why films (usually) have large crews
June 2007
Having walked into a wall of 49 degree Celsius heat
in Delhi at the weekend, I have moved on to the
relative cool of Leh in the Indian Himalaya. I am
here with Seb
Mankelow and Al Boardman to make a short film.
Its working title is 'The Box' and we're
shooting it entirely on location in Ladakh using
members of the local population in preference to
trained actors.
So far we've bagged the first scene and also the start of scene two. Tomorrow morning we set off on a two day overland journey to Zanskar, which is on the southern border of Ladakh. The Zanskari town of Padum is the location for the culmination of the film.
Ladakh is a spectacular region of the Himalaya, and creates a seductive background to our true story of how the traditional way of life in this part of the world is colliding head-on with the 21st century.
Having endured five consecutive pre-dawn starts, I'm wrestling with the complexities of shot lists, budgets, continuity issues, liaising with the cast and stills photography. Al is focusing on filming the scenes in high definition. So far he has hung over a rooftop balcony, ridden on the bonnet of a moving vehicle, and choked on the pollution from countless Tata trucks. Seb is somehow managing to cover all the remaining bases, from Director of Photography to Grip. If we had three extra people, they would all have full-time jobs. Yet at the same time, the intensity of making a film this way is both exciting and rewarding.
So far we've bagged the first scene and also the start of scene two. Tomorrow morning we set off on a two day overland journey to Zanskar, which is on the southern border of Ladakh. The Zanskari town of Padum is the location for the culmination of the film.
Ladakh is a spectacular region of the Himalaya, and creates a seductive background to our true story of how the traditional way of life in this part of the world is colliding head-on with the 21st century.
Having endured five consecutive pre-dawn starts, I'm wrestling with the complexities of shot lists, budgets, continuity issues, liaising with the cast and stills photography. Al is focusing on filming the scenes in high definition. So far he has hung over a rooftop balcony, ridden on the bonnet of a moving vehicle, and choked on the pollution from countless Tata trucks. Seb is somehow managing to cover all the remaining bases, from Director of Photography to Grip. If we had three extra people, they would all have full-time jobs. Yet at the same time, the intensity of making a film this way is both exciting and rewarding.