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  • Hello, December Old Friend

    Wow. Yet another year has gone by. 2010 seems to have gone by far quicker than previous years – I can’t be much of a judge of time on this spinning ball we call Earth (seeing as I’ve only been on it for just over 17 years) but the speed at which this year has travelled at would make old Einstein giddy with joy.

    This is my last year of being “beneath” a grade at school; from next year, I will be in my final year. This is going to place major implications on my blogging career (as you might’ve noticed from my devastating absence over the past few months whilst I was deep in preparation for this year’s final exams). I will be limiting my extra-writing in 2011 – and it will be completely cut-out as I approach the final stretch (probably around mid-2011…)

    2010 has been an incredible year. From the 2010 World Cup, to my school tour to Europe (my first time travelling overseas on my own). I had a blast exploring the history and culture of such a remarkable continent over two weeks with some of the best friends one could ask for. Then there was Target, the short film that I made along with Imtyaz Rahim and Bryan Smith. It won the Technical Excellence award at our “Oscars” evening, so that was a great way to close that awesome chapter. There has also been some difficult decisions I’ve had to make this year, but I’m hoping that they will pay-off in the long run as I aim to continue focussing on the important stuff. (On the mention of “focus”, I highly recommend fellow blogger Leo Babauta’s new e-book, focus. It’s free and has some great info on how to keep a clear mind and be focussed.)

    I’ve also had the privilege this year of being invited to write for Blogote, a technology blog based in Bangalore, India run by a passionate tech enthusiast and awesome guy, Sidharth. Rock on, dude! m/

    So, December is here, and that can mean only one thing: free time! I plan to spend my summer break reading, writing, and having some well-needed down-time. Here’s my plans…

    To Read

    I’m an avid reader, and apart from some classics, here’s some of the leisure books I have lined-up:

    To Watch

    At the cinema:

    • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
    • Tron: Legacy
    • Spud – The Movie
    • Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader

    On DVD:

    • Inside Man (inspiration for a little something I’m working on… hint hint.)
    • Inception
    • Pulp Fiction
    • Inglourious Basterds
    • Casino Royale
    • Quantum of Solace

    Probably more. I’ll see how my film tastes emerge as the holidays progress.

    Amongst all this reading/viewing, I will indulge myself in excessive bouts of writing – something I love doing best. I am planning my novel in earnest, and Literature & Latte’s Scrivener, coupled with my good old Moleskine (because sometimes putting pen to real paper can ease the flow of the imagination, you know) are making this process all the more enjoyable.

    I aim to blog often, too. I have already begun to post regularly to Blogote – look out for those posts being published soon. Of course, this blog – Life in Pixels – will be having its fair share of writing. I plan to blog about my adventures in writing this behemoth novel of mine, my thoughts on the books and films I’ll be consuming and of course, my opinions on Life, the Universe, and Everything.

    So long, and thanks for all the fish.

    (Sorry – couldn’t help those Douglas Adams references. Perhaps I should add him to my reading list? We’ll see.)


  • ASSASSIN

    A short story by Rahul Dowlath.

    (more…)

  • Target – A Short Story

    Based on the short film by Rahul Dowlath, Bryan Smith and Imtyaz Rahim. Short story written by Rahul Dowlath.

    TARGET

    A Short Story (Based on a Short Film)

    It was going to be a good day. The best day of his life. Redemption. The very thought tasted sweet in his mouth, and for second – almost unnoticed – what could’ve passed for a sliver of a smile crossed his hardened face.

    But effortlessly he pushed such thoughts away from his mind. There was work to be done. A quick glance at the luminescent-green digital clock fixed into the wall next to his workbench glowed 2:59 am. Despite the early hour, he was wide awake, his mind sharper than ever.

    Only four hours to go. Redemption never tasted sweeter.

    (more…)

  • Thoughts on “TARGET”

    Over the past two months I’ve been busy, amongst other things, with producing a short film for an English assignment, along with two very good friends.

    It’s been a roller-coaster ride, as we typed away at a script that we hoped would convey an engaging story, and fought with film-editing applications to ensure that our finished product did justice to the concept we were working on for so long. You see, the main idea we had when starting work on Target was to create the most exciting, engaging film that included techniques not-bef0re used in this assignment.

    The idea for the film came from news reports in the months just before the 2010 World Cup was to be held in South Africa. There was a great sense of panic when it was suddenly reported that there were apparent terror threats on the new stadiums that had been build for the event. Thankfully, nothing did happen, but my team and I decided to take our own fictional spin on the reports, and asked the fundamental question that spurred Target‘s writing: what would you do, if you knew there was a bomb placed in the new stadium – if you were the only person to know, and could be the only person to stop such an attack? Of course, some of this does sound a little absurd, and rightfully so – after all, this is a fictional tale, and we made express use of our prose licence in exerting the most amount of freedom in writing the film.

    Redemption

    The “terrorist” angle took on a new face when a member of the team, Bryan, was to go to London for a short holiday. We seized this opportunity to write-in a new character, the “mastermind” of the whole plot that Target is centred on. So it was to be that a man with twisted logic was born out of the words woven on our digital page, who thought that the only way of getting back at the country that supposedly “betrayed” him pre-1994 was to seek redemption in the form of terrorism. He poisoned the minds of men who in their own right felt betrayed to an extent, and one such man was given the task that fits in the narrative arc of the film – the character aptly (and very imaginatively) titled – I’m sure you’d agree with me – “The Terrorist”.

    Filmmaking

    For many years now, I’ve been fascinated with the art of filmmaking; of movie magic. I’ve tried my hand at writing numerous screenplays, and as such, when we were given the task of this film assignment, I took up the opportunity with great relish to work on what would become the screenplay of Target.

    But Target stretches far from just a story that we wanted to tell; it was a great process of two months’ hard work, painstakingly agonising over the most minute of details, to ensure that the visual media we were working in did justice to the words written in the script.

    And it would never have been possible without the amazing talent of the actors involved. They brought those words to life, and gave them an added twist of their own, adding that perfect mix of drama and engaging an atmosphere that’s hard to achieve with a static script.

    I found it fascinating to note that, after paging through my trusty Moleskine notebook, a single paragraph written in the section where we planned the film, summed up the entire plot. So it was that Target had been “almost” fully-conceptualised before its full writing process began. Still, however, that final scene that incorporates some ambitious visual effects had always been a component that I wanted to include no matter what the storyline would end up being. I had originally written it into the finalé of another screenplay, Kiss of Death, a 1930s “shoot-’em-up” gangster film that was supposed to be our Grade 11 Film Project – until we received the theme – and after pitching it to the directing/production team, we unanimously decided that if it could be done right, that was an awesome way to kick into the credits sequence.

    Throughout the filming phase we were inspired by the great directors of our age: Quintin Tarrentino, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and, of course, Steven Spielberg. Their use of camera, movement through time and space, and distribution of colour gave us guidance in working on the production of Target.

    Whilst Target is a very amateur project, the three of us – Bryan, Imtyaz and myself – are incredibly proud of what we’ve worked on. It was a long process, but a greatly enjoyable one and a time through which we all learnt a great deal about the art of movie magic. Target does have its flaws, but at the end of the day, to the three of us, what we’ve learnt far outweighs those setbacks.

    And in case you’re wondering, the story I hinted at in a previous post (“[PREVIEW] New Short Story”) is indeed based on the film. It is altered slightly, and was written parallel to the writing phase of Target. It should be releasing on the blog sometime soon.

  • So Long, and Thanks for All the CAD

    I was on Work Experience this past week, and thoroughly enjoyed my time spent at both an engineering and an architectural firm.

    What struck me as very interesting was the immense inroads computing has made in the design-related aspects of these fields. There was a LOT of drafting going on in AutoCAD, and in the case of the architects, ArchiCAD. I was able to witness, first-hand, the “modern” architect’s studio that comprises not of drawing boards, T-squares and copious amounts of pencils, but of stylish Apple iMacs and a new generation of keen designers clicking and typing away at amazing designs.

    This has inspired me and got me thinking about the next wave of innovation; with the rise of computer-aided design, designers can see and understand before even laying bricks, the impact that their buildings may have on the environment. In an age where going green has become the next cultural phenomenon – the next big thing – CAD systems will allow the innovators of the built environment – a field that so greatly influences the way we as a society live, think and work – to design consciously, constantly being aware of the impact their designs are making.

    At the same time, being able to see in glorious 3D the look of a design before construction is even fathomed is a really cool way, in my opinion, of Design 2.0 – the modern way of thinking and innovating.

    Now if only I can get my hands on ArchiCAD… oh well.