Rains of April: The Making of a Music Video

Part 5 - The Characters

2005-07-30T14:08:00.002+04:00

As we finalize the locations, we are also looking out for 2 like-minded young individuals to play the main characters. Here's a brief description of what we are looking for in these two (male & female):

- Age between 22 - 32
- Pleasant personality
- Confident (i.e. not camera conscious!)
- Photogenic

I guess that's not too much to ask for! Previous experience in similar ventures is not a pre-requisite. In fact, since most of us behind the camera too are new to this field, we would like to encourage people who are new and are looking for some exposure in the media. More than anything, we need people who understand the spirit behind this venture and are not looking at financial gains, at least at this stage. Although we are unable to make any promises as of now, we are hoping to give the final product some air time in a few TV channels.

As I mentioned in Part 2: The Storyline, there's a child too in the video. We have already identified a 3 year old child to play this part.

So, if anyone of you is interested in participating in this experiment, please feel free to contact Lakki (lakki18@hotmail.com) with a brief self-introduction. Once we feel we can work together, we’ll discuss the script in detail.

Part 4: The Locations

2005-07-30T13:55:00.000+04:00

Armed with a video camera, we have been scouting for locations during the past week in and around Abu Dhabi. Thankfully, out of a total of eight, our script demands only two outdoor locations. We’ve looked at some good landscapes in Hotel Intercontinental, Al Raha Beach Resort, etc. I think the toughest part will be to shoot in rain, especially when temperatures here have almost reached 50 degrees Celsius! We are looking at the option of holding water hoses!!

The remaining sequences are to be shot indoors for which we are looking for a villa with a grand or an upright piano. Of course, the former is the preferred one for its on-screen impact. We tried a few angles with the grand piano at Hotel Intercontinental and I must admit, they look fabulous. With a proper broadcast quality camera, I’m sure the impact would be a whole lot better.

Anyway, the remaining locations include a studio and a music shop. Might be able to find a friend’s studio to shoot in. Hopefully a music shop will be easy to find too. Keeping all fingers and toes crossed…

(To be continued as Part 5: The Characters...)

Part 3: The Script

2005-07-27T14:31:00.000+04:00

Having agreed upon the storyline, we sat down to write the script. One thing became immediately clear – resources and finance would play a major role in shaping our script! Being visually intuitive, we would want to have swooping shots of our man playing saxophone on the beach or just standing with his arms outstretched in the pouring rain. These shots would need the Akela crane and we didn’t have access to even a miniature version of it! And what about the camera following the little girl running into the room? Steady cam anyone?!

The whole task of writing the script was an immensely satisfying learning experience though. Accepting or rejecting each other’s creative ideas, understanding our limitations, tackling a bottleneck with a clever workaround, the laughs in between, I guess we all had a great time. Sometimes I feel Shibu is a bit too visual. He would come up with these weird comical situations we would never want to see in this video and we all would have cramps in our bellies laughing!

It took us about three weeks to complete the script. I guess it was mainly due to the fact that while working on it, we were also identifying and noting down camera positions and movement, lighting, ambience etc. We found the best way for us to get a feel of the visuals was to capture each shot in writing. This would hopefully make filming a lot easier.

Once we finalized the script, we sat down with our cinematographer friend Nooruddin to get his feedback. We mainly wanted to know if the shots could be filmed exactly as we wrote in the script. His feedback was very positive. Honestly, I’m still a bit skeptical about the swooping shots which we included anyway!!

(To be continued as Part 4: The Locations...)

Part 2: The Storyline

2005-07-27T13:40:00.000+04:00

Now that we had decided to make the video, the next step was to come up with a storyline. We were sure of the fact that we didn’t want to make anything that even remotely resembled any of the remix music videos that are being aired these days. For two reasons – one, we just wouldn’t be able to afford anything of that level. Two – we had to be honest with ourselves. Moreover, “Rains of April” was inspired by nature and had a tinge of pathos. The visuals had to complement the music and be true to its spirit.

After a few of listenings and hours of discussions over coffee and crackers J, we came up with a storyline that was partly inspired by real life and partly fantasized. In a nutshell, this would be the story of a boy who, despite not being encouraged by his parents, continues with his musical aspirations in life, only to reach enviable heights. His endeavor is whole heartedly supported by his sweetheart. The story, which will have three characters including a child, will be told in flashback mode. The rain would play a key role in the visuals, as that was the original inspiration to compose this instrumental.

With the storyline out of the way, it was time to hammer out the script. Yes, there would be a full fledged script for this music video! The reason was our ultimate goal. Deep inside, we are hoping that someday, we’ll have the opportunity and resources to make a full-length feature film. Since we wouldn’t be having any formal education in film-making, this music video would be our first hands-on training! So we wanted to do it right by detailing the shots in a script.

(To be continued as Part 3: The Script...)

Part 1: The Beginning

2005-07-26T12:55:00.000+04:00

Finally, after more than two years of endless discussions on films and talking about making our own film, we decided to take a small step towards that seemingly evasive goal. Yes, a few weeks ago, we decided to start by making a music video! So who are we? There's no way you'd know any of us, so let me start with a brief introduction:

Shibu: An aspiring director with a keen visual sense. His passion for films started with still photography. Would love to make films with a strong social message and good entertainment value. Currently works as Front Office Manager, Rotana Towers & Suites, Abu Dhabi.

Lakshmi: Lakki, as she is more known, is keen to take up any role in the media business. Has been involved in event management activities and would love to take up production designing and behind-the-camera work. Currently working in our music video as crew!

Sunil: Me! Tries composing music. Passionate about films. Would love to make realistic films that touch the audience. Currently working as Systems Analyst (Web Design & Multimedia) in an oil company in Abu Dhabi.

Other than our passion for films & music, the only common factor between us is that we neither have any experience nor any godfathers in the media business or the film industry! So, armed only with conviction, we have embarked upon this journey to make a 4-odd minute music video based on an instrumental I composed a couple of years ago. Called the “Rains of April”, this was one of the first instrumentals I composed. The idea of making this into a music video gathered momentum after Shibu met a freelance cinematographer Nooruddin. The next step would be to develop a storyline.

(To be continued as Part 2: The Storyline...)