Film editing - Whiplash

“The film is made in the editing room. The shooting of the film is about shopping, almost. It's like going to get all the ingredients together, and you've got to make sure before you leave the store that you got all the ingredients. And then you take those ingredients and you can make a good cake - or not.”

The end outcome of any process can never be satisfactory unless and until all its parts and components are done to perfection. Having said that, most times, certain components pay a more important role than others. In film making, editing is one such component that has the power to make or break a film. Many movies have achieved greatness due to tremendous editing displayed in them. One such Movie was 2014s Whiplash, written and directed by Damien Chazelle, this movie was brought to life by the brilliant editing done by Tom Cross, for which he even received an Academy Award. 

The movie is majorly a by-product of some impeccably edited and well-timed scenes. Most of the editing is quite contemporary and fast pace, however the first half of the movie does have some traditional editing as well.

To begin with, Cross has perfectly followed the Rule of 6 which essentially outlines the 6 things an editor needs to keep in mind before making a cut. The cuts determine how the audience reacts to a particular scene and what sort of emotions are generated. By focussing on certain elements, he also ensures that the audience is drawn to a particular scene or object in the movie.

Cross used a lot of ‘Lean Forward’ Movement. A fine examples is a scene between the lead and his girlfriend. They go on their first date and the scene opens to a wide shot of both of them sitting at a diner. As and when the characters get to know each other, the scene keeps cutting to closer frames depicting the closeness of the characters. Hence, the ‘Lean Forward’ is established. Then suddenly, the character reach a point where a stark difference between their ideologies is established and hence the scene again cuts to a wider frame showing the space between them. Such tricks help shape the movie and take its story forward. In another scene when his teacher slaps the lead, Cross used the smash-cut method wherein you cut on action and cut just ahead of when the cut is expected to happen.

It is the story of a Drummer and his mentor and hence music plays a crucial part in the entire movie. The editing of the scenes where the lead actor is performing is extremely different to other scene that are for example shot between him and his girlfriend. The musical scenes are edited in a rather rough manner, similar to a fight sequence with quick cuts in a contemporary manner. The other shots such as when the actor is conversing with his father or girlfriend are rather traditional with long shorts and without much switching and flickering.

When it comes to my personal sensibilities as a film maker, while editing a short fashion film, I would be gravitated towards quick shots rather than long dragged ones. Since it will be short film, I would like to keep it snappy and attention holding. The editing would be such that isn’t too distracting but takes the movie forward and is nurturing to the narrative.

Sound Design - Lost in Translation

There are some movies which you see and the sound and music is so compelling that you can’t help but notice it. But there are even movies where you watch them from beginning to end and don’t even happen to realize that there were various background sounds and songs playing. The beauty of such films is that the sound becomes so seamless that it sort of gets engraved in the script without the viewer even realising it.

The 2003 film Lost in Translation, directed by Sofia Coppolo is one such film. Right from the opening scene The sound of fax machine, Traffic of the city, all these diegetic sounds make sure the movie opens in a manner that gives it you a feeling that you are present in the film. The movie’s background score is provided by Kevin Shieldsand composers Brian Reitzell and Roger J Manning. Director Sofia and sound designer Richard Beggs chose some exceptionally appropriate songs for the movie as well.

Lead characters of Bob and Charlotte, played by Bill Murray and Scarlet Johanson respectively add life to the movie with their phenomenal work and portrayal of the characters. Subtly is the strength of this film. It doesn’t have many dialogues, especially in the beginning of the movie. This very well depicts the loneliness of characters and how they have no one to talk to. This absence of words in the film makes the sound an even more crucial part of the film and is responsible for taking the story forward.

Even the choice of songs by the director and Beggs couldn’t have been any better. A particular scene where the lead characters go for a Karaoke session, very well depicts the brilliance of the choice of music. The choice of songs for both the characters is such that it tells us what is going on in their minds without even saying a single word. It displays their moods without the audience having to rack their brains a lot.

On a summed up note, Lost in translation is one of the few movies, where even the silences speak. It tells us that great sound design is not about having peppy songs and a different background score for each scene. Rather, it happens when even the absence of sounds stirs some emotions in the audiences.

Clothing during Renaissance

Renaissance, literally meaning Rebirth was a significant period in history which began around the 14^th century ending the dark time called middle ages. After a grim period in history, Renaissance was a period of light. It brought with it, the decline of the feudal system, growth of commerce, innovation of paper, Mariner’s compass, printing, gunpowder, etc. It was also a time of high order thinking and people engaged in intellectual talks. All this meant that people now had the time and energy to put efforts into their clothing

The styles of the gowns worn in Renaissance changed from year to year, but the basic styles remained the same. Women wore gowns comprised of a tight-fitting bodice and a fuller skirt that would hang down to the ankles. This was a time when women’s dressing emphasized their curves. Dresses cut to expose much of the neckline were both acceptable and fashionable. As in other periods as well, clothing of the upper classes was heavy and cumbersome, and restricted movement for the wearer.

     

Women of the lower classes enjoyed much more freedom in what they wore, both because they couldn’t afford the heavy gowns and also so that they were comfortable enough to work in what they wore. They would wear a much looser corset, or none at all, and would possibly eschew other underpinnings such as bum rolls (crescent-shaped cushions worn around the hips) or farthingales (hoop skirts used to hold the skirts out) for added comfort.

        

 

 


 

 









All women's outfits be it upper class or lower class, started with a shift (a loose, linen smock worn to protect the gown), and stockings, which were normally knee-high. Petticoats were added both to fill out a gown and to keep the wearer warm.

A man's outfit would start with a shirt, which was quite similar to the shirts worn today but instead of the regular collars and cuffs, has them made out of frills. Over this would go a doublet, or fitted top, and finally over that a jerkin, a close-fitting jacket. Men of the working class like their female counterparts dressed for utility and might simply wear the shirt alone.

For their lowers, instead of trouser, men wore 2. The lower one being stockings and the upper one being a doublet which were frilly trousers just till the knees. In the reign of Henry VIII, doublets became shorter, creating a space between the upper hose and the doublet.

 

 
The Renaissance was an inspirational period for clothing and was considered one of the most stylish times. A lot of designers and luxury houses still take inspiration from clothing of that period. Brands like Dolce and Gabbana, Channel, Dior and many more have come u with collections inspired from that time. All in all, it is quite evident that times of intellectual prosperity lead to times of a greater aesthetic sense. 

 

Clothing during the dark ages

Every cloud having a silver lining is evidence enough that dark periods in history have ended with the beginning of merrier times. The same goes for the medieval period, lasting from 5^th to 15^th century that ended with the beginning of the renaissance period which was a period of intellectual awakening.

Since it was a long frame of time, clothing during this period went through various changes. There was a huge difference in the lifestyle of the rich and that of the poor peasants.

It wasn’t a very flourishing period for the common people since life wasn’t secure and epidemics were frequent, clothing was utility and availability based. Their clothing was very simple and basic with no embellishments. The main garment worn by both men and women was a tunic. Men’s tunics were mostly knee length whereas women had tunics till their mid calves essentially making it a dress. During the later period, these dresses became even longer and would go till the ankle. Sometimes these tunics (mostly men’s) also had side slits which allowed them more movement while working.

 

These tunics were belted at the waist. While working, these long tunics could be tucked into belts for easy movement. They were generally made out of wool which the women spun into threads that were woven into cloth for garments. Blue, pale yellow, green, dull orange, etc were prevalent colors for women’s clothing. Most men’s tunics were also made out of wool but were coarser and were not as colourful as that of women’s.

It also became fashion for people long shifts or under tunics. Usually among the working classes, these shifts would be woven from hemp and would remain undyed; after many wearings and washings, they would soften up and lighten in color. 

Men and women many a times would go barefoot but during the winters and while doing outdoor work, they would wear simple leather boots.

 

Head covering was an important part of their attire. Men wore hats while women wore veils and wimples.

The rich however, had much more elaborate clothing. Their inner garments were made of linen. Men started wearing long jackets with elaborate work and pleating and skirting. Their clothes were brightly colored since bright dyes were expensive. Many a times, their jackets and tunics had fur linings and borders. Women wore long flowing gowns. Men wore stockings under their long shirts. Their shirts and jackets were mostly trimmed with fur and had gold embroidery on them. They wore large hats which in those times was a sign of wealth.  Women wore fitted gowns that sometimes trailed off the floor. These gowns were highly embellished with pearls, diamonds and other gems.

Therefore the huge class difference was easily evident in the clothing. This long period of darkness came in with many hard times but finally ended with a golden period.

Of Newfound love

“There is absolutely no way that I am letting you people take this reckless decision. It may seem like fun and games, but I swear I’m telling you it’s going to be a nightmare”

These were my exact words when my family asked me about my opinion on getting a dog. Don’t get me wrong, I love animals but the thought of my younger brother being responsible for another living being wasn’t the most reassuring one. I knew it was just a phase that he might be pleading and begging now but come the dog and time to take care of it, he would dump the entire responsibility on my mother. And I was pretty aware of the gigantic mess that comes with them. So for obvious reasons, my vote was a no.

But since I don’t live with my parents anymore, my vote could only go so far. They ended up getting a Labrador that was about a month old. Off course it looked adorable. The first time I visited home after its arrival, it was about 2 month old and it came to welcome me at the door with his tail wagging and that cute heart melting face of his. My brother named him Ezzio and soon my all our dinner table conversations became about that creature. My mother would send me 10 pictures of him a day. I’ll have to admit, back then I couldn’t really see what was great about him. Yes he was cute, but aren’t all little furry things?

The next time, I visited after a month. He had now grown in size and had become more playful. This time, he came running towards me and held on tight to my skirt. Eventually I opened up to him as I spent the next 6 days at home. It started following me around everywhere. Woke me up every morning, waited for me near the door when it was time for me to get back home in the evening. Yes he did kind of start to grow on me. When I had to leave home to get back to Delhi, it was hard to admit to myself that I was going to miss him.

Next and the most recent time I visited home, He was about 6 months old. He was no more a little puppy. Was a bundle of energy that was hard to control. He was more playful than ever and also hungrier than ever. His energy was contagious and we became inseparable. I would take him out for walks, give him food, and play with him the entire day. Without my awareness, this creature had crept its way into my heart and had persuaded me to love it. You can’t help but fall in love with them.

Something, the thought of which was so revolting a couple of months ago, has now become an integral part of my life. It’s funny to think how now I may not be wanting to pay visit to my home otherwise, but the thought of that dog drags me there. 

Revival of Maggi

Any brand needs to put in a lot of effort in order to build a respectable brand name and lace in the market. Intense research on product, its packaging, connection the audience, it’s advertisement campaigns and many other things go into making up of a successful brand. But a brand image, no matter how much time it took to be built doesn’t take long to be shattered.

Taking the example of Nestle Maggi. It is a product that had been a part of almost every Indian household since we all can remember. Ou generation literally grew up on Maggi. But one fine day, we hear a news that our very beloved Maggi contained levels of lead that are way higher than what is safe for consumption. The news spreads like wildfire and before we know it, Maggi is being banned from many states. Now the gravity of the situation was such that it did call for a huge step. Nestle had broken people’s trust. Maggi was supposed to be the ultimate comfort food, something that one would reach for when everything else was too hard and time consuming to make. So when this very product was found out to be harmful for consumption, the brand had a huge crises at hand.

Whenever situations like these occur, the brand gets stuck in a vulnerable position wherein they very carefully need to scrutinise the situation and take each step with extreme caution so as to not make the situation any worse. In this case, Maggi is trying their hand at various strategies. I shall be working in a little as to what according to me could be the next steps taken by Maggi to build back their brand image.

I really feel that this particular product has more emotional connect to the audiences that any other brand of instant noodles. And so one way to reconnect with the audience could be through the medium of digital marketing and social media. For this, a great tool could be snap chat. It could consist of the brand hiring actors to make and upload videos that are only a couple of seconds long. They could range over a couple of things such as showing youngsters cooking Maggi. A group of students living in their hostel cooking Maggi at night. Little clips to make sure the brand gets some recall value.

Another strategy that I feel could work is huge hoardings. Since Maggi is still making corrections in their brand and will relaunch their product in near future. These hoardings could just be huge ones by the side of busy roads and highways. Passing cars and passengers will not miss them. They should just be minimal haordings with the logo of maggi in the centre and a one liner saying COMING SOON or WE MISS YOU TOO or IT’LL BE WORTH THE WAIT. These hoardings will ensure that people remember the brand even when it is not in the market. And will also build the anticipation for future.

Maggi according to me has been great in handling the situation. To retract their product was a wise thing to do and now let’s hope and see how they come up with an improved product which is able to wine back it’s consumers.

Different ways to wear Juttis

With Juttis being one of the most versatile and wearable footwear available in the market, this season sure calls for the amalgamation of these beautiful shoes with our existing wardrobes. Lightweight and easy to slip on, these sure make for a great companion during the spring summer.With new trends and more contemporary Juttis now out in the market, people have a wider variety to choose from and various ways to pair juttis with their day to day outfits.

A tried and tested way is to team these up with salwars and chudidars. Plain solid coloured salwars can easily be jazzed up by wearing them bright and vibrant Juttis.

·      Apart from the traditional way, Juttis are a great footwear to experiment with. They can be well teamed up with ankle cut skinny jeans or straight fit jeans that can be rolled up at the bottom. These can be teamed up with short cotton kurtas for a more Indian look or even simply worn with t-shirts for a casual look.

A simple outfit consisting of plain black leggings can be jazzed up using some vibrant juttis.

·      Printed Juttis can be great to team up with long flowy silhouettes such as maxy dresses, long skirts or even pallazos. For a slightly more structured look, they can also be teamed up with wide legged trousers.

           

·      To beat the heat, Denim shorts, skirts and dresses are a great trend. These too can be paired beautifully with Juttis. The trick is to match them well. Printed, fun Juttis with a plain structured dress and if the dress already has too much going on, then go for simple and minimalistic designs on the juttis.