An innovative producer who is also a gifted writer and director, Void Films Founder Siddharth Maskeri has always set new examples of resourcefulness and forward thinking ability.
It was Siddharth Maskeri who was amongst the first Creators in the country who partnered with an Educational Institution to create original content and Intellectual Property (Yama and Moo with Frameboxx), that trend has caught on now and will see much more play in the future of Indian animated content as more and more creators join the fray and partner with Educational Establishments.
Siddharth has two current projects The Pickle Jar a feature film in development and an as yet unnamed Short Form Comedy TV series (in production). The series is amongst the first Indian co-productions with more than 5 Indian companies as well as a Spanish one coming together.
Siddharth can very easily and conveniently keep all his innovation and his Producer Ideologies to himself, but he has a very compelling need… he likes to share. He wants India to have many hit shows and many hit properties. He wants Indian schools to run Content Creation and Creativity through their massive workflows along with the Software training currently offered.
Again, Siddharth who is being wooed by investors to start a school, believes that there are plenty of schools and it is more ideal for him to partner with them and bring about what he excitedly and innovatively terms as a ‘creative revolution’ for Indian animation.
He is ready and all gung ho to launch Keep it Short by Sid Maskeri a course, series and workshop that makes students and young animators (old ones too) realize their writer-producer-creator potential and in the course of time, rewrite the history of Indian animation itself.
Sharing more about his new project, Sid Maskeri who was one of the select Indian animation film makers to visit Annecy this year and who is in the midst of writing and directing episodes of his under-production short form series….took time off to talk about Keep it Short by Sid.Animationxpress.com’s Zeenia Boatwala who conducted the conversational interview is herself raring to go and write some new series of her soon…someday soon.
Meanwhile, here are the excerpts….
What makes you launch Keep It Short right in the middle of your series in production?
I have had this thought since a long time. Every 6 months a group of WWI students would make a short film. I used to keep asking myself why their films cannot be made commercially viable so with proper channelization it will provide them jobs. And then it struck me at Anifest where I saw tonnes of Arena and Maac films that if students would create Short Form IP it would completely change the entire industry. I would definitely like to share my learning since I came back from Annecy.
You recently conducted an inaugural session with Arena. How was the response, what is your feedback…do you think that you are on target with this new workshop of yours?
The response from Arena was great. There were 22 participants. The two day Master class is a very quick format. It gives you all the tools to go back and develop something yourself. The 6 day workshop touches writing for animation in much finer details with constant guidance.
What’s the ideal batch size?
According to the design of the workshop, I would prefer a number of 30.
What kind of homework do kids need to have done before they can take full advantage of Keep It Short?
Watch lots of films – Short and features. Write about themselves. Writing about yourself makes you clearer about a lot of things. And will help you project yourself better.
Can you give us a broad overview of the topics you cover in your class?
2 Day Master Class – Writing for an Audience, Character development, Story development, Stylization according to story and audience, Importance of Sound Design and Music,
6 Day Workshop – Covers the above topics focussing in depth on Character and Story Development.
3 Month Program – Enables the participants develop content and execute their 90 second promos under the guidance of industry professionals.
Do some of the promising students get a chance to work with you on your projects?
Every student gets the power to create an opportunity for himself and for others through this workshop.
As far as working with me – coming for the workshop is the first step to working with me.
How does a school go about reaching you and approaching you for Keep It Short? Is there a waiting window?
They can contact me on voidfilms.india@gmail.com ; they can also get in touch on my facebook page of Void Films dedicated for Keep It Short.
Could you share about your vision as a producer and film maker? What kind of content are you focused on making?
It’s always tough to get the car rolling. But that must not deter us from pushing. The international audiences are hungry to see something that can suit their taste buds. As a part of a larger global system Void Films focuses content that is entertaining and universal in nature.
Additional Comments
I think an industry is created only when people unite and walk together in the same direction. Keep it short comes with a vision to provide a practical and feasible solution for all of us passionate storytellers.
Disclosing more to Animationxpress.com’s Zeenia Boatwala about Keep it Short, Siddharth, says, “Keep it short is a creative revolution for the animation industry and with this initiative, my vision is accomplish creative thinkers, who tell their own stories in an intelligent manner. This program of mine targets the crowd who are aiming to create short films. I feel, every short film has a scope to win if it’s focused at a proper target audience”
In the 2 day master class held at Arena Andheri, Siddharth brought about a brief presentation on the vital points of film making and uncovered more about the character personality, character graph with story arc. “After a brief presentation on the key points of film making, I gave a situation to the participants, which was Bank Robbery. The participants had to create the character, set the mission of the character and form a proper story based on the points, which I explained in the session.” Shares, Siddharth
After the completion of the story, the participants were told to shoot the entire story in the live action format so that they understand the challenges, difficulties and acting for the characters they created. Siddharth informs, “Any story is driven by the character, hence it is very essential to understand the goal of your character, plan out the traits, reactions and it’s only after passing this stage that you decide on the scenes and develop it more with writing and storyboarding.”
Coming to the 6 day workshop, Siddharth has in my mind to pass on assorted lessons on developing a concept, writing for animation, picking the look and feel, the trailer, premise, character’s evolution and arc and the art of telling your story in one line, Siddharth emphasizes, “We all love reading our own stories, but we should develop it in such a way that others like to read it too! You must be able to tell your story in a one liner and be able to put the story at the back of your visiting card .When I had been to Annecy this year; I had taken along a pack of visiting cards printed with my movie poster in front and the synopsis- one liner of my movie at the back.”
Next is a 3 month detailed program on story creation and development, which includes preparing the concept, making it into a definite pitch and finally developing a 2 minuter promo of the movie. The particular promo should be appealing and deliver complete understanding about the mission of the character in the movie.
Adds more” After the completion of this 3 month master class, an individual is equipped with a fully fledged finished pitched with a 2 min or a 90 second teaser, which shows the skills and style of animation, the treatment of the film, which would interest the producer.”
Siddharth feels that India has rich animated content and we just need to draw a line between creating stories for local audience and mass audience. “When I was at whistling woods, I happened to meet the producers of mission impossible and they appreciated our beautiful films, but they also shared with me that we are creating stories for our own people and not for the world and expressed that either we to wait for the world to develop a taste for your kind of films or we need to create films that everybody can relate too.” says, Siddharth
Adds further, “Right now, our country, the Bollywood and Animation industry is focusing more on own people and stories, whereas Hollywood has a range of movies and they have a lot of local content, which we never get to see. It’s not necessary to create global content, but it is essential to know the ins and outs of your content, you should have a judgment of the amount of people, who will watch your story.”
“I believe, artists are divided into two categories, with one being a content creator and another being a technician!
Technicians and content creators hold equal importance, but if you want to be a creative genius, you are welcome to the world of ‘Keep it Short’,” concludes, Siddharth.
Readers willing to be in touch with the latest happenings on Keep it short can visit the official page of Void Films by clicking on https://www.facebook.com/voidfilms?fref=ts
