Short Film

Who Knows

Posted on June 27, 2020

A person is stuck living alone during COVID-19 outbreak and things start to go awry. Is it a paranormal entity or his brain playing tricks?

As of today the exponential growth graph of COVID 19 in India is still on rise and as a result the short film we shot (Corona Virus being one of the characters) a little more than a month back is already backdated! Back then, the number of COVID-19 victims in India was negligible compared to what it is today but paradoxically we are less worried now!

WHO KNOWS is a psychological horror short film set during the COVID-19 early lockdown period. The reason of making the film was to participate in a short film contest and also to get a little relief from the depressing confinement by getting busy and doing something. There was only 1 day to think about the treatment, 1 day to write the screenplay, 2 days to shoot and 2 days to edit.

Download the Screenplay

 

Gadgets used to shoot Who Knows

Gadgets used:

  1. Canon EOS 550D DSLR
  2. Canon Lens 18-55, 50mm-f1.8
  3. Sony Handycam
  4. Mobile phone
  5. Bedside lamp
  6. Gorilla tripod
  7. Zoom-H1
The most challenging part was to face the blank page and create something from nothing. But the deadline helped. Chasing the perfection was not possible. The target was to complete the film on time.
Ambar in WHO KNOWS

I requested my brother Ambar to play the character of Akash and one of my friends Raja to offer us his voice for the character Nigel. Raja recited his dialogues over the phone. Technology helped us to include him on the project easily maintaining social distance.

The shooting was an intense experience along with fun and we did not have the luxury of pondering over a take till ‘perfection’ is reached. Time was less. Even though we were ready to ceaselessly work until the shooting is done, the sun was punctual to go back to slumber taking away the natural light.

 

Most of the film is shot hand held as our tripod and monopod are unfortunately not with us at this moment. Few stable indoor shots were achieved resting the gorilla tripod on the laptop. In a way it was lovely chasing a project which was going to be imperfect! We could not get rid of the blunt focus, shadows and some continuity errors. The video quality is also grainy on some shots.

The editing was a nonstop affair of about 32 hours. The preplanning and the screenplay helped to stay away from any deviation. Art at a micro level is data management of audio-video files, lots of quick pre planning and full of trial and error.

Creating a short film in a short time has been enriching and the lessons learned are:

  1. Making a film is always an uphill battle
  2. Crunch of time/Deadline is a boon
  3. Impossible to reach perfection
  4. Working alone is toughest
  5. Preplanning saves time and energy
  6. Doing is the best form of learning
  7. It’s okay to trust the gut feeling
  8. Have fun along the way
 

Marketer, photographer and blogger. Practices minimalism and tells stories through images.