For this series of interviews, I’ve chosen 8 questions as a tribute to the iconic 8mm camera, diving into the vision and passion of each filmmaker/actor.
Vaibhav Gattani is an Indian Filmmaker and the founder of Icescape Films – an independent film production company. His strong desire to tell a story that reaches and touches common people’s heart is what keeps him going.
Is there a movie from your childhood that sparked your love for cinema, or was it something that developed gradually?
As a kid, I was always fascinated by the cinema. I used to love watching films, but that’s it, I never thought of creating one, probably because of the conditioning of the society. At the age of 18, I found my passion for Filmmaking, but I was not confident enough about making it as a career, but then, soon I realized that making films is the only thing that I want to do for the rest of my life.
Which filmmaker inspires you the most, and why?
James Franco (Filmmaker) & John Mayer (Singer) inspires me the most! Both of them have never shied away from expressing their opinions and have discussed about their flaws and insecurities very openly. They have done a lot of charities and have helped fellow Artists. They openly share their process and techniques, and are not insecure. They are not just Actor and Singer, they do multiple things in their project, which I love! They followed their inner voice and intuition, and never cared about people’s opinion. I can see their life in their Art! I am able to connect with their life, ideologies, and art on a personal level. There are a lot of other filmmakers who inspire me. On a technical level, I have learnt a lot from Filmmakers like David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Christopher Nolan.
If you could organize your own film festival, what kind of films would you show, and why?
GREAT films! Doesn’t matter who made it or where was it made. Said that, I would definitely add some categories like:
1) Films made with a cast/crew of less than 5 people.
2) Films made with practically zero budget, i.e., using only the resources you have.
Because, I truly believe that this is where you can find true passion! You are not dependent on anyone. If you love the art enough, you will be your own writer, director, actor, editor, producer, cinematographer, etc. You just have one goal – to make a film, and you are going to do that at any cost! I love this amount of passion. It is very contagious!
What’s a challenge you’ve faced as a filmmaker/actor, and how did you overcome it?
During the casting process, a lot of actors show tremendous amount of passion and love for the project, and are willing to go to any extent to get the part. But once they are locked in, their attitude and behavior change completely. With time, I have realized that most of the Artists are not here for the Art. Their passion and motivation is not for the art, but for its by-product, i.e., Fame, Money, Lifestyle, etc. For e.g., People want to become Actor not because they love the craft of acting, but because they want to have that lifestyle, fame, money, etc.
James Franco once said, “Always have one artistic thing that is pure, at least one thing, where you don’t compromise. You can do other things to make money, but have one pure area.”
So, finding genuine people who share the same amount of passion, who are willing and strong enough to go to any extent to make the project better, is very important. I realized that communication is the key here. You need to understand the other person and their priorities. If the person is right, you will automatically get that feeling/vibe. It’s very important to follow your intuition, because intuition never lie! Yes, it takes time to find the right person, but then, at the end, it’s worth it!
Can you describe a moment on set that has left a lasting impression on you?
Ok. So, while we were shooting for a film, my experience with one particular actor was really bad! It was really difficult to handle that actor. We had a lot of differences even before the shoot started. So, initially, during the casting process, that actor showed a lot of interest and passion towards the project, and everything seemed to be fine. But once that person was locked in for the role, everything changed! That person was not available on phone calls, didn’t use to reply to the messages, neither use to call back, didn’t show up for rehearsals, look test, Voice Over session (we wanted to record the ‘choral musical chant’ before the shoot), and I could go on and on, but in short, that actor’s behavior was completely unprofessional. I had already incurred financial loss because of that actor even before the shoot started.
But then, since that actor was good and perfect for that particular role, I thought that I could still make this work, but then, at one point, I just couldn’t tolerate it and decided to remove that actor. So, I called that actor, and we spoke for length, and then we came to a conclusion (or at least I felt so) and decided to continue.
So now, on set, that actor was not following my direction all the time and was passing unnecessary comments at times. At one point, that actor just left the set because we had an argument. So now, I have to leave everything and go to that actor and convince that actor to come back and resume the shoot.
Cut to day 2. Our day 2 was very big and important, as we were supposed to shoot one of the most important scenes of our film. Expected shoot time was around 10 hours. Now, even before the shoot started, that actor told my Assistant Director to finish their part first because they wanted to leave in 2 hours! Now, how am I supposed to finish 10 hours of shoot in 2 hours?
Because of all these things, the entire mood and energy of my set became negative, and ultimately, my movie suffered because of that one particular actor.
So, this entire experience made me realize that working with good people and having that positive energy on set is really important! No matter how good you are at your work, but if you are not easy to work with, it’s not worth it!
To be honest, today, I am thankful for this entire experience because I got to learn a lot.
So now, I am in no rush (which I used to be). I take my time to hire people, but then, I make sure that they are good, supportive, and share the same amount of love and passion for the Art/Project!
If you had the chance to make a film about your own life, what genre would it be, and who would play you?
To be honest, I never think about these things. But it has to be an Inspirational Drama about Dreaming Big, which will touch upon the topics of spirituality, complex human emotions, and relations. My films are never dependent upon the actors. I, as a Filmmaker, look at acting as any other department of filmmaking. So, when it comes to my life, any actor who could understand the intricacies of my life, and who can give justice to my character, should do it!
What are your top three favorite movies of all time, and what makes them so special to you?
Well, it keeps on changing from time to time. I personally feel that your liking depends on your current state of mind. When you are going through a certain emotion in life, you are able to connect with a movie that depicts those emotions. Said that, one movie that I love a lot is ‘Spanglish’ for its simplicity and minimalistic approach. The way it dealt with the complexities of human emotions and relations is commendable.
I love ‘The Batman (2022)’ movie for its technical brilliance. There are very few movies where you can say that all the departments have done a great job! It has inspired me a lot, and it always pushes me to be a better artist.
‘Requiem for a Dream’ is another movie that I admire a lot. I look at it as a horror movie on substance abuse, which further deals with the topic of loneliness, grief, and the quick-fix attitude of humans!
Other movies that I love are Misery, The Shining, The Social Network, Boogie Nights, Rush, Titanic, and Wrong Turn (yes, you read it right, I am a huge fan of slasher films!).
If you could share one life lesson with our readers, what would it be?
You should know everything about your field. You should work in every department at least for once so that you understand the department and its challenges in a much better way. It makes you more humble towards the department. Now, when you hire an expert in that department, it becomes very easy for you to collaborate with the department.
After completing the project, always spend some time with every department and ask them about the challenges they faced during the project and how did they overcome it. Ask them – if they had all the money and resources, would this project be better? If yes, then how? Learn from them, ask them questions. Don’t think that it’s not your department or job. “Be a Jack of all and master of one”
If you want to know more about filmmaker Vaibhav Gattani, take a look here!
aeyenah 