Script to Screen: A Glimpse into the Making of the Short Film––Verge of Happiness

ROLL CAMERA...ACTION!

Says every single director, with a mission to create a film that can impress the audience and move one to experience emotions of surprise, love, anger, hatred, jealousy and so on.

AND... THAT’S A WRAP

Again, says every single director who feels ecstatic about finishing a project, hoping and praying that the world would love it too.

AND... TELL ME MORE!

Says every single movie enthusiast who eagerly wishes to know what happens ‘behind the scenes', right from its initial stages of ideating to the final stage of its execution.

Aren’t the first two commonly spoken phrases the only ones that most of us know the film fraternity to use in their production process? The answer, yes, obviously. And do we know the hundreds of procedures that go behind the making of a five-star film? Umm, not really!

Regular feature films have a slightly different method of working as compared to short films. Short films—given their short duration—will have to satisfy their audience in a shorter span of time while ensuring the clarification and dismissal of ambiguity in the storyline, a tight script, and most importantly, the ability to keep the audience engaged throughout. They have a smaller cast and crew as compared to feature films, and work in ways that makes the process of making a short film even more exciting. With limited resources and hands, it comes as nothing short of a surprise to see how directors incorporate styles and techniques learnt from previous experiences, to create unique films that can impress and reach audiences, far and wide. Harsha Setty GR is one such director, who’s training in visual effects and animation helped him in making his first short film, Verge of Happiness, a much-appreciated film. Created in 2012, Verge of Happiness was screened at the Bangalore, Madurai and Chennai film festivals and portrayed the hazardous effects of drug consumption. Setty, through a fictional story, adopted a no-dialogue approach to his film. Let us see what it took to create this masterpiece!

The Clapper on the sets of Verge of Happiness, holding the clapper board

VERGE OF HAPPINESS: A SHORT FILM WITH A LARGE MESSAGE

Verge of Happiness is a short film (18 minutes) based on real-life events. A story of four friends who fall prey to the ill effects of drugs, this film explores the characters’ struggle to escape dependability and addiction to drugs, through a simple narrative. Setty had also given an artistic twist to the film by including elements of animation such as an illuminated 3-D butterfly, which symbolises hope, joy, and a new beginning, without the consumption of drugs.

The film, like any other, went through three main stages of creation:

1) Pre-Production

2) Production

3) Post-Production

PRE-PRODUCTION: THE FOUNDATION OF THE FILM

The pre-production stage, which constituted nearly half the bulk of the making of the film, included ideation and funding, which took almost two months. Setty said that the processes of scriptwriting, creating storyboards, purchasing the equipment, casting the right actors for the role and getting formal agreement from the government authorities, took a significant amount of time and a lot of detailed planning. As Setty said, “Pre-Production is one of the most important steps to any filmmaking process. It is the foundation on which a building of creativity is built.”

Scripting—one important part of ideation––is a vital part of this stage. The length of a short film is usually roughly fixed at the beginning, and work for it begins at the scripting stage. As per calculations, 1 page of a script roughly equals 1 minute of the film. Keeping this in mind, the director can wager at the length of the film and ensure that the duration is kept in check.

One challenge that Setty remarked on was related to the fact that there were no dialogues in this project. Dialogues—considered a significant feature for any film—were chosen to be eliminated, and the film relied entirely on visuals and the actors’ performances to carry forth the narrative. Setty said, “It is a choice to have a film with dialogues in it. For this short film, I did not feel the need to include dialogues in it, since the message of the film is a topic that everyone knows about. I chose to focus on the subject more than the language.”

PRODUCTION: THE STORY COMING TO LIFE

Verge of Happiness took about 15 days to shoot. On a short film set— given the fact that it is a small venture with a tight crew—it is a common sight to see crew members taking on several roles. Thus, the director can take on the role of the captain of the project, and at the same time co-produce or assist in writing. Setty said that on the sets of his film, the assistant director assisted in doing the makeup and serving food to the actors too!

A regular day on the sets of the film would involve the actors reaching the venue at a pre-scheduled call time, while the rest of the crew arrived way before, to ensure that the equipment and set were ready. “Once that is ready, the shooting starts, with regular intervals throughout the day,” said Setty. Depending on the kind of scene required for the movie, the time slots are calculated accordingly. For instance, Verge of Happiness was shot entirely at night, while the rest of the day was spent devising the sets.

The team working on the stunts at night

Members taking on several roles on the sets of a short film. Here, the cinematographer also assisted in the editing

POST-PRODUCTION: TYING UP THE LOOSE ENDS

The last stage of film-making, the post-production, begins once the shots are in place, and all the scenes are fit for editing and mixing. Assembling various clips, refining takes, adding in the music and the visual aesthetics, etc., take place in this stage.

Setty said that the most challenging part of the film began in the post-production phase. Since the crew that worked on this film was relatively smaller, implementing changes in sequences proved to be a herculean task. But with systematic planning, post-production was completed, right on schedule. Once that was completed, the marketing and promotions began. For any film to be screened at a film festival or on online platforms, a certificate or a stamp of approval from the censor board needs to be acquired, apart from other requirements. Once that is taken care of, the film is all set to be shown to the world.

SPECIAL LEARNINGS

Talking about his learnings as a debut director on the sets of Verge of Happiness, Setty said that planning is the key to producing a successful movie. The director also stated that in the course of the production of the film, he learnt a lot about the importance of research, not just with respect to the storyline of the film, but in ensuring that the script in no way hurt the sentiments of various communities that the film would be catered to. In his words, “Keeping in mind the emotions of the audience, is a factor that makes a good film. It’s not every day that the audience gets to see a particular story visually.”

Team ‘Verge of Happiness’ posing for a group photo

"And that’s how you make a short film. Script to Screen," he smiled. (Signing off)

Watch Verge of Happiness here: