Roof-Top film Fest (RTFF) is a film festival born out of the desire to provide a platform for people to enjoy movies and share their criticism in an open environment. An intense atmosphere will be created for the screening of the films and the discussions that follow. The Roof-Top Film Fest will focus on independent films, short films, cult movies and films that changed the way we looked at cinema.
"Roof Top Film Festivals" are typically where people get together on somebody's rooftop with a projector and a screen and watch movies which are not very popular in India or not released in multiplexes. These screenings are interspersed by independent film maker's movies and discussions on the movies screened.
Chennai has taken the lead in organizing RTFFs in India. You can see the links below for the two RTFFs which happened there:
Planning the first Bangalore RTFF on first weekend of July. Anybody interested in taking part or help in organizing this, can edit this wiki and add themselves. I think this should be a great medium for a film-loving community like Bangalore to get together! :)
When
07/07/07 - Dusk to Dawn - 7pm on July 7th to 7am on July 8th
Where
Bangalore - any one with a "shaded" roof top they can lend for a night? :-)
5pm on June 24th '07 at Roof Top Food Court, EVA Mall, Brigade Road, Next to HM Towers. Contact Hrish at 98451 50845 if you want to attend.
Questions (please add answers right below the questions)
- The question of where has been answered, but just a spo0nman doesnt help. Where is the roof ?
- I will be checking with spo0nman but there could be other roofs too. - Hrish
- And is someone going to decide on a final list of films and publish ?
- We are going to decide that on the planner's meet on Sunday the 24th and publish it here. - Hrish
-Is the venue finalised. If we can't find a shaded roof top is the festival still on - By when are we planning to fianlise this?
people staying in indranagar/ close to mg road, can we meet some place there and go together?
- I stay at Indiranagar. We can meet up at CMH Road near Cafe Coffee Day. (Kiran - 93418 - 35884). We can decide on the time to meet up.
- We are not making money while screening these movies. This is a free event.
- Best would be to screen old classics or independent cinemas.
- It's totally ok to rent a movie and watch it with a zillion people so long as you don't charge. What if one had a really large family? (Iv checked with guys from ex-collectivechaos folk about this).
Discussions and decisions taken:-
Local Talent (We need more local talent!!!)
(please cross out when it's done)
Contribute
Hello BRTFF participant,
I am Pawan Kumar. I was there at the event last night. An independent film maker… my short films were screened too. And I was one of the few people who sat up for the entire night!!! BTW I was also supposed to give a “talk”, but it couldn’t happen because of the loud snores generated by the few film enthusiasts :P
Anyway here it is in form of an email!
First of all… It was amazing to see so many of you who loved cinema. I usually watch films alone and it was quite a different experience for me to see it with a group of like-minded people. I would love to do this often.
What is more commendable about the evening is that everybody was so open to watch works of independent film makers. As a filmmaker I couldn’t ask for much. We had DVD’s of great film makers lying there on the floor and yet the films that were playing were of first time film makers. And yet not one complained or demanded to watch some big budget, master director’s work.
With this kind of an audience, I have a feeling that my talk will be welcomed with an open mind.
We yesterday saw the first films of few Indian directors… we had comments, criticism, appreciation and at the end we said “We look forward for more films from you”
Can we all do a lil bit more than just uttering that optimistic line???
None of the film makers are trained. A film school is of no help either. I believe that a film maker can polish his skills only by making more films. But film making is such an expensive thing to do. All the good-bad, interesting-shabby work that we saw yesterday has a lot of blood and sweat gone into it. Because the industry called ‘filmmaking’ is so unorganized.
We all know the reality so I wouldn’t want to talk much about that. However few things to remember are,
As we all know a “Producer” plays the big role in a making a film. Understood. Its his money and why would anybody want to go through a loss. So he pokes his nose into everything. And then film making becomes a business and not an art form. And thus we have movies like Jhoom Barabar Jhoom forced into our lives.
The idea I am trying to play with is – “Fire the producer”
A filmmaker needs money to make a film. A film viewer pays money to see a film. The solution is to bridge this gap without the producer.
This plan might not work on a big scale. It might but I don’t know about it. On a smaller scale… like the movies we saw yesterday, it is definitely going to work.
We all pay PVR or INOX or any other theatre about Rs. 200 to watch a film. Most of the times bad commercial films.
Can we give the same 200 bucks to an independent film maker?
Can we give that money to him even before he has made the movie?
Instead of talking concepts and ideas… I will put it forward as a proposal.
I have just finished writing a film. It’s called “Death of a software engineer”. I have no funding. I can’t sell it to a producer… he believes nobody will see it. So I am telling all you film lovers who have seen my works, who believed that there was potential in me to make something good…. Order a DVD copy of the film by paying Rs. 200. Give me two months to finish the film. And you will get your copy.
Does this make sense? Is it possible?
Of course this plan will only work with a filmmaker you can trust, whose work you have seen. And you believe that you’d be interested in seeing his work.
So this was the talk. BRTFF is now kind of become a group of people… we know each other. Guess there are a 100 of us in here now… it will only increase. So if every month we can pool in 200 bucks and fund an independent filmmaker’s film, we are going to see a film made from the heart (and not with commercial interests) and we will also be helping the filmmaker to polish his skills and make more films.
How would this work??? We need a network of film lovers. AT BRTFF I guess we already have a 100. If each of this 100 knows at least 10 film loving friends who go to movies who buy pirated DVDs, so we have a network of 1000 people. So lets manage to get a 1000 orders placed for the film. The filmmaker gets Rs. 200000, which includes DVD reproduction charges. Wait for the filmmaker to finish he film and the DVDs will be shipped. And Rs 2 lakh is a lot of money for an independent filmmaker to do magic!
Might sound impossible. Might sound like Amway. But think about it. It really is like buying any other DVD. If the idea is convincing and taken up, we can then work out the dynamics and methods to put the money inflow etc etc in place. That’s really easy.
One noble thing in doing this, is that, you are stopping a film maker with potential to fall into the regular business. Stopping him from making movies for the masses. Restoring belief in his expression.
Please please please send your feed back.
Thanks
The email responses i have got -
Hi Pawan,
Amit Aggarwal here from Yours Truly theatre...
http://www.yourstruly-theatre.com/aboutus.htm
It was again heart whelming to see your mail. Wish, we can start a group on Orkut of all BRTTF enthusiast. We would love to see more of Pawan Kumar with many more clap worthy performances.. In case we could be of any assistance..please do let me know. Yours Truly theatre has a whole lot of budding actors, who could be casted in any of your movies. We are planning to launch a series of plays over next few months.. would certainly keep you posted of our schedule.
I'll be more than happy to contribute for any independent film. Just need a promise form you that 5 years down the line, when you would be a big name in parallel cinema.. you'll still choose us as a producer :P
Cheers!
Amit Aggarwal
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Hi,
ithis is Raghunandan.k.s, i am trying to be an independent filmmaker, with all the scripts in hand waiting it to go to production, i myself in to fine art and advertising, so i was really impressed by this marketing stratefy..i missed this time rtff, and so did i missed ur film too, hence i would like watch some of ur works, sit together, me being in advertising,and had wrked with Girish kasaravalli sir and in circle with off beat film freaks....i can always help the talent come out with out commercialism, hence i am in to buy the dvd for 200 and also to plan the ad strategy and design and all post production for your film for free.
may god bless you, i am glad there are people who has the passion to bring out th real cinema, cause cinema is an art...but it is not these day..
so please do reply, i am desperate to watch ur cinema.
Jai hind,
Raghunandan.k.s
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Hey Pawan.....
Grt thought.....Hattsoff to u.
No words to express my feeling abt ur thought of making a film like this.
This is really a grt thought....to make a film....!!!
I will support you 100% in this regard.
I couldn't make it to the RTFF yesterday.But got to know it was really gud.
All the best for your future achievements.
Let me know how i can help you.i am interested in working with you.
I like photography and painting.
Am working as a S/w Kooli in an MNC.
Keep in touch,
Sandeep
98455 99551
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Hello Pawan,
I know what I missed now :(. I tried to make it (as another enthusiast and also as another short film maker), but didn't happen. Hrish had made some efforts to get my film to the roof top for screening, didn't work out though. May be next time I can come and meet you as well.
As for me, I have been working with a friend of mine and making shorts with our own money (no it is not inherited, we work our hindsides out to get it :)). We produce/edit our films and shoot them in 22hrs one shot etc. to save on costs and do most of the stuff like editing ourselves. That way we believe we are able to get something of a good quality, without compromising much on our pockets or waiting for producers. :)
So if you don't find success in getting money for your project, just let me know, I might be able to help you out with getting stuff like editing done.
Hope to see you at the next RTFF. (And I will give 200bucks for the DVD as well :))
"Death of a software engineer"?? Sounds like you are one too :)
Regards,
MMN
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First things first. I must say I was really impressed by your short movies on Saturday. Thanks a lot for fighting all odds and creating such good movies. It is really commendable that you have followed your dreams with conviction and do what you loved to do.
Yeah and well about the financing part. Well I can surely spare Rs200/- and would like to order some if not all of your movies.
Wish you the very best of luck for your endeavours.
Regards,
Kiran
Please use the tag (brtff) for content related to this event
Pre-Event
Post-Event
Event Pictures
Please find a few pictures from BRTFF at:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mycameraandeye -Lavanya
Pics from my cam: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pankaj/tags/brtff/ - spo0nman:
Where are the pictures?? Specially that group pic??
It was a wonderful evening shared with like minded people. Came to know of the hardships that film makers (especially independant film makers) face in bringing out a movie to light. Hats off to Hrish to put the event together and putting it time and energy into this. Thanks to Vinay to set up the system and manage the array of complicated wires. Thanks to all the stangers who made conversation as if they are good friends. Thanks to every body who brought the snacks and the booze. And thanks to all the other invisible hands behind the event.
Waiting for the next rooft top and if possible can we have it in the day time, so that there would be more participation. Acknowledge the techincal difficulties in finding a venue that could be fully closed, but still with long term planning, it should be possible....
Fauzia
Yours Truly Theatre
+91 9243472917