There are times when a little lamp at the end of a tunnel devours every bit of darkness, and you wish to cling to this tiny light with every inch of life in you. I have been experiencing something of the same sort while I try to submit my application for a course in documentary film making that is DOC NOMADS European Master Course.
The sun of this episode rises when I start to explore the course list under Erasmus Mundus, with nothing particular in my head. With my current predicament regarding career options, I found this course in documentary direction as if I had found gold in a mine …and my eyes glittered. I explored the course website and it happened to be the exact opportunity that I’d been dreaming of. I familiarize myself with the prerequisites of the application, and even though I lack a few …I thought I might have a chance. So I started to work upon it, and it seemed as if the whole nature turned against me. The somewhat dramatic series of dark humor unravels in the following fashion:
The Video Camera: One of the requirements of the application was to make a video, featuring the applicant him/herself for at least one minute. The video has to be on somewhat applicant’s philosophy of life. However, I did not own a video camera, neither was I in a position to buy one so I borrowed money from my friend Sabyasaachi who was kind enough to do the favor. And thus I bought my first video camera; Sony CX 160. Sabya, who works in the USA, planned to visit India in the late November, and that was when I got my hands on my video camera. The deadline of the submission was given to be Jan 15, 2012 and I was not in haste either.
The Script: The given topic of the video was “my vision about my internal-external world”, so I prepared a script relevant to the theme. I tried several shots with my new camera and supposed to club them up together to make the video. I planned to put in a light tune which I could produce with my guitar myself, or at least that was what I thought I could do when I’d read about the condition of “use only original sounds” in the video making guidelines of the application, later I concluded that “use only original sounds” suggested that there should be no playback. Hence I changed the entire idea of the video and prepared a new script. Now I replan the video with myself appearing on the screen for the full length which would automatically satisfy the condition of “appearing for one minute”. So I wrote down everything in my diary and selected locations.
The Assistance: The condition “appearing in the video for at least one minute” left me with a troublesome need of assistance with the camera. Now in this particular span of time, I have absolutely no one to help me out with such an activity. So I began my search for a person who could do the favor for me. I called my friend Anuj who lived 10 kms away from my house and worked in Noida, at 200 kms from our hometown Agra. He agreed to help and managed to take a leave. I eagerly wait for Anuj and feel relaxed in my heart that the video should finally be done with his help.
The dawn of the scheduled day broke and I could see nothing but fog everywhere. I called Anuj to know his whereabouts, only to find that every mode of transportation was suffering due to the heavy fog in north India. I waited for him the entire day and called him every minute. While I was waiting and cursing the weather, Anuj arrived at 5 pm. We discussed the idea anyway and I told him how he could be of help. Finally we left to shoot the first scene which included Taj Mahal. We reached the location and found out that the Taj could not be seen due to the fog, and thus the whole plan went in vain.
Now I was left with no clue as to how I was going to complete this video without any help, for Anuj had left for his office. The days were vanishing in the air and I had done absolutely nothing for the application, this feeling was killing me. Seeing me troubled, my mother suggested me to give it up already for I was finding no help and the deadline was getting closer. I told her that no matter what, I was going to submit the application, otherwise I’d surely regret this my whole life.
It’s a usual foggy day, and I received a call from my other school friend Naveen, who is an engineer far away. He told me that he was going to visit soon. He informed me of his extended trip, and I once again felt energy in my veins.
Naveen arrives and it’s already January. I discuss my problem with him and he happily agrees to help, and once again we go out to shoot, even though Naveen has no idea whatsoever about handling a video camera. So for every scene, I shoot it first and illustrate it to him, explain him about what needs to be done and how it should be done. He’s a sharp guy though he gets bored easily, so I cannot get choosy with the camera work. I need this to be done and I wouldn’t mind the quality for without his help, there would be no quality, no video.
So after a lot of fog, jog, inhibition, prohibition, disputes, issues and a few days, we finished our shoot. I was not satisfied with the quality of the video but was still glad that I at least had something to put in to the application.
Editing the Video: I connect my camera to my computer to transfer the video files and find out that the video camera is not compatible with windows xp service pack 2, I need at least service pack 3. I search the entire market for the cd to install sp3 but I cannot find one. I then called my friend Hemant who told me that he could arrange the cd for me. So I took an ordinary bus and traveled 50 kms in the freezing cold to Hemant’s house, and just so you know, an ordinary bus in my land is a bus with doors & windows almost broken and they happily welcome everything that’s in the air. Anyways, I reached his room and grabbed the cd, stayed for the night and returned to my home the very next day.
I install sp3 on my computer and transfer the videos and it’s done, Great!!! I feel so good …only for a couple of minutes. It appears that the quality of the output of the camera is too high to be edited on my computer. The system just breaks down every time I try to open the videos in the editor. And then began the seemingly endless search on “how to edit .MTS video format” and it seemed that this problem had no solution, days passed by.
I had a small clip which I experimentally tried to upload on YouTube, even though I had read that the .MTS format was not in the “YouTube support formats’ list”, but somehow YouTube accepted my video almost miraculously. It was a sudden turn of events and now I knew that I just had to download the .MP4 version of the video from YouTube which should be compatible with the editing software.
I upload/download all the video clips, but my obsolete system still crashes due to the high quality of the video. However I know the solution this time; I need to edit the video on a better processor. I know that my friend Akash at 250 kms and owns an Alienware which should be perfect …so once again I leave in a chilled atmosphere.
After a rematch with the freezing temperature, I reached Akash’s place and stayed there for a couple of days. The weather was literally freezing and Akash did not have enough bedding for the two of us. I inevitably caught cold and got sick, yet I did not give up on the editing. Editing the new video, re-editing the previous documentary, writing subtitles and matching them up with the videos, learning intricacies of the editing software; all was being done at Akash’s place. I had no idea what was coming up next.
The Appostile Seal: As it says in the application procedure, the previous degrees should have an appostile seal on each copy, and then only it could be uploaded in the online application form. I explore about appostile seal and come to know that in our country, there are two steps in the appostile seal process; First it has to be attested from the regional office of the concerned state and then it’s to be attested from the ministry of external affairs, New Delhi.
When I’d left for Akash’s, I had become pretty sure in my heart that I would complete the application in time and had asked my father that he should carry my documents to the concerned offices and get the appostile seal done. It seemed like a straight forward procedure so I didn’t bother much. It was the last week before the deadline and my father could not travel on Monday due to the low temperature. So he leaves on Tuesday making a stop on the way, and then goes to the regional office on Wednesday (Jan 11, 2012). The dealing officer in the regional office asks for a proof or some kind of a call letter before he approves the documents. Since there is no call letter from the respective Universities, the attestation could not be done.
My father told me about the situation on phone. I realized that if I could explain the whole thing to the officer myself and present him the copies of the application form from internet, he might attest my documents. Since my father cannot operate a computer well, I was to do it myself. The concerned offices are closed on weekends so I immediately leave Akash’s place to catch the first bus to reach home by the night. I planned to collect my documents from my home and then leave for the regional office the next day and get the rest of it done in New Delhi the day after, which looked pretty insane on the time line.
I took a random bus to save time. I changed three buses to reach Agra and I was home by the night, sick and cold. My mother asked me as to what I was going to do, father also wondered how I was going to make it; traveling 400 kms to the regional office then travel 900 kms back to New Delhi with only two days in my hand, that too in a freezing temperature without any proper and on schedule transportation. I told my mom that I was going to travel in a bus the whole night and I would decide the rest later. My father asked to come along and I declined it was freezing outside. He said, “Either I am coming with you or you’re not going at all”.
I put my hands on my forehead and sat down after considering all possibilities, I knew it was not wise to let father travel in the freezing weather for anything …and I decided not to go. My mother funnily told me the next day that she finally saw me tensed for something, and we laughed out loud.
I write a mail to the coordinator of the DOC NOMADS and explain the situation. While I wait for the reply, I start to write the motivational letter, and that was when I found out that the deadlines of the submission had been extended!!!
Computer Breaks Down: I woke up the next morning, much relaxed and at peace since the deadline had been pushed ahead by 16 days. Now I could redo the editing of the video which I had done in haste, and I could also attempt to get the appostile seal. I brushed my teeth and turned on my computer, and it did not start, broke down completely.
I knew I had time, but not much. Re-editing the videos, letters writing, photographs’ gallery; all needed to be taken care of. I then called my friend Ashish asking for his spare laptop. Ashish is doing his PhD in IIT Kanpur which lies on my way to the regional office. Once again I leave in a bus. However when I alighted in Kanpur, I found that the response to my e-mail to DOC NOMADS had arrived. The reply informed me that I could get the appostile seal done later at the time of admission (if I get admitted that is), and now I needed not go any further to get the seal. So I stayed at Ashish’s room and checked his laptop which had Linux installed on it. I tried to install windows but the cd driver was broken. I planned to return home the next day while Ashish tried to fix the laptop. We spent the entire night trying to fix the laptop but it didn’t help.
The clock shows 5:30 am and I have to catch a bus after 5 hours so I go to sleep, though I once again have caught cold after the freezing night out.
I wake up at 9 in the morning and pack my stuff, then leave for the bus station. I took a pill for the bad cold I was suffering from and I slept throughout the journey. I arrived home and rested a little before I got back on the application. I started writing and editing all the letters according to the online application format. I have installed a virtual machine that runs windows on linux, though it is not sufficient to run any editing software. I know I still need to do a little bit of editing in the video which certainly cannot be done on this laptop.
The Final Push: I once again go to Hemant’s place for he’s got a good system to work on. I did the required editing and uploaded the video on YouTube, and uploaded the subtitles as well. I came back home the next day and started to work on the letters. I plan to submit the online application on Sunday, Jan 30.
I am still on it…
(Jan 29, 2012)
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And It’s done today.
Hoping for the best.
(Jan 30, 2012)
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Foot Note: It’s been quite an experience, preparing the application for DOC NOMADS. The gestalt feeling of submitting the application under the surprising and seemingly coincidental hindrances surely goes beyond an application’s meaning. I still have left several occasions unmentioned where I felt like quitting the idea of the application but I’d taken it as a test …a little test may be, but to see if I could stand against that many odds. And it feels good to have this done even though it may lead to nothing…well, not nothing, for the experience only has given a glimpse that hurdles too get exhausted, iff you are stubborn enough.
Dude, All the Best.
Best wishes Kavi…!