Is there a particular documentary film or filmmaker that had a major influence on your career?
Akira Kurosawa
What motivated you to make this film?
To bring out the noble vision of HEAL PARADISE – which is to provide health and education to all, equally!
Please tell us what camera(s) you shot with primarily – and any other special equipment that you used and why you used it.
The entire video was shot in Sony A7Sii. It is lightweight allowing us only carry the ‘dream of making this film come true’ over our shoulders. We also used the Mavic Pro drone to get some nice aerial shots that will give the bigger picture. Over all, we kept it simple when it came to equipment so we could focus on the story and be one with the characters.
Please tell us about any special styles or techniques that you used during the production of your film to help tell your story.
We stuck to the documentary style of video making.
How did your story evolve from day one, to the very last day in post? Is your story what you thought it would be?
We had a script in hand, but it definitely evolved into full shape only after we shot the film. The story had its own way of taking over us and we submitted ourselves to it.
Please describe the most rewarding experience you had while making this film.
The most rewarding experience was understanding how simple and beautiful life is when we start living a need based life. And how grateful we should be for the wellness we have in our life and how we should be responsible for sharing everything we’ve got.
What advice can you give to other filmmakers?
Never settle, and never hold yourself back from telling a story that this world needs to hear.
What’s your favorite part about the filmmaking process and why?
My favourite part is the execution part, as everything else will fall into place when we start shooting.
What’s the one item you always take with you when working out in the field and why?
My vision and determination to do it. I guess that’s what I carry with me all the time.
Please provide a brief description of the work or organization featured in your video:
HEAL – A REGISTERED CHARITY FORMED IN 1992 – WHICH IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING SHELTER, SUPPORT, EDUCATION, AND HEALTHCARE FOR THOUSANDS OF DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN IN INDIA. HEAL currently has a number of projects including the HEAL Children’s Village in Guntur and various other projects in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India. Through these projects HEAL is working hard to provide homes, food, education and medical care to orphaned and underprivileged children
What have you learned about the value and impact of the project?
It is important that we respect the dream of every child, irrespective of their backgrounds, and encourage them. It stirred our stand on a lot of things in life and left us with questions.
Please share a personal story about your experience making this film.
Character is the most important value that we should all nurture in our lives. I found the character of the underprivileged kids we shot in the movie to be far more resilient and profound than many other kids I know with all the comforts. There was this kid by the name Shravan, who had found his friend stealing his things. A normal kid would have gone ahead and raised a complaint. But Shravan didn’t. Instead he had embraced his friend and had conversed with him on why it is not good to steal but to share things with others equally. How is that for a real time life lesson?
What do you want audiences to take away from this video?
- To understand why it is important to share and care.
- To appreciate the importance of health and education.
- To practice sharing on a daily basis
Please list key points that should be covered in a post-screening discussion:
- The importance of sharing and caring
- How can we practice volunteerism?
- Importance of a need based life
- Power of dreams
What opportunities are available for those interested in getting further involved?
HEAL invites volunteers from across the globe to be a part of the mission. Check out http://www.healparadise.org/ to know more on how you can participate.
Please provide any additional resources (websites, links to additional videos, forms, articles, etc.) relevant to the context of the issue discussed in your video:
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