Monday, January 17, 2005

Can I shoot you?

Things learned from my first shooting experience:

I have a whole new appreciation for people who go around getting interviews from people on the streets! Recently, I visited the Sunday Bazaar with my groupmate to shoot a couple of scenes and get interviews from various people out for a sunday shopping spree. Turns out people walking towards you will actually do a complete 180-degree turn and walk hurriedly away if they see that you're carrying a camera and are prepared to use it. Then there's the additional hassle of carrying around a tripod that, at full height, is taller than yourself in a case that makes you look like someone carrying around a sniper gun. This effect can be fun, but also pretty tiring for the arm. Judging by the number of funny moments we managed to get on tape, I'd say we have a pretty good outtakes sequence for when the credits roll.

Another lesson learned: Absolutely everyone wants to be a director. Everyone from the organizers at the Sunday Bazaar to the Golf Pros at the Golf Club think they know a thing or two about how to handle a camera and will not hesitate to voice their opinions about how to go about shooting a scene. Also, there are three kinds of people: those who suffer from an extreme case of camera-shyness, those who are willing to go on camera but only for brief moments, and those who absolutely love the camera, whether the camera loves them or not. Those who come under the last category can be as diverse as the men who sell women's clothes at Sunday bazaar to overenthusiastic golf pros to Punjabi Arm Wrestling Champions out for a morning jog.

If you're female and ask nicely, nearly all men, young or old, will agree to be interviewed. However, if you're female and ask a female for an interview, the female shall not feel she is compromising the demands of modesty by fleeing as if the hell fires of eternity were after them.

Fun: Singing ghazals, operating on pure instinct, imitating cats and McDonalds' Caramel Sundae in winter. :D

Listening to: John Denver - Annie's Song

Misha at Monday, January 17, 2005

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