DAMfest09 – The Events! | PassionforCinema

DAMfest09 – The Events!

DAMfest | News & Events | January 31, 2009 at 8:05 pm

DAM 09 is here, and the digital entertainment world receives its second annual tribute from the hills of Lavale. Here is more than a sneak peek at what is in store for the three days of digital madness:

DAY 1:

The day begins innovatively with the crisp snap of clapboard by the chief guest declaring the festival open.

SEMINAR I: THE DIGITAL BUSINESS

The Digital medium is no longer confined to individual and small budget filmmakers. With the advent of E- cinemas, even the mainstream big budget filmmakers have realized the importance of going digital, for not only does it bring down costs, but has also thrown open the reach of cinema. Through digital distribution and acquisition, consumers can download and own movies via internet.

Screening 13th Floor directed by Luke Kenny, after which the actor-director and ex-Channel V VJ will have a Question/Answer session with the audience.

On-the-spot Mobile Filmmaking

What better way for someone to capture a moment or two in the absence of jazzy cameras that than the ubiquitous, inseparable cell phone?

With the theme, ‘RED-GREEN-BLUE’ / RGB, participants have to make a 3-5 minute film using their cell phones only, that have a video quality of more than 2 megapixels, Editing will also ideally be done on their mobile phones using the stop and pause method. Armed with their own USB cords or card readers, participants will upload their films on a computer for final viewing and judging.

Animation Workshop

Professionals from animation and visual effects training company Frameboxx will conduct a workshop on the process of the exciting new arena of clay animation, of which the cartoon Wallace and Gromit is a successful example.

Potpourri

Characters from completely unrelated popular soaps will be given to the participants to construct a hilarious patchwork of.interactions woven into a scene that can be enacted or story that can be written. Can you imagine Meredith Grey, Tulsi, Ugly Betty and Komolika having a cup of tea together? Figure that out!

Screening of ‘Riding solo to the top of the world’, directed by Gaurav Jani, Dirt Track Productions

Picture this: a motorcycle journey of a one-man camera unit from the crowded metropolis of Mumbai to one of the remotest places in the world, the Changthang Plateau in Ladakh.

Mr. Gaurav Jani will have an interactive session with the audience about his spell-binding movie making experience.

Screening of competitive entries in the fiction categories, where about 20 films are short listed to be showcased. The winner films to be screened on ‘Get Shorty’

Day II

SEMINAR II: THE DIGITAL MEDIUM AS A CATALYST FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

Cinema has always been a force behind social change, and the digital medium has further simplified the task of making social relevant films by taking the art beyond the confines of big budget production units. Activist documentary filmmaking has become a force to reckon with and engages the audiences with the idea of social change. Today student, minority groups and even street children have used the digital medium to question important social problems. This segment tries to explore how the coming of this technology has revolutionized the idea of social change.

Screening of Anand Patwardhan’s documentary ‘War and Peace’

Photography Marathon

The idea of the competition is to give participants a new theme to click photographs in every hour. The participant must click pictures and upload them in the same hour. Four themes will be given which can be taken within the campus premises. The last 15 minutes of each theme should ideally be dedicated to uploading the pictures. The participants should have their own cameras and data cable to upload pictures.

Atul Ketkar, Vice President, Star Pravaah Television will conduct a ‘brainstorming workshop’ on the digital boom in television and the opportunities it offers.

SEMINAR III: DIGITAL GOES REGIONAL

In India, the market of the regional entertainment industry in languages like Marathi, Tamil, Bengali and Bhojpuri has witnessed a great surge in recent years. The digital medium has made it possible to cater to the region specific needs of the audiences. These films are closer to the cultural identities of the region and therefore enjoy immense popularity among the masses. This session discusses the growth of regional entertainment because of the digital medium.

Interaction with ace ad-man Prahlad Kakkar

Talk on New Media Digital Art Installation by art curator Farah Siddique who will throw light on the use of digital technology as an instrument of aesthetic expression.

Screening of 15 competitive entries in the non fiction category

Day III

SEMINAR IV: ANIMATION: MORE THAN JUST CARTOONS AND THE BUSINESS OF VISUAL EFFECTS IN INDIA.

Animation today has made the unthinkable thinkable. From mythology to the love story of a stray dog, the Indian animation industry has crossed horizons. Visual effects have also made their presence felt in the mainstream Indian cinema with a stream of super hero movies. Animation no longer attracts just children but also has a keen audience among adults. Advanced digital technology has made animation and visual effects potential biggies in the future. This discussion will try to unravel the mystery behind the breathtaking visuals we see on the screen.

Interaction with critically acclaimed director Madhur Bhandarkar

Repository of Dreams

Four projectors are being set up on which films by Dali and other artists will be looped for viewers to watch. Our very repository of art, senior media trainee Chaiti Narula will be curating the event, where she will elaborate on this new media digital video installation

This is a special call for entries for designers, programmers, illustrators and visual artists that want to show their work at DAM.

Screenings of competitive entries in the animation & Visual Effects category.

Mr. Muneesh Gupta of PIO TV will give a talk on digital media convergence.

A Movie quiz, where various questions will be formulated on popular television and film culture. An eliminating round will be conducted on paper and the finalist will have to fight it out for the prizes in a room full of audience members.

As the curtains of the festival draw to a close, the red carpet rolls out to felicitate the winners in all our competitive categories in a glittering award ceremony.

Popular screenings and a photography and art exhibition will be a common feature on all the days.

So what are you waiting for?

PassionForCinema.com is a sponsor of DAMfest09. For more information, please visit the DAMFest at http://www.thedamfest.com/.