Shoot @ thrift, now: Low-budget productions are current rage in Bengaluru

Not too long ago, the concept of posting quirky videos saw a stirring rise — with a bevy of youngsters taking to social media — and to the fad. Interestingly, looks like the game is only getting bigger and better!

Recently mushroomed city-based ventures like Low Budget Productions, Jordindian, Sanjeev Homegriots and the like are proof enough. Yes, Bengaluru’s folks are now milking the trend, which indeed has led to an upswing in the number of low-budget productions.

Sharmin Ali, an entrepreneur who runs The Artrightis Company, a low budget production, reveals, “The concept is pretty much like walking on a tight rope. But the fact that we belong to a digital era gives budding artistes and film makers a leeway like this which was unthinkable, say a decade ago, is what drives more and more creative professionals towards it. The reasons for the rise in self produced videos are aplenty: It’s economical, goes out to the right audience, and works well in the initial stages, after which it's easier to get takers (producers and investors) for your trend. Self produced videos have an edge over the others, in terms of flexibility and freedom to spread the message without the interference of external sources. This helps you hit the nail right on its head, and garner the kind of vibe and viewership you want to.”

While self-produced videos can give you a creative high; the idea might seem like a mumbo-jumbo if you are not willing to get your hands dirty. Speaking about the same, Pradeep Jackson, a 23-year-old city-based choreographer who also moonlights as a producer of dance mixes which boast of over 7,000 views, says, “Even if you have the spark and can draw about a 1,000 likes within a couple of hours, nobody really banks their money on you until you’re quite a sensation - and that, is a task as you’ve 10 others on your list who’re doing something similar. So as much as lucrative it sounds to a newbie, it’s about networking and doing some strenuous amount of self publicity on social media. So you need to watch your numbers too.”

Adding to the same, Sara reiterates,”Of course, the lack of professional gear makes it twice as hard to put forward a good quality video. But a little brainstorming and hard work makes it happen. Also, it is essential that upcoming artistes to realise the importance of putting equal efforts to the back end activities of a production. That’s the key to adding that professional touch and having an edge over the others.”

Debunking the myth associated with production, Shalton Charles D’Cruz,  founder of Low Budget Productions,  who started out with creating three to four minute videos using simple editing apps says, “Now putting yourself out there is not an easy task. But with phones being high tech and social media being so powerful, it’s easier if you follow a few guidelines. For instance, the apps you choose to edit and put those final touches make a world of difference. You cannot expect a immediate surge, but it’s important to observe the graph from time to time. But again, you will have to be prepared for the worst and ensure you make your own stuff so that there is no copyright infringement. We’ve got up to a 1000 views but then we received a mail from YouTube saying that they are going to review our page and the views were brought down.