July 16, 2007 | 01:55 PM
The nail biting
Thank you all for the great words of encouragement you have all sent to me. Now all I can do is sit and wait ! It's frustrating as from a state of "How am I going to finish all of this in time" panic, now I have nothing to do but wait. The mind and body is so used to action and to being adrenaline induced. I wake up every morning with a start - and then do not know what t do !! Must get down to writing my next script. But the next 4 months will be spent in traveling and promoting the film. Cate, Geoffrey and Clive are busy filming , so I guess I will be doing most of the traveling ! Don't mind it, but must must must lock down my next film.
June 01, 2007 | 09:58 PM
Temp Score and Real score
I am going through the last minute pains of Golden Age. As we edit the film we add what we call temp score to the edit - to impress people as the see the film in various stages of the edit. This this score is stolen from all over the place. Other movies mainly, but also from classical recordings etc. Problem is that you got so used to the temp score that it is difficult to imagine any other score to fit the film...
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May 26, 2007 | 04:56 PM
The Great Storm
When Phillip of Spain launched the Armada to invade England, it was one of the greatest fleets ever launched in an invasion. Even though the fleet was ill prepared (more about that later), combined with the forces of the Duke of Parma, the English Navy did not have enough defences to stop it. But for the Great Storm ..... without which their would have been no British Empire. Spain would have probably gone on the conquer the world. India would have been a Spanish Colony, and Spanish would have been the primary language of the world. This blog would have been in Spanish. And perhaps India would have been Catholic and not primarily Hindu....
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May 22, 2007 | 12:42 AM
Golden Age, the second in a trilogy
Elizabeth was about Power. Survival in the context of Power. Love and Betrayal in the context of Power. And the trade off between the ruthlessness that is essential to gaining Power, against innocence, love, trust and joyfulness.
Golden Age, on the other hand is about Immortality. It is about absolute Power and the aspiring to Divinity. To go beyond the ordinairy and to be Divine. Almost immortal. It is about Elizabeth becoming the Divine, the Immortal being she is percieved as today.
The third, when everyone is ready to do it, will be about Mortality. How do you face Mortality when you have been Divine ? When you have been Immortal ? Elizabeth, when she knew that her time was near, tried to impose her will upon Death itself. She stood for 12 hours (a tiny exaggeration I think !) refusing to lie down, knowing that if she did, the Gods would spirit her away.
More later, Shekhar
May 03, 2007 | 06:39 PM
The Golden Age Trailer
watch it now
For those of you who would like to see an extra large version of the trailer, check it out at working title films website.
Test Scores
Studio's these days will test films with audiences to judge their reactiosn. At the end of the movie the audiences are asked to rate aspects of the film via a very thorough and a very comprehensive questionaire. An analysis of which reveals a lot about how the film is percieved. By male or female audiences. By age groups. Or how they react to questions of pace, drama, relationships. How they reacted to each performance. While no one could say that the analysis is absolute, despite my doubts and apprehensions, I have to say that Studios have got it down to a pretty exact art ! Or perhaps I am just saying that because Golden Age tested very well. I wonder what I would have to say if it did not ? Perhaps I would have not put this entry on !
May 01, 2007 | 06:25 PM
Letting go !
Barring the final mix. Where all the elements of sound (effects, foley,music and dialogue tracks) are mixed together to give us the final sound in the theatre. And Barring what we call the DI, where the all the colours and the intensity of the film is 'harmonized' or even 'deharmonized ' for a particular emotion or effect. Barring this, the film is over and I must now let go. Must not cling. Must see the film now have it's own identity. A birth given. No longer mine. Now it belongs to you, the viewer. Shekhar
