Travelling film studio heads to India

“Life is too short to be someone you are not.” 

This is the central premise behind gaai (cow), a new short film produced, written and directed by Victorian College of the Arts School of Film and Television alumni with Whistling Woods International, a partner school in Mumbai, India. 

The film, produced and directed by VCA graduates Frances Wang-Ward and William Storr, and written by another graduate Chris Thompson is set in Mumbai and explores the understanding of difference. 

Mr Storr and Ms Wang-Ward says they both identify with the character Sanjeev, who is a dutiful young man impersonating an Australian salesperson in an Indian call centre. Throughout the film, Sanjeev is put in situations that compromise his sense of self and authenticity. 

Ms Wang-Ward says the story revolves around Sanjeev’s chance encounter with Jennifer, a vulnerable young Australian woman.

“Their connection transcends distance and culture. His instinct to listen to his inner voice is confirmed,” she says. 

Lecturer in Film and TV (Master of Producing) Mr Gus Howard accompanied the crew to Mumbai. He says the travelling studio gives students a global perspective and creates a film project for graduate-level students that is the equivalent of a commercial film situation. 

“The main value of it is to make a film outside the introspective climate of student filmmaking,” he says. 

“Graduate level students can take a project that can be executed in a foreign location in a way that requires a certain amount of collaboration with the people in that location.” 

In keeping with the objectives of a commercial film, the producers and directors are encouraged to put themselves in the service of the protagonist of the story to create a strong emotional connection between audience and narrative.

My Howard says to be successful, a filmmaker must tap into the zeitgeist and create a film that resonates with the audience. 

“A film works between the ears of the audience. No matter how satisfactory a film is to its maker, it is no good unless it reaches its audience and the audience finds some meaning from the film, however subtle it is,” he says. 

The travelling studio is part of the Faculty of the VCA & Melbourne Conservatorium of Music’s international plan to give students and alumni a global experience while also fostering relationships with international partners. 

The VCA student crew selected to work on this project were required to produce a seven-minute film involving two Australian actors and two Indian leads. 

This presented an exciting opportunity for them, given the obvious challenge of filming in an unknown and exotic location. 

Most significant of these challenges, Mr Howard says, involved working with strangers in a strange place. 

“Coming to terms with the protocols and sociology of the Indian film industry and the people in it was just as much a part of the filming challenges,” he says. 

“This required professionalism, patience, diplomacy and openness – all of the things that go with collaboration – which is about finding out what you don’t know. Sometimes the mindset has to be changed.” 

Ms Wang-Ward says the experience gave her greater insight into what was involved in collaboration and working in exotic locations and different cultures. 

“We are so fortunate to have had an amazing introduction to Bollywood and the film industry in India. More than anything else, we have a better appreciation of working with people from different cultures,” she says. 

Mr Howard believes the resulting film, gaai, offers a unique perspective on an experience many young people go through, where there is an understanding of difference between two people which then becomes a turning point in their lives. 

“It’s an experience where they realise the path they have started on may not be the path they should be on. 

“This film shows if you do not listen to your inner voice, when certain magic moments arrive, those moments pass and they never come back. Then you have to live with the consequences,” he says. 

http://vca.unimelb.edu.au/ftv