Shardul Pandey: I welcome you Luís at SANGKRIT.net, please tell our netizens about yourself.
Luís Caracinha: I’m Luís Caracinha, a Portuguese communication designer living in Faro, south’s Portugal. I’m 24 years old and after 6 years working on design projects I decided to make a own project in cinema. In November 2011 I started developing the concept for a short movie based on a poem written by a Portuguese poet, Tiago Marcos, which talks about the story of a child and a old woman who have with them a common thing, a rope. The short film wants to invite you to think about your relation with your memories and the way we look and act about other’s life.
The rope’s project started full-time on February 2013 when We Make Productions decided to hug the project. In few months we got a 40 members team counting with camera men, director of photography, costume designer, story-boarders, translators, production assistants, press team, hairstylist, make up, etc. Also Original Features, an important film producer in Portugal, decided to support this short.The project is now in post-production and we are counting to launch it on the first semester of 2014. We have people working with us in countries such as Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, England, Greece and Russia.
To help the film production we created a crowd funding campaign, which finish tomorrow, on the international platform indiegogo (http://igg.me/at/therope/x/3491364)
The team is made by young professionals who have a great talent and got this project as an opportunity to show how good they are and how many talented people exists in our country.
[note note_color=”#000000″ text_color=”#ffffff”]Shardul Pandey: What do you hope audiences take away from your film ‘The Rope’ ?
Luís Caracinha:The Rope is an invitation to build a review of our life until now. To look around, to think out of our routine and to ask ourselves how we want it to be in the future and how we treat those around us, who have a so much to share and teach. We think about our future in an specific way, almost all the time. We have a goal and a path. The thing is, the possibilities to reach your inner “self” are infinite. You must choose and think about what you are becoming every day. And that’s because you are constantly changing.
Shardul Pandey: You said you are developing the concept for a short movie since 2011 so what are your experiences ? What advice can you give for first time filmmakers?
Luís Caracinha: When I have an idea, I need time to let it grow. When you want to express it and put people thinking about it you should take a notebook and write all the possibilities. Talking to people about your ideas is also very important. That’s why I started working in this short-film in November 2011 but just started to materialize it in February 2013. Before this year I wasn’t prepared to make the short film. I hadn’t a team, and I hadn’t support. When I shared my idea with We Make Productions and its production team, a bright green light turned on in my mind, and here we are!
During the filming, our main “enemy” is time. Time is money in a production with 40 people and you are always feeling that you could do it better. Basically you always want another take. That’s when the producer come sin and shouts “No, your late!”. Time management is crucial in order to have the team working well and with enthusiasm. Oh, and also a lot of food and water!
As director, when you write a script and start imagining it on the screen you don’t have any limitations. You imagination can go wherever you want. This is one of the best parts of creating a film. You are always looking for the best and most beautiful way to show people what you want them to feel. And everything looks easy until you get a producer. In this point everything changes and you start looking to your script, and then to your storyboard and after, to your budget. Here comes the funny part of the creative process: to adapt what you imagined to the best way of showing it, using your budget.
In this stage, it is only normal to feel a lot of desolation, but as director, you must know how to work with it because it’s very hard to put on the screen the exact same image you dreamed of.
My advices are: Be flexible to changes. Accept other opinions because your are making films for people not for you. Think out of the box and let a personal mark in your project. Learn how to work under pressure and with a real budget. Look always for beauty, even when it must look ugly. Be clever when choosing the right team for work.
Shardul Pandey: What is your ultimate message for netizens ?
Luís Caracinha: I hope this short film gets the possibility to touch the audience. I would like to invite everyone to follow our work in the social networks and on our website www.therope.pt. There you can find all information about what we’re doing. Until Februrary/March 2014 we will be working on post production, the original soundtrack composition and promoting the short film. Unfortunately, there are a lot of investment that we need in order to improve the final result of the film. We are still looking for donations. If you believe in our work and want to support this project contact us by sending an email to info@therope.pt. Thank you Shardul for your interest.
Image Credits: Joana Van Hellemond