He knows the art of making a film on Rs 200 or less

Christine Jose Sales made a short film for just under Rs 200 and even won a competition, finds Jasmine Jerald.

We live in an age where money speaks, where it’s a matter of pride to gloat about a multi-crore-budget movie. But, for this 24-year-old MBA student from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune a meagre budget of `180 was more than enough to shoot his short film, Time in a Box. The film went on to win the Best Film Award, beating 450 other entries, at the Media Konnect Short Film Competition this year.

“It was challenging, as I was on a tight budget. But, I was more concerned about how the movie would be received, so I was clear that I didn’t want to spend too much,” explains Christine. The story of Time in a Box was inspired by Christopher Nolan’s body of work and it revolves around a box that one friend gives to another for safekeeping. And when it’s time to reclaim the box, the contents turn their lives upside down.

When asked how he managed this onerous feat, he says, “I had to beg, borrow, but thankfully, not steal. The shoot was in my room and the camera used was a Canon DSLR that was borrowed. So, we needed to spend only for the lights. Most of the shots were handheld and only one tripod was used. Friends acted in the movie for free, so that was another expense eliminated. Also, I edited the movie without spending much.”

Christine felt that his efforts had paid off when Bollywood director, Anant Mahadevan, who was one of the judges, said that he needed to learn how to make low-budget films from Christine. “I grew up in a small town in Kerala called Kanjirappally. When I was doing my graduation in Bengaluru, I was part of a small theatre group. I was given the opportunity to direct a play and it was a huge success. That boosted my confidence to write and direct plays. This eventually paved the way for filmmaking,” says Christine, with a smile.

Reach Out: cjsalesfilms@gmail.com