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
x