Siraj Syed talks to film-maker, cinematographer Chanda Gauranga, about indie LIF

What is your family back-ground and how did the idea of LIF germinate?

I was born and brought up in Chennai along with my three siblings. My mother is a story-teller and a writer. I grew up listening to and being amazed by my mother's tales and in a way wanted to spread the same awe and amazement I felt when listening to her stories. Moreover, my father and his father have always been very camera passionate. There has always been some kind of a camera in the house. I remember playing with those tiny cassettes you store video in a camcorder! With an exposure like that, I too started forming an interest in photography and film-making.

I never had intentions of being an Assistant Director in a big feature or immediately trying my luck in the big "industry". Film-making for me is a form of expression and I strongly believe in making the stories you want. But being an indie film-maker, it is hard to form a team and the funding to make one. Post college, I was working on a few projects. But I found it very hard to put a team together. The few I knew in film-making were from college, including my actors, and the difficulty in assembling a team stalled these projects.

 I tried looking for a film-makers' ‘meet-up’, to network and collaborate, but surprisingly, found none. There were a few online platforms, but nothing very convincing. That's when I decided to start one in the hopes of addressing the issue I faced while trying to get my script onto screen. The first meet I had was held at my home, where I called a few of my friends, and asked them to invite few they knew. The response was overwhelming, and I realised that there were so many people like me, who wanted to make films they wanted, and were just waiting for a platform/community for support.

How does LIF operate currently, and in which cities?

League of Indie Filmmakers is a community based organisation and, being quite young, we don't have a big team. We have volunteers helping out during events, and designers who help make 'creatives' for our social media, once in a while. Apart from that, I manage the admin work alone. Since we don't charge our members to attend or be a part of any of our events, we rely heavily on voluntary contributions. We have an online presence on Facebook and Twitter and will soon be publishing a website, to further increase the ease of networking and accessibility of indie film-makers.

Currently, we have monthly meets in Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru. I travel down for the meets, but we'll be forming a core team for each city, to handle the events and meets in their city--completely voluntary, of course. And with the response we've gotten so far, despite the fact that there is no money involved, it's a heart-warming to see the number of film-makers eager to be a part of a film passionate community.

What do you expect LIF to achieve in the medium term, say three years from now?

Our main objective is make film-making an art form, again. This we look to bring about by supporting indie film-makers who are already giving their all to make such films and encourage more people to take up filmmaking by breaking the illusion that a hefty amount is needed to make a film. We want people to realise that film-making is a form of art, much like painting or dancing, and there is nothing stopping you from making films.

Three years from now, we hope to have our presence in all the major film-making cities and start spreading film-making to other cities and towns through workshops, etc. By three years, we also see LIF organising film festivals and public screenings. Apart from this, we also see film-makers contacting and networking with film-makers from across the country to work on a project together, through LIF. This is possible, as LIF does not charge commission or any other form of money to help network, or put filmmakers in touch with another. Use the League to contact fellow members, in another part of the country, and collaborate.

Who attends and why?

Right from people who have never made a film in their lives, to people already working in the industry, come for our meets. It's not just directors or writers who attend. We've had cinematographers, marketers, casting agents, actors, music-composers, brand integrators, producers, everyone related to film-making in way or another. This kind of participation and response can only mean that there are so many film-makers out there, really passionate about film-making and are ready to be part of a community that is looking at supporting and encouraging independent film-makers. "

How often are the meetings held and where?

The meetings are a monthly event, often held at an accommodating and supportive café.

The meets in Mumbai were held in Qtube Café, from December-March and from the month of April, we'll be having the meets at Tuning Fork Café. Urban Desi House in Chennai has been hosting our meets since January and the first meet in Bengaluru was held at Chaipatty Café.

What is a typical agenda?

Our meets are three hours long, with the first hour consisting of introductions and a discussion on a pre-decided topic. We've had discussions on Film-making and Social Media, Film-making and Social Change, Surviving as an Indie Film-maker. The videos and notes of these discussions can be posted on our Facebook pages.

Following the discussion, we have two hours of member film screenings. Films made by those attending, which they'll have to submit it to us before the meet commences. After the screening of each film, there is a Q&A/ feedback session. Since it's 'film-maker feedback', it helps in various ways, otherwise unavailable through public feedback.

Are women interested in this venture? If so, what are the motivations of the women who have attended? If there is little or no female participation, what are you doing to correct the scenario?

Quite a few women have registered and attended our meets. But the ratio is quite low, when compared to the men attending. The motivation for those attending, men or women has been just being a part of an indie film-making community, and forming a network of like-minded people. Our aim in getting more female participation is similar to getting more people to take up film-making--spreading awareness and encouraging people by letting them know there is a community ready to help and nurture one and another.

Tell me about your own work. Identify two most satisfying projects and two films/cinematographers who influenced you.

I owe a lot to Ryan Connolly. I learnt filmmaking from his YouTube channel, Film Riot. Till then I was sure film-making was a profession or even a hobby only for those who were financially well to do. His videos, and way of film-making, made me see that film-making is more than the grandiose process that we might mistakenly believe it to be, and it's possible to make a film with next to zero budget, with minimal equipment, and the elements/objects immediately available.

Second to him, Indian film-makers, like Karthik Subbaraj and Anurag Kashyap have been big motivators for me. Their approach to film-making shows their passion. I saw Pizza, Karthik's first film, and was moved by how fresh and original the concept was, and how he managed to churn a hit without using the conventional, seemingly necessary elements of a film to be successful in India. But it was Jigarthanda that really made him a director. I'm in awe of.

When it comes to influence, I can't say for sure as each project of mine is quite different and I approach it the way I connect with it the most. I like to keep that part as original and real to me as possible.

(Chanda Gauranga was born on 15 October 1995, believe it or not. At SIES College, Mumbai, he was S. Ashwin’s junior, at the Bachelor of Mass Media course. Ashwin has been interviewed in an earlier post).

Short Film Links:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alfGS7ztMOo

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2wlQgpHERA&feature=youtu.be

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEBVAicIoGo&t=1s