UCSD Grad Screens First Documentary at IB Festival

By Nina McDonald
Eagle & Times
Sept 16, 2004

"Master and Commander: Far Side of the World," last years epic film starring Russell Crowe, was filmed just a short distance from IB in Rosarito Mexico. This weekend, IB had a chance to get a glimpse of some of the behind the scenes action of that movie and also meet some of the extras.

Anup Sugunan, 32, a local filmmaker, actor and renaissance man talked with festival attendees at Woodies Patio Bar Friday night, promoting his first self-produced and directed documentary "Slaves and Ensigns: The Far Side of the Border;" a light hearted look at the making of the Oscar nominated film from the extras point of view. Over 200 "specialists;" actors trained in hand-to-hand fighting, sword play and old-world-sailing, participated in the making of the movie. "Master and Commander" may have starred Russell Crowe but without these unsung extras, the show couldn't have gone on.

Photo: Nina McDonald

Sugunan, auditioned, and was cast as one of these specialists, and during down time on the set, captured his fellow cast-mates attitudes and abilities. Several times he was picked out of the general cast to do a speaking part, and one time was even coached by the films director Peter Weir in a one-on-one screen with Russell Crowe. Unfortunately, that scene never made the final cut.
Typically, for an extra of this type, hours of on-set training end up as mere seconds on the big screen: if they get included at all. Sugunan is pragmatic about his brush with stardom, "I think there is one scene in the movie where you can see my hand for half a second," he said, laughing. "But the experience was so great, it's ok."

Sugunan's documentary features fellow actors in various stages of makeup, commenting on food and living conditions on the set while sleep deprived and describing the "rivalry" that sprang up amongst cast members. There were two specific groups of extras on the set: French privateers that portrayed the crew of the French ship Acheron and Russell Crowe's crew of British naval officers and sailors on the HMS Surprise.

Richard Cohen, along with three other "Master and Commander" cast members arrived to watch the screening of the documentary on Saturday at the Tijuana Estuary. Due to technical glitches the
screening was moved to Coffeebreakers on Seacoast Drive at the last minute. Cohen offered that, "This is the first film festival I've attended. I knew it was going to be small, but it's fun being part of the 'passion.' That's more important than the size."

According to Cohen, cast as crew on the Acheron, Crowe never came out of character during the entire filmmaking process. Cohen commented, "He [Crowe] was basically great to his [British] crew;
buying them rugby shirts and beer and treated the "French" extras like enemies. Which we were. He was essentially mean to us." Cohen added, "One of the French extras finally got in his face and challenged him to a rugby match." Clips of the match that Sugunan filmed also ended up on the behind the scenes footage of 20th Century Fox's Demo Disc which was released Spring 2003. The in-jest contention is captured in Sugunan's film with a distinct empathy towards the Frenchies, of which
Sugunan also was one. The four cast members laughed as they re-lived the months they spent waking up at 4 am for hours of make-up, on set camaraderie and great food. "The make-up part was hard. They would put this yellow, resin-like stuff our teeth. We had to put dirt on our hands and under our fingernails every morning to make it look as if we hadn't washed in months." commented extra Bob Cronk. "We only
got about $65 a day for pay and $10 for per diem. But you never spent the per-diem: the food was awesome. They fed us great!" added Cohen.

In real life the " privateers" work various jobs including construction and one is even a librarian. None of them have real aspirations of movie stardom, although Cohen mentioned that he's been in a couple of other parts. "I rode a horse and got blown up once, " he said with a laugh.

All four cast members don't regret a moment of the experience and say they would do it again for the chance to be part of something so extraordinary.

Sugunan on the other hand is committed to making a go of succeeding in the movies," I come from a very traditional Indian family. You know, you were either going to be a doctor or a lawyer. I think at first my parents were a little disappointed [with my involvement in films]. But they have become very encouraging since I have actually shown signs of success and have a pretty good record for as short a time as I've been involved in the industry," he said.

His Indian first-name means "something incomparable or unique:" his background certainly reflects that quality. Like a good son, he initially did enter college as a pre-med major. (He has a degree in psychology and neuroscience from the University of California San Diego.) But his love of James Bond, guitar, computer technology and the marital arts betray wider ranging interests ."I think it really helps having all these different experiences. You know when I was growing up , "Star
Wars" was like "religion" to me. Film really is the artistic medium for this generation. To influence and inform people. Some day I will make my "Schindlers List", but I also want to make my "Booty Call," he laughed.

Sugnan has also been involved with the Asian film festival here in San Diego He has lectured at a university and high-schools concerning the various aspects of filmmaking and its value to society. He also co-stars in a feature length movie called "Trade-Offs" which has won critical acclaim and an award at the Toronto Asian Film festival. The movie is currently showing in the "indie" film circuit.

For more information on Sugnan see http://www.filmmakerinterviews.com/Anup_net/index.htm.