Animation gets Real

There are some things in the world that we are biased about mostly because of their ‘not-so-real’ status. Admitting to that, it is a given that very few of us like to take animation for anything serious, even making a statement. True. Animation is something inanimate put into action and is mostly for the purpose of humour, but why should that come to limit the possibilities of the medium?

It is hard to know how many parents are thankful to Walt Disney, but they don’t really take animation for serious stuff. This definition has come to redefine itself by some of the creations of past few years. The movies have not only questioned societal norms but unusual genres and not to miss out the superior technology. Animation in fact has questioned and brought more ‘life’ to reality, with the films trying to get closer and closer to the nuances of something alive and less fictional.

Persepolis: The mix of a graphic storyline merged with animation, this film brings the point of view of a young Iranian libertine woman, who sought freedom of thought when her society was struggling with religious turmoil.

Mary and Max: An interesting representation of clay animation gives Mary and Max that magical feel. The plot that layers the emotion of two lonely souls set apart in different continents learn to deal with life through letters.

Fantastic Mr. Fox: Imagining the furry beings of your closet coming to life is the ultimate effect of this one. Working on the techniques of stop motion animation, this is a story of a shrewd Mr. Fox, who decides to define his freedom by outsmarting humans, sending out quite a message.

Up: Nobody talks of the old anymore but animation does. A septuagenarian Carl decides to take a trip and manages to do that by flying along with his home on balloons. The movie captures the plot with the effects of photo realistic animation at its best.

Frankenweenie: With Tim Burton’s direction and a perfect setting for the mysterious mix of graphic, gothic and animation, this one is to be watched for the amalgamation of stop motion and digital animation.  It is more a work of ‘difference’ than just a new-age adaptation to Frankenstein.

There is no better conclusion to this list, which is always under construction. To that effect, these are only a few master pieces out of the animation box but for the ones who think ‘it’s not quite worth it’ are missing much.

Image source: http://3.bp.blogspot.com

The Tale of India Cinema

Ours is a country obsessed with cinema. Commercial cinema labelled as Bollywood is one of the most admired and successful industries in India. The industry rose to fame with the emergence of the Superstars and the reflection of trends on the audiences.

What Makes it so Magical?

Even within the film industry, there are mini branches that collectively make it grand.  There is regional cinema which pertains to the audiences of specific states, commercial cinema which focuses on mainstream Bollywood films and then, cinema produced by other countries. The grandeur of cinema lies in the fact that it isn’t just about producing films and showcasing them, but the way it is perceived by the world.

What’s Writing Got to Do With It?

It is undeniable that cinema produces a number of jobs. Apart from the technical aspects, there are jobs in writing as well as editing. If you have a penchant for cinema, doesn’t matter which kind or part of the world it belongs to, you can try your luck in writing for cinema.

There are several mediums that offer you an opportunity to publish your work. Here are a few you can try:

• Blogging - To start with, you can have your own cinema blog. You can write on a number of subjects related to cinema such as Film Reviews, Film gossips, Critical analysis of performances on screen etc. Once you have a certain number of followers, you can make it a website and make it more informative for your readers.
• Newspapers and Magazines - There are many newspapers and magazines that are devoted to writing about cinema and those involved in the business. E.g. Film fare, Stardust magazines. Once you have a substantial information and knowledge about a particular film industry, you can apply for a job with these mediums and be a writer.
• Social Media – Writing for cinema in 21^st century is beyond just print media. Once a film is out on the table, it needs promotion to grab attention. And just like other brands, it needs to build PR, which is done through mediums like Facebook and Twitter. So, if you are well versed with these platforms, go ahead and write for them.

Apart from these options, you can also try writing for a number of film websites, PR firms specializing in promoting cinema etc.

Ok, for all those Spiderman fans out there, this reboot is definitely worth a million drools….no, not for the Lizard Man! It is for the all-new avatar of Peter Parker, adeptly played by Andrew Garfield. The swings, the webs and the zaps are all there – and in a brand new package.

So, what is it that makes one say, “Move over Tobey, your character’s been web-jacked”? Well, it’s a well-concocted blend of more realistic results of action sequences (remember the bruises that actually show till the day after?), the depth of emotions (scenes with Aunt May, Uncle Ben and of course, the love interest, Gwen Stacey, played by Emma Stone), and to top it all, the deliberately depicted inadequacies of the super-hero before he dons his role as the saviour of the city.

The story delves right into the root of how it all began. From the dilemma of separation from his parents at a young age, to growing up with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, dealing with the trauma of his parents’ mysterious disappearance, and the wound that this childhood circumstance leaves in a young Parker, the drama unfolds and does so adeptly. The emotional confabulations, the romantic impasses and the ever-raging inner turmoil are beautifully executed through the boyish charms of the dashing Garfield. A budding photographer cum scientific genius-in-the-making takes on the ambitious and almost evil-incarnate Dr. Connors, the Lizard Man. While good triumphs, it always has a cost attached to it – which unfortunately is in the form of human lives lost (viz. Captain Stacey).

So, what makes this whole package so sough after? Is it the stunts? Is it the raw emotions? Or is it simply brand ‘Webb’ that makes it all so delectable?  The flick is worth watching to find out.

The bug of being serious (not Cyrus) drains in an obvious yawn of over the head content. Especially for those who never prefer to be involved in serious discourse by any means. Being born in a multicultural society like India, witnessing all kinds of colors with respect to each and every societal contour creating endless socio-political and socio-economic upheavals is just inevitable. Stating the fact quite convincingly that media has played a major role in reflecting the ongoing state of affairs in the country, would need a skeptic take when it comes to referring the job as a money-making business.

Commercializing and fantasizing the real world may have been the winning formula in the Indian film industry for quite a long time. However, there were few visionaries who always wanted to take the untrodden path of showing the true reflections of the Indian society. Keeping them away from the usual spice that is often associated with ‘Bollywood’, these luminaries took the onus to showcase the real India to the Indian as well as the international audience. Post independence, visionaries like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Shanta Ram and Sohrab Modi were among the few unique filmmakers whose films masterfully chronicled the societal transformation taking place in India.

Then came the dark and brooding 70s, when the entire Indian society came under the grips of extreme frustration and anger.  The strained Indian economy coupled with the ghost of emergency smacked out the normal life of an Indian from the track. Suppression of civil liberties and constitutional breakdown were core worrying issues for the Indian society. These issues acted as seeds for the birth of Indian New Wave Cinema or Parallel Cinema. Films being categorized in this particular genre addressed the growing frustrations of Indians during that period. The National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi and Film and Television Institute (FTII), Pune has also played a major role in producing remarkable filmmakers who ushered a new life in the world of filmmaking in the country.

Names worth mentionable in this regard are Shyam Benegal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Buddhadeb Das Gupta, Basu Chatterjee and many more. If you have heard and even watched few of these masterpieces – Ankur, Aakrosh, Bhumika, Nishant, Manthan, Arth, Saraansh, Ardh Satya, Aghaat – you must know by now what parallel cinema is and what they tried to convey to the masses. The Indian New Wave Cinema saw its slow decline in the 1990s when the production costs started reaching sky high limits. The incessant commercialization hammered down the parallel cinema industry so bad that it had a bleak chance of revival.

However, since the advent of the 21^st century, parallel cinema has revived itself quite notably. Films like “3 Deewarein”, “Dor”, “Iqbal”, “Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi”, “Is Raat Ki Subah Nahi”, “Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara”, “Firaaq”, “My Brother…Nikhil”, “Dev D”, “Gulaal”, “Sikander”, “Udaan”, “Love Sex Aur Dhokha”, “Manorama Six Feet Under”, “Khosla ka Ghosla”, “Oye Lucky Lucky Oye”, “Tere Bin Laden”, “Peepli Live”, “Phas Gaye Re Obama” and many more have created a new definition for parallel cinema.