Introduce Yourself : Hi, what’s the craic? by Ganesh Ramachandran

Wow! Talk about long journeys. Quite an example Doc. What did you teach?

Your profile looks really immersive and expressive! Like you I teach engineering, for creatives, film, TV, music. What’s your engineering vibe?

Thanks Ganesh, unlike.many many Sandeeps, I don't teach, never have except rarely upon invitation,. I barely manage to learn : ) Thank you though. So, Engineering for creatives? That sounds very intriguing to me as a card carrying nerd. Didn't think that happens! Please share more, it might be of interest here.

I do believe teaching is one of the highest callings, in principle, albeit sometimes a little weird in institutional practice, and sometimes … a whole other story. : )

My degrees are in Electrical & Electronics, Masters is via CS, although I think I was fooling around in so many disciplines, groups,.across departments and elsewhere, they either couldn't decide or didn't want the blame for graduating me. I didn't care as I only found out once I got the scroll.

Ha, Sandeep yes you’re not into teaching, more doing. I suppose it doesn’t matter as long as the parchment helps along the way, whatever’s the subject. Sometimes I find the structure of engineering and software is good for screenwriting. Do you find the same? The sort of projects that my students do are things like setting up unusual VR or greenscreen applications, gadgets running on microcontrollers, music, audio and video effects processors or automatic mechanisms maybe for smooth camera tilt and pan. It’s quite wide, but fun!

Congratulations and welcome!

That must be so much fun Ganesh Ramachandran ! You are pretty much at a frontier of improvising production tech then!! That would be valuable expertise for helping new filmmakers here, you should post something on the Stage32 blog, for letting people know of the field and how you could collaborate and help their productions.

There is definitely something in common between Screenplays and Software projects (movies maybe even more before current practices of microservices, agile etc., although TV scripts could use some of those)

In spite sufficient difference the mathematics and the abstractions help if you had spent time on theory and not just numerical problems, even from pre engineering. I came into town not knowing plot from an acre of farmland, so I leaned heavily on all that until I got an independent take on it consistent with what I needed to be comfortable with stories and how Hollywood thought. In the end, only thing that matters though is not as much theory as that if the story connects, so only time will tell.

Yeah, the scroll is good, even if once in a while I get asked about surgery publications : ) by some other Sandeep Gupta as my degree just says MS. I am not as much into doing either for now as my talk suggests : )

And hi Tasha Lewis !

Thank you for the greetings Ganesh Ramachandran. Sandeep Gupta some of the new technologies you mentioned was featured in a story on 60 minutes last weekend. The anchor, Bill, who interviewed the companies indicated that the technology could extend the career of actors for years after they have transitioned.

I love Bollywood so many movies

See my article on my Stage 32 Wall about Bollywood.

I’m not a big Bollywood fan myself but sounds interesting

Sacrilege Ganesh! How could you!? They even have a festival in your name : ) Seriously though, any reason, or you never got exposed to it? I have no Bollywood connection, but good actors do become part of your virtual extended world, don't they?

The article is about how cryptocurrency is impacting the industry as in the US marketplace. AMC theaters will be accepting it and based on an article that I read in the Stage 32 blog, crypto is now being considered for a viable financing option.

Ha Sandeep. My parents were westernised growing up in England. In fact they preferred US movies to UK ones, rarely saw an Indian film. I’ve cousins in film in the Indian independent movie arena (sometimes Bollywood). I’d watch a Tamil movie sometimes as I can just about understand the language. Yes they become part of your extended life, for me it would be British and Irish ones more.

Natural, Ganesh Ramachandran I too know from my experience. Bollywood also changes a lot, like every decade. 20 years ago, with a 10 year gap filled with Hollywood fare, not only the change in content surprised me, I was almost whining too often why the story was not moving forward. Additionally, for you Tamil movies likely weren't like Bollywood — I am guessing, going by comments and posters I saw in the South next to TN early 80s. There are some Bollywood classics and stars including from TN that are remarkable to me so I'd still call you out for not liking them — without malice. Also as neither of us might have a clue of the zeitgeist there today. I couldn't e.g., want to pitch certain stories there today for fear of being tone-deaf or out of touch.

tare zameen paa. very good Hindi movie

Sounds interesting Sandeep, will maybe catch up sometime with the Indian movie scene, I was trying to network there earlier this year. I’ll look at Bollywood and TN again. John thanks will check out that movie.

You and me both Ganesh Ramachandran — I am certain you likely know more than me about both Bollywood and Hollywood.

Welcome Ganesh! Wow, you have a great background. What competitions did you win?

I went to India in 1974 to do social work. A movie called Yadon kibarat please excuse my spelling. Anyway that movie had been running in the same cinema with full houses for about 2 years. . I was amazed. every wall in every city was plastered with movie posters. which I might add today are worth a tidy sum to collectors. this is a good movie to watch if you are interested in the Bollywood thing. PS although I am English been to india a hundred times in my travels so have seen quite a lot,

John Mitch It was such a superhit that its songs, even if off context, were played at weddings. Likewise, Sholay, (translation “ambers”) a kinda Westernish Buddy movie, ran at Minerva theatre in Bollywood non-stop, likely even three or four shows a day, every single day, for five years straight.

Your spelling is perfect, exactly as in the English interaction with sensibilities of Indian phonetics and graphology. “Yadon ki Barat” lit., “pageant of memories.” But only natives or near natives will get the pronounciation from the spelling because we read English only as we know : )

Thank you so much. And who could forget Bobby about the same time. Ps one of my all time song favorites is mahahbooba. again apologies for spelling. one day somebody is going to take that song redo it and make a million.... although I did hear it was nicked from an Italian love song opera I love you love you love you,.

You are welcome John Mitch , considering in the movie Bobby's family was most likely Catholic, : ) the Italian rhythm may also have been by design or from observed melodies among the fishermen community. It likely already made millions. Film music discography was a solid product line for Bollywood, at least before the VCR era. The song's unusually energetic rendition was Bollywood's evolving response to limn sensuality and passion while keeping the characters physically apart on screen. Step from what used to be deep poetry in songs, which kids sang without understanding the mature content till they hit late teens. Bobby the movie, also broke ground in returing some fashion elements not seen live in public India since the invasions — likely from even before the 14th century.

We've hijacked Ganesh Ramachandran 's thread. I hope he is enjoying it. At least we are on movies, with cinephiles and indophiles on the thread.

thanks for your comments