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.
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
x
*Credit for this pun goes to The Other J following his suggestion whilst commenting on Days 13 & 14.
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
x
*Credit for this pun goes to The Other J following his suggestion whilst commenting on Days 13 & 14.
Well, it looks like I have managed to steal the comment virginity for the first time!
ReplyDeleteMay I say that I am well and truly jealous of you being able to go and watch the IPL! Ive been watching it on TV back home but that ground looks amazing!!!
I hope you can bring some authentic recipes back with you :-p wouldnt mind trying a bit of real indian cookery.
See you soon!
John,
ReplyDeleteIt's been great following your adventures on the blog. Looking forward to seeing your final productions.
I've asked my Associate Head Mick Gornall to work on the travel problems. He is liaising with Alan Keegan and the UCLan Travel Office and keeping a close eye on the situation.
We will do all we can but in the short term, as you can imagine, we are very much restricted by the flight ban. However, BBC is reporting that Scottish air space will re-open tomorrow (Tuesday) so hopefully we will see some movement soon.
Trust you are all keeping well and give my best wishes to the team. You've done us proud!
Mike
Hi John
ReplyDeleteGeat blog, and I can safely say I am the most jealous that you got to go to the ipl! I consider myself a fully fledged Daredevils fangirl after picking them totally randomly to be the team i would follow, and so was gutted about the defeat! I watched the game but sadly didn't see you!
Loved the pun and can't wait to see the groove-tastic moves :D
Beth x