Deceived – A Short Film

Who am I and what am I here for?

Hello Everyone, My name is Sandip Pal, I am from India. A film insitute graduate who has been trying to make his first short independent film since the last 3 years, but even after myriads of attempts, could not. I joined a 9 to 7 copywriting job with an aim that I'd collect a decent sum after a year or two and make my own short film, but as fate would have it, most of my money goes behind making my ends meet and the amount that I am able to save is just not enough to make (let alone a decent short) any short film for that matter. That is why I have turned to people who have their own aspirations and dreams and know what it is like to have sleepless nights thinking of fulfilling them one day. PLEASE HELP ME! The main hindrance is lack of funds.

Things become excessively frustrating when on one hand, you see some Indian filmmakers make some trashy stuff with huge budgets and on the other hand when a normal guy without any film-industry background tries to make a film which would perhaps make a difference to him/her as a person and to the others as well who watch it; there are impediments strewn all over.

About the short film, I intend to make -

The name of the short film is "Deceived" - In a glitzy upmarket lounge, when the pretty, coy and soft spoken Scarlett is swept over her feet by a rich, charming debonair-Julian; dreams of her meeting the perfect partner slowly seem to turn into a reality. This is that feeling, that moment she hopes she will cherish forever - But what if none of it is what it seems? What if the situation is not what it seems? What if the man is not what he seems? What if she is not what she seems?  Appearances are deceiving - big time! One never knows! The big question here is, who is being decieved? Are the characters in the film being deceived by their own externalities? Are the circumstances being decieved by the ones in them? Or are you, the audience is being decieved into believing a pretension?

On the completion of this short film, I aim to send it for various international and national film festivals. I want it to qualify, which it will, I am cent percent sure; provided, I have the funds to make it the way I want to. I really want it to be good, rather nothing less than the best. I want it to look like a seasoned production which when projected or seen with scores of other "professional 35mm films" looks upto the mark and even better. I do not want something that's amateurish. The short film deals a lot with the human psychology and the dark cravings chained altogether.

What will I need the funds for?

1. I will need funds for renting film equipments - camera, jibs, dolly,  tripod, lights
2. I will need funds for renting a studio which will be converted into the upmarket lounge
3. I will need funds for the actors and the background artists
4. I will need funds for permits (shooting in India, is hell of an issue - umpteen number of permissions are required and they permit you only when they are fed)
5. I will need funds to procure some music from Jamendo that have already been selected by me and to make one original theme that would resonate throughout the film as an audio leitmotif
6. And finally for the post-production (hiring a dubbing and editing studio) - to complete the final edits, the video and sound engineering.

Therefore I would request one and all to please help me make this film by contibuting some money and spread the word amongst your friends and accquaintances. If my pleadings manage the sum of $2000, i.e around Rs 1,20,000, all the above work can be done with a few adjustments here and there and if I manage to get a little bit more, I will use it for some marketing of the short film. In India making a film is really a big deal especially if you do not belong to the "Bollywood" background, but I am determined to make my mark, all I require is a little help from all your previliged people and your best wishes!