Media Mail – Volume 1 Issue 4
October 1997
Elites of the world, unite!
In the past few months, many significant events have taken place. These events, on the one hand, bring out the inherent contradictions of the society, while on the other, they raise new issues and questions. On the 14th of August, while India was busy celebrating 50 years of independence, with crores of investment, the Kutku dam in Palamau burst. Hundreds of adivasis were drowned by the water released from the cracked Kutku dam. The complete silence of media about the accident demonstrate the social reality in which we are living. It only confirms that as a nation we do not have any common priority concern or commitment. What we have is only segregated concerns. Today, the State is completely insensitive to the plight of adivasis, women, dalits and other oppressed groups.
Today in India, several nations within a nation are struggling for their rights and identities. There are at least two distinct nations existing within India. One, that of them elite, who want to control a1l resources and facilities. They have considerable clout over the bureaucracy media and government. The Second group that of Adivasis, Dalits, women and victims of disparate development (like the people of North-East), though deprived and oppressed, are struggling for their rightful dues from the State. This is the main contradiction of the Indian State that we carry onto the next century. Our main challenge of the 21st century will be to resolve this paradox.
The deaths of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana were portrayed by the media as the greatest tragedies of the decade. The media provided wide coverage of Mother’s death. After Mahatma Gandhi, she was the only person to be bestowed with the honour of a State funeral, who was not holding any State office. She was projected as a messiah, to the extent that they believed that the destitute of India would be saved only by such a saint. Basically a propaganda of the western media, this concept was extended by the Indian press. However, in this whole clamour, the question remains unresolved as to why in the West, even in the USA, the black people continue to be poor and destitute. While the Indian government is constantly pushing aside the issues of poverty and deprivation, it declared a national mourning for the Mother’s death. The objection is not for the homage paid to Mother Teresa, but to the notion that views poverty as a conscience of one’s fate. This attitude negates poverty as a result of the structure and refutes its historical continuity.
From the reporting in the western media of the Diana tragedy ….the thought patterns of the third world elites. The way a section of the English newspapers sang paeans to the beauty and personality of Diana, was yet another method of get- ting mileage from her tragic death. It also proves that the globalization of the thoughts, concerns and understanding of the Indian elite is complete. Now their slogan is, ”Elite of all countries, Unite against the poor anti and destitute of your own countries.”
On the other hand, the death of Sanjay Ghose is one of the most tragic events of the year. Though neither AVARD nor the government has officially announced his death, the chances of his survival is next to nil. His idealism led him to initiate peoples’ work in an extremely tense area of the North-East. The recent revelations on the pay-offs by Tata Tea show that many interest groups are involved in the North-East and the situation is far more complicated than it was imagined. A major section of the press, journalists and political parties like the BJP are sympathetic to the Tatas. They condemn the State government for failing to protect the life and property of its citizens, and justify the payoffs to buy security The question, however is, how will those without money to buy security, like Sanjay Ghose, survive? It is interesting that the Indian industrialist, on one hand sponsors the murder of Shankar Guha Niyogi while on the other, supports illegal activities of ULFA.
There is no doubt that those who support such activities should definitely be punished. Simultaneously there is also a need for new political and social initiatives in the North-East. This is only possible through peoples’ initiatives since there is a complete lack of faith between the government and the people in the North-East. Only those initiatives that sincerely believe in the control of resources by local people and respect their culture, feelings, and the need for political autonomy will be able to resolve the crisis.
Upper caste Pastime?
Upper caste rulers of India have plenty of time, energy and money to bring out trash. Your journal has not a word about the issues but plenty of non-issues.
V T Rajasekhar ,Editor, Dalit Voice,
109, 7th Cross, Palace Lower Orchards,
Bangalore – 560003
What Lies Ahead
I like to read Media Mail not only because it has relevant information on media, but also because its editorial is pro-people. Today the global market syndrome is increasing the dominance of finance capital. It is high time that al1 progressive forces oppose bourgeois and State media. It is true that activists should not be indifferent to the use of public institutions by the State. However, sincere efforts are also required to raise consciousness of social forces against the limitations of media in a bourgeois State. The State and its institutions seldom work in favour of masses unless there is organised social movement to exercise checks and balances. Only a social movement can check the un- democratic and unaccountable tendencies of the State as well as involve masses in the process of transforming institutions. It is needless to say that media can play an effective role when the movement is reaching new heights. In the absence of social movements, simp1y involving progressive forces in bourgeois parliamentary politics will be suicidal for progressive forces. More importantly the counter forces will use these to gain their advantage. History has ample of such evidences.
DM Diwakar, Gandhian Institute of Studies,
PO Box 1116, Rajghat, Varanasi,
Uttar Pradesh 221 001
Responses
It is very good to know about different types of media and communication at different levels in different areas. Hopefully it will help our documentation centre to focus more on these in the local languages, in its future course of action.
Satyanarayanan Pattanayak, Seba Jagat,
PO: Urladani, via M.Rampur,
Dist:Kalahandi ,
Orissa 766102
Congratulations for a well thought of newsletter, both content-wise and aesthetically. The lack of a medium of communication amongst media activists was clear to us when we discovered a lot of information on the work that is ongoing, complete and available’. We found your page on Resources extremely useful. Would it be possible for your team to review the productions? This would help some of us who would like to keep productions such as those you mention, but based on some judgement of the quality; since resources to purchase are so limited. An observation, the difference between the January and July issues were that the January issue seemed to be more open about the audience it was addressing and information was the theme. Whilst, the July issue seems to have a more focussed audience in mind.
K 7- Suresh, EQUATIONS ,
P O Box 847, Bangalore – 560 038
I am writing this letter to congratulate you on your efforts in bringing out Media Mail, the presentation of which is clear, simple and analytical. I liked the piece on Big Issue, which is a brilliant idea of mixing business, social interests and voluntarism. Earlier, in 1993-94, we had brought out a few issues in Telugu on environment. But we could not sustain it due to lack of planning and resources. However, we would be coming out with a regular magazine in the near future.
D. Narasimha Reddy,
Centre for Resource Education,
201,Maheswari Complex, Masab Tank,
Hyderabad 500 028
I got immense pleasure to read Media Mail. Being a journalist by profession, 1 would like to receive he newsletter regularly.
Bijoy Kr. Sharma, The North East Times,
N. S. Road, PO & Dt. Dhubri, Assam
783301
Training Opportunities
Since 1992 I have been representing the Catholic Church’s media ventures in India. We are right now in the process of starting a National Institute of Social Communications, Research and Training (NISCORT) in Delhi. In fact we just registered NISCORT with the Delhi government. For the last eight years we had been offering 4 month courses in communication for church personnel. We have decided to widen that to a two year course and open it to the public from next year. The 9th communication course for four months is being conducted at Okhla , Delhi from the second week of September 97. There are 24 students from all over India.
We really like your magazine. For the last six years 1 had been editing a similar one for Christians called, ”Wavelength.” Now 1 have closed it down and just started a new one called ”Media Matters” open to al1 people. The primary target is youngster to create in them interest in serious media.
Fr.lacob Srampickal SJ,
International Catholic Association for Radio TV
Cinema, 1 Ashok Place,
New Delhi 1 10 001
Attention Film makers!
Gurjarvani is chiefly involved in the production and distribution of audio and video programmes based on social, cultural, religious, developmenta1 issues. We are planning to release a listing of films and videos related to women’s issues. We would be very grateful if you could help us get the titles and sources details of the same from your resources .This list will be sent around to various institutions and organizations working with women, to enable them to use the video as a source of empowerment and uplifting them.
Alka, Gurjarvani,
St. Xavier’s College Campus,
Ahmedabad 380 009
Dear Readers,
Thank you for your encouraging response to Media Mail. However, we feel your participation in this effort is very important. Please send us information, views, experiences and articles on media and communication from your area. Only by including a wide range of such experiences, can Media Mail be successful and eventually evolve into a forum.
- Ed
Dharna Against Killing of Journalists And Writers
Media Manch, a forum of journalists for freedom of expression and Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) jointly organised a dharma on 14 September 1997 in Lucknow , protesting against the growing assaults and killing of journalists and media activists in Uttar Pradesh. Hundreds of journalistic cultural animists and people from similar walks of life from a1l over the state had joined the protest. The organizers of the dharma also held a debate called, Peoples’ Dialogue.
Recent years have seen a rise ‘the attacks on journalists and media activists. They have been the targets of politicians, criminals and police. Man Bahadur Singh, a poet and principal of a local school in Sultanpur was murdered abroad day lightly criminals inside his office. In September this year, Arvind Pander a journalist from Amar Ujala was brutally killed. Arvind had always tried to expose the nexus between criminals and politicians through his writings on feudal equations. These writings earned him threat of life from vested interests. In his latest writings he spoke vehemently about the land grab by the gram sabhas and the issue of unpaid labour. The minister of women and child welfare, Harkishan Shrivastav is alleged to shield and protect these criminal elements.
PUCL and Media Manch had conducted a joint enquiry on the death of Arvind Pandey The enquiry reveals that Pandey was under constant threats and he had sought police protection on many occasions. But he failed to get any protection from them. One eye witness, Vinay Pander told the investigation team that he had seen Arvind at 7:30 in the morning taking his two sons to school. He was attacked and killed barely five yards of leaving the village. Vinay Pandey in his attempts to save Arvind, was also attacked. According to villagers, the killers were not arrested immediately although the police was informed about their presence in the village. When a complaint was lodged to the police, the police placed the incident under sections 147 & 148 which is on deaths from infighting. That only proved the connivance of the police. ‘The dharna organised by Media Manch and PUCL, adopted a three point memorandum that was submitted to the Governor, demanding:
1. The state Govt should bring out a White Paper on nefarious attacks on journalists, writers and cultural activists during the past one year. Government should form a judicial commission to suggestions and means to check such incidents.
2. To order an inquiry by the CBI into the murders of poet & principal, Man Bahadur Singh and journalist Arvind Pandey.
3. The joint investigation team of Media Manch and PUCL had found the active hand of Harkishan Shrivastav. Minister for Women and Child Welfare in the erstwhile BJP-BSP government, in the murder of Arvind Pandey who was the Choubepur correspondent of Amar Ujala. The investigation team demands that state security be given to the eye witness and members of family of the deceased journalist.
Those who participated in the Dharna included writers Srilal Shukla, Birendra Yadav, Chitranjan Singh of PUCL, Rakesh from IPTA, Akhilesh from Janwadi Lekhakh Sangha, Ghanshyam Dubey from Swatantra Bharat,Girish Mishra, BrijBihari and Raghavendra Dubey from Media Manch, Anup Mishra of Jehad. Aloke from Samppradayikta Virodhi Abhiyan.The dhrana was presided over by Anand Swaroop Verma, the editor of Samkaleen Teesri Duniya.
For more information, contact:
Media Manch, UNI, Kazmi Chambers, 5 Park Road, Lucknow 226 001
Painting a Protest
There was a lone artist crusading against the inequities of a society in the 50th year of its free existence. Mr.Sudhir Sharma’s painting crusade was sup- ported by organizations like Jehad, meaning crusade, and the Sampradayikta Virodhi Andolan (SVA). The exhibitions were put up at the Gandhi statue park in Lucknow during21-22 September. The artist chose the two days coinciding with the transfer of power to the Blain the state. Verses such as this one by Aloke of SVA, accompanied the paintings:
When people haven’t chosen you,
How dare you claim the right to power?
In your efforts to seize the seat
What wily ways do you adopt ?
The nation is red with shame
Says the judiciary.
What will you demolish tomorrow ?
What conspiracy do you have in store?
The Prasar Bharati Act
Seven years after it was unanimously passed by both the houses of parliament in 1990, the Prasar Bharati Act came into force on 15th September 1997.By the Ad, Al1 india Radio and Doordarshan will operate as separate entities under the Prasar Bharati Corporation. Employees of DD/AIR have the option of staying with the government. Apart from giving autonomy to DD and AIR, Prasar Bharati is expected to deliver quality broadcasting and be on par with the other Public Broadcasting Services of the world like the BBC.
The government has effected several changes in the Prasar Bharati Act of 1990 through an ordinance, in an effort to give teeth to the corporation and en sure that the functioning of Doordarshan and Al1 India Radio become truly autonomous and not merely on paper. The amendments are also aimed at clearly assigning the role of public ser vice broadcasting to the Prasar Bharati Corporation, leaving the regulatory role with the Broadcasting Authority of India (BAl), by ensuring that there is no overlapping in their functioning. Under the ordinance, the 22-member MPs’ Committee that was to oven see the functioning of the Prasar Bharati Corporation has been scrapped, as also the Broadcasting Council that was to receive and consider complaints and advise the Corporation in the discharge of its functions .Meanwhile, the Select Committee looking into the Broadcast Bill is still re-viewing the various recommendations and memoranda.
The Forum for Independent Film and Video (fif +v) – an update
fif + v really came into being as a group of friends and colleagues concerned with the emerging character of our film and television culture. While ours may not exactly be an Image driven society the moving picture has provoked popular imagination. What worries us is the fact that caught between commercial imperatives and propagandist control, independent voices are being increasingly squeezed out of the image domain. Bringing together film makers and technicians working in film and video, students of film and communications, researchers, scholars and film enthusiasts, the films, the Forum for Independent Film and Video (fif+v), seeks to ensure a greater space for the production, distribution and viewing of independent work in cinema and television. Ours is a commitment to diverse voices and freedom to express a range of concerns on celluloid and video through varied methods of image making.
Our commitment to the independent film is unwavering. What often proves difficult is getting the ‘flock’ together. An interesting bait – our passion for watching films.And so there we were, sitting and watching films together, at India International Centre (IIC), at Max Mueller Bhawan, at Jamia Millia – our films, others’ films. Watching and discussing, with the filmmakers, amongst ourselves. We meandered through provocative discussions and noisy arguments and emerged with a consensual clarity – the pressing need for a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), one which could effectively address our collective concerns. We took our first step – a seminar on a Public Broadcasting Service was organised in August, 1996 at IIC. The agenda for the seminar was set out in a laboriously constructed document ‘A Vision for Television’. This document at once provided a conceptual, organizational and administrative blueprint for a PBS, free from commercial and political pressures and based on the three essential prinicples opf Access, Autonomy, and Plurality.
Shouting ourselves hoarse at each other, we decided it was time we were heard by someone who could make a diffrenece We found ourselves sitting across the Nitish Sengupta Committee set up by the Government to update the Prasar Bharati Act, or its final; implementation, arguing yet again for a PBS. The act is there – we wait with bated breath.
Life can be tough without a roof over one’s head. As we shunted from one venue to the other to meet and watch films, we found less and still lesser of us. With no supporting infrastructure, or streamlined procedures, communication with members was often adhoc and tentative. At times, venues changed, dates changed, the appointed hour changed – we were all caught up in a merry delirium of confusion. And then the silver lining, – the India International Centre (IIC) ,in a magnanimous gesture, allowed us the use of their Annexe auditorium for our meetings, and screenings on the second Saturday of every month. This initiative is on a trial basis for a few months. Already, the head count at our meetings has gone up – there are more cups of coffee and less money in the kitty.
We have as yet not fixed a subscription. After all , the amount of money needed would depend on what exactly we propose to do – and honestly we do not as yet have an agenda for immediate implementation. We did make an initial collection of Rs 200 from each member to cover operational costs. Having exhausted it on the PBS seminar and other incidentals, the kitty bag is again doing the rounds for another contribution of Rs 200. Flexible attendance and participation often translates into notional contributions.
Of course, not everything we do requires money. For instance, we collaborated with the Max Mueller Bhawan and jointly organized a seminar for film-makers and television proffessionals on ‘Political Documentaries in the 90’s ‘ in Feb-Mar 97’. There were films and film makers from Germany, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and of course India. There is much more we wish and hope to do. We plan to hold technical workshops for film makers and technicians., we intend to bring out publications related to independent filmmaking and start a library.We hope eventually , hold your breath- to organize a festival of independent filmmaking!
For all this and more, we need and are looking for material support. We are looking for venues on a slightly permanent basis, where we can meet , watch films and discuss them.We are looking for space that can be used as an office and a library, funds for communications and material support for our activities. Fif + v is looking for films to show, for people to see them and for committed and enthusiastic volunteers who can share in organizational responsibilities.Above all, we seek to join hands with similar initiatives in Delhi and elsewhere, and together, endeavour to ensure greater space for independent film and a vigorous viewing culture.
Sanjay Mattoo
4 Kaul Apatments, 39 , Rajpur road , Delhi 110 054, e-mail: (pp) : anugram@giasdla.vsnl.net.in
Thus Spake Balasaheb
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray is once again indulging in his favourite pastime of media bashing.This time the target is the editor of a leading Marathi daily.
Mr. Thackeray called Dr. Aroon Tikekar, the editor of Lok Satta. A “mad “ man and said he deserved to be beaten up for his ‘senseless’ writing. The Sena chief also threatened that his party would boycott Lok Satta.
In the wake of the Mr.Thackeray’s utterances, about 350 policemen were deployed in and around the Express Towers, the headquarters of the Express Group who publish Lok Satta. The police cordoned off the building to ensure against any attack on Dr. Tikekar by the Sena activists who in the past have attacked Media persons and newspaper offices at the slightest provocation.
What prompted Mr. Thackeray for his latest pronouncement was a report on the controversial media interaction of Maharashtra Governor Dr. P C Alexander in Goa , where the governor had admitted that there was a law and order problem in Mumbai.
Theatre Workshop by Pratidhwani at Dunda, Uttar Kashi
With encouraging response to the Delhi workshop in December last year, Pratidhwani followed up with another theatre workshop, this time at Dunda, Uttar Kashi. Unlike the previous one, the Uttar Kashi workshop focussed specifically on technical training to enable students, social and cultural activists to link their activities with theatre.
The workshop began with Shubhendu providing an introduction with a brief history of Pratidhwani and the perspective of the theatre workshop. It was followed by self-introduction of the 33 participants who came from groups in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and UP. There were also some local participants from Dunda.
The workshop was held in the village of Kura surrounded by lush green hills with Bhagirathi flowing below. Beginning with principal exercises, sessions moved to self introduction in theatrical style, miming, mirroring group communication without eye-sight, eye movements, geometric formations and mono-acting. There were sessions on music conducted by Shubhendu, that included voice culture, Introduction to ‘swara’ and basic elements of Indian music, concepts of ‘fala’ and ‘laya’ poetry and music and enactment on musical pieces to evolve rhythms. Some sessions were dedicated to exercises and games to develop concentration, mutual understanding and trust.
The practical training and exercises were quite serious in nature. In one such session, participants were to feel that they were trapped inside a building in flames with no escape route. They were to develop their own improvisations and create a dramatic situation by themselves. The performers visualized the Uphaar tragedy that occurred in Delhl recently. As the performance proceeded, covering each and every detail of the incident and the range of emotions. In such a situation, both performers as well as the viewers became completely involved in the enactment, as if it was really taking place. After the climax, performers were asked to relax, for which certain physical exercises were suggested. The mood slowly calmed down. Suddenly, someone was heard sobbing in a corner. One of the performers was weeping severely with his face in his palms. He tried to speak out but could not. All the others collectively tried to soothe him, but in vain. Soon some others also began to cry. To bring the situation under control, Johny Kutty, the instructor, intervened with some psychological techniques to release the tension and bring the situation back to normal.
In another exercise, participants were to act as mentally disturbed persons in an asylum when suddenly a newspaper was to be dropped amidst them. They were to enact how they would react to that situation. Everyone started to improvise on the typical gestures, movements and sounds of a mental asylum. When the newspaper fell amongst them, they a1l reacted differently. However, long after they were to complete the exercise, they simply could not come out of the characters they assumed. Again, relaxation techniques had to be induced to help calm down the situation.
Each session ended with discussions on participants’ feelings, reactions and suggestions. Acrobatics, a set of different physical and mental exercises were taught to the participants, elaborating their relevance to people’s theatre. Since most of the Indian theatre forms have their roots in dance, folk and classical, a few sessions were dedicated to dance lessons, especially foot movements. These were conducted by Shubhendu and Shankar. While carrying out rigorous training on physical fitness and facial and vocal expressions, the instructors kept in mind the importance of such organization at the mental level. Johny conducted a few sessions on meditation which led to a new experience for a good number of participants.
To make theatre activities socially relevant, it is necessary to orient participants socially and politically as well. Discussions on ”History of World and Indian Theatre” initiated by lohny , ”Cultural and Social Movements” by Roma, and ”Culture and Vulgarity” by MSP Rao provided an insight into the context and perspective of people’s theatre. Participants were involved in serious debates, narration of personal experiences and at times, immense controversies. As part of workshop lessons, participants produced plays on sate, alcoholism and the Bhopal gas disaster. These lessons were highly appreciated and critically evaluated. The workshop was very special to the people of Kura and other neighbouring villages in the lap of the Himalayas. Every evening, villagers gathered at the workshop site where the participants presented folk songs, dances and plays in their respective languages. The locals contributed with their ‘pahadi’ folk dances. Those were moments where people rose above the barrier of languages.
In addition to technical theatre training, this workshop was an occasion to develop comradeship amongst cultural activists from different parts of this country which will be the driving force for Pratidhwani’s future.
Workshop by Pratidhwani on “What is Alternate Culture?”
at Bhubaneshwar, Orrisa
8 – 10 November 1997
Pratidhwani and FFDG are jointly organizing a workshop on “What is Alternate Culture?” from 8th to 10th November, 1997 at Bhubaneshwar. Workshop includes people’s songs, folk music. folk dances, theatre activities, sessions on literature, discussions on aesthetics, social change and people’s movements and alternate films.
For more information. write to
Shri. Subhash Mahapatra,FFDC, at Maindipur, PO Rajgurupur, Dist. Puri , Orissa 752 019, Phone:06755-20177
Or
Dr. Shubhendu Ghosh , L 21-A, Sheikh Sarai, Phase II, New Delhi, 110017, Ph:011-6166421, Fax:011-6885270
Campaigning with Video – The Alcom experience
Alcom is a group of film makers who have been producinq films on social and environmental issues for the last twelve years. Earlier they were known as Media Collective in Kerala. The group has been carrying out video campaigns with issue based films as an integral part of its work. The campaigns are organised with the active participation of NGOs, environmental and social action groups, colleges, schools, human rights and consumer groups. A film screening is usually followed by discussions on the issues raised in the film. The campaigns are a process of direct communication with people and their concerns. Sathish K of Alcom writes about their campaign experiences.
By the mid-eighties we had already made four films and were in the process of making another film on hazardous radiation from the Indian Rare Earths’s (lRE) plant in Alwaye, Kerala. We wanted to use the film for an extensive campaign. But before that we needed to assess the potential of the medium. With this in mind we collected nearly 37 videos and set out on a Video Rally as it was called, in 1986. This rally travelled a1l across Kerala with video films, right from Payyanur in the north to Trivandrum in the south. We had hired a VCR for the rally and went from village to village. Wherever we were provided with a TV – be it a library, a school or a college – we screened the films. That was a huge success; there were some problems too like, mostly the videos were in English or Hindi. But somehow the people responded to them with a 1ot of questions. That was also the time when we realized that we were not good orators. This 1ed us to think about how to handle a film while being screened, things like talking before and after the film and later initiating the audience into a discussion.
In 1987, with the experiences of the Video Rally behind them, Alcom charted out a campaign against the threat to environment and health by radiation from the IRE plant. This was done through the film, Living in Fear. Initially the campaign ran into major problems because the workers had anticipated trouble with the lRE management if they showed the film. The campaign had tube rescheduled many times. Luckily there were groups in Trichur who took up the campaign. The responses to the screening was tremendous; in colleges like St. Thomas, we could not leave the place even hours after the film as there was no full stops to the volley of questions and answers.
The response of children was rather encouraging. We had gone to a school near Trichur. Earlier we had visited them with the Video Rally and later with the lRE film. At that time the children were very much involved in the Bhopal issue – they had already been shown a film on Bhopal and later Alcom had talked about the Bhopal issue – and this time with the lRE film we were talking to them about radiation. So they were naturally interested. One boy asked me, ”Chetta, when are you coming again with the next one?” The next year Alcom went there with another campaign film on drugs.
With each film, the issues dealt with are linked with the daily lives of the people. For instance, to drive home the point of hazardous radiation, the sextuple of Titanium dioxide in the making of detergent soap was illustrated. Tata buys about 20 tonnes of this contaminated byproduct from IRE and they do not have a provision for removing total radioactive material from that. They buy it and bring it out as ”501” detergent soap. Once they get to know of these facts, the people related to it by asking, ” Should we use that? What are the other such products? How can we identify them?” We may not have a11 the answers and we need to admit that. But the important thing is that we have to make the people react, so that they learn.
In 1988 a drug action campaign was initiated with the film In the Name of Medicine covering more than 200 centres in two months. By that time we knew that we could capture peoples’ interest. We were confident that we could go to any village and just have a plug point to have a screening. By this time we were better organised, during the IRE campaign we just had the VCR which was hired and screening happened wherever a TV was available. At that time TV was a middle class thing, it was difficult to ask people to bring it out of their homes. So this time apart from the VCR, a TV was also carried in the hired van. On some days there were at least six or seven screenings.
Once while screening this film at a place near Cannanore in north Kerala, I saw one person getting annoyed. The film was talking about Horlicks, that, it was not harmful to have it if one has the money to spare, but that it should not be sold through the drug store since it is not a drug. After the film was over, I asked the person why he was upset. He said, ”My wife had just delivered twins. Since she does not have enough milk, the doctor prescribed Horlicks to develop milk.” Then I explained to him that a bottle of Horlicks might cost him about 30 rupees, instead if he buys vegetables for much less, that is sufficient nutrition. I told him that he could buy Horlicks if there is enough money, but it is not essential. The man became very agitated and went to the doctor the next day. On the 3rd or 4th day of the campaign we heard that the doctor was garlanded with chappalmala and he had left the place.
In 1989 a campaign with the same film in Hindi was organised in Delhi with several health and consumer rights groups. The responses in schools were so good, they asked, ”l am eating this thing. ls it good?” We used to tell them, ”Ask your doctor, whenever you have a drug, ask him what are the contents; if you do not get this information, there is another organization called VHAI, contact them. You should know what you are taking.” In the public schools we used to get a lot of these questions. From the other side, we got some innocent, heart-felt questions like, ”My daughter was given this medicine” or ”I had taken El”-forte’ during pregnancy. Is it harmful?”
We Who Make History was used in the campaigns for the fisher people’s struggles at two levels. At one level, we went along with the fisher peoples’ march. We went to every fisher people’s village and it was showed along with the IRE film thus linking up the issues. At another level the National Fishermen’s Federation used it for their trainings and meetings.
The people of Narmada valley have demonstrated their determination not to let disaster shatter their lives in the name of Sardar Sarovar. The valley has become one which refuses to die in spite of a callous administration and powerful lobbies. Thus the campaign on the Narmada dam was started in 1990 in Delhi with the film A Valley Refuses to Die. Later, more language versions of the film was made into Hindi, Gujarati and other languages and screened extensively throughout the country. Meanwhile, the film was also being lased by Narmada Bachao Andolan in the dam affected area. In the Narmada Valley itself there were 60 public screenings and scores of private shows. Apart from these it was widely used to mobilize public opinion through the press. It has also been telecast by a couple of private television channels. Environmental groups in Europe , Japan and the USA find the film useful in their campaign against funding disastrous projects in the third world.
llayum Mullum (Thorns and Leaves) was a feature film shot on 35 mm dealing with the theme of subtle oppression of women in Kerala. As with other films this one was also widely used in the campaign against violence on women. It was made available on video formats in English, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada. It is also being made into molt regional languages as the theme is universal. The immediate response to Illayum Mullum is a minute and half of silence, only then each person comes out.
Apart from the films other material is also used to support the campaigns. For instance, during the drug campaign, VHAI had published a list of banned and bankable drugs. We had concised that into a Malayalam booklet and it was sold for 20 raise so that people could refer to it whenever they had some problems with the medicines. Similarly, John CF, an artist working with social movements, had organised about 10-15 paintings with the students of fine arts. Wherever we had the time and space, these paintings and pamphlets were put up for half an hour or one hour before the screenings. So people used to go around the paintings and read the pamphlets. Another instance was during the screening of the IRE campaign; a cultural organization in Ernakulam had organised similar paintings done by students. Even in the 0case of the Narmada film in Bangalore, one group had organised screenings in seven schools and collected Its. 30,000 in a matter of one week and sent the money to Narmada Bachao Andolan. Similarly at the United Theological College, there were about sixty to seventy children drawing their impressions on darns. That was carried out for one month throughout the schools in Bangalore.
Nonetheless the power of films over other media is unsurprising. Film is moving, there is something which is much more captivating. Everything that you want to say cannot be filled into a film, but whatever is there, the crux of it is very captivating. When people sit for the film they have just one point to look at, there is no other diversion. When you read or look at a poster there are a lot of diversions. Here is an audience and everyone is pinpointed to one thing. It is much more intimate.
How one relates to the people is very important during a campaign. When we reach a village we have to relate to the people. We are not above them, but with them, that is the first thing we have to understand. It is not that there are some people who have come from outside to show the film, we are not the boss there. We always take contributions from the people however small it is; we do not force the film on them, only those who wish to participate comes o the shows. Thus the interaction becomes active.
In Kerala most of these films are also shown through the cable TV, there are even times when people come to our houses and ask for the tapes so that they can watch it again. Outside Kerala, our films were shown once each in Madras and Bangalore on cable TV We also make it a point to show the films wherever there is an opportunity. Thus these films are often shown on long bus journeys between Trivandrum and Bangalore. There will always be a few people who are interested to watch these kinds of films and that is the cue point to set the VCR playing. We usually have four or five shows in each trip and small talks around it. I had several such screenings inside buses where normally commercial films are shown by the bus operators. Once while showing In the Name of Medicine on a such a journey, there was a doctor from Indian Institute of Sciences in the bus. He wanted that film to be shown there. This led to a series of screenings in IISc, Bangalore later .When we are in a low mood, we just go and show a film and get a lot of vitality from the responses. That is the basic thing, unless you go directly to the people, you won’t get the responses. The whole point is not just to make a film; without the feedback there won’t be enough motivation to carry on. We use this energy to make more films, to more people. We cannot separate the roles of making a film and screening it. Now we feel that our energies are also getting depleted and hope more youngsters would come forward and carry on the work.
Sathish. K, ALCOM, Jyotsna, Elipode, Thirumala PO , Trivandrum 695 006, Kerala
Ph:0471- 34 1264, Fax: 0471- 450541
1. EP Forte or Oestrogen Progesterone drug was used for confirming pregnancy in Kerala while in Tamil Nadu it was given as an abortion pill. In India it was banned in 1987.
Zimbabwe women writers find a voice
Before women in Zimbabwe can use the power of the word to tell their stories, they must first learn to read and write. This is one of the major challenges faced by the Zimbabwe Women Writers (ZWW), an umbrella organization of women writers seeking to give women a voice through literature in this Southern African nation.
”One of our objectives is to promote literacy among women in Zimbabwe and to encourage them to read women’s writings. But our programmes have shown us that literacies still a problem” says Chiedza Musengezi, a member of the ZWW executive. ”Many women do not know how to read and write, while others are being discouraged by their husbands never to read the publications written by women.
The education of women is becoming more of a problem in the face of economic hardships, says John Vekris, one of the founder members of Padare, a men’s forum on gender. ”ESAP (Economic Structural Adjustment Programme) has had a devastating effect on the education of young women, many of who m are being withdrawn from school prematurely when the family budget cannot meet the costs of educating all the children in the family.” Vekris says.
”Government and parents must reconsider seriously their priorities so that young women can have unrestricted access to educational facilities and opportunities”. ZWW is involved in several programmes to promote literacy among women, and a positive image of women in popular forms of media and literature. In cooperation with the Zimbabwe Adult tor of Women in Law and Development Learners Association, ZWW provides literacy training courses for its members nationwide.
The organization prides itself on providing public readings in urban and rural schools and other venues nation wide where women can read their stories and poems, and perform plays. ZWW; founded in 1990, helps to promote notions of privacy and cultural norms”’ women’s writings; develop women’s writing skills; promote the publication of women’s writing; and encourage the positive image of women in the arts.
Since 1993, ZWW has been involved in a unique project sponsored by United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF) to write biographies of Zimbabwean women who have been successful in fields dominated by men. These stories, Musengezi says, provide young girls with role models. The organization is also a part of efforts by the Govt and other women’s and human right groups to popularize the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW).
“But women writers are also silenced, because the media and publishing institutions are controlled by men.” Says Jonah Gokova, also of Padare. According to one of Africa’s well – known women authors, Ama Ata Aidoo of Ghana, the world has failed to acknowledge “the forces” that silence women’s voices. “Without the right to free expression, women cannot defend their rights, nor can they unfluence cultural changes in the society.”
Joanna Foster, Regional Coordinator of Women in Law and development in Africa(WILDAF), echoes this view, arguing that pressures from family and society combined, keep women from writing and talking about their experiences and lives.” These pressures silence women, but even if she is not silenced, what she says may not be believed because of the social prejudices, notions of privacy and cultural norms,” Foster says.
John Deng
Courtesy :Inter-press service & Don de Silva, WCSD
Pakistan Media Bill
A bill seeking to establish a press Council and a code of conduct for journalists in Pakistan is in the making. The Pakistan information minister, Syed Mushahid Hussein views it as a great event in the 50th year of Pakistan’s independence. Other supporters of the bill view it as a reflection of the maturity of the democratic processes it: the country and hopes that the press will be Gore effective as the fourth pillar of democracy.
The formation of a press council was being debated for long in Pakistan. The previous governments had tried to bring in a press council on several occasion, which they could not implement due to opposition from newspaper barons ,editors and journalists.
The present Nawab Sharif Government had had a long discussion on this issue with the All Pakistani News-Paper Society. (APNS) which wields considerable clout. In fact, APNS had finalized a code of conduct for journalists some ten years ago.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ ) have raised objection to the bill with respect to the understanding between the government and APNS on the bill. PFFUJ has to say that this is an attack on the independence of the press. It says that the press councils in about 150 countries. are independent bodies ,unlike the proposed one in Pakistan. FUJ demands that they should also be taken into confidence in the formation of the bill.
The Chingari Festival
Chingari Forum is a South Asian and South Asian-American progressive students collective at the Uiiversity of Wisconsin-Madison. Recently the forum had organised the first Chingari South Asian Video Festival at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Chingari VideoFest provides an opportunity for progressive Videographers to showcase their work during the Annual conference on South Asia organized be the UW – Madison center for South Asia. This year the conference was held between 17-19 October, 1997.
Fiction and non-fiction works related to South Asia and the diaspora were invited. The festival seeks projects that concern a politically progressive agenda and promote critical discourse around such issues as the labor movement, racism, religious fundamentalism, economic globalization and market fundamentaliism and its impact on the poor; patriarchy and gender politics; the location and construction of social identities; lesbian, gay and bisexual struggles; social justice movements, political and economic human fights and environmental degradation.
For Details, contact Chingari at : Box 513,Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, e-mail: chingari@macc.wisc.edu
The Zami International Film Festival
The Zami International Film Festival was held between the 18 and 21 September in Amsterdam. The venue of the festival was the theatre called de Balie, which is at the Leidseplein, a huge open space flanked by movie halls, the opera House and other cultural centres (and the Burger King!) in the heart of Amsterdam.
The festival was organised by Zami and supported by the British Council. Zami is an organization of migrant women and works to promote, encourage and work with issues of interest and concern to migrant women. Although Holland is a very liberal European country and has provided refuge for different political and minority outcastes and points of view, migrant women felt that a distinct space was crucial for their development and identity. Very recently an active member of Zami, Tara Oedayraj Singh Varma, has been elected to the Dutch parliament. Zami organists many events for women throughout the year.
This year at the Zami International Film festival, which was not competitive, they gave prizes to actresses and television producers who have made a mark in Dutch society. Films from all over the world were represented in the four day festival. Most of the directors were women, the majority of them were coloured while Some were from migrant communities.
There were interesting Diaspora entries, there were short films, documentaries, feature films and experimental films. There was also a separate Dutch section with screenings of films in Dutch. Feature films included Ingrid Sinclair’s ‘Flame’, Deepa Mehta’s ‘Fire’, Bridgett M. Davis’s ‘Naked Acts’. Documentaries included award winning ‘The Heart of the Matter’ by Gini Reticker and Amber Hollibaugh, ‘Omega Rising : Women of Raqtafari’by Elmina Davis, ‘Ida B. Wells’ by William Greaves.
The only director of Indian origin, to attend the festival, was Sonali Fernando. She was present to answer questions after the screening of her film ‘The Body of a Poet : A Tribute to a Warrior Poet’. One of the most exciting films of the festival, this was a short drama that chronicles the quest of a group of young, mostly black lesbians to devise a fitting tribute to Audre Lorde – an African- American poet who died of breast cancer in 1992. The film is like a visual poetry and explores the relation between sexuality spirituality and sickness, health and death, and politics. Sonali explained her reasons for choosing drama over documentary. She said that the flexibility of drama allowed her to present, simultaneously different facets and layers of the poet’s personality as well as the reaction and relevance of her work, both of which constitute the content of this extraordinarily lyrical but extremely complex film. Sonali also strongly defended her reason for presenting a love making scene between two black women. She felt such images challenged the existing power structures that define and create visual imagery which today are biased towards the white male.
The only ‘Indian’ film was Deepa Mehta’s ‘Fire’. A controversial film, with powerful acting by Shabana Azmi and Nandini Das, it was extremely well attended but did not generate much discussion. The ‘politically correct’ story line is in resonance with the present day North American and West European liberal view point, which perhaps is the reason for the popularity of this film.
A brilliant documentary, which was also extremely moving was ‘The Heart of the Matter’ from the US. The two women directors explore the complex terrain of women’s identity and position through the prism of AIDS. The documentary also follows the life of Janice Jirau, anAlDsvictim, and her continuous struggle, over many years. The other remarkable documentary, also from the US was ‘Ida B. Wells : A Passion for Justice’. Using some photographs, lithographs, sketches, interviews with present day admirers, and reading from her biography by Toni Morrison, the documentary presents the life and achievements of this amazing woman who was a journalist, antilynching campaigner and crusader for civil rights.
A very intimate and enriching experience was provided by Gaylene Gould with her short experimental film ‘This Home Within’. The film was premiered at the festival and presents a ritual in the life of a black woman in the UK. A Diaspora film, it presents the space provided by a ritual as one which not only helps communicate with the soulful also provides a space for reflection.
Tu Zinda Hai at Yamagata
Tu Zinda Hai ! ( To Be Alive!) a film by Shabnam Virmani has been selected to the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival ‘97 which was held between 6-1 3 October 1997. The film has been selected for invitation to the YIDFF New Asian Currents program.
After previewing more than 400 entries to the International competition and nearly 200 film and video documentaries from all over Asia, the YIDFF have compiled a New Asian Currents lineup representing the productiveness and diversity of the people from this region.
New Asian Currents is a unique program introducing the next generation of Asian documenatrists to the world. It seeks to encourage Asian filmmakers by showcasing recent works in a wide variety of film and Video formats and documentary styles, and by awarding the Ogawa Shinsuka Prize and other awards to the most promising works and artists.
FSA ‘97 Awards
The Film South Asia’97 festival was rescheduled to October 25 – 28. The prize for the Best Film was awarded to ‘The Spirit Does Not Come Anymore’, by Nepal’s Tsering Rhitar. The Second Best Film prize was jointly awarded to Farjad Nabi’s ‘Nusrat Has Left the Building- But When?’(Pakistan), Surajit Sarkar and Vani Subramanian’s ‘Meals Ready’ (India) and Anand Patwardhan’s “Father, Son and Holy War” (lndia). Tareque and Catherine Masud’s “Muktir Gaan” (Bangladesh) earned a Special Mention for its powerful recreation of an event long forgotten by the world” -Bangladesh’s war of liberation.
The Best Film won a purse of USD 2500 along with a trophy and a citations while the Second Best Films received USD 833 and a citation each. The next Film South Asia Festival Is planned for 1999.
What is People’s Communication Charter?
Across the world people face pervasive forms of censorship, distorted and misleading information, stereo typed images of gender and race, restricted access to knowledge, and insufficient channels to communicate their ideas and opinions. The People’s Communication Charter is a first step in the development of a permanent movement concerned with the quality of our communication environment. The initiators of the PCC think it is time for individual citizens and their organizations to take an active role in the shaping of the cultural environment and to focus on the production and distribution of information and culture.
The People’s Communication Charter provides the common framework for all those who share the belief that people should be active and critical participants in their social reality and should be able to communicate their ideas and opinions. The Charter is not an end in itself. It provides the basis for a permanent critical reflection on those world-wide trends that determine the quality of our lives in the third millennium. The PCC movement mobilizes support for the Charter by initiating a process of ratification by individuals and social movements. Moreover an intensive exchange of opinions on the concrete PCC text and implementation of the Charter’s provisions is needed.
The Peoples’ Communication Charter
We, the signatories of this Charter , recognize that:
Communication is basic to the life of all individuals and their communities ,All people are entitled to participate in communication, and in making decisions about communication within and between societies. The majority of the world’s peoples lack minimal technological resources for survival and communication. Over half of them have not yet made a single facility in reading, writing, and telephone call.
Commercialization of media and concentration of media ownership erode the public sphere and fail to provide for cultural and information needs , including the plurality of opinions and the diversity of cultural expressions, and languages necessary for democracy. Massive and pervasivemedia violence polarizes societies, exacerbates conflict, and cultivates fear and mistrust, making people vulnerable and dependent. Stereotypical portrayals misrepresent all of us and stigmatize those who are the most vulnerable. Therefore, we ratify this charter defining communication rights and responsibilities to be observed in democratic countries and in international law.
Article 1 – Respect
All people are entitled to be treated with respect according to the basic human rights standards of dignity, integrity identity and non- discrimination.
Article 2 – Freedom
All people have the right of access to communication channels independent of governmental or commercial control.
Article 3 – Access
In order to exercise their rights, people should have fair and equitable access to local and global resources and facilities for conventional and advanced channels of communication ; to receive opinions ,information and ideas in a language they normally use and understand; to receive a range of cultural products designed for a wide variety of tastes and interests; and to have easy access to facts about ownership of media and sources of information. Restrictions on access to information should be permissible only for good and compelling reason, as when prescribed by international human rights standards or necessary for the protection of a democratic society or the basic rights of others.
Article 4 – Independence
The realization of people’s right to participate in, contribute to and benefit from the development of self-reliant communicaion structures requires international assistance to the development of Independent media; training programmes for proffesional media workers; the establishment of independent , representative associations, syndicates or trade unions,of jounalists and associations of editors and publishers, and the adoption of international standards.
Article 5 – Literacy
All people have the right to acquire information ad skills necessary to participate fully in public deliberation and communication. This requires facility in reading, writing and storytelling ;critical media awareness; computer literacy, an education about the role of communication in society.
Article 6 – Protection of Journalists
Journalists must be accorded full protection of the law, including international humnitarian law, especially in areas of armed conflict . They must have safe, unrestricted access to sources of information,and must be able to seek remedy, when required through an international body.
Article 7 – Right of reply and redress
All people have the right of reply and to demand penalties for damage from media misinformation. Indivisuals concerned should have an opportunity to to correct, without undue delay,statements relating to them which they have a justified interest in having corrected. Such corrections should be given the same prominence as the original expression.States should impose penalties for proven damage, or require corrections, where a court of law has determined that an information provider has willfully disseminated inaccurate or misleading and damaging information, or has facilitated the dissemination of such information.
Article 8 – Cultural identity
All people have the right to protect their cultural identity. This includes the respect for people’s pursuit of their cultural development and the right to free expression in languages they understand. People’ s right to the protection of their cultural space and heritage should not violate other human rights or provisions of this Charter..
Article 9 – Diversity of Languages
All people have the right to a diversity of languages. This includes the right to express then-selves and have access to information in their own language, the right to use their own languages in educational institutions funded by the state, and the right to have adequate provisions created for the use of minority languages where needed.
Article 10 – Participation in policy making
All people have the right to participate in public decision-making about the provision of information; the development and utilization of knowledge; the preservation, protection and development of culture; the choice and application of communication technologies; and the structure and policies of media industries.
Article 11 – Children’s Rights
Children have the right to mass media products that are designed to meet their needs and interests and foster their healthy physical, mental and emotional development.. They should be protected from harmful media products and from commercial and other exploitation at home, in school and at places of play, work, or business. Nations should take steps to produce and distribute widely high quality cultural and entertainment materials created for children in their own languages.
Article 12 – Cyberspace
All people have a right to universal access to and equitable use of Cyberspace. Their rights to free and open communities in Cyberspace, their freedom of electronic expression, and their freedom from electronic surveillance and intrusion, should be protected
Article 13 – Privacy
All people have the right to be protected from the publication of allegations irrelevant to the public interest, or of private photographs or other private communication without authorization ,or of personal information given or received in confidence. Databases derived from personal or workplace communications or transactions should not be used for unauthorized commercial or general surveillance purposes. However, nations should take care that the protection of privacy does not unduly interfere with the freedom of expression or the administration of justice.
Article 14 – Harm
People have the right to demand that media actively counter incitement to hate, prejudice, violence, and war.Violence should not be presented as normal, ”manly” or entertaining, and true consequences of and alternatives to violence should be shown. Other violations of human dignity and integrity to be avoided include stereotypic images that distort the realities and complexities of people’s lives. Media should not ridicule, stigmatize, or demonize people on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and physical or mental condition.
Article 15 – Justice
People have the right to demand that media respect standards of due process in the coverage of trials. This implies that the media should not presume guilt before a verdict of guilt, invade the privacy of defendants, and should not televise criminal trials in real time, while the trial is in progress.
Article 16 – Consumption
People have the right to useful and factual consumer information and to be protected against misleading and distorted information. Media should avoid and, if necessary, expose promotion disguised as news and entertainment (infomercials, product placement, children’s programmes that use franchised characters and toys, etc), and the creation of wasteful, unnecessary harmful or ecologically damaging needs, wants, produce and activities. Advertising directed at children should receive special scrutiny.
Article 17 – Accountability
People have the right to hold media accountable to the general public and their adherence to the standards established in this Charter. For that purpose, media should establish mechanisms, including self-regulatory bodies, that monitor and account for measures taken to achieve compliance.
Article 18 – Implementation
In consultation with the Signatories, national and international mechanisms will be organized to publicize this Charter; to implement it in as many countries as possible and in international law; monitor and assess the performance of countries and media in light of these Standards ; receive complaints about violations; advise on adequate remedial measures; and to establish procedures forperiodic review, development and modification of this Charter.
The People’s Communication Charter makes demands on the information flow. The charter originates from some social movements that considered the quality of the Information flow too important to leave it completely to the governments and the market.
A text has been drafted to be used as guideline for a worldwide critical civil movement which has to do with information and culture.
The recent draft of the charter is the last version of a large and open editorial process. Many individuals and social movements have been involved during the pastfew years, This last version is not the final version because this charter will never be finished. The Charter is the topic of an ongoing and dynamic process that is open to newideas. And recommendations regarding translation of the text as well as to concreteactions. Yotz are welcome to contribute to this process.
Cees J. Hamelink, PCC, p/a Society for Old and New Media, Nieuwmarkt 4, 1012 CR, Amsterdam pccmaster@waag.org
The Shadow of Light – II
(Second in a series of articles on the ad and craft of cinematography)
In the previous article, we talked about light and how it affects cinematography. Light, we noted, is the primary ingredient in the magic of cinema.
We ended the last article with the concept of the colour temperature of light. As we saw, each kind of light has a different colour temperature. We also saw that light from diverse sources (that is, light of different colour temperatures) have differing amounts of the three primaries in them. Therein lies one of the first of the problems that filmmakers and film stock manufacturers had to deal with when colour came to cinema. If one was shooting indoors with incandescent light and then shooting outdoors in daylight on the same film, the film would see more red for the first scene and would have a bluish tinge for the second scene. To get around this dilemma, two colour temperatures were chosen as the standards. Since daylight is around 5600 degrees K, one kind of film (known as Daylight film) is manufactured to see daylight as white light. It does this by being more sensitive to the red spectrum since daylight has more blue and green light. Another kind of film (Tungsten film) is manufactured to see 3200 degrees K as white light – conversely it is more sensitive to blue and green spectra. Needless to say, all tungsten lighting fixtures used in filmmaking need to adhere to a colour temperature of 32000K to appear white to tungsten film. One can then see that shooting in tungsten light with daylight film will make the scene warm and shooting in daylight with tungsten film will put a blue tint on the scene.
To take care of this, we use filters. We had mentioned that filtering light thorough a certain colour takes out the colour exactly opposite to it on the colour wheel. Therefore, to shoot with tungsten film in daylight, we use what is called a CTO or Colour Temperature Orange (also known as a Wratten 85) which takes out the exact blue which is in abundance in daylight and makes daylight appear white to tungsten film. Conversely we use a filter called CTB or Colour Temperature Blue to balance tungsten light for it to appear white to daylight film.
This brings us to the important concept of White Balance in Mimeographs. In film, light is captured by the lens and transferred to the recording medium, namely the film. In video, the light is first converted to electrico-magnetic signals before being recorded on video tape. Since we can electronically change the colour of the light, we don’t need different recording media, sensitive to different kinds of light. Instead, we electronically ensure that the light that is being captured by the lens is turned into white light by balancing the amounts of red blue and green in it. We do this by using a pure white reference (typically a sheet of white paper or a thermacol sheet.) When we ask the camera to ”White Balance” the circuitry judges the amounts of the three primaries in the light bounced by the white reference. Depending on this analysis, the camera will adjust the amounts of RGB to make this light white. (This suggests a way to cheat the camera. lf one uses a card which is not exactly white but contains a certain amount of a particular colour, to do the white balance, the camera will remove this colour. This will result in the everything subsequently shot having a tint of the opposite colour in the colour wheel. For example, if one uses a light blue card instead of a pure white card for white balance, one will be adding a warm tint to the whole scene.)
Somnath Sen
Video Recording and Tape Formats
If we take a video camera as the source of a video image, the camera only transforms the optical image into electronic signal. Only when the signal is recorded and played back can the image be used for any practical purpose. Like audio signal, video is usually recorded on a magnetic tape by a VTR (Video Tape Recorder) or a VCR (Video Cassette Recorder).
In the initial days there was only a VTR and it was a mammoth affair. A huge desk had the playing mechanism – massive spools of reel tape spread out over a table-top – and the circuitry housed in a cabinet nearby – the size of the largest of Godrej cabinets. Only highly qualified engineers could operate it. Not so long ago, all broadcast stations used 2 inch spool tape. Technology those days necessitated broader tapes for better quality. The 2 inch VTRs were bulky and studio based. But as television became more and more immediate it required to move out of the studio. Gradually the size ofrecorders shrunk and the thickness of tapes reduced. They started coming in cassettes. Now the Video 8 and Hi8 formats use tape which is 8 mm in width housed in cassettes that are comparable to audio cassettes, while the quality of the Hi8 format is acceptable to all broadcasters. The way technology is moving, soon we may not be using tapes at all, but till then the numerous tape formats in and around us will continue to confuse us.
The various tape formats that are presently existing in the market are as provided below:
| Format | Width | Use | Description |
| VHS | ½ inch | Home | The normal Video Cassettes we use. Abbreviation stands for Video Home System. |
| VHS – C | ½ inch | Home | Same as the VHS but toes one spool instead of two, thus making it more compact . Used with an adaptor it can be played on a normal VHS VCR. |
| Betamax | ½ inch | Home | Uses the same tape width but is slightly more compact than a VHS cassette. Quality is better than VHS. But this format is not available or used in India. |
| Video 8 | 8 mm | Home | The size of these cassettes are like audiocassettes but the quality of image is substantially better than that of VHS. |
| S-VHS | ½ inch | Home / Semi-prof. | Based on the VHS, the Super VHS format a new system of recording that improves the quality to great extent. Stills the image is slightly grainy. Hence it is unacceptable to most broadcasters. Since the S-VHS has the same dimensions as S-VHS, it can be loaded on a normal VHS recorder and can even record signals on a VHS recorder. The quality will however remain the same as normal VHS quality. But a S-VHS recording cannot be played back on a normal VHS machine. S-VHS tape is different. |
| S-VHS-C | ½ inch | Home / Semi-prof. | Has the same difference as in the case of VHS and VHS-C. |
| Hi 8 | 8 mm | Home / Semi-prof | Like the S-VHS, Hi 8 is an improved version of the Video 8. Though it uses a very small tape, its recording quality is far superior and to a great extent comparable to broadcast formats. Hence, many news broadcasters accept worthwhile news material shot on Hi 8. Again, Hi8 tape is different from Video 8. |
| U Matic low Band | ¾ inch | Professional / Broadcast | This format uses a wider tape and was among the initial cassette formats, extensively used for news gathering, film production arid broadcast. After the introduction of an improved version, the 1ow band format was phased out from the broadcast scene. However, in India this is still used, though not for broadcast, but for 1ow budget production. |
| U matic Hi Band | ¾ inch | Profesional / Broadcast | Hi Band is an improved version of the Low Band. After Low Band this was the natural choice for professionals and broadcasters. For quite some time Hi Band was à preferred format for broadcasters ‘ worldwide. In india it is still used for broadcast and is the most financially viable format for all types of production. But broadcasters abroad have stopped using it as better and lighter formats have come out. Tapes for Low and Hi Band are different. Although Low Band recordings can be played back on Hi Band VCRS, it is not possible to do it the other way round. There are tapes exclusive for Hi Band. |
| Betacam | ½ inch | Profesional / Broadcast | Smaller than a VHS cassette, Beta has brought about a revolution in tape ormats. Among the high quality formats it is the smallest, its resolution the highest, and is cherished by broadcasters and professionals worldwide. It came India late and is still quite expensive, but increasingly all producers and broadcasters are changing over to Beta. |
Apart from the above, several newer formats have been developed specifically for broadcast use. M II and Digital Beta are formats that use 1/2 tape but a digital signal processing. These formats are aiming to replace the 1 inch spool format that is still used by many leading broadcasters abroad. And the race is on to make things smaller, sharper and cleaner. Efforts are also on to replace tapes with memory chips that can be directly fed into the computer after shooting, so that no quality is lost during editing and make the editing process faster.
An Interview with Shabnam Virmani
People who feel documentary films, especially issue based ones, are boring, should see Shabnam Virmani’s films. Shabnam, film maker and co-founder of Drishti Media Collective, a media group based in Ahmedabad, stormed the alternate media scene with her prize winning documentary ”Tu Zinda Hai!”, on the telling experiences of women activists of Ekta Parishad. Subsequently she made ”When Women Unite” a powerful docudrama on the anti-alcohol movement by women in Andhra Pradesh, that keeps one rivetted to the screen. We were lucky to catch up with her while she was at the India International Centre in Delhi for a screening.
How did you get involved with development and women’s issues?
After completing B.Com, I joined the social journalism course of the Times Research Foundation. Then I joined the Times of India, Jaipur. Both of these contributed in their own ways. At the journalism course we had many interesting people coming in and talking to us, like Safdar Hashmi, and a whole range of people, providing a very alternative picture of the society. I think that was very significant for me. women’s development issues. It was an eye opener in a sense, and a lot of unlearning for a typically urban educated person like me to find professors of universites and many others supporting Sati. It blew a Iot of myths in my mind.
How did you shift to films?
I was a little disillusioned with journalism and in any case I was not really the newshound kind of person. I applied to various universities abroad , I somehow wanted to do films all along and was getting interested in development, so I combined those two interests and applied for development communication courses and also for hardcore film production courses. I got admission in Cornell University for a masters degree in development communications. At Cornell, in the film and theatre arts department I did a few basic film production courses ; 16mm,35mm and a very basic video production course. But I really learnt films very painfully, on my own films, after I came back, in 1990.
Why is it that you were based in Ahmedabad and not Delhi where you belonged?
I wanted to be located regionally and more closely aligned with the women and development sector somewhere in the country. I really felt that I had to get into the know of what is happening on the ground in terms of rural women’s movement in the country before I start figuring out how I am going to contribute to it. So I located myself in Ahmedabad where I worked with a voluntary organisation called ‘Jan Vikas’ for a year and a half, before forming Drishti alongwith my colleague Stalin in 1993.He was also with me in Jan Vikas.
How were the initial years?
I think those were very tough years, first 2 or 3 years, because we were learning on the job. On the other hand there were a1ot of expectation of me. I had to prove to myself and everybody around, for somehow you are a pariah in both the fields. In the development sector, very naturally, field work has greater priority than films. So there was a lot of that attitude you had to deal with. On the other hand, from the point of view of the media industry you are completely infra dig. However, we started making films on VHS, because I was keen to work with budgets a voluntary agency could work with.
We were not very comfortable with the vocabulary or grammar of filmmaking. It has taken sometime to feel comfortable with it, but I think Kali Kem Mari and Ek Potlun Beek Nu were the two films which broke some ground and we started getting encouraging feedback from people,voluntary agencies and women’s working groups in Gujarat.That was the little pool of faith with which we started.
What is your methodology of work?
Actually, looking at different productions, we have a different length of involvement depending on the complexity of the film. When Women Unite is a case in itself , we had never spent so much time on a film.Our first research trip was in April 1995 and I finished production in October 1996.It was almost one and a half years.
The idea of When Women Unite struck me because a lot of women’s groups in Gujarat were reading in Press about the anti-liqour movement in Andhra and were wondering how it was happening- is this possible? Is it true? Is it true that literacy caused this? Is it true that women are actually managing to do this? There was an active thirst among rural women. It seemed almost obvious that you need to make a very powerful film that you can communicate at the grassroot level, and bring the experiences of women in Andhra to women in other states of the country. So that’s how the idea took place.
Why did you use a drama form in ‘When Women Unite?”
See, when I came back from Cornell, one of my earliest films was a very simple documentation of the Mahila Samakhya Sakhi training. lts basically women talking about their experiences on violence and dowry deaths. That was the theme. I showed that film to a lot of my urban friends and they were very moved. But when 1 showed that film to rural women it didn’t touch them, or rather, let me not say it didn’t touch them at all, but 1 didn’t get the kind of response one expected.
In fact some of the most successful documentaries are very story telling in their format. Its like AIi Kazmi’s film, A Valley Rises.
Its got a very story telling format. Its like day one and day two and then the build up.Now, my primary aim is not self expression through cinema, my primary aim is communicating to rural women and making sure that it makes a difference to their lives, my concern with form will be using more popular forms if I can put it that way.
You had done ‘Tu Zinda Hai’ in a purely documentary format. Yet it is extremely powerful. Why do you say that only drama would communicate ?
See, 1 don’t want to be put into the position of advocating for only drama. I would want to say that in a 1ot of situations drama can help communicating. I strongly feel drama was essential in our configuration for this film. We were clear that simply having women talking about their experiences will not be enough, partly because the film was being made after the movement was over, and there was no real stuff happening to be filmed. Also because of the length and depth of the movement and the film, sustaining on talking heads would have been difficult.
The way you have used sound was interesting, Has that been a conscious decision ?
I am personally very fond of music, I sing, and it is my personal trip in every film, every new state that I go into, to collect folk songs from wherever I go. When you are making films like this its so natural, its so obvious that you should be working with the music traditions of that constituency with whom you are working. So I think, right from the beginning we work with music and sound in a conscious way.
How do you handle an alien camera crew in the midst of intimate and intense interaction with women?
Oh, yes! In fact Tu Zinda Hai!, frankly,was a miserable shoot. The film is so special to me at this point, but it was a miserable shoot because of uncooperative camera attendants. Rahul was the only support – Rahul Roy did the camera. But the rest of the crew ! But I had both positive as well as very negative experiences on this count, which is why I am always very nervous before the shoot because you never know how quite it is going to gel. We haven’t reached a stage where we have our hand chosen crew we are very comfortable with, it is very difficult to find.
Tu Zinda Hai! was very difficult for that reason. You had these disinterested men beaming reflectors into women’s eyes. What do you do? But the only reason why we surmounted that in Tu Zinda Hai! was that the women were treating all these problems with a sense of togetherness with me. It was not that I am an outsider and solely responsible for the film. So they were empathizing with me in dealing with the crew. In a sense, working with VHS is great for that reason, because of the intimacy and rapport you can maintain, since it’s just you, the camera and the women.
How do you survive, from productions or institutional funding?
Our emerging need at one point was very clearly production. AlI of us – three or four of us as we grew were wanting to do production and in a sense we remained, as of today, a production collective. So we have survived on a project to project basis, which basically means that we are not financially very sound. We had times when our bank balance have dipped down to zero after running out of projects. Then we had to start worrying about getting projects so that our salaries come out. But we have also come to a point when Drishti is poised on the verge of making an institutional intervention in the development communication scenario, trying to reach out to more people, newer constituencies ,newer audiences, students etc.
When you say ‘development communication’, do you see any difference in the way you use it in the Indian context and the way it is understood by world over?
I have a lot of reservations about this video to the villagers idea. Its process definitely has worth from the point of view of self-expression and articulation by the marginalized. But when it romanticises the notion of demystification of media too excessively it tends to become farcical. Say the typical notion of an illiterate villager with a video camera. You look at the product by itself, you have valorized the process to such a degree, that you are not looking at the end product at all, its communicability, usability and often the only thing that the project recommends for itself is its political correctness.
Perhaps this is why I use the term ‘participatory’ with great hesitancy, because it has become such an over used word today I feel, in our methodology in Drishti, we have always been participatory, but to an extent. We had great fun working with women where they are involved in the concept, script writing, or acting, of their own life history, and sometimes -not always – edit selection of films. But not beyond that. I still get a professional who will handle the camera for me and professional editors who will work with me. I do not want to even demystify that only I can direct. I think these are specialized fields. Why not bring the advantage of quality cinema to development communication? In development communication there is this emphasis on low cost,or the context. So there is an apology for quality always. I disagree with that. It is a pity that we are so happy with mediocrity in our sector.
But let me add that there are many other uses of video in the development context that have little to do with ”quality cinema” and yet are valid functions in themselves, such as using video for self-expression and articulation by marginalized groups, networking, advocacy documentation, self-awareness in training situations, etc. We have done a lot of that kind of work as well. In fact, one of our earlier productions was a video memorandum, that went as a part of a campaign for drinking water. It was a very concerned, simple pamphlet mode of film making which had value and it had short term value to the extent of the campaign. It was perfectly valid in that context that not every use of video has to be great cinema. There are ways and ways of working with them. That’s why the question of media advocacy comes.
Over the last four years you have primarily been a production oriented organization. But do you see a conflict in being a production house and working with development?
Well, one can say production house,but dissemination has been hand in hand with production. It is not as though we ever had productions without dissemination. So our whole sense of identity as a media collective working in development issues has come from no formal evaluator of our work, unfortunately But a lilt of constant word of mouth feedback from people living in Gujarat. I think Ek Potlun Beek Nu is one film which has been five years now since we made it. To this day we are getting orders from groups in Gujarat. I see that is an indication that our film has found value from groups in Gujarat, that continues to have value for gender sensitizing trainings that groups are doing. Without any benefit of any formal marketing campaign, it was purely through word of mouth.
So in that sense, I often felt fortunate when I have met film maker friends living in Ahmedabad and Delhi and other places working on important issues, development issues, but they feel so adrift and disconnected because how do you get your sense of belonging, sense of connection as a development film maker? There is a sense of connection to the voluntary sector and also it is important to constancy remind oneself that there is only this much that we do. After all what is film,what is the value of video in development process. It is a small element of support that goes in, it is a training tool, a training support. It is like, you know, if I some time think of myself growing out, you read a book and it creates a certain amount of impact on you, make you see life a little differently or may be with a fresh perspective. lts that level of ek thoda impact raha when it influences you somewhere. That is tine extent to which, I think, media supports development processes and I don’t twinkle should glorify beyond that. So it is important to keep remembering that also.
But coming back to dissemination, how do you disseminate ?
We have generally done mailing, mailers announcing and describing this film and inviting people to screenings. We have done that with vaster and vaster mailing lists with every film, like When corners Unite , I think thousands of mailers have gone out and I am amazed to see the response. Maybe its an issue that’s grabbing everyday, so maybe because of that. I realise that we used to crib so much about dissemination, but we have not really formally, systematically tried it out. I am travelling delightedly with this film because I realise that makes a Iot of difference. You introduce the film to a site and then you are taken on from there, but you need to introduce it formally. Thankfully in some places it starts by itself, like I just heard in Calcutta, Chitrabani held a screening of Tu Zinda Hai! and When women Unite on their own. So I am getting orders from Calcutta without having formally gone to Calcutta. I just got a letter from a small village somewhere in Raipur saying ‘Excellent film, I ‘ll use this film among women and get back to you after that.” This is the feedback that’s really important for me, not just a screening or two in places like IIC.
Some films on women’s issues
Something Like a War
English. 52 min, 1991
The Family Planning programme in India was launched in 1952 and was formulated in collaboration with Western population control experts. It is based on the assumption that the irresponsible, anti-national breeding of the poor and illiterate is the main cause of the nation’s backwardness and that
population control is the magical key to progress. However, the programme has failed in its objective. The film traces the history of the FP programme and exposes its cynicism, corruption and brutality which characterizes its implementation.
Film by: Deepa Dhanraj
Source :Jagori, C-54 South Extention Part II, Top Floor, New Delhi 110049,
Ph: 011 6427015,
Price : Rs. 650/-
The Legacy of Malthus
English, 50 min, 1994
The film examines the basic assumption that over-population is the cause of poverty. The seeds of this thinking go back to Thomas Malthus who) declared that the poor caused their own poverty. The film looks at population, resources and poverty and draws an interesting parallel between the Scottish Highlands of the first half of the 19th century and the contemporary reality of the stark unrelenting deserts of Rajasthan.
Film by: Deepa Dhanraj
Source: D & N Productions,
268, 5th Crossv.3rd Main, Ist Block, Koramangala, Bangalore 560 034
Price: Rs.250/-
Listening to Women
Hindi/ English/ Bengali, 20 min,1997
A video documenting women’s experiences of reproductive health problems. It is based on a play developed to trigger a discussion with health providers who look at how services can be improved to better meet the women’s needs.
Film by: Women Centred HeaIth Project
Source: Women Centred Health Project
BMC Building , lst Floor Nehru Road, Vile Parle (E), Mumbal 400 057
Price : 250/-
When Women Unite: The Story of an Uprising
Telegu/English/Hindi, 80 min, 1996
A docudrama on the rural women’s anti-liqour movement which started in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh and took the state by storm.
Film by: Shabnam Virmani
Source.. Drishti Media Group,
B-1, Divya Apartments, Near carnival Restaurant at Bodakdev, Ahmedabad 380 054,
Ph.. 079-6741437
Price: Rs 400/-
Kali Kem Mari?
(Why did Kali Die?)
Gujarati/ English, 37 min, 1992
The death of a village woman, Kali triggers off a a reflection process in the mind of a woman health worker – what went wrong ? In the course of the film she slowly understands the complex socio-cultural, economic and gender factors that result in the high incidence of maternal mortality. Gradually her perception of rural women and their health changes and especially her understanding of her own role as a field health worker.
Film by: Shabnam Virmani & Stalin K
Source: SEWA-Rural, Jhagadia, Bharuch district,
Gujarat 393 110
Price: Rs.160/-
Bheeter Bahe Mukti Dhara
(The Stream Within)
Hindi, 58 mins
The film is a part of a wide project for documenting and studying women’s participation in the Congress-led nationalist movement. The project came out of disappointment and concern at the absence of any historical notice of ordinary women’s role in the freedom movement and their declining political participation after independence. The film confines itself to the political careers of seven women, especially the entry into politics, high points of their participation and their withdrawal from the movement.
Film by: Utkarsh Mazumdar
Source: Vacha
5 Bhavana ,Golden Tobacco, SV Road, Vile Parle, Mumbai 400 056
Price : Rs 450/-
Odhni
English/Hindi, 23 min, 1993
A collective exploration of ourselves, our bodies. In our everyday life we women find little time and space for ourselves. Can we as Women come together to share our pain, our desires and dreams? It was with this purpose that a group of women of different ages, backgrounds and experiences met with
a common desire to explore ourselves and our bodies and share this with you. As we accepted our bodies we experienced a new Shakti within ourselves. Experiencing our own power helped us in raising a critique of what we are or are supposed to be.
Film by: Tata Institute Of Social Sciences
Source : Head, AV Dept, TISS. Deonar, Mumbai, 400088, Fax:022 5562912
Price : Rs 250/-
Illayum Mullum
(Leaves and Thorns)
Malayalam/English/Hindi/Tamil, 90 min
This is a feature film on victimization of women in Kerala. The film is a critical reflection on the widely held belief in the power and respect enjoyed by women in Kerala, a state known for its high literacy and political awareness, its matrilineal tradition and employment among women. Cast includes Pallavi Joshi, Shanti Krishna, Kanya, Shabnam , Shammi Thilakan and Nedumudi Venu.
Film by: K .P. Sasi
Source : ALCOM
Jyotsana,Elipode, Thirumala, Trivandrum 695 006
Price: Rs 500/- (individuals & grassroot organisations),
Rs. 1000/- (organisations & Institutions)
Editorial Board : Gargi Sen, Indu MG, Sujit Ghosh, Ranjan De
Published by : Magic Lantern Foundation , J 1881, Chittaranjan Park, New Delhi 110019, Ph: 91 11 6447151/6221405 , Fax: 91 11 6223894 e-mail:magiclf@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in
*Opinions expressed in articles are of the authors and not necessarily those of the editors.