Shot by Shot breakup of ‘Derrida’

Given below is the Shot by Shot breakup of the Film ‘Derrida’ - only the first 10 minutes: 

Shot 1          00:00 to 02:00

The camera from a moving train captures the water outside, the water body over which the train is running. This shot taken from the train opens the film. Then as the train comes on land, we see the railway tracks, the bridge at a distance and then the cityscape. Starting with jerky movements, the camera now becomes more stable. We see a wall which completely blocks our view and the visual matches with the narrative voice running in the background which says “when I am completely unable to foresee their arrival”. The train then stops abruptly at a place, and we cannot see clearly as to where it is.

Shot 2          02:00 to 02:11

We see somebody’s house; an old man walks in, familiar homely environment. The old man walks up to the cupboard and hangs a coat in.

Shot 3          02:11 to 02:34

Then we see a clipping of a TV programme, where a woman with a bob cut is just about to introduce a very great philosopher, but before she can tell us the name the shot ends.

Shot 4          02:34 to 03:00

We are back to the house; the old man is shown closing the cupboard and wearing a coat. He then leaves the room after apologizing for not even saying hello.

Shot 5          03:00 to 03:16

A BBC clipping (the watermark tells us) where a voice introduces us to the great philosopher, as a black and white photograph of the old man is shown on the screen, and finally the name is revealed ‘Derrida’.

Shot 603:16 to 03:37

We are back at the house, which we now know belongs to the great philosopher Derrida. We see the old man coming into the house; he talks a bit and then picks his car keys and goes out. 

Shot 7                                                                                                         03:37 to 03:55

An old recording of an interview, where we again see only the introduction by the host of her guest - Derrida. The intermingling of shots that portray his image as a ‘great’ philosopher of his times are cleverly interspersed with his casual shots at home. The opening gives you both the images – how people perceive him and how he is in his normal surroundings, most importantly at home.

Shot 8                                                                                                       03:55 to 04:00

Right outside Derrida’s house, he gets into his car.

Shot 9                                                                                                       04:00 to 05:00

Outside scene, shots from the window of the car presumably. Shows us the route he takes, what all he is passing by. It is very similar to the opening shot, but from a longer angle this time as its shot from a car on road and not a train. Then the car goes in an underpass and it gets dark. Screen blacks out completely and we see ‘de’ written in white on the screen. Then ‘rrida’ appears right next to it in white, and simultaneously ‘de’ changes to grey in colour. Sound of ambulance comes and screen becomes grayish-white.

Shot 10                                                                                                     05:00 to 06:00

Screen is grayish-white; the camera zooms out to a pavement on top of which five people are walking. As they come close to the camera, we see one of them is Derrida. He is lighting a pipe. Once he reaches the camera, the cameraperson follows him while he crosses the road with his friends.

Shot 11                                                                                                      06:00 to 06:07

A lane where Derrida and three of his friends are walking with him and the camera person is moving with them (ahead of them).

Shot 12                                                                                                     06:07 to 06:22

Inside a building, Derrida is talking facing the camera as he waits for the lift with his friends. The lift door opens and he walks in still talking and the camera follows.

Shot 13                                                                                                     06:22 to 06:31

Derrida trying to talk and listen to a person right next to him. He is in focus, whereas two men in the foreground who frame him are out of focus. There backs are towards the camera.

Shot 14          06:31 to 07:42

Side profile of Derrida talking on the mic at the New York University (NYU) lecture. Cut to a person clicking his photograph (the press/ media) – Fraction of seconds. And then back to him. He is talking about Heidegger’s philosophy and his thoughts on biography.

Shot 15          07:42 to 08:17

Camera moving swiftly into a room and then following a lady in the alley walk down the steps and enter another room. Here we see Derrida, who goes to his cupboard and the lady follows him. Camera shows both of them; he shows her a coat and wears it on being asked.

Shot 16          08:17 to 09:06

Derrida speaking at the NYU lecture, shot from the front. He fills up the screen appropriately. He is talking about Heidegger’s philosophy.

Shot 17          09:06 to 11:00

Side shot of Derrida smoking his pipe as he walks past shops on a street. The camera-person is walking with him, coordinating footsteps. Once very briefly Derrida looks into the camera and then looks up and then continues looking ahead normally again – walking all this while, not stopping. The background voice gives us a glimpse into his pasts – childhood and growing up years, interesting facts. This is a very long and continuous shot, just like the opening of the film. He keeps walking and so does the camera-person beside him. Parked cars, telephone booth and people – they all come between them, but the shot goes on. Derrida looks towards the camera once again but as before looks away and keeps on walking. They close in on the face and end the shot. 

Sights and Sounds at Okhla Vegetable Market - Part II

Location: Okhla Vegetable Market

Time: 04:10 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.

20 sounds that I liked:

1. Namaz – coming from the tent put up for the auspicious Ramzan season.
2. The sound of stray dogs being kicked intentionally or unintentionally, in any crowded places is common.
3. ‘Aao! Aao!’ – Shopkeepers keep shouting this to lure customers.
4. ‘70 Rs. bahot ho gaya’ – the price may change but this is one dialogue you get to hear from both the customers and the shopkeepers.
5. As a vegetable market is a crowded place the commotion of people, the mixing of chatter, with the sound of walking and other activities creates a noise unique to the place.
6. ‘Hato!’ – Very commonly heard by the workers carrying big sacks or huge boxes on there backs when somebody is blocking there way.
7. A radio playing in the background is common to a lot of places, but a vegetable market is one place where in order to here it you would have to close your eyes and feel it.
8. ‘Papita!?’ – the item may change, they may know you are not there to shop, but a good vendor will never let an opportunity pass by to inquire if you need something.
9. ‘Puch ke laga cheezein’ – a shopkeeper instructing a worker under him, or a father teaching his son, this is very often heard in various forms.
10. Sound of the honking of cars from the road, and the trucks in the mandi are a constant sound effect in a vegetable market.
11. Thumping noises caused by beating of hand against the sides of a truck, signaling it to back or stop is common here. This avoids any mishaps and allows smooth movement in the market.
12. When vegetables like potatoes, onions, corncobs etc. are dumped, along comes a lot of dust and irritants which can cause coughing. So coughing is another common sound.
13. Sound of dumping of sacks, after they have been packed into the truck.
14. Taking off the big brown tapes that seal the fruit boxes is another frequently heard sound, especially near the fruit shops.
15. As the ‘Okhla Sabzi Mandi’ is near a railway stop, you can constantly hear the train’s horn whenever one passes by.
16. By the time we were leaving, it had started raining. And there was already a big puddle on one side. So whenever a truck would pass, it would make a splashing noise.
17. ‘Aye rickshaw!’ – used to call a rickshawala, grab his attention for some work.
18. ‘Kacha, Hara’ – sometimes the vendors use innovative words like these to grab the customers’ attention. He says ‘Kacha, Hara’ but doesn’t specify what he is selling. It could be anything dhaniya, chilly, banana, mango, beans, capsicum, bitter gourd, etc. so when you hear this, you tend to look for the shop and see what he is selling. Good marketing strategy!
19. As we were exiting, a man’s mobile started ringing in a funny Bollywood ring tone. It was funny and at the same time very symbolic of our visit. As that was the only moment when people around us actually silenced a bit, to see where it was coming from.
20. Whistling – I spotted these few people who were using whistling as some kind of codes to call out to each other and signal certain actions. It actually comes handy in a crowded and difficult to move around environment like a vegetable market. 

Sights and Sounds at Okhla Vegetable Market - Part I

Location: Okhla Vegetable Market

Time: 04:10 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.

20 visuals that I liked:

1. Just outside the ‘Okhla Vegetable Market’ something interesting caught my eye. As it’s a wholesale market, a lot of trucks and tempos, had been parked outside. These created good frames, beside the pavement. One such was a green tempo parked in front of an orange truck, and the space in the middle that was left you could see a family sleeping on the dusty pavement.
2. Another visual that I found interesting while still outside was the array of vegetable carrying bicycles. I hadn't expected to spot these, and I have been to vegetable markets before, but obviously not one this big. These bicycles looked adorable; they had woven vegetable baskets tied to the front of the handle bars, and a really big one secured near the seat. Standing in lines, or even when pictured alone they made for a pretty sight.
3. As it was early morning when we visited the ‘Okhla Sabzi Mandi, some people could be found sleeping. But what amazed me how different their beds and sleeping positions were! For e.g. I saw a man sleeping on vegetable plastic baskets, stacked together to make a bed. And another basket which had been kept upside down right next to him had a goat sleeping on it.
4. As we went in further, I spotted a fruit seller, who had a huge tent with watermelons under them. And one could clearly see that he was having a good time as he was quickly selling them off, though it was still so early. It was a good day for him! But right next to his shop, two young men slept on a wooden hawker’s cart. This made the visual very interesting, while the watermelon vendor was sending off truckloads of melons away, among all this commotion and activity these two men just slept through it all.
5. On going further we saw to our right, a lot of Muslims offering their early morning namaz. Special seating arrangements had been made for the auspicious Ramzan season, to host a large number of people. From the market where I stood, you could look into the tent through a gap and see the namaz proceedings.
6. Then I saw a truck, which was being loaded with sacks full of potatoes and onions. There were two workers at the back of the truck, one with the light guiding the other one with the sack. They made a very homely picture.
7. As we approached the area from where the market properly began, I spotted another interesting truck. It had been parked on a slope and had a street light illuminating the back end of the truck. It had a man on the top who was pulling a cover on top of the truck. Because of the slope and the man pulling it in the direction of the slope with all his might, this sight symbolized for me strength and hard work at the vegetable market.
8. Men with weird backpacks caught my attention as we were walking in the main market now. From a distance I couldn't make out what it was. It took me a while to see that they were not really backpacks, but contraptions made by them to lift a bag full of vegetables and carry it easily till the truck. They were all white in color and made of the white plastic sacks that one sees at markets. It had a small wooden block tied on the end, to sport the box or the sack.
9. A very charming fruit shop was something that stood out in a ‘vegetable’ market. There were other fruits shops too, but this one just marked its presence, the vendor must have spent quite some time in setting it up. It had fruits arranged in such a way that it looked like a fort of fruits, the front was lower and the backside was higher. So one could just stand and scan all the fruits easily. The vacant chair in the middle and a weighing matching just added more to the charm. Also fruit baskets and trays hung on strings from the rooftop lining the shop.
10. On one end of the market we saw a corncob wholesaler. This was the biggest corncob shop I think. It was huge and had one man sitting at one corner peeling the excess leafs off them. And one man who helped him was standing next to him. The heaps of already peeled corncobs lay below, which was being managed by two other people who were helping to get them loaded on trucks standing nearby.
11. There was an attention-grabbing man selling potatoes at the market. Though dressed in a normal banyan, lungi and smoking a beedi, there was something remarkable about him which made him so unlike others. He also had a ‘change’ pouch hanging off a really long string on his neck. It looked like he was some character out of a book.
12. There was also a shop selling only packed Khajoor (dates). To go with the festive season of Ramzan and the upcoming Eid. Packed in clear transparent plastic bags and reflecting the light from the bulbs, the Khajoor looked really glossy and silken! Appetizing enough to compel anybody to buy them.
13. Near one of the tea stalls in the market, was a big weighing machine placed. And beside it was kept a charpoy. So the hardworking men could be seen lifting heavy sacks placing them on the weighing machine, then sealing them and taking them to the truck. Whereas on the charpoy right next to it, young men who are lazy bums (you could make out by there behavior) just kept lazing around. One even got scolded by his dad for not working. It showed the contrast very clearly.
14. Sometimes the ordinary looks so different, that it looks other worldly! I felt this when I couldn't recognize green bananas being sold at a shop, because of its placement. They had been placed one top of the other, with the top i.e. the place where they are connected to each other was facing us. So they looked like huge big green flowers, with every banana looking like a leaf to me. It felt like a scene from the evergreen African jungles. So green and so exotic!
15. Early morning and the smell of ‘Chai’ is sure to brighten anybody’s day. So we went and had tea at one of the tea stalls. It was much later that I noticed it reminded me of some place. I couldn't really say it aloud because I thought it sounded weird, but nevertheless I somehow said it. And to my relief Nagma agreed with me. The ‘Chai stall’ reminded one of being in a railway station! Its composition was such that it had a feel of being situated on a platform. For once I actually though that we were waiting for a train and not really in a vegetable market. We were surrounded by vegetables yet getting the feeling of being transported to another world altogether is no mean feat.
16. One of the vendors who was not making much sale, or maybe was unhappy about something sat on the weighing machine of his shop with a grumpy expression on his face.
17. The place where the sacks were being lifted on the backs of workers also had interesting sights. One that I liked was the way they lifted the sacks up. Another worker would help lift the bag, and then he would swing it in a peculiar way above his head, so that it landed on his back. It looked very smooth and there practice showed in the ease with which they were doing it.
18. Amongst the vegetables and fruits in the market, amongst the vibrant colors, a dairy shop is sure to stand out. Selling products like: milk, cheese, khoya, etc. – the shop looks very white! And stacked up on a silver shelf, it shines too. Very different from the rest of the market indeed.
19. At one of the exits/entrances, there was an interesting opening with a triangular top. Vegetable vendors sitting on both sides with light bulbs glowing in their shops, contrasted well with the black sky visible through the opening. The play of light and dark, made it eye catchy.
20. The shop that I liked the most was the one selling carrots and capsicums. It had two levels and an interesting background of colorful doors. On the floor lay the orange carrots, and up the stairs to the raised platform lay green capsicums. Workers could be seen cleaning the vegetables and packing them. Behind them was a dark green cupboard fixed into the wall, then a blue door and just next to it a bright green bigger door. Two sacks of carrots were kept on the left side of the platform. It was full, vibrant, rich and one of the best sights that I saw at the ‘Okhla Sabzi Mandi’.

Kaagaz Ke Phool - a review

Kaagaz Ke Phool - a film by Guru Dutt, is considered a classic. Having watched it just yesterday in college for the first time the impression is still fresh in my head. The opening and closing scenes of the film are striking and well thought, something that stays with you for a long time. The movie begins with an old and lonely director Suresh Sinha played by Guru Dutt who is standing in front of a studio where a big statue is partially shown in the scene (rendering only the feet visible). The feet of the statue frame the aged man as he stands; this is symbolic of the main theme of the film, which is about the frailness and diminutive authority and control that man has over things that surround him and also his own life.

The flashback sequence shows us a magnificent set, grand and impressive it rightly highlights the glitz and glamour of his golden days at the peak as he reminisces his past. Some of the scenes where young girls flock to get a glimpse of him and maybe an autograph, and people attracted by the show of films, are really well thought and that shows in the execution.

As the plot progresses we see the director – Suresh Sinha and his find Shanti fall in love with each other. As this growing closeness causes more trouble in his already troubled married life. More so with the coming of Pammi who extracts a promise from her to leave, Shanti finally goes away to a village and becomes a teacher. Suresh on the other hand, can’t stand on his own, without Pammi, his daughter and now having Shanti left too – he is completely alone and depressed. Rocky (his brother in law) brings her back, in order to get Sinha’s life back on track. But when Shanti tries helping Suresh, his ego comes in the way and he refuses. He would never take help from anybody, he rather surrender himself to self-pity and alcohol.

I feel he was not what we nowadays call, that ‘into’ the girl. The film depicts two people who understand each other very well but can't be together. But I still have some questions. When Pammi leaves him, why doesn’t Suresh go up to Shanti and resolve the issue and show her that her absence didn’t really help salvage his marriage. Also Suresh enjoys her simple hero-worship of him without really responding. He just likes being loved unconditionally and Shanti knows this. In the end nobody learns anything, nobody cries, and Suresh dies in the pit. Life moves on. Suresh in particular, but Shanti too, have plenty of opportunities to improve the course of their lives, and their persistent refusal to take advantage of them, can get on your nerves. They refuse to take responsibility for there own happiness.

But the cinematography as always is a highlight of Dutt's films. The use of lighting is fitting, as it accentuates the grimness. The use of light during the screening of Sinha’s ‘Devdas’ at the premiere is a good example of the clever use of light. Dutt also used overlapping images and, the camera often moves and lingers creating a mesmerizing effect. ‘Waqt ne kiya’ is a memorable track from the film not only because of meaningful lyrics and haunting voices, but also because of the way it has been beautifully shot. The camera work is remarkable, to V.K. Murthy’s credict who created the light beams and lenses for Dutt. The sliding lime lights and later sliding martinis worked very well, they just show the creativity even more in the making of the film.

It is India’s first cinemascope film; has wonderful sets, good direction, fine lighting, superb acting, well choreographed frames to boast about, and in all a very well made film!

Mr. Lochan and his suspender pants

A chequered shirt, a freckled face

Yet a smooth overall appearance

Spectacles hanging from his neck

On a strand of thread

His hair black but mostly white

And off course, how could one miss

His ‘suspender pants’:P

The class all quite, all eyes on him

But are they interested, in awe or just scared of him

He modulates his voice,

Changes its texture,

Throws his hands around,

But do my friends really understand what he says,

Cause if they really did, why would they scared?

Sitting in the centre, of the circle we make around him

He says he doesn’t like people sitting at the back,

But if we someone’s at front, someone has to be behind,

And someone who’s been himself a backbencher all his life,

Should I really listen to him?

His suspender pants, just sum him up

It binds him,

So that he dosent go off the track

It controls him, so that he doesn’t lose count

It sizes him up, and off course they hold his pants in place

So that he can jump around in his thoughts.

I wonder how would he be, had it not been for them,

What a crazy person he would be!

The Shortest Poem

In July that year, when he first showed me emotions,
I saw a person who could cry for me,
Who felt pain if i was away. :)

But in April this year, when I saw him lie on my face,
It all came crashing down!
End of story. 


(Written at my Maasi's place while I was out with my parents, last piece written about my breakup. Will never write anything about it. Doesn't deserve that space in my head or heart anymore. And I thought he cared. :I )

27th May 2013, 05.04 pm. 

I bought your freedom

I bought your freedom my soft toy,

My green bunny, my cuddly boy

For this day, I saved my cash

So I could buy things and make it match,

Our expenses were almost the same,

He spent a little more, but he earned as well

I am still in college, so you can tell

How hard it must have been for me

Right in front my break up, I could see!

I could see it clearly coming my way,

So I did the best I could to pay,

Him somehow the money for my cute little baby,

Cause I knew that is something I could never give up, maybe

A clever decision, I am proud of it now

Decluttering my life, getting space to grow.

I bought your freedom my soft toy,

My green bunny, my cuddly boy!

Today when removing all those memory triggers from my life,

I am glad I literally ‘bought’my bunny back!

Leaving him would’ve be even more painful than the actual breakup,

It was love at first sight,

It was love at first sight,

His bright green fur, lights up my life! :D

(I know the last two lines are hilarious, but I wrote this poem in jest and it suited the mood and the flow, I was happy writing it, so didn’t change anything)  :)
written while preparing for exams on 12^th may 2013 at 12:45 pm