Xiaomi - MiTV Stick

We shot two films over one day for Xiaomi’s Mi TV Stick. This brief came to us three days prior to scheduled shoot and had to be delivered a day after the shoot. We had two teasers to be delivered immediately and two main films a week later. We’ve had faster delivery timelines than this but this one shot during the pandemic with teams working over night with all the safety protocols required made the shoot a very special one.

We had multiple rounds of recce with the director giving specific requirements for the set up, the art team had to work the day and night in prior to achieve the look and feel that was desired. We also had to make sure that the safety precautions were doubled as we had an elderly actor on set. As a company we have always placed safety above all else.

BTS Shots For You

Shooting in the time of Corona

The lockdown saw us working on various animation projects collaborating with teams overseas. With Bangalore opening up for shoots, we began receiving several scripts and shooting commenced.

The shoots we are now undertaking are unlike any other. Our Producers bear in mind the impending danger and the many precautions we are to take on set and during the complete course of production. We make sure our sets are as safe as it can be and our crew feel safe while doing their job. In order to accomplish this we give safety the utmost priority and do not compromise on any measures that we as a company need to take, even if that means denying a request from the client that can jeopardise the safety of the cast and crew.

We would like to take this opportunity to let you know of all the measures STOM Productions takes to ensure the safety of our crew. Here is a glimpse of what happens on our sets.

Location

Our Producers make sure that we only provide the client with locations that are massive and have tremendous outdoor space to allow zonal divisions on premises and can house the number of crew members the project demands.

Crew

We have made sure and continue to make sure that there is no one below the age of 15 and above the age of 60 on set. In case the script absolutely demands talent of this age group, the risks are informed to the client in prior and on mutual consent of the casting director, talent and full agreement of the client, a decision is taken.

Consent Forms

Those members of the agency, client and crew who would be present on set have to sign a consent form acknowledging their complete awareness of the ongoing pandemic. Members have to provide us details of their age, health condition, medications they are on, the shoots they have done in the past 14 days with the recorded temperature at that shoot, the production house details of the previous shoot they were on and their travel history. Anybody who has travelled even inter-district within 14 days from the date of shoot is not permitted on set. A sign off on the form would indicate their absolute consent to par take in the shoot despite being fully aware of the ongoing pandemic and the prescribed government regulations. The production team follows up on the entire crew and has them sign the form. Those that have not signed the form are prohibited from entering the set.

Safety Manager On Set

Our team now comprises of a Safety Manager, the personnel checks everybody’s temperature with a contactless thermometer and their oxygen levels are recorded. These details are kept in our database for future reference. PPE kits are then handed over to the crew. Those that have signed the consent forms are the only ones that would be allowed on set.

Safety Gear & Precautions

The set is divided into zones - Light Zone, Caterers & Spot Zone, Camera, Make Up, Styling, Art Holding Zone, Client/Agency and Director’s Zone to make sure there is minimum contact between those that inevitably have to work together. Each actor is given an individual room.

Those crew members who would be present on set have to mandatorily wear a PPE suit and a face shield along with a mask. If one denies to wear a PPE suit and has valid reasons and if the Production Team finds that the individual would have little to no contact with other members on set, the individual is allowed to enter with a face shield and mask. There are sanitisers at every entry and exit point and at each zone. Instructions on the safety precautions are outlined on posters displayed around the location. Proper instructions are given on disposing the PPE kits.

We also have first aid kits on location and if anyone is found to be sick or reports to the Production Team with symptoms, they are sent back immediately and have to mandatorily do the COVID-19 test. Every crew member has to download and show the Arogya Setu App to the Safety Manager.

Waste Disposal

Each individual is given a disposable bag for medical waste. Once the PPEs and all medical gear is sealed in each individual’s respective bags, the production team makes sure the waste is disposed in clinical waste bins and the carcasses are handled as little as possible.

Catering

We understand that this probably is the single most important part of our shoot alongside shooting the film itself and breaks are when the crew tend to mingle the most. To avoid this we have rolling breaks that have different sections of the crew taking breaks at different times. Corporate Lunch and Breakfast packages are served. It comes in sealed containers ordered from Swiggy-Safe kitchens. Caterers do not handle the contents of the packages. We do not have an agency table along with a differentiation of A-Crew and B-Crew buffets that we are aware that some clients prefer. If client and agency have a different food preference, the production crew will have it ordered from another Swiggy-Safe kitchen. This ensures minimal physical contact.

Transportation

We now have our own Taxi service with appropriate permits. We have begun this to ensure that all measures are taken care of while the cast and crew who opt to commute via our transport service, travel. We take utmost care to maintain all government prescribed safety precautions while travelling.

Along with this we have prescribed safety standards and measures that each department needs to carry out. So far our precautionary measures have been rated highly among clients and our crew.

We would like you to know that a shoot with us is as safe as it could get.

Please note: These rules and regulations are constantly evolving and are subject to change as and when the State and Central Government make amends to the safety protocol we need to follow. We are fully updated on the changing safety protocol and keep our crew informed of the same. The above mentioned procedure id as of 24 August, 2020.

BTS FROM VARIOUS SHOOTS WE HAVE UNDERTAKEN DURING THE ONGOING PANDEMIC

The Unsung and its travels

We’re an ad film production house and in the past few months we’ve been asked why we still do documentaries. Why that genre of all, why not anything else? So we thought we must take the time to throw light on our documentary, The Unsung. The story behind it, why STOM Productions, an ad film production house is passionate about documentaries and why we’re self funding these projects.

Well, first things first, documentaries are our way to connect to the real world and give back to society. Films are a powerful tool to bring truths to the forefront and when we tell stories of individuals, of communities, their issues, their realities that are seldom heard or lost in the multitude of voices, we believe in some tiny way we’re making a small change. Allowing people to empathise, change their ways, act and more importantly be aware of their surroundings. It also keeps us grounded despite the many altered, fabricated ideologies that are pushed our way and fed into our conscious mind. They say the truth sets you free and this our medium of telling the truth.

The Unsung was one such project that not just spoke to us on several levels, on a community that was grappling against the tides of modernisation and westernisation but it showed us how when the majority looks away, the lesser heard minorities not just dwindle but suffer as they do. It also speaks of our government, what must be done for our tribes, how we can learn from them and how important it is to look at them as an independent autonomous unit that is capable and functional in a way different from ours. The Unsung is just a little eye opener of what is happening to thousand other tribes in this country while we, in a place of privilege turn a blind eye to anything that does not affect us, all the while these voices are either crushed or ignored.

To give you a brief summary - The Unsung is a film on a dying tribe on the coastal region of Karnataka -- the Halakki Vokkaliga. This once culturally rich tribe with a treasure trove of folk songs, passed down orally from generations is now grappling against the tide of modernisaton, with only a handful of old ladies who identify with the tribe, their traditions and cultures. With the passing of these few old women, their very culture fades away.

​The film touches on the struggles of the tribe, the clash between modernisation and their culture, the fight to keep their forests alive and the painstakingly long battle to be included in the Scheduled Tribe list in India. The Halakki Vokkaliga's story is a reflection of several hundred other tribes going through drastic changes in lifestyle, losing bits of their identity amidst the growth and development in the country. Their day to day battles on several fronts go unheard, unnoticed.

​It is a record of not just a fading tribe but the fading diversity of India, as the country loses forgotten tribes living on the fringes of society.

​This film is an unsung story of the last of the singing tribe, as they perish.

Currently the film has been nominated for 23 film festivals worldwide and is still doing the rounds. It has been screened in over 8 countries and has won 3 awards. In every screening we always find a few tribals themselves who come back to us and say hey! I saw this transition, this process of acculturation and now we’ve lost our identity completely, may be I can do my bit to revive it or we get people who belong to a tribe say, “I could relate, I feel this is what my community is going through.” That further highlights the very fact that this is the truth of so many others in this country. While we cannot promise change, we can hope for it. And screening after screening our hope only gets stronger.

You can watch the film on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/theunsung/

First Project of 2020 With BAFTA Nominee Marcie Maclellan

Our first shoot of the year was for an agency in London. We were thrilled to work with UK based director, Marcie Maclellan, a BAFTA Nominee and Best Producer Nominee, BIFA. The way we connected was magical right from the start. Marcie googled Female Filmmaker Bangalore and our Founder and Director’s name Sarah Thomas popped up. A research revealed all the feminist films she’s done and her experience in production . Marcie was keen on bringing a female led team on board and soon STOM Productions was roped into the project.

The teams came together to work on 5 films shot over 7 days. Working with actors and non actors. Shooting in film locations and real ones - on the road, hospitals, parks and homes. The shoot was a cultural and political eye opener among many other things. While we could talk of the many challenges we faced and oh! we reallly did but who doesn’t, we’ll skip to how we turned things around as we always do. We’re so used to have things in order on a set and suddenly we’re in a real hospital and despite all the scheduling and breifing, we weren’t in control. Schedules changed, locations changed, cast changed but our spirits didn’t.

We’ve been looking at them as learnings really. Working with multiple teams locally, working out timings in India and the UK, our team staying up until 1am during pre prod in the office to get things running smoothly and making sure the crowd in the multiple locations we shot was taken care of. Marcie and her team in London at MAF made all of this so easy. From colleagues to friends, this shoot was truly a journey that we’ll go back to months or may be years later as one that brought cheer amid so many stresses and challenges. Thanks to this film, we’re already working on our next big project and we can’t wait to bring it to you!

Break the Silence Wins An Award at Korea

Break the Silence, an ad we had shot for Women’s day against domestic violence, shedding light on the issue and the role on-lookers play in sanctioning this crime.

We sent the film for the International Public Advertisement Festival, Seoul and amongst thousands of ads, Break the Silence won the Excellence Award.

The film is one of the few that we had written and produced and to see it winning awards internationally is an overwhelming feeling for the team.

Written by Mahesh Karunakaren
Directed by John Peter
Produced by Sarah Thomas
Shot by Bharath Parashuram