Lights ! Camera ! Action !

Even though drama is a passion, i'd never thought of myself as being part of a 'movie'..i mean i'm not built for that. but you never realise what it is unless you've tried it. and now that i've gotten a chance, i love it!
shweta, a friend of mine from college, asked a bunch of us if we'd act in her bf sameer's movie as part of a film-making class submission. and though it initially started off as a simple favour, im now so glad she asked! we've been goin over the script, scenes, dialogues etc since about a week and i love every bit of it!
it's a horror flick and i play a 17 year old ghost, who'd slit her wrist outta loneliness and depression. it's a freaky story and me being me, i was totally scared of my own role! for the past week, i've had some incredible experiences playing a ghost, staring into the camera lens in a demented spooky way, lying dead on the floor in a pool of blood, crouching in a corner staring at the protagonist(kushan) who has no idea i'm watching him.
but besides all that, i've also substituted for a couple of people while they weren't present and even handled the camera in some shots, learning about various angles and positions that would best suit the scene.
2 days ago we went to the location to rehearse before our final shoot on sunday. this place, chanod, is about an hour's drive from baroda. there's an old semi-deserted haveli that's perfect for the movie. with hundreds of bats flying all over the place, creaky stairways, doors that lead nowhere, rooms without a ceiling, storerooms filled with antique furniture, and a massive dog-the place is made for horror flicks!
with the final shoot beginning tomorrow, i'm super excited to get into my costume and make-up and scare the living daylights outta people!!

Folk Media

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,"
-Shakespeare

As i look back to the those few weeks of pure bliss and torture, its hard to ascertain whether i hated or loved this particular assignment of ours at college..a folk media(read contemporary)theatre presentation.. day after day of absolute nerves..of handling tantrums of the highest order..of gulping down self-pride to give way to others..of being faced with opportunities of tackling massive impatience with a tight-lipped smile..of clutching a pen as though ur life depended on it-demanding it to write the most beautiful lyrics that ever shook the earth..of dropping your head in ur hands in pure agony everytime a word of much expected criticism came ur way...of wanting to scream bloody murder as some over-stepped their boundaries while some refused to budge from the starting point..

'was it that bad?', i ask myself..

the joy of being there with your friends all day-with permission from home..the chance of doing something you love..the idea of learning new things from people..the thought of trying ur hand at something you never thought u could do..the satisfaction of having an idea approved..the pleasure of knowing that you're needed..the fun of making mistakes that could be laughed at..the knowledge that you have the ability to be patient with all sorts of people..the realization that nothing is possible without teamwork.. the thrill of being on stage..the feeling of seeing pure delight on the faces of the children..the contentment of accomplishing a task..the pride of hearing words of praise for your effort..the sight of watching families and friends smile..

nothing beats this moment..

so i guess...this experience is truly one of a kind.. one ill never forget and always cherish..