Twenty-year-old Sivaram Mony from Trivandrum has been making short films for the last 10 years. Back then there was no short film frenzy like today or DSLR cameras or even digital format in film-making! He says, “I was inspired by a newspaper article, and gathered my friends to make the first short film. There was no digital format then, it was a time when tapes were used instead of memory cards.”
Sivaram’s two films Pillow Talk and In Conversation with God have been recently selected for four international short film festivals this year. The most prestigious amongst these are the Second Asia International (Wenzhou) Youth Short-Film Festival held in China and the 6th Annual iPhone Film Festival held at Beverly Hills, California. In Conversation with God has previously won him awards for Best Film and Best Director at the AVTAR International Film Festival, Coimbatore in 2014.
The short film Pillow Talk is a tad different from his other work in terms of technology used. The whole film was shot with an iPhone 6 thus securing a place in the iPhone Film Festival. Sivaram explains, “It was a challenge to do something with the limitations we faced. The lighting had to be kept in check and the range of the frames was a minor problem we faced. But all this aside, the output quality was great.”
From working on VHS tapes to the compact cameras of today, Sivaram has come a long way in ten years directing more than 40 corporate films, editing more than 100 videos (including short films, music videos, documentaries, corporate films) and directing about nine short films. He is now in pursuit to make his feature film come true. “My future plan involves watching my film in a good theatre with a decent-sized audience, reading my name on the screen, and ultimately people accepting the work I have done,” he says endearingly.
Reach Out: facebook.com/sivmony