PS: Surprisingly, payments are being doled out depending on film's success
Ram Gopal Varma now wants to change the filmmaking process. He is making a movie with just five stars in five days flat! And hopefully it will run for more than paanch din ke liye!
This is the maverick director-producer's way of sending the message across that it is possible to make a movie without big bucks at your disposal, especially for new filmmakers. A lot can be achieved nowadays, thanks to the latest digital technologies, while saving time and costs in film production.
His thriller, titled Dhongala Mutha (A Gang of Thieves), stars South names Ravi Teja, Chaarmi, Brahmanandam, Laxmi Manchu and Prakash Raj.
Films have earlier been shot start-to-finish in a month's schedule or in 18 days like Ekta Kapoor's Ragini MMS. But Ramu goes a step further by completing an entire film in just a handful of days.
Here are the logistics of the project:
The schedule
The shoot will be from February 9 to 13. The final edit will be done by February 20. The background score, sound and dubbing will be ready by February 25. Final mix and censor print will be ready by March 1 and the movie will release on March 4.
The payment
No one is going to be paid before hand. It is being made only with those actors and technicians who are excited to be a part of the novel project. Everyone will be remunerated after the film's release depending on what the film makes. And the payments will be in accordance with their individual value additions.
The unit
The director (that's Ramu himself), an associate director, three camera operators. There will be no generator, no lights, no special equipment, no trolley as the movie will be shot with a handheld camera in natural light. The pilot track for the sound will be recorded with the cameras.
What it will teach other filmmakers
It will give aspiring directors an opportunity to make their films freely. They won't have to worry about how they can get money to make their films because they will realise that they don't need money to make a film anymore.