The people, places and the culture of the land relate many a tale, both old and new. Various facets of Kochi, the melting pot, come alive in the tilt shift video experiment. Kochu Kochi from Orange Balloons Production is a tribute to Kochi, the place where the production crew has found their living. It offers a visual treat with its picturesque scenes.
“It is Kochi which has given us a life and a livelihood. So we felt like giving something back to the city. That’s how Kochu Kochi was born. The video experiment is the first of its kind,” says Arun Jyothi, producer of the video.
The video which took four months for conceptualisation and production captures almost all prominent places of the city in a unique way. The common scenes and sights are portrayed in extraordinary light. The shooting, a Herculean task, was done from elevated areas and rooftops of high rise buildings. The video covers the Shipyard, MG Road, Vyttila Mobility Hub, Kakkanad Infopark, boat rides, the tranquil Arabian sea, parks and the busy traffic. It also zooms on the day and night life of Kochi and takes the viewers through the scenic beauty, vibrancy and charm of the land.
“The social media has supported us by popularising our small venture. We are happy to receive calls and messages and to know that it did creat ripples among viewers,” says director Aravind Raj.
The video that culminates in the sunset and the nightlife depicts the gradual growth of the city and its people. The team faced difficulties in getting permission to shoot certain places and they had to omit Marine Drive and the Airport due to technical hazards. The team expressed their wish to cover the metro train and its movement which is one of the much waited milestone of the city. “We wanted to bring a miniature form of our city. It is artificially created using filters and without using any tilt shift lens. And the output really met our expectations,” says editor Asif. With a budget of `30,000 the video was done using Canon 7D camera and edited in Adobe Premiere and Aftereffects. The crew members include Jinto George and Arun Jyothi (cinematography) Elwin James Wilmot and Yad Shiyad (music), Bipin MR (colourist), Akhil Sukumaran and Akhil Sajeev (associate directors) and Jimmy Varghese (design).
Orange Balloons Productions comprising freelancers, formed seven months ago caught attention for its first and socially relevant short film, Athe Kaaranathal by Jeevaj Raveendran. Kochu Kochi, the five-minute video is their second outing.
“We don’t have many platforms for video productions. So a web TV platform which can showcase such videos is our dream project. A documentary on migrant labourers is on the cards,” says Arun Jyothi. “Kochi has a unique way of welcoming all kinds of people which makes us cling to the lovely place,” says the crew.