InFocus: Kuldip Patel a Software Engg. and a sensitive Filmmaker by ShortFilmWindow

May 28th, 2015

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Can you have a full-time job and still be able to make a complete film?
We caught up with Kuldip Patel, who is a working software professional and is also a film enthusiast and student of cinema. He made his short film Prakosh  (that went to SAIFF and Stuttgart Film Festivals) that  we will be premiering this week on ShortFilmWindow.
We got a chance to meet up with him and understand his influences, his creative calling and the "maha-jugaad" process he underwent to make his first short.
StillsOfDirectorQ1) Hi Kuldip! Thanks for sharing your film with us. Can you tell us a little about yourself? Where do you come from? What is your educational background? 
I am from a very small town called Vijapur in North Gujarat. I have done M.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Kanpur and have worked with companies like Mentor Graphics, Webaroo, Microsoft, Rovi.
Q2) What drew you to filmmaking and what excites you the most about the medium.
The fact that It is an amalgamation of many arts and that it requires some interest in all of them. This medium, unlike others, offers many options to convey your point more effectively. As a filmmaker, you can take the viewer to the doorstep of the situation or scenario probably they have not faced or have thought of before. You can make them think. At the same time, it is the toughest job in the world. It consumes you. Makes you realize how insignificant you are in the larger scheme of things.
Q3) Where did the idea for Paroksh come from? How long did it take you from inception to finally making the film.
It comes from a very simple thought of how a tiniest of your action can have indirect impact on someone else's life in bigger proportions and how the universe is a vast mesh of causality chains started with one event, as we know it, the big bang.
Q4) For a first film, the production seems very complicated. Can you tell us a little bit about the process of the shoot? What camera you used, what577521_10151530784627249_1554585028_n was the crew like, how many days did the shoot span.
It was all Guerrilla. The crew consisted of just myself and the DoP(Anirudh). Occasionally our friend joined as a helper.
311328_10151530785127249_635629973_nI bought a Canon 550D and added 50mm F1.8 prime lens for close ups. The film is mostly shot on the kit lens and prime lens. Only a couple of shot were taken using a borrowed zoom lens as we could not go deeper into the water. Needless to mention, single battery.
It was very difficult to find actors in Hyderabad. People from theater circuit cared least about films somehow and non-actors did not take it seriously. Casting happened as and when the shoot progressed. At one point the project was almost dropped for not finding an old actor. One of the actors dropped out on a day before the shoot and I had to take up one of the roles. In the hindsight this could have been done better and with rehearsals it could have been a better product.
Since all of us involved had a dayjob, it all happened during weekends. Shoot took some 6-7 weekends over the period of 3 months.
Q5) You took the step forward and submitted this film to various film festivals. Can you share more about that experience. Many folks don't even know about it. How did you acquire the information to submit it to various film festivals?
I have been following some DIY filmmakers on twitter and came to know about the fests like SAIFF, IFFLA, Kerala.  Dearcinema is also doing a good job of spreading awareness around film festivals. The experinece with SAIFF and Stuttgart film fest was really good. They have a really nice team. SAIFF team even forwarded the exhibition copy to the next festival on my behalf.
Q6) You are also a working professional and a new dad. How did you organize your other responsibilities to make this film?
320103_10151530785067249_388350733_nIt was all done over the weekends so had to just cut down on my outings. Wife participated in the film too. That helped.
Q7) Do you think, with the technological developments, film making is more accessible to people operating outside bollywood. What problems you faced in the shoot that you would feel can be avoided by other new filmmakers. Also what help would you need from the existing film industry that could help make your work better.
Yes, Absolutely. It is no longer a medium of privileged. However, Independent filmmakers still face budgetery, casting, post production issues. It still requires money. I understood the following three things from my experience:
Hire only those who are passionate about your film and their art.
Pay them. Taking a favor will not work in long run.
And sound is the actual clothing of a film.
I think the existing industry can support budding film makers by providing more platforms for showcasing shortfilms. Low cost one-stop post production setups for shortfilms would be very encouraging. Releasing feature films paired with a shortfilm. Pixar has been doing it for their films.
Q8) How do you think short film can bring about a change in plurality of ideas and voices? Do you think it can help make film making as an art form more ubiquitous?  
With digital technology advancements, easier access and various platforms to showcase it is becoming ubiquitious. There are some amazing artists who do wonderful tricks, say with time lapse or animation. For them short film is an ideal medium to showcase their talent. They can weave really nice short story around their skills. It can also taken up as a warming up project before getting your hands burnt with a big one. Also, with shortfilms you can experiment a lot more than the features as you do not have a fear of box-office failures.
Q9) Indians and beyond, tell us the directors whose work you like. What other artists inspire you.
Kieslowski, Bèla Tarr, Iñárritu, Tarantino, Farhadi.
I admire Satyajit Ray and Vishal Bhardwaj a lot for being so multi-talented.
Q10) So how do plan to continue to hone your talent and continue making films :). What are your future plans. 
By watching more films and reading more books. But many-a-times you are so much caught up with dayjob and family that you can't catch all the good ones and have to pick a few.
Have written a short film for Anish, who wrote and AD-ed the new wave Gujarati commercial film Kevi Rite Jaish. Also writing a feature for him. Then one for myself, Not sure when it will go in production.
Thanks Kuldip. We wish you all the best for your future endeavors :)!

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