A week dedicated to what we believe in:
The LGBTQ community must have representation and social stigma should never hold them back. We believe that one of the ways of being an ally to our friends and the community in entirety is to wholeheartedly dedicate our one week, every year, to them. Before this, we had shot the Pride Parade 2017 in Mumbai and Bangalore on a smaller scale in terms of team and equipment at hand. This one week dedicated to the Pride Walk includes two days of planning, one day of shooting and three-four days of post-production. This is our way of helping.
The 2018 Bangalore Pride Walk was the third one we did as a team. It wasn’t a project given to us by a client, nor was it a part of some work that gave us anything financially. Yet it probably is somewhere on the top in terms of the amount of effort our crew put in. It’s something we did because of our belief in it. It’s why a team of super enthusiastic people turned up and did whatever was required to get it right.
The aim - pride not prejudice
From pre-production to post, this project had self-imposed, stringent deadlines. Why? We wanted to complete it as fast as possible. (Without compromising on quality, of course) Through this video, we wanted to start a conversation with people who are a little iffy when it comes to the LGBTQ community. We wanted them to know that Pride is a big deal. There are thousands of people who show up on the streets of Bangalore. (And that’s just one city!) They have the guts to step out and be themselves.
We also wanted to dedicate this film to those who could not make it, didn’t want to make it or were just not in the right space to be there. This was the first Pride Walk after the Section 377 verdict and it was a celebration of love and liberation.
Production - A team that did anything for the shot
The weather had been extremely hot for a few days before, but on that day, it was just fine. We came to the Pride March directly from another shoot and brought along all the equipment that we had. Having done this in the past, we were prepared. We knew very well that for a live event of this scale, it was impossible to script things out to the tee. We had to chalk out a vague idea of what was going to happen and work around that. Our goal was to capture the feel and energy of Pride.
Being an eight-member team, it made sense to split into groups. Some of us cycled through the crowd with our gimbals while some of us stationed ourselves at vantage points to take detailed, high-angle shots. We’d climb anything that we could, from gates to walls. For one particular shot, we even positioned ourselves on a flyover. Amongst the crowd, there were many moments worth capturing. The atmosphere was energetic and people were smiling, laughing, cheering and dancing.
This shoot was difficult purely from a stamina perspective. We had to get the shot and keep moving. Plus, we were all carrying backpacks full of equipment and had no place to keep them. Eight of us were running up and down with heavy equipment after having already done another shoot in the morning. But no one complained. We were all motivated by the cause. There was a crazy effort from the entire team; every single person went all out.
Experience of Pride:
Apart from the fluttering flags, colourful artwork, and sassy slogans, there was so much to experience in terms of stories. We got to hear personal accounts of people who had faced difficulties only because they could not be who they are. Our biggest takeaway from this Pride Walk was that no one discriminated against us for being straight. We aren’t in the LGBTQ spectrum but there wasn’t a single moment where we felt out of place. There was a sense of belonging throughout. Though it’s harder for the LGBTQ community, they’re the ones who are inclusive.
We want to take this opportunity to thank the organisers of this Pride Walk. It isn’t easy to do something like this on such a large scale. If you want to help us with our next Pride project, please feel free to contact us. We’re sure there’s a lot more we can do to visually tell the story of Pride and the LGBTQ community.
“During our pre-production, we had planned to get not-more-than three interviews towards the end. But that day, the camera kept rolling even after it got dark. Something that was supposed to last for half-an-hour went on for four hours! People from the community gathered strength from those around them and spoke their hearts out. They felt empowered. Seeing them in their element, that moment just felt so right for us collectively. It backed up our belief. We knew that our film would make a difference.”
