Days 22, 23 & 24: Twenty21

As Monday (Day 22) began, we were still unsure as to whether or not we would be flying home on Tuesday, so we treated it like our last day (just incase!).

The main event of the day was the closing ceremony of the film school program which took place throughout the afternoon. It was a merry, jovial occasion but also slightly sad as it was the last time we would be seeing some of the friends we’ve made.

The ceremony began with several smooth speeches from various folk: AAFT president Sandeep Marwah, Project Co-ordinator’s Deepti Pant & Chris Leonard, Abhishek on behalf of the India students, and myself on behalf of the UK students. We then walked the red carpet, signed some autographs, and sat back for the premiere showings of our 3 collaborative films… ‘The Next 24 Hours’, ‘Snapshot’ and ‘Desires’. The films were fabulous fun to watch, and I feel we did a great job considering the time we had and the fact that we were still getting to know each other as we worked. Then, to follow up the films, we screened some exclusive preview footage from the Preston/Delhi film. This was received with rapturous applause and had created such a stir internationally that they are now begging us to repeat the screening at Cannes in May. Following the presentation of certificates, the ceremony was rounded off by indulging in light conversation over a cup of tea and a samosa (or three).

It was upon returning to the hotel that we heard the news that we’d been half-expecting all day: our flight was cancelled. As mentioned in the first ‘Travel Update’ post, alternative arrangements were soon made and everyone coped well with the difficult situation.

We didn’t want the travel situation to affect our plans so we stuck to our evening agenda which began with a trip to Taru’s house to meet her father. Like his daughter, he was incredibly welcoming/friendly and we enjoyed a pleasant hour or so with them before heading out for a meal. On the menu was a trip to central Delhi to enjoy a buffet-style typical Indian meal consisting of the usual spicy sensations.

Tuesday morning was used by most of us as a lie-in opportunity. Having had a jam-packed agenda thus far, it was quite strange to face the prospect of two days in Delhi with nothing planned. A day of relaxation was definitely needed as we all made contact with home to rearrange various plans & inform people of the situation.

The only event of the day that is truly blog-worthy was a meal out in the evening with some of the Indian lads. In need of some Western flavours, we returned to none other than TGI Friday’s. We treated it as an early birthday celebration for myself & Nicole, and had a cracking evening. To add some competitive spirit to the occasion, we set up a ‘word game’ whereby Chris gave us each a long, unusual word and we had to try to slip it into conversation during the evening without anybody noticing. To my utter dismay, I failed to say ‘Lackadaisical’ unnoticed and missed out on a share of the cash prize.

Later on in the evening, a gang of TGI staff, following a tip-off from a few members of the group, presented us with a delightful delectable chocolate birthday cake. They then requested that we follow tradition by standing on the chairs and dancing bollywood-style as they sang a birthday-related little ditty in Hindi. It was certainly an experience I won’t forget in a hurry! Panto dancers of Longton watch this space!

Then came Wednesday 21st; the double birthday bonanza! Despite not being able to spend the day at home with our family/friends, we were still able to have a brilliant day. It was slight surreal for both of us, but it was a birthday we’ll never forget. Here's a snap from birthday breakfast (it's also the last ever time I would ever enjoy the Lorshya hotel's speciality sweet coffee and butter toast combo!)...

The main event of the day was, of course, the 21 hour filmmaking challenge (as pointed out in a previous update, 21 hours was deliberately chosen as a timeframe as it was the 21st April and my 21st birthday). We had to complete the film from scratch in the allotted time and were given the following restrictions by Mr Chris…

- The film must contain exactly 21 shots
- The title must be ‘Ten Ways’
- A table must be used as a safety device
- The line "In my mouth, Sir" must be included
- The genre must be comedy and/or thriller

We successfully completed the task and the film that resulted is, for us, simply magnificent. Keeping within the restrictions, we managed to create a film that is essentially a collection of the greatest comedy moments and in-jokes from our trip (of which there were many). They’re the sort of memories that photographs simply cannot capture and to watch the film back in years to come will remind us of the amazing time we’ve had together. Outside viewers may not find it quite as hilariously howl-inducing as we do but I’m sure, when certain scenes are explained, you will all get substantial enjoyment from it too (we’ll be bringing copies home!).

The process of actually creating the film was fantastic fun from start to finish, and made the day exceedingly enjoyable. It was also a sort of light relief from the more pressured filming we’ve been doing throughout the trip. Here’s a small collection of photos from the challenge…

Another highlight of the day came in the late afternoon when a few of the Indian students arrived at the hotel with a birthday surprise for me and Nicole. The surprise took the form of two birthday cakes (one of which even read ‘Happy Birthday John & Nicole’ in icing!) and some other party snacks. Once the obligatory birthday formalities were complete (singing, three cheers, etc), we tucked into the tasty cakes and held a mini-party in the hotel reception area. After a splendid hour or so together, we made our final farewells to the students.

In the evening we sat back and relaxed with a Pizza Hut delivery and a few bottles of Haywards/Royal Challenge. I’d like to thank everyone for helping to make it such a special day, despite the circumstances. It was terrific celebration, and I now eagerly look forward to the numerous belated celebrations that will occur with family/friends upon my return to the UK.

And so, with that legendary last day, we waved goodbye to India. The trip goes on for now but our time in Delhi has come to an end-ia. For all of us, it has been the experience of a lifetime and we take so much back with us (both as filmmakers/writers and as people). Some life experiences are simply invaluable as this is certainly one of them.

On a personal note, it’s been an absolute pleasure to share our experiences with all of you via this blog. I hope that I have succeeded in my goal of making you feel part of our adventure. Thanks again for reading and for all your comments.

I’ll try my best to post a few pictures and brief accounts of our time in Cyprus so keep a lookout for those (although this may not be possible as we’re relying on internet café access whilst here).

Namaste & Shukryia!

John
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Travel Update No.2

Ahoy Readers,

First & foremost, thanks a million for all the birthday wishes & messages (both on the blog comments & facebook!). Myself & Nicole had a great day and I look forward to telling you all about it in a future blog post.

Just a quick update to let you know that we have all arrived safely in Cyprus. The appartment is amazing and the climate is like a breath of fresh air.

We've now had confirmation that our flight to England will be on Wednesday (28th April). This has, naturally, caused problems for several members of the group but the positive attitude has continued to thrive. There;s nothing anyone can do about the situation so we're just going to make the most of our time here and enjoy it to the full (and we're definitely in the ideal place to do just that!).

With regards to this blog, I intend to round off the India tale with a full photo-tastic account of our final 3 days in Delhi (Mon - Weds). This will hopefully be posted in the next day or so (but may have to be done upon our return to the UK). I'll also try and post short messages from Cyprus to let you know how things are going.

We're all looking forward to seeing everyone later next week.
Best Wishes,

John
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Travel Update!

Good day Readers,

As many of you are aware, we should be mid-air at the moment on our way home from India. However, the volcanic ash cloud that is causing chaos across the world has now affected our travel schedule as well, and our flight home has been cancelled.

Over the past few days, we'd been beginning to expect this situation would arise so it didn't come as too much of a shock. Everybody is coping extremely well and focussing on the positive aspects of what has happened - the group moral has remained high despite the disappointment.

With regards to when we'll get home, it's not very clear yet due to the back-log of stranded passegers and fully-booked flights. What we do know is that we'll be leaving Delhi on Thursday morning and flying to Cyprus (via Bahrain). We'll then be staying in Cyprus until we can get a flight home (hopefully this will be at the weekend or early next week).

Now we know the plan, we're going to make the most of the time we have. In fact, tomorrow is my 21st Birthday & Nicole's 20th Birthday! To celebrate, we're going out for a meal tonight and tomorrow we'll be undertaking a '21 hour 21st Birthday Filmmaking Challenge on April 21st'! After all, we are filmmakers. The challenge is to create a film from scratch (including post-production) in 21 hours - the film can be any lenght but must be comprised of 21 shots! I'll be sure to update you on how it goes.

That's all for now. I hope everyone is well.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in India and back at UCLAN who have been working extremely hard to try and get us home safely and quickly - your efforts are hugely appreciated. Also, a HUGE thank you to Nia's parents Chris & Alwyn who are letting us all stay in their Cyprus appartment!

I'll continue to update the blog and use it as a way of communicating with everyone for as long as we're away from home!

Take care.

John
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PS. Incase you haven't yet seen it, the blog for Days 19, 20 & 21 was posted yesterday and can be found below!

Days 19, 20 & 21: Preston Daredevils

Wow… what a fantastic few days! The ideal way to spend the last weekend of the trip of a lifetime.

To start the innings, here's another video blog...

Friday began with a mixture of finishing the edits for our group film projects and rehearsing for our final India scene in the Preston/Delhi film (scheduled to be shot on Saturday). The editing seems to have gone well for each group; everyone is happy with the standard of the films produced (especially given the limited time and resources we had at our disposal). We’re now looking forward to viewing them all together at the screenings on Monday afternoon and, of course, bringing the DVDs home to the UK for the viewing pleasure of our dedicated blog followers!



Now then, I’m sure you’re all itching to hear more about the rehearsing alluded to earlier. Well if not, you should be, because it was for a very special scene indeed; one that we’ve been excited about ever since we knew we’d be coming to India! I won’t spell it out but you can probably guess as to what it might have been… just think about the first type of scene that would pop into your head if you got the opportunity to make a Bollywood film…

Anyway, enough clues! The rehearsing flowed very smoothly and was groove-tastic fun. A big shout out goes to Azad and everyone involved for the time they gave.


Following that, we pulled in for a quick pit stop at the hotel before departing for an evening out at Delhi’s Red Fort. Joined by our friend Taru, we were visiting this historic landmark for the first time (it was one of the few sights missed during our rapid tour on the first day!) and had decided to coincide our visit with the ‘Sound and Light Show’ that takes place within the Fort walls every evening. We arrived in good time so our first forts* were for food and where better to go than the legendary Chandni Chowk market that starts directly outside the Fort. The market (in the form of one long, straight street) is one of the busiest in the world and was literally humming with activity. Like many places in India, one only sees chaos at first glance. However, if one pays closer attention, everything has its purpose and an almost magical feel surrounds it all. We soon found a good food source; Halidram’s (the very place where Taru’s “best Samosa’s in Delhi” had come from last weekend). Naturally, it lived up to its reputation once again by delighting out hungry stomachs with delicious, crispy Samosa’s and other spicy treats.

After indulging in the satisfying snacks, we returned to the Red Fort in good time to amble round the impressive structure before taking our seats for the English version of the show. The ‘Sound & Light Show’ was, in a word, brilliant! However, the name is rather deceptive. Basically, it’s the history of the Red Fort/India packed into a 1 hour session and told using a narrative audio track, sounds effects and clever lighting. I don’t have any photos from the show as it’s not something that can really be captured or replicated. The way it’s presented creates a very calm, relaxing atmosphere and you feel like you’ve actually ridden through time by the end. The content was also extremely interesting; beginning with the initial construction of the Fort in 1638 (one of the key moments in the establishment of Delhi) and then the Mughal Empire that followed until the British took over in 1857, finishing with India’s independence in 1947.


Moving swiftly on to Saturday; the majority of the day was spent adding finishing touches to and filming the scene we had rehearsed yesterday. It was a long day (the shoot itself was our longest yet – lasting around 5 hours if you include set up time) but a very productive one; we got some fantastic footage and enjoyed every moment. As shooting came to a close, there was a feeling of euphoria amongst the group as we’ve now shot all the scenes we had hoped for (and more!) here in India. Looking back, we’re all incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved here and could not have hoped for more successful filming sessions.



We returned to the hotel in high spirits and immediately set out for the ‘beer shop’ (as we call it) at the local market in order to stock up on a few celebratory bottles of Kingfisher & Haywards for later on. In the evening, we had all been invited for a farewell dinner at the film school; an ideal post-shoot activity. Before then, we had two hours to spare and for four of us there was no question as to how we would spend that time. To our delight, the TV sets in the hotel rooms come with ESPN so we were able to sit back and watch the Manchester derby (broadcasting live between 5.15pm & 7pm here due to the time difference). All four us are United fans so, needless to say, the last-gasp Scholes classic served only to substantially heightened the good mood.

On cue, about 5mins after full time, our vehicle arrived and off we went to the dinner. In attendance were ourselves, Sandeep Marwah (head of the AAFT and Marwah Studios) and several other members of staff from the school who we have gotten friendly with over the past weeks. It was a wonderful evening… the food was fantastic, the Kingfisher was flowing, and the atmosphere was great. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing our many memories from our visit and were all given a great parting gift from Sandeep. Then, to add more delight to a delightful day, we returned to the hotel to learn that Chelsea had lost to Spurs and our beers had remained cold after leaving them under the air-con in a bucket of ice!

Righty-ho, next up is Sunday (Day 21). We awoke eagerly at 5:45am. Nope, we had not totally lost our minds… at 6am, we were meeting a group of the Indian students for a game of Cricket on the park across the road (the sunrise start was simply because it’s the only time of day that isn’t too hot!). We played for about 3 hours (at 9am the heat was beginning to get uncomfortable) and had an absolutely fantastic time. Spending time with our Indian peers in this way is what trips like this are all about. There was a great, fun, social atmosphere and a leisurely game of Cricket was the perfect way to let off some steam after a busy few weeks. I have to admit that our skills did leave a bit to be desired in comparison to the Indian lads – some of them were superb players (although I’m sure the likes of PC Plod, Mouseman and the other former HGS Cricket stars could’ve put up a much better fight!). My personal highlight was bowling Azad out at the 2nd attempt after he had slogged my 1st effort for a six (he had let down his defenses momentarily and was clearly not expecting the Coxhead fluke-special that came at him).






After the early morning exercise, the rest of Sunday was spent chilling out at the hotel for some (including me), and shopping at a Delhi craft market for the others. However, most of the day was spent in immeasurable excitement for the evenings main event… heading over to the Feroz Shah Kolta Arena to watch the IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket match between Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers. For those few who are unfamiliar with the IPL, it’s currently the biggest cricket league in the world (attracting the top players from around the globe) and is hugely popular here in India, as well as back home. We had been lucky enough to obtain tickets thanks to the help of Taru.

For me, the IPL match was one of the standout experiences of the entire trip. It was truly like no other sporting event I've ever witnessed. The atmosphere was electric from start to finish and to be in the midst of it felt slightly unreal. To those who haven't seen the ITV4 coverage, I must point to that IPL games are nothing like what one would typically associate with cricket in the UK. The boundaries are flowing with glamorous cheerleaders, live music is played continuously around the stadium (mainly drums/horns), and the crowd make an unbelievable amount of noise (My personal favourite chant of the night came from a young boy a few rows behind us who repeatedly screamed "East, North, West! Devils are the best!" at the top of his voice). However, despite the volume, the crowd do remain calm and courteous (even in defeat) - there was no threatening/violent/rowdy behaviour at all. Every spectator will applaud good play from both sides (irrespective of their allegiance) and fans of each time sit side by side. Despite the confidence I displayed in the half-time video blog, the Daredevils fell short of the Chargers' total by 11 runs (despite a superb half century from England's very own Paul Collingwood). We left the stadium tired but in high spirits following yet another fantastic evening.





Phew! That was a long one. Sorry for going on but I didn’t really feel there was anything I could omit.

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon (We’re closely following the news with regards to air travel and keeping our fingers crossed!)

Best Wishes,
John
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*Credit for this pun goes to The Other J following his suggestion whilst commenting on Days 13 & 14.

Days 15, 16, 17 & 18: Productions & Page 3

Welcome Folks!

Get ready to hear all about another wheely good week in India, but before I go any further... fasten your seatbelts, pull on your crash helmets and join us on the Delhi roads of rage...

Okay, so you're probably wondering what all the fuss is about? But trust me, what you've just seen is the Delhi Daredrivers on the very best behaviour (although you can hear the frequent blowing of horns in the background!). The above clip was filmed on Day 18 (Thursday) but before hearing more about the old town shoot, lets transport ourselves back a few days...

This week, like last week, has been very busy and almost routine-like in structure (although there isn't really such thing as a routine day in Delhi). Monday to Wednesday was set aside for shooting for our collaborative film projects with the Indian students. All three groups were able to finish principal photography on schedule within these days, so we will hopefully have three entertaining films after post-production. However, the main intention of the projects was, of course, to gain experience through working together with students from different countries and to sharpen our technical abilities.

As with most filmmaking endeavours, there were both good times and bad times along the way, but the negatives can be turned into positives by learning from them and not making the same mistakes in the future. Personally, it's been fascinating to see students from a film school in another continent at work, and to get a feel for how they operate. Here's a selection of behind-the-scenes snaps from 'Snapshot' (the film my group was working on)...

Filming had taken place during the day so we still had time to enjoy in the evenings. This was mostly spent relaxing at our accommodation having been out in the (almost intolerable) heat all day. However, amidst the relaxation, we also found time for production meetings (in order to prepare for upcoming filming for the Preston/Delhi project) and walks/rickshaw rides to the local market. The little market actually came up trumps on Tuesday as I was able to successfully hunt down a bar of chilled Dairy Milk (it remained chilled for the first bite at least...).

Thursday was much less conventional than the other three. The members of the group who had been bestowed with the important task of editing our group films departed for the post-production suite's first thing in the morning. The rest of us attended a 'Print Media' seminar at the film school which featured a panel of industry professionals (and some insightful international input from our very own Chris Leonard). The seminar was reasonably interesting and we soon learnt that 'page 3' (something that was frequently talked of with high regard by the Indian speakers) was nothing to do with the sort of content typically associated with 'page 3' in UK tabloids. In fact, 'page 3' in India refers to a popular entertainment supplement that appears in most papers.

As soon as the seminar was done, we quickly got ourselves organised to film two scenes for our Preston/Delhi film. The first involved taking some brief 'filler/back-up' shots near to our hotel. The second, as mentioned in the video blog, was set in the Old Town region of Delhi; one of the most unique places I've ever had the pleasure of visiting. Centered around the famous Chandi Chowk road, the web of streets in this area of the city are some of the most vibrant and busy in the world. It wasa an ideal setting for the scene we were filming and will add some splendid variety to the film. Practically, the only option was to film from the rooftop and balcony of a local contact - otherwise, we would have received a lot of hassle and curious enquirers down on the street (and perhaps some trouble).

Now then, whilst on the subject of Delhi Old Town, I come onto the latest 'Commenters Challenge' (which takes the form of more of a game this time). Fans of 'Where's Wally?' and 'Where's Stig?' rejoice as I invite you to play 'Where's John? - Delhi Old Town Special Edition'. The objective is simple; try and find the curly haired Brit (me) amongst the crowds in these two photos... (NOTE: Click images to enlarge them)

Photograph 1 (Difficulty Level: Novice)

Photograph 2 (Difficulty Level: Guru)

Thursday evening was spent with a well-earned wind-down at, believe it or not, the local TGI Friday's. Chilled cocktails and western music went down a treat and a great night was had by all. Following Friday's we returned to the hotel where we danced and sang along to classic Disney tracks (led by the hidden Disney-musical phenomenom that is Joe Johnson).

It seems strange that we only have 4 days remaining now (lets hope that volcanic ash cloud clears before next week!)

All the best,

John

x

PS. Here's a great group shot from last weeks visit to the Taj Mahal...

Days 13 & 14: Taj MaHOT

Namaste Readers!

To kick off, I'd like to treat you all to the very first (and possibly last) video blog from India...



I hope that has wet your appetites to read all about our fantajstic trip to Agra. After starting the tradition of video blogging from famous landmarks whilst on top of the Empire State Building in 2008, it only felt right to record this latest snippet. Regular J&J blog readers may recall the video blog recorded by The Other J last year whilst visitng another one of the World's 7 Wonders... the Statue of Christ in Rio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogmH68-L37w

In response to the commenters:
Great to hear from everyone - special shout outs go to first-time commenters Chris & Alwyn, Edd, and Greg Mac. Congrats to PC Plod for getting straight in there with the correct answer to the challenge - it is indeed a Dvarapala (a 10th century one in fact!). I'm excited to hear that the Dvarapala & I might be appearing in a Harris exhibition... although I won't get my hopes too much after missing out on the job at Bangla Fusion. Hmm, perhaps we could have an India themed Panto next year Mum - featuring a Dvarapala of course - with 'How much is that dolly...' as the opening number? And a Longton rendition of 'My Free Spirit' would fit in perfectly! I hope the McCrave's Chicken Korma turned out well... they don't even offer Korma's as an option out here - far too bland. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't craving a bit of spice-free blandness though! Sandeep has indeed been knocking around at the Studios - he's the head of the AAFT and ASMS so we were welcomed by him at the start of our trip - an inspirational fellow! Lastly, I'd like to say that The Other J's suggestion of a richshaw ride into town with Dad sounded jolly good to me... perhaps you could convert Dave Mann's bike into a rickshaw Dad? Then you can enjoy the journey from the backseat as he pedals from coast to coast.

Right, back to Days 13 & 14 folks... there'll be much more about the Taj Mahal & Agra later, but first I'll give you the rundown of our 13th day (Saturday) in the land of India...

We began with an early(ish) start ready to shoot another scene for our Preston/Delhi short film project. Despite pleas from fans across the globe, we are still under strict secrecy agreements when it comes to publically announcing the content/locations of certain scenes. However, I can happily report that the shoot was yet another succesful one. As with previous posts, here's a couple of ambiguous behind-the-scenes snaps to get the groupies guessing...



The remainder of Saturday was spent chillaxing at the hotel in order to get some much-needed rest ahead of what we knew would be a long day in Agra on Sunday. During this time we received a visit from a very pleasant young lady from the local area called Taru. She is from Delhi (just 5 mins from our hostel in fact) and recently completed her masters degree in Preston (small world eh?!). She spent time advising us on places to visit in our remaining time which was extremely useful. Also, to make her visit even more sweet (or should I say 'spicy'), she brought along what she describes as "the best Samosa's in Delhi!". And, quite frankly, I'm inclined to believe her as they were simply samazing (to describe them as delhicious would be an understatement).

After a (kind of) early night we awoke at 5:30am on Sunday morning in order to depart for the historical fort-town of Agra. Despite the painfull prospect of 8 hours travelling in one day (that's 4 hours each way if you're struggling with the Maths), the group was buzzing with excitement. Upon arriving in Agra, you are immediately greeted by some of the spectacular tombs that are spread across the town. These are, of course, surrounded by the hectic hustle and bustle of any Indian town but they add an interesting dynamic to the place.

First on the list was, naturally, the main reason most people go to Agra... the Taj Mahal. The process of actually getting from the minibus to the Taj was a mini adventure in itself. The first factor to take into account is the heat - a whopping 43 degrees C - it was easily the hottest weather we've experienced on the trip so far (and for some of us, the hottest we've ever experienced in our lives). We then had to board a battery-powered 'golf buggy style' vehicle that took us 1km down the road (polluting vehicles are not allowed within a certain distance of the Taj). And, following that, we had to walk a further 500m to the entrance gate.

However, it was all worth it! The Taj Mahal really is an incredible sight... it's almost too symmetrical and beautiful to be true! Constructed over a 22 year period in the early 17th Century it's an unbelievable achievement, especially given the tools that would have been available at the time. Every minor detail of the marble masterpiece was carefully crafted by the most talented craftsmen of the age, and the result is mindblowing. We were led round the site by our tour guide for the day (a man named Rohit, I think) and learnt all about it's fascinating history (I'd recommend researching the story behind it's construction) , whilst admiring it from the outside and also getting the opportunity to go inside.




After the best part of 2 hours at the Taj Mahal in the midday heat, none of us were feeling 100%. Although it had been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, we all needed drinks desperately so were relieved to find numerous chilled drinks stands outside the gate. In the subsequent 15 minutes, I drank over 2 litres of water and a can of coke (I was really wishing they served Guarana in India!).

Following a delightful lunch in an air-conditioned hotel (the air-con was all that mattered), we visited Agra's other main landmark... the Agra Fort. This magnificent structure was built about 50/60 years before the Taj Mahal (in the late 16th Century) and was the home of several Mughal Emperor's of the age. It's very different from the Taj Mahal, but the fort is equally impressive in it's own way. It spreads over a large area and contains a vast variety of architectural styles and techniques. We enjoyed a leisurely couple of hours at the fort but could easily have spent much longer admiring it's many wonders.





The day ended with, of course, some more secretive shooting (don't worry, nothing violent!). You can't send 9 filmmakers to Agra and expect them to return having shot no film footage.

It was then time for a sleepy 4 hour journey back to Delhi.

Best Wishes.

John
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