Collective Chaos is a group of like-minded folks given to a life of understanding cinema and ogling at its many contours. It’s over two month’s old, and is already host to over 200 members.
Like-minded, did I say? Let me correct that. Each one’s point of view contrasts with the other, though all of them share a common passion for cinema. And that’s why I find the email group service interesting. You can send messages to the entire group through one email ID (collectivechaosblr@yahoogroups.com) and what you get in return is not only a good read but also varied perspectives from different people.
But it’s not oneupmanship where one viewpoint towers over the other. If a section of people agree with your perspective, another is loyal to the other view. This not only broadens your view (it’s a joy for a reporter when he gets to see both sides of the issue), but also allows you to go up the film learning curve.
And talking of issues, there are many, and all are as thought provoking. Between February 19 and April 8, I received over 50 mails, all very exuberant in their canvas, and very specific in their focus. From social videography (asking people a set of questions impromptu and taping there responses) to screening three short films by Sami Van Ingen, a filmmaker from Finland, followed by a discussion with the director, the forum of young filmmakers, artists, film technicians and film enthusiasts keeps you creatively occupied.
It all started with Sami’s question, post screening: “Is that art?” And one of the group members, Rupesh, responded: “Art must say something, but Sami’s films don’t. Why should someone sit in a dark room to see a sleeping dog and red spider with an irritating sound called music?”
That resulted in a flurry of mails from the members. Retorted Babu: “Art is not important. Sami is only interested in the cinematic form. The issue to discuss here is content versus form. And to me, content comes first and then the form.”
Sanjay Louis had a personal gem: “Too many stereotypes have been carefully internalised by the followers of the medium… sometimes it’s worthwhile to wrap them up and appreciate the form and content from an alternate perspective, however warped that gets. There was some element of peace that Sami’s movies offered… with no speech or characters clouding up the images, it was an opportunity to construct a framework of my own, knitting the images together.”
Avy Varghese bounced his view: “Form is content. If that is not understood there can be no art. There is nothing new under the sun. But the universe teems with forms. Therefore form is all that is left to explore since content remains more or less unchanging. One reason why traditional art forms die out is because although the content remains the same, but those handling it could not find ways to create or even re-create form(s).”
In the midst of it all, MR Rajmohan had this vignette to share. “5,00,000 farmers of Anand district of Gujarat (these are the wonderful people behind Amul, the pioneer of Indian co-operative movement) contributed Rs 2 each to produce Syam Benegal’s film Manthan,” he wrote. “When the film was released, these people went to theatres in trucks and made the film a great commercial success.”
That nailed the issue.
“Why is it that you and I are not making films (since we claim to understand it better than the average filmmaker)?” I wrote back. “Just intellectualising about this and that won’t do… we should also get together (the minds and the monies) and make some sensible cinema that’s as successful commercially (because the ultimate aim of the filmmaker is to get his word out to as many people possible). So why can’t Mr Moneybags align with Mr Creatives and do something? One could start with a 10-minute documentary on how the impressionables are influenced by their elders at home on communalism and religious fundamentalism and how everything comes unstuck at school and college when they interact with fellow students (and higher ups) from all castes and creeds. It’s a subject that’s central to our existence and it’s a subject that everyone will identify with. And making it entertaining enough to be a commercial frontrunner is just a matter of money (read production values) and creativity (read script and characterisation). Lets do it.”
The argument, of course, continues. Want to be part of it?
(First published in City Reporter in 2003)
UPDATE: Collective Chaos has since shut down.