mobile moviemaker Varun Mehta, the same is true when it comes to making short smartphone documentaries. Varun’s “Diwali: The Festival of Lights” was a co-winner in MobileMovieMaking’s recent Holiday Video Contest. In the following interview, Varun talks about the making of his movie and its high concept.
Interview with Varun Mehta
MMM: Did you use any special gear when shooting with the smartphone?
Varun: No, because I wanted to shoot in a simple fashion using android and iphone devices. The idea was to capture the lights and beauty of the surroundings. The night becomes very special on the occasion of Diwali, and the objective of the film was to capture every moment. Initially, I planned to use a tripod but later I realized that I would be working in a lot of places, it shall be difficult to carry the tripod everywhere.
MMM: During the production, did you encounter any problems?
Varun: There were many difficulties. To begin with, I shot a lot of footage on an iPhone but it got damaged and I lost most of that footage. The next day I used an android device to shoot the film again. Fortunately, the festival Diwali is celebrated for two—three days in the countryside—so I was able to document the essence of the festival. Although without the original footage something was missing, I decided to complete the project because I felt committed to it. In my view no matter how hard it is, one must never leave a project incomplete. The technical part of filmmaking always poses challenges, but if the concept of a film works, it will reach its way to victory.
MMM: Did you begin by writing a script or did you first shoot, and then write it.
Varun: I shot the movie first because I wanted to tell the festival’s story with pictures. The idea was to make the film different from other Diwali documentaries. They are usually directed towards the mythological aspect of the festival whereas I wanted to speak about the lights and its uniqueness. I wanted it to become more relevant and relatable. After the shooting I wrote the narration script.
MMM: Did you do the narration?
Varun: Well, let me confess that at first I felt that my voice wasn’t the right fit for the subject, so I keep looking for a good actor who would really understand the concept of the film. However, because I am very particular about how the narration works, finally I decided to do the narration myself.
MMM: Can you talk about the recording process?
Varun: First, it’s very important to have a good microphone. In earlier days, we were dependent upon those heavy microphones. But these days laptops and PCs have powerful microphones that provide good recording quality. Second, it’s important that your throat should be clear. Third, there shouldn’t be any noise or disturbances around that can cause problems in the dubbing.
Previous post
Next post
Many Many Congratulations Dear Varun. I loved the movie and the concept and also your Interview. Keep it going and best of luck
Loved the Film. Keep it up, you have made us proud. And thanks to mobile movie making team for selecting this film as a co-winner. It deserves to be there ! Thankyou
Brilliant and Innovative movie. Congrats !
simply loved the concept and the detailing.
without going over the top, you managed up to lighten up the film with so much colorful textures. congrats