Walk into a film reel

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The very thought of a movie brings to one’s mind umpteen images related to it. Obviously, the actors come first. Then the silver screen, movie cameras and arc lights. Is it over? Apart from the world of sound and action lies the film reel box that bears the heart and soul of the motion picture. The metallic box that has been lugged from place to place is now being recreated with all its vitality at the 16th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK),  slated to roll up its curtains on Friday. The festival office and media centre under construction on the premises of the Kairali theatre here is all set to provide an aesthetically appealing structure reminiscing the metallic reel boxes of yore.  Designed by Artist Boban, the set is getting ready on the same place which had the festival office in the houseboat structure last time. The designer explains the rationale behind arriving at the structure: “The film reel box was and still is looked upon with much veneration in the industry. There is a ritualistic ceremony for taking the reel box out of the lab. A lot of expectations keep on brimming until it arrives at the theatre.” Boban has made remarkable set designs for several Malayalam movies, including ‘Aaram Thampuran’, ‘Narasimham’, ‘China Town’ and ‘Veeraputhran’. In the exterior, the office resembles a partially opened film box from which a film reel flows outside. The only entrance is an arch-like structure of a film reel. A plywood ramp is constructed on the ground to walk into the office. Two HMI production lights are placed on one side so that the ray of light falls on the logo of IFFK emblazoned on the structure. “A movie made in a well-lit setting is screened in the dark. Lights, therefore,  play a pivotal part in the making of a film,” Boban says. Two windows are set on either side of the office. The interior houses the media hall to conduct press meets and eight rooms for official purpose.  Construction, which began on Sunday, is expected to be completed a day before the start of the festival. “The construction is carried out in such a way that it does not disturb the schedule of the theatre at present,’’ says M Renjith, film producer who is an executive member of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.