train of thought

This is one of those unscientific child-posts. Beware!

I love this song. I simply love this song. I have acknowledged my awe time and again. I feel this is a lesson in visual language with an appropriate (beautiful) grammar to go with.

Framing, composition, energy, casting, choice of location, colors, coordinates and perspectives.

But there's a period in this song the start of which has always left me smiling. Always! I never knew why. But I knew and I realized I smiled every time it started. I knew something different was happening. I couldn't my finger to it. I think I have a reason now.

Here's the actual edit in its original form.





The majority of the song has us follow the train. With Santosh Sivan and his team lodged on the train we see what they are seeing as we follow the train. Whether it is fast, is slow, whichever direction it is moving in.

Deciding to shoot on a moving train is a brave decision. There's only so much you could do in terms of space. No matter what you do, you are limited and run the risk of bringing in the devil of boredom. But you cannot help it, you have decided to shoot the song on a moving train. Live with it!

So, in come the distractions. In an effort to break the visual monotony, Sivan employs a lot of profile shots. But most of these shots have a stationary camera, a hinged camera following the train as it chugs along on a beautiful bridge.

But this edit I have made shows the team follow the train for the first time on a parallel track/road/space in an almost "V" shape. We move along the train in its direction. All the earlier motion is in a direction perpendicular to our field of vision. This for a change breaks the momentum. Most amazingly it also coincides with a change in the song.


Here it is in its altered form at 80% speed.



Sometimes the mundane become exciting with a change in perspective.

Visual choreography at its very best! :)

kuch bhi, haan?!

In the state capital of Andhra Pradesh how do you identify the children of gentlemen in the Indian Armed Forces?

* Their domestic grocery is all about Ratandeep Super Market, and aaloo aur tamatar.

* The limits of their geography tend to Trimulgherry, Bolaram, Vikrampuri, Alwal, Gunrock, and of course, Sainikpuri.

* The farthest they would have travelled to in their city: Secunderabad Railway Station, and in the past, and that too rarely, Begumpet Airport. Madapur? Wahaan jaane ke liye kaunsi train leni padthi hai?

* Music, celebration, festivities, fun and frolic do not remain music, celebration, festivities, fun and frolic if they don't happen in Secunderabad Club. RSI is for ballroom dances, you dimwit!

* Dilsukhngar, Barkatpura, Hussaini Alam, Yakutpura, Malakpet, Mir Alam Mandi, Barkas, Kukatpally; What are they, places in the neighboring Orissa?

* Alright, I exaggerated. As always. Their servants and domestic helps hailing from Telangana are aware of these places. People such as Sarita didi, who makes amazing aaloo gobi and Venkat anna /bhaiyya who gets their clothes ironed.

* If coming from other places, say up north, or back from a vacation, their destination is Secunderabad and not Hyderabad.

* The only train's name they are aware of is 2723. What are Narayanadhri, Venkatadhri, Godavari, Padmavathi, Repalle Passenger? Some rivers ?!