My closest friend and I have been working together for many years now. Late last year, we were commissioned by the Naz India Foundation to make a series of short films on AIDS awareness. Naz India, for those who may not know, is a Delhi-based NGO.
On the basis of the discussions we had with them, we wrote the scripts for these films. They liked the scripts, after which we got down to the production part of the project. To ensure a higher profile and greater visibility for the films, we thought it might be a good idea to involve a celebrity with one film, at least. While some stars hemmed and hawed, Rahul Bose took precisely 20 seconds to agree and, in fact, went out of his way to shoot with us. Needless to add, he didn’t charge us a penny…not that we’d have been able to afford his fee anyway. Certainly not…not on the budget we were given. ‘Shoestring’ doesn’t even begin to describe the monetary constraints we were working with.
Anyway. the whole idea was to get these films on air on December 1, which is the designated World AIDS Day. There was hardly any money to make the films so, naturally, Naz wasn’t going to be able to afford the telecast fee either. As a result, we sent requests for free telecast to most television channels. Zee and [V] were the only ones to respond favourably. No, make that, they were the ONLY ones to respond. (So much for social responsibility and all that crap.) Unfortunately, however, Naz was unable to put up the films for telecast at that time. Now, when everything is in order, none of the channels is willing to telecast the films, although we’re keeping our fingers crossed that CNN-IBN will.
A couple of days ago, around midnight, as I was about to go to bed, I had this brainwave (yeah, I know, even I have ‘em sometimes.) It occurred to me that my blog might be a good place to put up the films for viewing…at least till such time that we can have them running on air. So, in my search for how-to-upload-the-video, I asked km for help and he promptly sent me some instructions. I was able to follow these with ease and managed to upload my videos without a problem. Thanks, mate!
Now, for those who might be interested in viewing the 30-second AIDS awareness film, Father & Son, which also features Rahul Bose, you can watch it on the following link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QOqpJ2JU2sw
I can’t say that the picture quality is the greatest that you’ll get there but, I’m afraid, this is the best one can do under the circumstances. Also, a lot of your viewing experience will depend on your Net and connection speed, which I hope will be good if and when you decide watch the film. If it’s not running well, you might find that the lip sync is off as well. If the film doesn’t play continuously, it may, again, be due to the connection speed.
If you manage to put up with it, however, I’ll appreciate any comment that you might have. You can either leave it here, on the blog, or on that website.
posted by GhostOfTomJoad @ 22:34
47 Comments:
Finally, the film appears on the blog! Terrific. I will run a link to it on my blog tomorrow.
Why am I not surprised at the apathy shown by the TV networks? India so desperately needs a socially-active, viewer-funded channel like PBS.
So is commercials/PSA/documentaries your chosen field in film-making?
Congratulations on the films, GoTJ.
I like the ad, I really do. But my first reaction was why does the sheet not cover the son's face? Seems to me it would have a lot more impact that way. I'm really interested in knowing whether you considered that as a creative decision, and if so what your thinking was.
Somehow every comment of mine on your blog turns out to be a technical one -- sorry!
I can watch it when I get home.. Will have comments then. Thank you for the good work!
ash: Thanks...am so glad that, finally, you were able to view the films and that you liked the ones you mentioned. :-) Thanks for all the trouble you took. And, very glad to meet you too :-)
km: Finally, yes! As far as the type of films that I want to do...well, almost any will do. It's not as though I can pick and choose. Unfortunately, I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time and, if that's not bad enough, I've lost more time than I can afford. I'm scared to say this b'cos, with me, things have this very nasty habit of going bad at the very last minute but, in the next few days, I may have some really good news as far as my professional life is concerned :-)
As far as a socially active, PBS-like channel is concerned, well, we do have Doordarshan but then we also know how it is run!
tabula rasa: I've said this before... technical is good, don't worry. :-) Glad you liked the film. About your observation...honestly, it didn't even come up at all b'cos isn't that precisely how teenaged boys sleep? All sprawled out and messy? Had someone suggested it on the shoot, I'm not sure we'd have gone for it. But I'm really curious...why do you think covering his face would've had greater impact?
patient portnoy: Oh, that's sad...I don't see any reason why the Windows Media Player shouldn't run the films. Perhaps the traffic was too much around the time you tried to view the film. Or, the connection speed might've been bad :-(
karmic jay: Please do watch the films ad, if possible, let me know whatever you think about them. Thanks!
The other two were better (pretty damn good actually) if you want me to be honest. Rahul Bose was a bad choice. His expression, voice etc just don't cut it-not for this and the visual needed to have be more powerful. The concept was good and I'm glad your working on this stuff. Keep going. Don't mean to puncture you, but you asked for feedback. And please keep repeating those nice things about my blog!
Yo, GoTJ, just blogged on the three films.
Mind if I nominate your post to DesiPundit?
krishna
GoTJ: You asked --
About your observation...honestly, it didn't even come up at all b'cos isn't that precisely how teenaged boys sleep? All sprawled out and messy? Had someone suggested it on the shoot, I'm not sure we'd have gone for it. But I'm really curious...why do you think covering his face would've had greater impact?
My response --
Wouldn't covering up the kid's face imply that he's dead? Of AIDS?
It would be a subtle way of sending the message, since the actual act (of covering up a deceased person) is rarely done so quietly, alone, and with a non-white sheet, but the symbolism would have been there. This might have added more impact -- I gather a couple of others also felt that this spot was a touch underplayed.
Off to watch the other two... :-)
PS. Loved the other two. Especially the pickles one. Cracking up at the idea.
I'm blogging this, I hope you don't mind.
the pickle ad is really neat -simple and tight.
i think rahul bose is perfect for the ad - not a shahrukh/abhishek/tendulkar coz that would've been too contrived, so it seems to me.
and i think covering the son's head with the sheet would DEFI have implied death, & not subtly at all - too strongly saying "parents are killing their sons by not telling them about AIDS". think that may have evoked defensiveness.
I liked them all... really appreciate what you're doing. When I was in India, was an actor in a street-play company dealing with HIV/AIDS. It was a great experience, being part of a process aimed to remove apathy and ignorance... keep doing what you do.
inkblot: It's a you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours world, pal, or don't you know? You don't praise me n' my blog, me don't praise you n' your blog.
Just kidding :-)
No sweat and, don't worry, I don't "puncture" that easily. :-) But I'm not sure I agree with you that Bose was a bad choice. I know that a viewer cannot be bothered with the problem that one has had to face while making any kind of film. And, I'm not even talking about the budget. We shot this at the peak of the Dandiya festival in Bombay. All day, when we were shooting the rest of the fim, things were quiet and peaceful but just a few moments after Bose arrived and got ready for his shot, almost as if on cue, the wretched music started. And, although we were shooting on the eighth floor, there was very little we could do about the sound. And, b'cos we didn't have enough money, we couldn't afford to go to a sound studio and dub his voice on another day. So, what you get is a 'wild' take - done without the aid of the video - when the poor fellow was standing in the kitchen, which was as far from the sound as we could physically get, and speaking his lines. It was our sheer luck that we were ultimately able to match his voiceover with his piece to camera. If you listen carefully, we've had to lay a gentle music track to muffle the sound of the lovely dandiya music. :-) After he saw the finished film, even he thought he could've done it differently. Yes, it could've been better in many ways but, considering the many constraints, I have to say, we were quite satisfied.
gupta-vati: Absolutely, comments are free and welcome :-) If you read my response to inkblot's comment above, you'll see why the voiceover isn't exactly as it should've been. But, I know, that's no excuse. And, you're right about the celeb's profile. We thought that if the message were to be delievered by someone like him, young parents, who're meant to be the target audiece, would accept the message mre readily.
km: Thanks, km! Feel free to put them up :-)
tabula rasa: Oh, that's what you meant! To show that the boy is dead would actually work against the film and the message. It is well documented that 'fear' is perhaps the last thing you want to convey in any social communication. It tends to put people off and they switch off mentally. For best results, such communication, necessarily, has to have a poistive approach.
Glad you liked the other two :-)
sattva: Thanks. You're absolutely right. Suggesting that the son is dead would've proved counterproductive for the message.
scout: Thanks :-)
GOTJ
Liked the ads. Congrats!
My connection isn't all tht good - so saw it in bits n pieces .. dunno much abt film-making either so can't give any useful advice either ..
But I liked whtever I managed to see ..
keep up the good work ..
Looking forward to more ..
Best ..
GoTJ, you made it to DesiPundit's front page!
krishna
My impression is that the efficacy of fear appeals follows an inverted-U shape, so that while "too much" is definitely not good, "some" works better than "none". I guess this one clocked in between the some and the none on my threshold-o-meter, and hence my comment. But then I'm not a father of a teenager.
ventilatorblues: Thanks :-)
aria: Thanks for taking the trouble. Maybe I should've mentioned thatviewing is better at non-peak hours...
Krishna: Hey! Thanks yet again :-)
tabula rasa: I completely understand what you mean but let me put it this way...’death’ is a negative message in all respects, unless, of course, one is seeking permanent refuge from worldly woes. And, according to various WHO guidelines, which are based on exhaustive studies, a ‘fear’ message is the least effective way to connect with your target audience. I don’t know if you’ve seen and remember the many social service films on Doordarshan years ago. Most of them were about issues like drugs, alcoholism and dowry etc. Besides being poorly packaged, most of them used ‘fear’ to convey the message and, I don’t think it’ll be wrong to say, they failed miserably. This is not to say that what you’re suggesting won’t work or that it'l be ineffective. It may work very well with a small segment of the audience but it has been seen that, generally, viewers find it a little distasteful. It’s like with advice...when you offer it to someone, you try and package it in a way that it’ll be acceptable, right?
guptavati: First, I think PSI has enough money and I won’t be surprised if they paid for the telecast. Of course, they might’ve had to pay a discounted rate.
Look, it’s not as though these channels don’t run these films at all or that they don’t run them free, they do. And, they also run them at discounted rates. But, the trouble is, you have to be someone or know someone in a position of influence within the channel. As far as getting a corporate organisation to sponsor the airtime is concerned, that won’t work…b’cos they’d rather spend that airtime to market their own products.
Then, there are organizations like NACO, which are flush with funds but will work only with agencies like Lowe Lintas, which, in turn, will produce AIDS films like ‘Balbir Pash’, which will fail miserably! Or, worse, NACO will get DAVP to develop some concepts.
There’ve been so many cases where we’ve approached companies for sponsorship of social awareness films b’cos we thought, in some way or the other, their products/services tied up nicely with the message of the proposed film. For instance, for films on diabetes we got in touch with pharma companies making diabetes meds, for TB with pharma companies making meds for TB, girl-child with a whole lot of companies that cater specifically to women, and similarly with drugs, alcohol, old age, smoking, rainwater harvesting…the list is endless. This, we thought, should’ve made it easier for them to support such films but, obviously, we were wrong. You name any big organisation that you think should/would help and, chances are, I’ve already been to it. ALL the agencies spend time and money in creating public service messages…and many of them are brilliant, like the smoking one with the Marlboro man done by Ogilvy…but the really funny thing is that the target audience of such messages, if there is one, never gets to see them b’cos they’re designed only for awards.
the only thing i can hear is be informed :( what software do i need to see it?yeah...my comps really antique.
rapunzel: I don't think you need some special software. A normal Windows Media Player, or your regular default set, should be fine. In all likelihood, your Net speed and traffic must've caused the problem for you. Anyway, should you come back, this is the text of the Bose audio:
Your son
He’s grown up now
You’ve brought him this far
But he needs you now
More than ever
It’s a difficult world out there
And he needs to be prepared
Tell him about AIDS
Talk to him about it
Let him know the facts
Give him the information he needs to protect himself
Be informed.
Complete information
Is your best defence against AIDS.
Very nice film. I really liked it.
All the best in your efforts!!
G:
Points taken. The issue of fear appeals is one that's attracted some controversy, and so I'm interested to know the WHO research that you cite. My impression was that the "final word" on this matter, at this point, was with Herb Rotfeld's 1990 piece titled "Fear Appeals and Persuasion: Assumptions and Errors in Advertising Research". The initial finding that fear appeals don't work because consumers block them out (which is what I think you're saying), as per Ray and Wilkie, Journal of Marketing (1970) and Wheatley JM (1971), was explained by Rotfeld as being due to the fact that the level of fear conveyed was too high. Hence the inverted-U response function. Rotfeld also states that in conjunction with a moderate level of fear, such appeals also work if the ad suggests a possible resolution.
Shifting gears and butting in on your other conversation -- I have to say it saddens but doesn't surprise me that firms aren't willing to sponsor airtime for such messages. The little middle managers are all busy running around looking at their own little bottom lines.
Couldnt watch all of the videos. Managed to watch a few. I think your your efforts cannot possibly go by unrewarded or your talent unnoticed.
all the best!
Guptavati:
Thanks for the link. Some recent research has shown that simply asking questions about certain behaviors can increase the likelihood of those same behaviors being performed (http://marketing.wharton.upenn.edu/ideas/pdf/Williams/simply_asking_questions.pdf).
Such "ironic" processes are now fairly well documented.
neither can i view it :( but thanks for sharing the info :)
swapna: Thanks a lot :-)
tabula rasa: Well, all I can say is that it's a little difficult to define "moderate level of fear" simply b'cos different people have different thresholds. But I know what you mean.
Unlike youI may not be able to quote specific studies at the moment... b'cos I'll have to dig out the papers...but I can tell you the story behind it.
Even if I say so myself, years ago, I had written this really good script for a 30-second awareness film on drug abuse. Having failed to secure sponsorship from the one million-odd corporate organisations that I spoke to, I decided to try my luck with WHO and one of the UN bodies, I think it was UNODC. The response I received, like every other response I'd had (and still get) was that, although they truly appreciated my efforts, they were unable to help me in my cause! It didn't stop them, however, from telling me that I should revise my approach to the drug problem and try not to glamourise it. So, in order to educate me, they set along this really fat document about the dos and don'ts of social communication. Which is what I was quoting from...and which has also been substantiated by many people who work in the field.
(That I was NOT glamourising the issue is quite besides the point and, maybe, I'll write about it one day and, perhaps, even post some of my scripts on the blog!)
guptavati: Besides the outlet you've suggested, there is another avenue open to us...some of the smaller channels. In all likelihood, they will agree to telecast these films. But, the problem is that these channels don't have enough viewership. Besides, it costs a fair bit to make telecast copies and we cannot afford to keep spending our own money...we'd rather spend it on a channel that we know has a decent reach.
archster: Thanks for trying anyway :-)
lo: Yeah, viewing isn't the easiest thing to do there...but thanks :-)
hi - i just dropped by to thank you for your kind words.
not that it matters, but i think Rahul Bose was a good choice. there has always been an intensity in his delivery that i admire, a heartfelt sincerity.
i'm looking forward to watching your futher efforts (or reading your scripts)! =)
G:
I'll look forward to reading what you have to say on "the issue".
gotj, aids awareness is a topic that i am passionate about. so when i learnt of your videos on krishna and tabula rasa's blogs i headed right over. congrats and good luck with cnn-ibn. i think these videos, while catering to a niche audience, are very well made and must get further dissemination.
like your blog too :)
p.s: have you read "positive lives" by kalpana jain?
intern: Sorry, didn't thank you earlier...for watching the films and for mentioning them on your blog. Thanks, pal :-)
ash: Ok. Hope you get back soon!
s: Thanks! That's pretty much my own assessment of Bose. I know a lot of people don't like him much but, in my book, he's good b'cos he seems very sincere and is an honest trier.
If I had any doubts before working with him, I don't anymore.
tabula rasa: Will let you know when I'm ready to do that post :-)
Incidentally, do you know much about copyright etc and whether it works on blogs?
kundalini: Thanks for watching the films! No,haven't read Kalpana Jain's book...what is it about? And, is AIDS awareness a part of what you do?
G:
No, I don't know very much about copyrights, but I think there's no reason why they shouldn't be applicable to blogs as well. Everything that a blogger "lifts" needs to be cited.
Here's an extract from an exchange that I recently witnessed on a discussion group:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.cricket/browse_thread/thread/532205883e82cf3d/cb968c194dd7e296?lnk=st&q=basrur+copyright&rnum=4#cb968c194dd7e296
"Under TRIPs (the WTO IP agreement), the copyright subsists in the
author unless it's contractually assigned/assigned by law."
gotj, "positive lives" to me is a sincere effort at advocacy, about how the "common" AIDS victim can be such an integral part of that (not just higher level authorities). it is also about people living with the pandemic.
yes, this is part of what i do :). i look at health/pevention programs for comunities and populations (public health stuff). thanks for visiting my blog, and keep up the good work.
Do you work in Delhi?
Will watch the spots soon.
The brief sounds interesting enough, really.
tabula rasa: You're right, logically, copyright should apply to blogs as well. But, as we know, things happen...and my experience in this area isn't particularly happy :-) I think I'll try ad find out more about this before I post any scripts here.
kundalini: I did look up 'Positive Lives' on the Net and read up a bit about it. I guess you're doing some real work...unlike some of us who only make films :-)
fingers: *sigh* yes, i do although, I'll have you know, that it's certainly not by choice :-)
I'd definitely play safe and not put up anything I'd want to publish. I just don't see the point.
Saw the ads... though its been said before, but I'd say it again. I liked Pickle Jar better. Perhaps because it doesnt 'tell' me everything. I 'watch' and 'understand'. The connect feels deeper.
About Kak, I am presuming you met him professionally... Would like to know. And yes, I do agree that when you meet 'public' figures for an interview etc, the circumstances are very different. Take them out of their so called 'public' life, and the results are quite often 'shocking'.
generally blog-hopped till here!
loved the name you chose :)
though forgot to mention RATM in ur profile listing ;)
'father & son' reminds me of days back home!
update pls :)
tabula rasa: I guess you're right... no point in taking chances. But, I have incorporated ALL the scripts for short, awareness films that I've never been able to make in a script that I've written for a ful-length film. So, if that ever gets made, all the others will get made too. That's really crafty, isn't it :-) Now if I could only find the money!
shivangi: Glad you liked the 'Pickle Jar', although the idea wasn't really to spoonfeed the viewers in any of the films. Kak, well, let's just say that when I met him, a long time ago, he wanted me to do some work for him for practically nothing.
ashish gupta: Glad you found your way here.
Honestly, hadn't even heard of RATM till someone like you asked me if the name was inspired by them. Actually, it's not. It comes from a Bruce Springsteen album, which itself is inspired by 'The Grapes of Wrath', a novel by John Steinbeck. Tom Joad is a character in that book.
Loved the 'When Harry Met Sally' bit in your blog :-)
lo: Got too many things on the plate at the moment but will update soon. Thanks for asking :-)
I'm glad I finally got over here to see your film. I think it is haunting and sends the message home.
Dude - this is great stuff and thanks for your efforts.
I wish we could get a community together on this to at least increase awareness of an effort like yours in the Indian blogosphere, which I think and we all know for a fact is slowly but surely becoming larger.
Something like a blog-a-thon, note how Blank Noise Projectused this to highlight the issue of eve-teasing.
On my part and I'm putting out
a brief postlinking to your blog.
All the best!
dear ghost....
i am unable to view the video, because i am here in college! i will surely download it once I am home. It is sad to see how important money is in this world....
Did you guys ask John Abraham? He seems to be a genuinely nice guy, and I'm sure he would have done the film for you.
boulies: Am so glad that you think it works. Thanks!
bombay addict: Thank you, pal. For taking the trouble to watch the films and for doing a post about it :-)
Something like the Blank Noise Project would really be great.
guptavati:Just when I'd started to believe that all of us are unique and all, you tell me there's another 'Ghost'. *Sigh* :-)
Thanks for letting me know. Shall visit the imposter's blog :-)
evenstar: I don't have a problem with people making money. The real problem arises when these guys, including the people running these channels, can help and make a difference but choose not to.
Yes, tried with John Abraham. His secy said he was going to Kabul for a month (this was in mid-Nov) but when I said we could work around JA's schedule, the response wasn't very promising :-)
UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDATE...FAN CLUB DEMANDS :D
Sadly I wasnt able to view the video. I hope it gets aired sometime soon.
patient portnoy: Yeah, was a bit caught up with something :-)
lo: ha! :-)
rat: Hi there! Sad you couldn't view it but, hopefully, you will on IBN. Thanks.
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