This is a prestigious movie blog run by John Gaspard. Original interview can be read here:
(I have copy-pasted it down below, just in case you hate clicking on Links!)
What
was your filmmaking background before making Love, Wrinkle-free?
SANDEEP:
I had made three short films, directed music videos, written scripts for
television and been an advertising copywriter before. Also I started off my
career as an Assistant Director to Sanjay Bhansali on a movie called Hum Dil De
Chuke Sanam.
Where
did the idea come from and what was the writing process like?
SANDEEP:
Love, Wrinkle-free is based on my observations of what is happening in Indian
cities of late. More and more people are getting obsessed with the way they
look and there is a sudden increase in the number of skin clinics and botox
centres and what-not everywhere. In a country that prided itself for its focus
on "Internal growth" having offered the world the Yoga, this
addiction to the “external" was interesting, especially for a storyteller.
The
writing process is what I enjoy the most. Since I was unable to concentrate at
home, I paid one of my close friends some small money, requesting him to offer
a room in his house. He agreed, and I used to go there daily for 2-3 months
where I sat and worked on the script of Love, Wrinkle-free without too much
distraction. I used to go there at 10am in the morning and be back to my home
by 6pm. It was a fun process.
I
used to also go and sit in cafes and pubs to see whether what I am working on
has any relevance to these guys and gals. Also I started watching middle-aged
people more closely to understand what they would be going through and all
this, I hope has helped me make an interesting movie
Can
you talk about how you raised your budget and your financial plan for recouping
your costs?
SANDEEP:
After finishing the script, I had started a Blog. Soon one of my close friends
from US, Giju John got involved and he wanted to set up a Production Company in
India. Then we set up a website and went about the task of inviting people to
invest in this project -in a crowd funding exercise. Later on, another friend,
Kamal, got involved and soon we managed to raise just enough to make a small
budget indie movie which is now successfully running in cinema halls
In
India, indie movies find it really hard to stand out. But Love, Wrinkle-free
has managed to woo the critics with very good reviews coming out on the first
day of the release of the movie. Since there are not many cinema halls playing
indie cinema, we will have to recoup our investment from other rights - like
Satellite and DVD and Overseas rights. At this moment, talks are on with
various people who are interested in acquiring the rights in India and abroad.
What
camera did you use and what did you love and hate about it?
SANDEEP:
We used the RedOne camera for our 22 day start to finish shoot in Goa.
The
reviews which have been coming out are raving about the way Goa looks in the
movie, and I am glad no one has even mentioned once that it is Digital!
That feels great because that means that the audience has moved on and for
them, story and treatment has become more important than the so-called-film
look.
The
great thing about shooting with RedOne was that since the camera is slightly
bulky, most of the crew members treat it like a proper film shoot! Otherwise
with smaller cameras, sometimes the crew starts to behave as if they are on a
short film shoot. I am sure this is only my opinion and going forward I will
use whatever camera that suits my story and budget
Sometimes,
this very same factor, the bulkiness of the Redone camera was painful since we
couldn't shoot Guerrilla style too much. For instance, if I have to go to
market area and shoot, people suddenly become aware that a shoot is on seeing
this big camera. So there are pluses and minuses, but overall I am very happy
that we chose the RedOne. Love, Wrinkle-free looks beautiful:)
What
was your post-production process like and how did it have an impact on the
finished movie?
SANDEEP:
The editing of the movie happened from my home, in my MacPro. Once my editor
Shreyas and I finished with the cut, then we took it out to the Sound studios
and Color correction studios. Working on the edit and the Sound is lotsa fun
and I am sure we all know that the whole movie takes shape at this stage.
Though one can't change the performance of actors, hence it is critical to
focus on the performance while on location since a few other things can be
worked on and improved during the post.
My
whole focus was on telling a simple story, since the budget and time were not
there. Even in the edit, all the decisions were taken so as to keep the
storytelling simple and smooth.
What
was the smartest thing you did during production? The dumbest?
SANDEEP:
The smartest thing that I did during production was to not travel in a car! I
hired a scooter and traveled from our hotel to location and back. This way, the
entire cast and crew realised and believed that we were on a small budget,
which was the case. Also, having a scooter helped me since I could take off
anywhere after the day's shoot. I used to go and sit at the beach to breathe in
positive energy, which I would have exhausted during that day's shoot!
The
dumbest thing that I did was to take the reigns of the camera for 20 minutes during a stressful day's
shoot when it started raining suddenly and the DOP wanted to stop shooting. I
was like a man possessed and told him to give the camera to me and started
shooting whatever:) I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish the movie
on time, hence that move. This was kinda dumb I assume!
And,
finally, what did you learn from making the film that you have taken to
other projects?
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