Introduction of myself in relation to film work
I have been born and brought up in a very small idyllic town of northern India. In my childhood I did not have enough opportunity to watch films in theatres, as there were only two very poor cinema theatres, which showed only poor quality so called B grade films and my film viewing outside home i.e. television was very restricted by my parents. I grew up watching films in television, mostly of Satyajit Ray, with my parents. My father, seldom, took me to film theatres only if there is any ‘good’ movie, by chance, is shown. So up to 12th standard of my education, I saw films mostly on television, and kept writing poems and lyrics for songs mostly in my mother tongue.
After that I left home to get admission in a famous college in Kolkata, one of the famous cities of India. I got admitted and stayed in a rented house, which is typically known as ‘mess’ in this city, with ten other senior boarders.
However, this city introduced me to world cinema. I became a regular visitor to a cheap but good film theatre. Actually this is the first multiplex, known as ‘Nandan Complex’, of this city and is always frequently used for film festivals and other cultural activities. In this place I got introduced to Iranian, Japanese, European and Latin American films through the KFF (Kolkata Film Festival). Besides I also watched Hollywood movies whenever I got chance.
In this way during my stay in Kolkata I discovered my passion for films and eventually got attracted towards the use of sound in films. I became fond of 5.1 surround format. At the same time I was also very interested in editing. I decided to read about editing and joined a film library, called ‘Chitrabani’ in Kolkata. There I found some interesting books, like Karol Reisz’s, Rumsey and McCormick’s (on sound recording), and some other related to screenplay writing. I browsed through them and gradually become interested in sound, most probably because it would give me a great chance to explore Physics ( I have my ‘Bachelor in Science’ or B.Sc degree, with English as the medium of instruction, in this subject.) in the field of film making. So after completing my graduation (B.Sc), I applied for 3 yearPost Graduate Diploma in ‘Audiography’ (sound recording and designing for film and television) in SRFTI (Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute), one of the two national film schools of India. Another reason behind choosing audio is this is the most technical part of the process of film making and I believed that it is impossible to write a poem unless one knows how to hold the pen.
Though before joining the film school I had no hands-on experience on film making, I discovered the pleasure of film making and team work gradually. It would be very dishonest of me if I do not mention that the films, which I am going to submit according to the eligibility criteria of AFA, are not at all having any professional quality, since these are all exercise films made to learn about the process of film making and for the first time in this institute I realized that how different is the process of filmmaking and film theory are. I also wrote two short screenplays for films, during my stay in this institute. I still love to write. This is a habit I can’t help living without. Though I used to write poems in my mother tongue, I got taught about writing screenplays in English in the first year’s ‘common course’ in this institute and I readily found the cathartic joy and pleasure about finishing a draft. However I would love to call it my hobby. I only use my spare time for writing.
Why I wish to attend AFA
There are several reasons for why I want to attend AFA.
Firstly I want to learn more about sound designing. I have a lot of queries regarding the technique and aesthetics of sound in films. I want to know how the perception of sound and music varies from culture to culture and at the same time how people of different cultures react to films. But there is almost no scope for attending any external workshops on sound designing in India.
Secondly, I want to exchange ideas with delegates coming from different countries. Since I write screenplays in my spare time, I believe that I can have a great chance to share my thoughts with other.
Thirdly, I feel that Asian cultures and heritages and philosophies are greatly unexplored in cinema. To fill this gap the people, who are dreaming big, need to get teamed up and for this AFA is a great platform.
Last but not the least; I need to know more about how to broadcast films internationally.
My future plans in film work
To me life is full of problems. I need to face and solve them. I believe where there is a problem, there is a solution. I have a lot of dreams, though they are very mundane. Achieving them is really very hard but I think it is not impossible. So I keep dreaming, despite knowing the fact that some of them might remain untouched in my lifetime.
Among all the dreams of mine, the hardest one is to be a film maker with a good sense of sound designing. I believe that sound is an abstract energy and it has the capability to infiltrate into the human emotion to move it. And if it is used precisely with the structure and shapes of visual frames it can bring out the best intended empathy. So at first I want to be a successful sound designer and eventually want to be a feature film maker. This is the ultimate goal in my life.
Copyright©SaibalRay
I have been born and brought up in a very small idyllic town of northern India. In my childhood I did not have enough opportunity to watch films in theatres, as there were only two very poor cinema theatres, which showed only poor quality so called B grade films and my film viewing outside home i.e. television was very restricted by my parents. I grew up watching films in television, mostly of Satyajit Ray, with my parents. My father, seldom, took me to film theatres only if there is any ‘good’ movie, by chance, is shown. So up to 12th standard of my education, I saw films mostly on television, and kept writing poems and lyrics for songs mostly in my mother tongue.
After that I left home to get admission in a famous college in Kolkata, one of the famous cities of India. I got admitted and stayed in a rented house, which is typically known as ‘mess’ in this city, with ten other senior boarders.
However, this city introduced me to world cinema. I became a regular visitor to a cheap but good film theatre. Actually this is the first multiplex, known as ‘Nandan Complex’, of this city and is always frequently used for film festivals and other cultural activities. In this place I got introduced to Iranian, Japanese, European and Latin American films through the KFF (Kolkata Film Festival). Besides I also watched Hollywood movies whenever I got chance.
In this way during my stay in Kolkata I discovered my passion for films and eventually got attracted towards the use of sound in films. I became fond of 5.1 surround format. At the same time I was also very interested in editing. I decided to read about editing and joined a film library, called ‘Chitrabani’ in Kolkata. There I found some interesting books, like Karol Reisz’s, Rumsey and McCormick’s (on sound recording), and some other related to screenplay writing. I browsed through them and gradually become interested in sound, most probably because it would give me a great chance to explore Physics ( I have my ‘Bachelor in Science’ or B.Sc degree, with English as the medium of instruction, in this subject.) in the field of film making. So after completing my graduation (B.Sc), I applied for 3 yearPost Graduate Diploma in ‘Audiography’ (sound recording and designing for film and television) in SRFTI (Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute), one of the two national film schools of India. Another reason behind choosing audio is this is the most technical part of the process of film making and I believed that it is impossible to write a poem unless one knows how to hold the pen.
Though before joining the film school I had no hands-on experience on film making, I discovered the pleasure of film making and team work gradually. It would be very dishonest of me if I do not mention that the films, which I am going to submit according to the eligibility criteria of AFA, are not at all having any professional quality, since these are all exercise films made to learn about the process of film making and for the first time in this institute I realized that how different is the process of filmmaking and film theory are. I also wrote two short screenplays for films, during my stay in this institute. I still love to write. This is a habit I can’t help living without. Though I used to write poems in my mother tongue, I got taught about writing screenplays in English in the first year’s ‘common course’ in this institute and I readily found the cathartic joy and pleasure about finishing a draft. However I would love to call it my hobby. I only use my spare time for writing.
Why I wish to attend AFA
There are several reasons for why I want to attend AFA.
Firstly I want to learn more about sound designing. I have a lot of queries regarding the technique and aesthetics of sound in films. I want to know how the perception of sound and music varies from culture to culture and at the same time how people of different cultures react to films. But there is almost no scope for attending any external workshops on sound designing in India.
Secondly, I want to exchange ideas with delegates coming from different countries. Since I write screenplays in my spare time, I believe that I can have a great chance to share my thoughts with other.
Thirdly, I feel that Asian cultures and heritages and philosophies are greatly unexplored in cinema. To fill this gap the people, who are dreaming big, need to get teamed up and for this AFA is a great platform.
Last but not the least; I need to know more about how to broadcast films internationally.
My future plans in film work
To me life is full of problems. I need to face and solve them. I believe where there is a problem, there is a solution. I have a lot of dreams, though they are very mundane. Achieving them is really very hard but I think it is not impossible. So I keep dreaming, despite knowing the fact that some of them might remain untouched in my lifetime.
Among all the dreams of mine, the hardest one is to be a film maker with a good sense of sound designing. I believe that sound is an abstract energy and it has the capability to infiltrate into the human emotion to move it. And if it is used precisely with the structure and shapes of visual frames it can bring out the best intended empathy. So at first I want to be a successful sound designer and eventually want to be a feature film maker. This is the ultimate goal in my life.
Copyright©SaibalRay
