PREPRODUCTION

Who wrote the screenplay? The documentary idea originated with 22-year old
Amanda Gesine, who lived out in Greenwich CT. She thought Sikhs were Muslim
and Arabs and felt people should learn the true story, as they were being
racially profiled and verbally assaulted since 9/11. As the producer and Director,
and Writer - Vinanti Sarkar, we discussed the topic for two weeks, before we
started to work on the docudrama script ... focusing on how Amanda discovers
her Sikh neighbors … Who are Sikhs, What is Sikhism and what have the Sikh
Americans contributed to America for over one hundred years.

How long did it take? The first draft script took It took about three weeks
to complete.

How many drafts did he/she go through? We went through 5-7 rough drafts

Was the screenplay strictly followed in the filming? Yes, by the time we
completed the filming ... it was about 80& of the original script.

How did you finance the project? Approached the wealthy Sikhs in the
community - they learned about the senseless murder of one Sikh in Mesa, Arizona three
days after 9/11 and saw what a hard time their kids were having in school and
universities. They were also worried as themselves wore turbans and beards -
so they welcomed the idea. A financial budget was produced with in-depth
discussions on financing the film.

Did you story board your scenes? Story board scenes for documentary film are
more like "happenings" - we created situations like visiting business men in
offices, kids at school, family homes the Sikh temple, etc. with a controlled
questionnaire ...

And if so, did you use a program or an artist or? We worked on happenings …
storyboard scenes were not used.

How did you find your actors? Young Amanda was the lead actress who plays
the role of host and investigative journalist. Producing a docudrama - you went
in search of the characters you needed - Sikh businessmen, kids, wives,
announcing filming at the gurdwara (temples) so people were dressed in their Sunday
best ... asking for interviews, after selecting certain photogenic faces,
etc. etc.

What kind of pay if any did you offer your actors and crew? Actors were not
paid but the crew was paid well - Host, Researcher, Cameraman, producer were
paid $1,500 a day ...

Did you create a budget and did you stay on target throughout the process?
We created a budget on the shooting days but instead of completing the film
(filming and editing) within 3 months, it took over 9 months to complete, so
budget was blown out of proportion from $100,000 to $250,000.

What was your budget? The first budget was $100,000 and we completed the
film with a $220,000 plus $30,000 for distribution.

FILMING

Did you shoot with DV, 16mm, 35mm, other? We shot on DVC ... some 16mm and
other 35mm still photographs.

What type of film stock did you use? We shot the film in the first 25 hours
in Panasonic DVCPro and then moved into SONY min-Digital - Why? Costs

Where did you process it? We processed and edited in a lab - And Why? Any
Advice? Always go and do your shopping for prices before moving in to process
and edit.

Did you rent, buy or borrow? We rented the cameras with the cameraman, which
was costing us about $700 a day ...

Was it a one-camera shoot? No it was not a one-camera shoot - two tot three
- we hired about 5-7 cameramen as we were traveling all over the country ...

However many cameras you used, how did you handle setups and coverage for the
shots? Long shots and close ups.

Any advice or warnings you can give? Three cameras should be enough - but
for documentary one good cameraman is enough.

What was your approximate shooting ratio? The first ratio was 10-1 then it
became 1-40.

How did you handle sound on the shoot? With professional cameras and a Nagra.

What kind of lighting did you use and how much of the indoor and outdoor
scenes were lighted? Lights were used for in door shooting - both on the camera
and backdrops ... Outdoor shooting was always on a clear day ...

What type of obstacle did you encounter when shooting outdoor? Too much
sunlight ... over exposure ...

What were the obstacles you encountered while shooting? Any Advice? It is
important to know what, how and why you are shooting ... and how you are
shooting it - Anyone can buy a camera and start shooting ... that does not make you a
cameraman ... you need a sense of becoming involved with the subject matter,
the subject in front of you and always remember the TV viewers at the back of
your mind ... Always...

I needed long shots to create the atmosphere ... but mostly tightly knit
close-up shots of different expressions - watching the expressions change and the
listening to the importance of what the person is saying ... each sentence ...
and then direct your cameraman. I had to force the cameraman to go deeper
into the facial expressions ... like trying to catch the soul of a person ...
For a director and producer, this is very important. Always remember you have
to work with the attention of the TV viewers. I mean you have to know your
audience's attention span - and how long they will stay with your story. Long
shots help in creating the scene ... but the close up shots have to keep the TV
viewers staring into the TV set ... wanting to know more ... wondering what
the man or woman or child is going to say next. Once you loose the concentration
span of the audience - you have lost your viewer.

What kind of shots, dolly shots, crane shots, steadicam or other types did
you use and what resources did you use to accomplish these?

What other equipment did you find useful on your shoot? Is there anything
you wish you would of had and didn't? Should not be rushed into the shoot
without money in the bank - Too many promises - but no checks arrived for weeks.

POST

How did you edit the film? Did you transfer to tape and edit via computer?

It was important to find an editor who thought like the director - An editor
who did not have the imagination of making his own film ... who would listen
to what the director was trying to accomplish. A cameraman assumes he can
edit, because he shot the film - That is not true. It's a matter of ego. A
cameraman has his job and then the editor has his job - At times, you have to mix
the two due to budget constraints. But it is always important not to have the
cameraman edit the film shoot. He forgets he is working with a director ...
and the whole composing is seen through different eyes.

What kind of editing system are you using? IBM, MAC, Capture card? Editing,
sound and other software?

We used the AVID editing machines ...on IBM and MAC ... etc.

What were the obstacles you encountered while editing? Any Advice?

While editing, never leave an editor to do his own thing. He has to be given
a 50-100-page script that he works around. Remember the editor did not go on
the shoot - so he knows nothing about the shots we can work with ... and why
they were shot.

Where did you get the music for the film?

It was difficult to find the music for the film ... as it had to be upbeat
and help move the TV viewer form one scene into the next with yawning...

How much Foley will you end up incorporating in the editing process? This is
do not understand - foliage … waste … about 20% …unusable stuff.

Did you have any trouble with sound in the postproduction? Yes … we had to
go to Due Arts and have it fixed … Yes - but it was corrected by hiring a sound
guy at the end of the film ... to clean up the negative sound effects.

What are the main suggestions you would give other filmmakers, based on your
experiences on this film?

In planning, Always wait for the budget to be in the bank - never work on
promises - don't even take your camera out to clean - Just get the money and then
move into production.

in postproduction, Always let people know who is in charge of the production
- the director and the producer.

In scoring, get the best you can from the creators - best sounds you need for
the film.

In editing, get the best editor you can work with -

In pre production, etc.? Always be prepared to select people you can work
with as a team from the start - then there will be no firing and re-hiring … and
no mental, physical or emotional aggravation

OTHER

What were the obstacles you encountered while marketing it? Any Advice?

Marketing a film starts from the beginning ... who is the audience ? Who are
you making this film for - NBC ? PBS or Cable ? Or just the family to watch ?
Once you know that question - the marketing starts ...

Have you been approached by distributors and if so, what are the results so
far?

Distributors want the show for "free" No upfront money and want to be paid a
retainer ...

Have you struck a deal with any distributors?

No - because the retainer does not guarantee they will sell the film -

Have you returned any profits from the movie as of yet?

No - but am working on it

Have you tried the film festival route and if so, how is it going?

Yes ... the film festival route starts giving the film credibility - The
distributors are now coming back to work seriously -

What are your future plans for the film?

Move into global world TV markets - with a major distributor like UNESCO that
has a distribution reach of over 167 countries.

What do you have in the works after this film?

A children/family feature film for 90 minutes ... adventure, thriller ... and
spectacular scenes ...