We’ve all heard it – video content is where all the hype is at the moment. From large brands chasing the formula for the perfect viral video to engaged couples using videos to invite their guests to be a part of their special day; video content has become ubiquitous in our lives.
But through the barrage of content, once in a while there comes a video that tugs at your heartstrings and makes you stand up and take notice. That’s exactly what Karo had in mind when they approached Supari Studios.
Founded in 2014, Karo is a public charitable trust that provides holistic healthcare to low-income communities and patients. To convey how they can help in the plight of the patients and spread awareness about the options available – they roped in Aditya Tawde, head of Post Office (Supari’s post production and VFX unit), and Harsh Sharma, who directed this film.
We caught up with Aditya and Harsh after they were awarded the ‘Best Animated Ad Film’ at FICCI Frames for a chat about ‘Why Karo’, the complexities of celluloid animation, and more.
- Take us through the role you played in the making of Why Karo?
Harsh Sharma – For this project, I was the Director of the film. I helped guide the team with what kind of creative route should we take to make the film stand out and communicate the right messaging. It was an interesting process working with the team to crack this one but the process of working together to find the best result for the film is always very rewarding.
- Tell us a little more about cel animation – How time consuming was the process?
Harsh Sharma – Cel animation is a tedious process and fairly time consuming. We used a lot of cel animation in this film but we also used to composite this with other animation techniques like 2D and 3D animation. Typically, for cel animation, it would take us 3-4 days for a 10 second clip and then simultaneously the team would start on the other parts of the film. If not for having a very clear idea on storyboarding and the animatics, it could have taken a lot longer.
- What was your inspiration behind this video?
Harsh Sharma – I think the biggest inspiration for a film like this is the story it is trying to portray. What Karo as an organisation does and the kind of reach that they are trying to build and the lives they are hoping to touch and make better, I think that there couldn’t be a better inspiration for this.
- Also, speaking of inspiration – tell us about some filmmakers that you follow and recommend for our readers?
Aditya Tawde – All kinds of filmmakers inspire us. From the ones who direct big Hollywood films to filmmakers who are my peers and are doing some amazing work here in Mumbai and India itself, there is a lot of epic work in filmmaking that is happening across the world. Specifically though, for this project we did a lot of referencing from Moth Animation Studio, Hornet Inc, and Le Cube to find the right tonalities and techniques for this film.
- How did you feel when you were awarded the ‘Best Animated Ad Film’ at FICCI Frames? How important are awards and accolades in your line of work?
Aditya Tawde – FICCI Frames is an important ward for us and it is always great to get such awards and accolades for our work, it serves as a testament to the kind of work we do here at Post Office and Supari Studios. But the important thing is to keep doing good work and pushing the boundary with everything we do. And if we can gather some awards along the way, then why not?
- Any parting thoughts for the young filmmakers that are reading this?
Aditya Tawde – If we had to give one piece of advice, what we’d like to encourage filmmakers to do is to research on how different filmmaking techniques are used, irrespective of whether they are old or new, and to reference how they have been used in different projects and films. It helps build your circle of reference and appreciate the art of filmmaking much more!
See the break-down of the FICCI Frames award-winning film, Why Karo, here. You can also follow Supari Studios on IndieFolio for more updates.