Filmmaking: A behind the camera view

Arkesh Ajay (Batch of 2001)

Arkesh Ajay (Class of 2001, Xth) gave a talk on the topic of filmmaking as a career on the 3rd of July, 2021. The idea of the talk was to navigate the tricky corridors of filmmaking and present it in a way which is decipherable for the common folks who are often able to appreciate the magic on screen but are seldom exposed to the nuances of how the magic is created behind the screen. The speaker is a USA based Indian writer/director/editor whose work has screened at Cannes, Sundance, and Netflix. 

The talk started with exploring the key aspects of filmmaking with specific focus on actors, people who you can’t do without at all. Arkesh went on to talk about casting and how it is the very soul of the process of filmmaking. Quoting Alexander Payne, he said, “Casting is ninety-five percent of directing an actor.”

He further pointed out the importance of rehearsals in getting the actors to play out what the director expects of them. A lot of the magic which happens on screen is first honed through rehearsals, perfected and eventually played out. Moving deeper into the concept of rehearsals, the speaker pointed out that it is through rehearsals that the characters and their motivations are established.

Moving ahead, the talk captured the importance of camerawork and production design in filmmaking. He highlighted the importance of costume design as one of the other key aspects involved in filmmaking.

A sizeable part of the talk focused on the importance of lighting in filmmaking. Arkesh showed the different techniques of lighting which bring out different scenes in all their glory. The talk ended with colour palettes and their importance in playing out the story on screen.

It was a very enjoyable talk with a lot of participants getting to understand the complex process of filmmaking from an experienced professional. The talk ended with a vote of thanks to the speaker for sharing his valuable insights into the field of filmmaking.