Listen to filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane and Arpan Gaglani as they discuss the process and planning involved in perfecting the visual effects in Jubilee
Scenes from the magnum opus, Jubilee, referenced through before and after shots of locations such as Majestic Hotel
While the magical world of films continues to bedazzle us, we tend to think of it in terms of the output. Often the connection between what meets the eye and the meticulous planning to ensure the detailing and import of visual communication is lost on us. This writer feels that some idea about what goes into making a film frame by frame can add to their magic. Vikramaditya Motwane’s latest 10-part magnum opus titled Jubilee draws the audience in with its stunning visuals and redolent colour-grading. We can’t help but wonder what went into putting up the signages of bygone decades. In a candid conversation that will be moderated by Maria Goretti, Motwane and VFX director Arpan Gaglani will talk about the creative process of recreating India of the 1950s.
ADVERTISEMENT
A street in South Mumbai. PICS COURTESY/PHILMCGI
About his expectations from the talk, Motwane shared that the interaction will focus on the VFX part of the film. “It’s an intrinsic part of the film and was carefully done to deliver the scale and spectacle of the subject.” While he agrees that people with a technical bent of mind might be more interested in the conversation, he adds that anybody curious about filmmaking will enjoy it. Ask him about the most challenging bit in recreating period-specific elements and he says, “The streets of then Bombay were hardest to capture.”
Arpan Gaglani and Vikramaditya Motwane
Gaglani, managing director of animation studio philmCGI, doesn’t plan to exhaustively elaborate on the use of VFX in the series. “I think that will put attendees to sleep. But there’s this one scene that I would like to throw light upon. It’s the one where Jay Khanna walks his family down the ship. I am going to explain that scene to everyone. It’s a scene with so many layers; it depicts an ocean of people. I think it would thrill people to know how we choose a location and fit our vision into it.”
About the research that goes into developing the VFX for any project, Gaglani notes, “We started with looking at images from that time. Then we gathered data on the architecture of the period, how the streets looked, what they were made up of, the tree cover in particular areas and even, the width of footpaths. We also asked our parents and members of the extended family to share personal items from those years. We would mark out typical indicators from these personal belongings.”
On: May 16; 6 pm
At: G5A Warehouse, Mahalaxmi.
Log on to: insider.in
Cost: Rs 250