John Pilger ടെ ഏറ്റവും പുതിയ ഡോകുമെന്ററി The War You Don't See

John Pilger ടെ ഏറ്റവും പുതിയ ഡോകുമെന്ററി The War You Don't See കണ്ടു. ഒന്നാം ലോക മഹായുദ്ധം തുടങ്ങി ഇറാഖ, അഫ്ഘാന്‍ വരെയുള്ള യുദ്ധങ്ങളില്‍ മീഡിയ വഹിച്ച പങ്കിനെ കുറിച്ചാണ് ഈ ഫില്മില്‍ ജോണ്‍ പില്ഗേര്‍ ചര്‍ച്ച ചെയ്യുന്നത്. embedded journalism ത്തെ തുറന്നു കാട്ടുന്നതില്‍ ഈ ഡോകുമെന്ററി വിജയിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു. state supported media manupulations കളെ ഒന്നൊന്നായി ചരിത്രത്തില്‍ നിന്നും ചികഞ്ഞെടുക്കുകയും അവയെ സൂഷ്മതയോടെ അവതരിപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. ഡോകുമെന്ടര്യുടെ അവസാനത്തില്‍ വികിലീക്സ് വെളിപെടുതലുകളും ചര്‍ച്ച ചെയ്യപെടുന്നു. Assange യുമായുള്ള ഇന്റര്‍വ്യൂ അതിലെ ഒരു ഭാഗമാണ്. BBC പ്രതിനിധിയെ ഇരുത്തി പൊരിക്കുന്ന പില്ഗേര്‍ newyork times, fox തുടങ്ങിയ മാധ്യമ വമ്പന്‍ മാരെയും വെറുതെ വിടുന്നില്ല. Pilger is at his best.....!

Jahangirabad Media Institute

Celebration of light and sound, diwali at JMI

Poetry - A Classic Film by Lee Chang Dong

Many of you have heard about Lee Chang Dong, a Korean Film Director. He started his career as a novelist. His novels are very popular in Korea. Then like our M.T Vasudhevan Nair, he turned towards writing scripts for cinema. He wrote script for one  of the best political films ever produced in Korea - A Single Spark, directed by master film maker Park Kwang-su. He then became a film director. All his films are based on extremely sensitive stories. Peppermint Candy and Oasis were my favorite Lee Chang Dong movies till last year. This year he has presented an amazing cinematic work- POETRY, which is one my favorite Korean movies ever produced in Korean Language.

 

"Poetry" is about an old lady. Her dream is to write one poem before she dies. She is staying with her grand son in a small town. One day she finds that cultural center in her city is organising a part-time course on "How to write Poetry". She joins the course and tries very hard to write a poem. She was not able to remember words and medical check up shows that she has alzheimer's disease. She can't remember words but she wants to write poetry. 

 

Parallel to this storyline there are many other incidents happening in her life. Her grand son who is a high school boy gets into a rape case and the rape victim suicides. She has to give a large amount of compensation to the victim's mother to settle the case. She is a housemaid, how can she make such a huge sum?  Moreover her grand son does not have any guilty feeling about the crime. The film leads us to personal tragedies of the lady. The film has an excellent climax. 

 

This year the film got best screen play award in Cannes Film Festival. Must see film....

Announcement of National Science Film Festival

Dear Friend,

Vigyan Prasar, Department of Science and Technology, Govt of India in collaboration with Jahangirabad Media Institute is organizing Rashtriya Vigyan Chalchitra Mela and Competition. It will take place during the Indian Science Congress at Chennai from the 4th to the 7th of January 2011. This competition is organized to felicitate, nurture, recognize and encourage science film producers for their outstanding work. It will bring out the best science and technology video films produced in the country and set a benchmark for excellence. The festival is open to all producers, organizations and individuals, as well as production agencies. An exclusive website (www.rvcm.org) has been launched for the film festival.

Awards will be given in three competition categories: Popular Science Program (duration more than 20 min), Short Film on Science and Technology (duration less than 20 min) and Animation and Graphic film/video on Science and Technology. The best film in each category will receive the Golden Beaver Award with a cash prize of Rs.50,000/-, the second best film will receive a cash prize of Rs.30,000/- and the third prize will be Rs.20,000/-. The last date for receiving entry is December 3, 2010.

Thank you.

With warm regards,

G. Biju Mohan
Deputy Director, JMI
www.rvcm.org
infojahanemedia@gmail.com

JMI editing room

Irriversible

Photo taken at Jahangirabad Bridge during JMI photography workshop

Evening Bridge

The photograph was taken at Jahangirabad Bridge during JMI Photography Workshop

origin of Cinema - an invention and an amusement

സിനിമയുടെ ഉത്ഭവം, വികാസം ചരിത്രത്തിന്റെ ഒരു പ്രതേക ദിശ സന്ധിയെ പ്രതിനിധാനം ചെയ്യുന്നു. photography യുടെ വികാസം, മനുഷന്റെയും മറ്റു ജീവികളുടെയും ചലനങ്ങളെ കുറിച്ചുള്ള പഠനങ്ങള്‍, കാഴ്ച്ച എന്ന പ്രതിഭാസത്തെ കുറിച്ചുള്ള പഠനങ്ങള്‍, സാങ്കേതിക വിദ്യയുടെ അസാധാരണമായ വളര്‍ച്ച, വേഗത്തിലുള്ള വിവര വിനിമയം, വിപണിയുടെ മത്സരങ്ങള്‍, ഉയര്‍ന്നു വന്ന മധ്യ വര്‍ഗ്ഗത്തിന്റെ സ്വാധീനം, സമൂഹത്തിലെ ഒരു വലിയ വിഭാഗമായ തൊഴിലാളി വര്‍ഗം സമരങ്ങളുടെ ഫല മായി ആര്‍ജ്ജിച്ചെടുത്ത Free time - ഇവയെല്ലാം സിനിമയുടെ വളര്‍ച്ചക്ക് വഴിയൊരുക്കി. ആഗോളികരണം മൂലം വ്യാപാര ബന്ധങ്ങളില്‍ ഉണ്ടായ വളര്‍ച്ച, പുതിയ വിപണികളെ തേടിയുള്ള യാത്രകള്‍ സിനിമയെ ഒരു universal വിനോദ ഉപാധി ആക്കി മാറ്റി. Lumiere സഹോദരന്മാര്‍ ആദ്യ സിനിമയുടെ പ്രദശനം പാരിസില്‍ നടത്തിയതിനു 6 മാസത്തിന്നുള്ളില്‍ സിനിമ മുംബൈയിലും എത്തിച്ചേര്‍ന്നു.

ഒരു കലയായിട്ടല്ല സിനിമയുടെ ജനനം. ഒരു തനി വിനോദ ഉപാധി. it was an invention and an amusement. Lumiere സഹോദരന്മാരുടെ വിശ്വാസം തന്നെ ഇതായിരുന്നു - "ഭാവി ഇല്ലാത്തതാണ് സിനിമ". ആളുകളുടെ അതിശയം തീരും മുന്‍പ് ആവും വിധം എല്ലാം കാശ് ഉണ്ടാകണം. ഇതിനായി Lumiere സഹോദരന്മാര്‍ വളരെ വേഗം തന്നെ തന്റെ പ്രതിനിധികളെ ലോകത്തിലെ മുഖ്യ നഗരങ്ങളിലെല്ലാം അയച്ചു സിനിമ പ്രദശനം നടത്തി, ആവുന്നത്ര ലാഭം കൊയ്തു. Lumiere സഹോദരന്മാര്‍ തങ്ങള്‍ കണ്ടു പിടിച്ച ഫിലിം പ്രോജെക്ടര്‍ മറ്റാര്‍ക്കും വില്‍ക്കാന്‍ തയ്യാറായില്ല. പകരം തങ്ങളുടെ പ്രതിനിധികളെ ലോകത്തിലെ വിവിധ നഗരങ്ങളില്‍ അയച്ചു സിനിമ പ്രദര്‍ശനം സംഘടിപിക്കുകയായിരുന്നു. മോസ്ക്കോ, മുംബൈ, ബീജിംഗ് തുടങ്ങിയ നഗരങ്ങളില്‍ നാടകം പോലുള കലാ പ്രദര്‍ശനങ്ങള്‍ നടക്കുന്ന ഹാളുകളെ താത്കാലിക സിനിമ ഹാള്കളാക്കി മാറ്റി സിനിമ പ്രദര്‍ശിപ്പികുകയായിരുന്നു.

അന്ന് നിര്‍മ്മിക്കപെട്ടിരുന്നത് "ഒറ്റ ഷോട്ട്" സിനിമകള്‍ ആയിരുന്നു. ഒരു റീല്‍ അവസാനിക്കുമ്പോള്‍ ഒരു സിനിമ അവസാനിക്കും. അത്തരം 5 -6 സിനിമകള്‍ ചേര്‍ത്ത് ഒരു പാക്കേജ് ആയി ആണ് ഓരോ പ്രദര്‍ശനവും സംഘടിപിചിരുന്നത്.

Letter from Gauhar Raza regarding Jahangirabad Media Institute

Dear Friends,

In our country we have witnessed stupendous rise of private investments in television industry after new economic policies were carried out. During this period the face of Indian media has changed altogether. It emerged as the single most effective tool of mass communication which governs the public opinion and dictates the functioning of our democratic society.

As a fourth estate of the democratic society we expected that media will play a role to strengthen our secular, democratic and egalitarian values. But unfortunately the main stream media has not fulfilled the task which they are suppose to perform. Instead of becoming the voice of the voiceless, more often than not media has upheld the upper class and upper caste interests. When the recent reservation ‘controversy’ erupted, biased reporting by the media evoked great concern not only among social activists but also created impact on common citizen of the country.

The studies during the time showed that the representation of lower class and lower caste in of media firms (in editorial positions) is too low. It is also came to notice that almost no media training centers are functioning in rural India where students from marginalized sections of society can get training.

To fill the void, under the umbrella of Jahangirabad Education Trust, Jahangirabad Media Institute was established in 2005. JMI encourages creative, secular, scientific bent of mind, socially conscious media which will contribute to the building India’s future “Fourth Estate”. The institute’s mission is to elevate, innovate, pioneer and support the spreading of a secular and progressive media culture.

JMI provides a creative and dynamic atmosphere where ideas can flow transparently and without barriers. JMI will catapult creative students to meet demands of international and national media needs. It offers modern technology, state of the arts infrastructure, a team of experienced and dynamic faculty, the crème de la crème of media practitioners and comprehensive courseware.

JMI is going to start a full time residential course in Television Programme Production. It is a comprehensive course in media which covering all aspects of Television Programme Production. The students can specialize in

1) Videography

2) Non-linear editing

3) Sound Recording and Mixing

4) Direction

5) News reporting

The course will cover theory and practical lessons enabling students to gain hands on experience in the latest technologies in media. To meet out the needs of the industry the curriculum of the course is based on workshops. By the end of each workshop students will produce an output in the form of a script, video sequence, project report, etc. which will give them understanding of the latest techniques in video programme production and enrich their portfolio.

JMI associates itself with social movements like OXFAM, ACTIONAID, GREENPEACE, NYKS and BGVS in their humanitarian campaigns. During the course, JMI encourages its students to take part in the campaigns of these organizations. JMI also hosts seminars and workshops in collaboration with these fraternal organizations at its campus.

We are looking forward to your support. We can together create a more humane society.

With Warm Regards

Gauhar Raza

Honorarory Director

JMI

www.jmi.edu.in

Suneesh got State Television Award

If you remember, last year i have introduced Suneesh Surendran and his documentary film "Day 3" in one of my blog posts. Today Kerala State Govt has announced Television Awards for the year 2008. Suneesh was selected as best documentary film director for this documentary. lets celebrate..!!

Let me repost my earlier write up on Suneesh

Suneesh Surendran is my very close friend. He is now working in Rose bowl channel. His latest documentary was screened in the international video film festival at Trivandrum. it is a shocking documentary about killing of street dogs in a remote village in Trivandrum. the whole documentary was shot in a day and made within a week. This documentary was telecasted many times in the channel.This time also Suneesh has proved his sense of sound and visual framing through this documentary. He got the craft with him but subject wise lacks depth. He is one of the rare documentary film makers in kerala who uses sound extremely sensible manner. In a way he plays with close ups and sound. His earlier documentary got special jury award in Malayalam Television Awards given by Kerala Govt.

I think he has the caliber to become a very good film director in malayalam. He has the talent to bring aesthetic changes in malayalam film industry..... Hope he will get the opportunity and exposure...

Globalization: Challenges and Opportunities

a) Impacts of multiplex boom
Multiplexes have introduced new marketing and exhibition possibilities in front of Indian film industry. The commercial operations of India’s first multiplex-PVR Anupam launched on June 1997 at Saket, New Delhi. Now there are more than 100 multiplexes operating in India. Multiple screens in multiplexes have created new spaces for low budget and art films. Before, those films can’t be screened in major theatres because they usually do not pull as much viewers to the theatre. Big theatres can’t function if the viewer attendance is mediate or low. But screens with lesser seats are very suitable for low budgets films. It will promote production of art cinema in near future.
But multiplexes are alienating lower class from theatres. This growth of the multiplexes has resulted in the average ticket prices to rise as high as Rs. 220 (US$ 4.5) from a low of Rs. 25 (US$ 6 cents). Due to the heavy ticket charge majority of population can’t approach multiplexes. Their dependence on television and cable network is increasing drastically. Majority of films are also targeted to a particular section of society (who has purchasing capacity). It will contribute the rise of the class difference in society. So the democratic space created by traditional theatres is vanishing gradually from cities. In Indian context it will create negative impact in a long run.

b) Digital Cinema- new possibilities

India is on the verge of becoming the largest digital theatre country in the world - a revolutionary opportunity waiting to be tapped by potential investors. For a country as large as India, film distribution and exhibition is a completely different ball game. Today around 12,000 theatres in the country are being serviced by around 300 celluloid prints released for a mainstream commercial film. As these prints are insufficient, they are first released in ‘A’ class cities and thereafter re-circulated to the ‘B’ and ‘C’ class cities in the country. After having run for a couple of weeks in ‘A’ class cities, the quality of such prints deteriorates considerably. This impacts the occupancy rates in the already run-down theatres and also the ticket prices. Further, during the period when the new releases are running in the ‘A’ class cities, pirated copies from these celluloid prints are developed to cater to such audiences in the ‘B’ and ‘C’ class cities. But all this is now set to change. Theatres across the country are now going digital thanks to the pioneering initiatives by companies such as Mukta Adlabs and few others. Such companies are now taking control over these run-down theatres in ‘B’ and ‘C’ class cities and up-grading them to a digital theatre. The costs of upgrading to a digital theatre costs is estimated at about US$ 22 thousand per theatre, which requires the installation of a digital projector and server to run the digital prints. As a result of such digitalisation, such theatres are able to obtain prints at the same time that the film is released. This coupled with superior quality is resulting in higher occupancy rates and higher ticket prices. As most companies are working on a revenue-share basis, the break-even time for such projects is estimated to be less than two years.

As a result of the digital projection system, the quality of the films being screened has shot up significantly impacting the occupancy rates, which have been reported to increase to almost 50 per cent in some of these large-seating single screen theatres. Since the films are screened at the same time the films is released nation-wide, theatre owners now have the wherewithal to charge higher ticket prices as well. Film processing companies are also gearing up to cater to this potential demand of churning out digital prints. The cost of producing a digital film is estimated to be a fourth of the cost of a celluloid print- hence the film producer too is excited as now he is able to generate a much larger number of prints than earlier. This not only helps in a larger release of his film but more significantly able to curb the menace of piracy which was depleting his box office collections by almost 90 per cent. If one were to aggregate the number of theatres that are planned for the digital conversion, this would aggregate to about 10 per cent of the theatres in the country today. Hence, the balance 90 per cent of the theatres is waiting to be digitalized!
Digital revolution can also provide alternative display spaces for digital films that bear potential as a distinct genre. Redefining film form and content, digital films could prompt and occupy viewing spaces as differing from conventional films. It will also promote ‘walk through’ films that require simultaneous projection on more than one screen, not necessarily of conventional theatre size.

ill-effect of solar eclipse

During Annular Solar Eclipse (ASE), two scientists in Delhi have demonstrated the ill-effect of solar eclipse on your financial condition.