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With the prime focus being how to tell a great story, both Ghose
and Chaterjee called attention to the building on one's experiences
and piling up life's learning's, otherwise one will mine it and
mine it but finally it will run dry.
"Every story must have the 'oh fuck' factor," says Ghose
delving into what makes for an exciting copy. "If you see the
earlier series of Star Wars, they are nowhere close to the
latter one's considering the special effects and the tools that
have been used, but the former worked sans all of these because
it had a great story telling value," she adds. No amount of
technology or technique will work if you don't have an interesting
story to tell is the bottom-line.
"Write stories, play God!" Ghose very verbosely told
the audience to experiment with their stories and play God; play
the game of 'what if', the only field where one can be the master
of the universe. For instance, what if an alien landed on earth
and met a little boy.( What if Harry met Sally….What if?
Raymond Carvo being Ghose's favourite writer, she sited a lot of
his work to inspire and infuse enthusiasm and passion among the
audience. Thoughts are embedded deep within us and our mind is like
a well; when a stone is thrown, the rippling process begins she
says.
Understanding the creative process in a holistic manner is a huge
learning. The process begins with a provocative brief. Capturing
intense moments across unique photographs, she titillated the minds
to see beyond and derive different connotations. "Allow yourself
to see, go in and accept." Allowing one's self to be provoked
is to have a thin skin; to be receptive to all the stimuli in one's
environment. To delve into the images and go beneath the skin of
the works and images is very crucial. One needs to enter people's
lives and allow one's self that kind of intimacy.
Quoting from Satyajit Ray she says "A passion for people and
places" is crucial.
The second half of the session was taken over by Chatterjee, who
kicked off on the the most relevant obstacle this media suffers.
With the interpretation problem a well known hindrance in the advertising
industry, he stressed on the how key the task of communicating one
single precise idea to the viewers was an uphill task.
Chatterjee's home truths:
" Know the language in which you want to speak
" The knowledge of the language of film is most important
and one needs to actively pursue it.
" Just because to have heard music, love music does not mean
you can compose music, the same applies to films and hence the craft
of film making needs to be studied.
" There is information galore everywhere. So all you need
to do is go out and get it.
" Technique is when you and break rules; when you don't know
it, it is anarchy.
" Get your hands dirty; get into the books and you will enjoy
films a million times more.
" If you don't derive and desire life you will atrophy yourself.
" Be familiar with the idioms of the language only then can
u use it.
" Film is about life
" "Increase the source" You do not refill your source
you will run dry. On the other hand if your source is irrelevant,
you are over. " What I am is the sum total of my funded sources."
Going on to compare writing to guerilla warfare, Chatterjee says
there is no vacation for writing too. Writing a novel is like gathering
smoke. Writing for films is applied writing as film has its own
lingo.
Showing us glimpses of an oriental movie he went into the realms
of resonance and the use of montages and explained in detail the
use of resonance and use of it to connote something deeper that
the obvious. Montage is one of the most powerful tools he said.
Restating his point of seeking information he said there are tools
to tell a story and to study the tools was vital.
Moving on to another note, he talked about metaphors and their
importance and its efficacy in communication. Referring to Noam
Chomsky's usage of transformational grammar, he pointed out the
better you know your land, your cultural tools the better you compress
the better you communicate.
"Reduce to make potent" he says. The more obtuse you
are, the less you will remember. Poetry is a language that is charged.
Similarly one needs to strike an alliance with the viewer.
Commenting on music he says "Music is most accessible and
least understood." Nobody will ask why you like this music,
but one can always apply the question to books and films.
The great narrative arc and its structure was also touched upon
and a basic idea was given to the audience.
Another important factor that he stated was "Without an obstacle
there is no story" which translates into what I want I cant
get. Desire, conflict, point, counter point are all the bare essentials
to weave a good story.
Also every script has hidden ideas and all films should respond
to advertising and film logic. So look hard and look deep was the
hidden message.
Words of caution :
"Do not take suggestions from anybody who has not seen it
fully." Only the person drinking the water will know whether
it's hot or cold.
Look for traps. More often than not, they pass the bare eye unnoticed.
( For instance the Lakme ad: Only hand and nails and no identity
to relate to)
Don't order if you can't afford it. Write within your budget; it
is possible to make good cheap movies.
Creativity is hard work was the bottom-line of session V. With
most creative guru's professing how an idea just sparks out of no
where, here were two people telling the future of advertising, it's
not as simple as that. Good ideas need to be nourished with great
amount of study, observation and an eye for life. With that Chaterjee
concluded with a brilliant note, "Write drunk, revise sober."
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