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Dhaka Day by Day

You Have to Hold on to Your Dreams’

by Fayza Haq
Three days of shooting and zapl Out conies an experimental short film. It is complete with a heroine, scenario, action, theme and plot. That is how Mitchell Loch operates, using students as his assistants and a nondescript extra for a protagonist in his story.
While producing "Starring Rosy", the purpose of Loch's visit to Dhaka was to run a workshop, so that a group of young film makers would get some ideas as how to go about making an effective film."They are making short films at the moment but they can go on to make feature and experimental films," Loch commented.
Originally planning to be a doctor, the film director had the experience of working in hospitals and even nursing his dying mother. His contact with the suffering world put him off his medical career. He decided to forge ahead in some other field and make his mark. The time 1 spent with Frajik Capra inspired me and made me decide that I could make an important impact as a film director.” Loch said.
While running the. workshop for a fortnight. Loch discussed potential problems and pointed out important points in film ' making to the students. As he was searching for a theme, somebody drew attention to an extra who was standing outside the FDC gates, in quest of a job. ”1 suggested that they should concentrate on this extra and build a film around her. The movie is Just not about Rosy but about film makers and the challenges they are confronted with. It is a film about film
making. We are blending different aspects of a film In this project. There is story telling, documentary and experimentation," he explained.
What were the challenges that this lanky .blond young and intense film maker faced while in Dhaka? There was the problem of having to get the film to Dhaka without it being X-rayed. The schedule at the FDC studio had also to be adhered to and we had to adjust ourselves," he said simply. "Every film has its problems. When this opportunity of making a film tn Dhaka was offered to me I certainly welcomed this challenge," he added. Incidentally, he was still suffering from Jet-lag while talking to the press. His involvement in the crash course made his mind more fuzzy when some complex questions were thrown at him.
How did he make his selection of the heroine? "We interviewed six Junior artistes in one hour, and she was the first one that appealed to me. She was direct, clear, personal, very willing to work, and was prepared to
come on the weekend too. She may not be glamorous but she was definitely interesting," he commented.
In the three days that they had to shoot, they showed Rosy being interviewed while she was being made up. There was a screen lest. There were shots of Rosy's home Which were very intense. There was also a rickshaw ride included in the film. The production again brought in statements of the students and included the director's experience too. Loch commented about "Starring Rosy” as being "a luxurious, experience of making a movie at someone elsc's cost."
The film makers had to pay the "mastans" Tk 300 to allow the filming to be done in peace. Rosy got into trouble with her landlady "Motki” and had to find shelter for herself somewhere else eventually. She was paid Tk 1500 for her troubles.
Talking to Loch I gathered that he ' felt that there was too much of sex and violence In the western Hollywood type Rims fo'r a very long time.
While this film in Dhaka cost Tk 4 lakhs,, his normal budget is about 3 million dollars In USA. He has directed fjvc films and written three others. The next one that he makes, he will be writing, directing and producing "I Smell A Man". This is a comedy about a woman who can only smell women, as Loch explained.
What did this young film maker — all dressed in black like Batman — consider the most important in a film : the story, actors or the directing? The storv Is the most
important. Even though actors have their significance great actors cannot make a bad story interesting." he commented.
His next target is a musical piece for the stage in New York city "I think I d like to try my hand at something else," he added.
What advice did he have for film makers in Bangladesh? "Film making is difficult anywhere. If you fight for it collectively you can make any movie that you want. You must hold on to your dreams. If you have compelling stories about Bangladesh you can send your ideas to film makers all over the world and pcrliaps they can help you make it if you cannot tackle it yourself. The most important thing is to express yourself honestly."
Loch, who comes from San Francisco, has had a number of awards such as the Best Dramatic Video in '90 at the 14th Atlanta and Video Festival. He has won other awards before like the 2nd prize for "Most Promising Film-maker" at the Ann Arbor Film Festival