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Sharat Raju's Vision

Interview with FI's Best Short Film '03 Director
by Anup Sugunan

Sharat Raju's American Made is winner of the First Annual Filmmaker Interviews The List Awards for the Best Short Film category. This promising young director shares with us his experience at the prestigious American Film Institue as well as the techniques employed in his superb short film. When you see such high quality works of art coming from a filmmaker in their initial projects, you know that they are certain to make a dent in this industry down the road.

Filmmaker Interviews: What's your non-filmic background?
Sharat Raju: I was born and raised in Chicago and went to school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. I graduated with a degree in English and also studied filmmaking. I also wrote a lot, mostly for the college newspaper but also fiction and essays. After college I lived in Chicago and was a freelance reporter for the Daily Herald and also did some freelance production assistant work, audio tech stuff, etc. before I moved to LA.

FI: What was the definitive moment when you thought about going into filmmaking? How long did it take for you to actually put that thought into action?

SR: It's hard for me to say when is the definitive moment I wanted to become a filmmaker, because I don't think one moment really convinced me or struck me. It really is an accumulation of things. I always loved to write and always seemed to have a knack for it. And, I always loved going to the movies with my family or friends. I think when I got to college, I watched more and more films and started to appreciate them as a storytelling medium and recognized the authorship a director gives to a film. Once I realized how a film is made, I wanted to make one myself. So I made a few short projects in college and discovered how much I enjoyed directing and creating a tangible project from the images floating around in your head. After that, I wanted to learn more which is what led me to film school and Los Angeles. So, it wasn't a single moment but more like a series of realizations.

FI: You chose directing when first starting out. Why was that more interesting than cinematography, writing, or others disciplines?

SR: Well, I've always been a writer so that always interests me the most. But directing, in my opinion, is a lot like writing. It's authorship of a story. The difference is the collaborative aspect -- whereas writing is very personal and often solitary, directing involves a team. And I enjoy that tremendously, getting everyone involved in a single cause. Individual aspects of filmmaking -- cinematography, editing, acting, etc. -- are all very interesting and important to me, too. But I like doing everything and seeing the whole picture and having my hand in all aspects of the film. Directing is the place where you can be a jack-of-all-trades. So it made sense to me to strive to direct.

FI: You decided to go to AFI after studying at U of M. What was your thought process regarding that decision?

SR: I don't know if AFI specifically was the decision as much as it was going to film school in general. Obviously, you don't have to go to film school to learn how to make movies. Stanley Kubrick and Orson Welles didn't and they're among the greatest directors of all time. But for me, I wanted to learn more about it. And if I was going to spend time and money on more school, I wanted to go to the best. So I applied to several of the top programs. AFI accepted me, and I'm glad they did. Not only is it one of the best, but they really prepare the students to work as professional filmmakers more than some of the other programs. That is, it's rigorous and thankless and we faced a lot of criticism -- fair and otherwise -- along the way. Where some programs might let their students have a lot more creative freedom at the expense of professionalism, AFI is the other way around. The program expects us to follow the standards of the film industry, and that really helps us when we get out into the "real world."

FI: How did the two film schools compare?

SR: Michigan's film production program is actually quite good, considering it's not in New York or LA and doesn't have a graduate program. The screenwriting program is wonderful and the instructors have a strong knowledge of film and narrative and telling stories on the screen. While they don't have the resources of programs like other universities on the coasts the program is a very strong one and produces a handful of good filmmakers every year.

FI: Do you see yourself continuing on with schooling after AFI?

SR: An MFA degree is actually a terminal degree -- that is, you can't build on it to a Ph.D. or a higher degree. So probably not. I'd have to get a degree in something else. So, I'm essentially done with school and just waiting for the college loan folks to come get me.

FI: Do either one of your film schools provide additional advantage in terms of getting your short out to the industry or do you still have to go through the festival circuit like filmmakers who do not go to school?

SR: Undergrad didn't really have anything like that. But they do have a network of working professionals and contacts, which is helpful if you're moving out to the coast to work in the industry. AFI does some promotion of the short, along with a distribution deal. They have showcases and invite industry people to come out, and also have organized screenings at some festivals. But more importantly, the instructors and mentors are all working professionals and sometimes recommend our shorts to producers, agents, etc. That's important. And with the AFI stamp of approval, it is slightly easier to get someone to watch the film or read a script. But still, other shorts like ours hit the festival circuit, regardless. Which is a good thing to do anyway.

FI: What would you tell prospective students who are debating on going to filmschool or just jumping in headfirst into the industry? What are the pros and cons from your perspective?

SR: I think if you're mentally prepared to have some pretty awful jobs and can be aggressive and really know what you want to do in terms of filmmaking, jumping right into the industry isn't a bad idea. It takes a certain animal to be focused and determined and not easily discouraged by the very thankless jobs that are out there. So, people who have a better idea of what they want might not find film school worthwhile of time and money. If you want to learn and want to have a chance to make films and meet others in the same boat -- and put off the real world for a while -- then I think film school is definitely a good idea.

FI: You came up with the idea for American Made while traveling through the desert and seeing a broken down car. Can you go through all the mental steps immediately from that point until you got to the final draft of the script?

SR: Well, seeing the car on the side of the road just sort of sparked an idea in my head. At that time there was a lot of talk by the government about being careful of anything "suspicious" or "un-American." So I thought, what does that mean? Does a stranded car look suspicious? What if the person wasn't white, or was Indian or wore a turban -- does that make them "un-American" because they don't fit within the traditional definition? What if it was a family stranded, would any one stop and help them? So this was sort of a starting point and I just kicked around the idea and used it as the backdrop for the story. It evolved into an exploration of it means to be "American." And even that takes a back seat to what's more important -- focusing on the relationship between the father and the son, between assimilation and cultural identity.

So I wrote the script and really the final product is very similar to the first draft. There were no major revisions, just dialogue tweaks and a couple elements that were removed to make it more focused. But the central theme and concept were pretty much there from the start.

FI: The performances from the cast were very solid. Please talk a bit about your casting process.

SR: We auditioned professional actors and searched for amateurs too in LA and New York. I had seen Bernie White in a play and knew about him so we had him come audition for the role of the dad. Right away I knew he was it. We cast Sakina Jaffrey out of New York, who auditioned for me on tape and I took a chance that we could make her look old enough to have a son who graduated college -- and I think it worked. Casting the younger son was the biggest challenge because there aren't a lot experienced actors that age who are Indian or look Indian. Fortunately we found Te'Amir Sweeney. He's a professional actor and an accomplished musician and just a natural presence in front of the camera. The final key was getting Kal Penn (Kalpen Modi) who everyone knows from his work in big studio pictures like Van Wilder. He came in very close to the start of production and was wonderful -- and it was a big relief that he was available because he's working constantly.

SR: A critical part of the film is having good enough performances to convince the audience that they are a real family who had a life before the film and will continue to have one after the closing credits. And I think we accomplished it, they were just perfect with each other. A strong cast who knows what they're doing makes a phenomenal difference. And made my job easier. Although we did work hard, it was a blast to have them as our Singh family. I couldn’t have asked for a better cast. It made the difference.

Post-9/11 theme is powerfully and tastefully portrayed by actor Bernard White.

FI: You assisted in casting on a couple of The Matrix movies as well as others. Bernard White, who plays the father, is in both American Made and same two Matrix films that you worked on. What’s the connection?

SR: The connection is that I worked for casting director Mali Finn before film school. And now she casts my films (including American Made) and is a very dear friend. She's the best in the business at what she does. So she cast Bernie in the Matrix sequels, knew of his work and brought him in to see me after we saw that play he was in.

FI: What is your interest that leads you to work in the casting department for these high profile films – to get your foot in the door?

SR: Well that's kind of the other way around. I used to work in casting before I got into film school, but not since then. It was my first job in LA and really helped me learn about the industry. Casting is one of the very first steps of a film's production, and with these big budget films they often don't come out until a couple years later. So, although some of these movies came out this past year, I worked on them back in 2000. But working for Mali was invaluable and I learned as much about casting, acting and the business of film in that one year as I did in two years at film school.

FI: How important were the storyboards, models, and diagrams in retrospect after doing the video run-through? Would you do a pre-visualization for a whole feature with the video?

SR: All of those are just ways to communicate with the production team what we're trying to do and to help me prepare where to put the camera and the actors. The storyboards, models and overhead diagrams were helpful at first so we could shoot the video run-through, which was an invaluable tool and really gave us a visual picture of how the film would look, at least theoretically. I'm glad we did it and all of our visualization prep. But you want to give yourself leeway to make changes on set, to be flexible and not tied into a thought or a concept if you come up with something better on the day. And I do intend on shooting a pre-viz video for all my full-length films. But a lot of that depends on the nature of the film and resources. For us, American Made is essentially one long scene with one location so we could shoot that on one afternoon pretty easily. So a lot depends on the project. But it was really helpful for me and for our team.

FI: What would you have done differently on the project?

SR: Nothing. And I say that not because I did everything perfectly, but that I don't like to dwell on the mistakes or live with any kind of regret. You learn from mistakes and know what not to do next time -- but I wouldn't have done anything differently.

FI: Please talk a bit about your key personnel on your project, how you met them and the reason for working with them.

SR: All of the main production team members are also from AFI and American Made was their thesis project as well. Producer Marcus Cano, cinematographer Matthew Blute, and editor Scott Rosenblatt all worked with me in the first year of the program. In your first year you work with three or four different teams and discover pretty well who you like working with and who you get along with. So, I knew I wanted to have a team with these guys again. Good thing, too. Mali Finn, who I talked about earlier, was my casting director and we're very close after I worked as her assistant in the past. Which is a blessing because she's the best there is. I met Sagar Jethani, my composer, through a mutual friend and it couldn't have worked better. He was the right person to make a score that had Indian and Western elements fused within it, and just good luck that I found him.

FI: You seem quite enamored with your stint at Mali's casting agency and working with her. What are some of the things you learned that you would've overlooked had you not worked there?

SR: I don't know if "enamored" is an accurate word. I was an assistant which entails a good amount of work that doesn't exactly require putting your college degree to work, which is like most of the low-level work in the film industry. But, I became very close with Mali and learned a lot about acting, auditioning, and the nuances of performance. She's been doing it for more than 20 years with some of the best directors around. And I got an up-close and realistic, unromantic look at how the business works. Film school doesn't always show that, so the real-life experience was invaluable. It isn't great to be an assistant really anywhere -- but it definitely was worth it for Mali. I learned a lot and met a great friend and teacher.

FI: While working as casting assistant, did non-union actors even get a chance to come in for auditions or was it just union?

SR: Sure, all the time. Depended on the project. For example, in 8 Mile, we searched extensively for non-actors and non-union people to be part of the world Curtis Hanson was creating in Detroit for the movie. They had to be authentic to that part of the world. So it really depended on the project.

FI: What were some repetitive mistakes that these actors made when they came in for the audition in your opinion?

SR: I don't know if you can generalize about non-union actors. There are probably hundreds of non-union actors that are excellent just as there are an uncountable number of union actors that are purely awful. Being in SAG or AFTRA doesn't mean you're any better, just that you've done a few things and are paying union dues. Bad actors tend to be more concerned about the words than they are to connecting with the other actor and have difficulty focusing and listening. They have to play the subtext of the scene, what the emotion is or what the scene means. The words will come later. It's the connection, the listening, and the interest. Better to be interested in someone else than striving to be interesting or different or showboating. That's obnoxious and a waste of time for the director.

FI: Great answer. Actually, I meant 'these' as the ones coming to audition for you, not non-union. I apologize for the lack of clarity. What sticks out most in your mind as a filmmaker (besides looking for actor nuances, etc from your last answer) during your experience with Mali Finn?

SR: I guess just understanding the system of Hollywood and watching directors work with actors in auditions -- all that really demystified everything and made me think "yeah, I can do this -- piece of cake." As a filmmaker, that exposure to the practical element as well as seeing directors at work helped make me understand that it isn't rocket science and it isn't something mysterious. Lot of it is common sense -- listen, observe, focus, communicate, etc.

FI: How much screenwriting coursework have you taken? How much of it was self-study (books, seminars, etc)?

SR: I haven't taken a whole lot of screenwriting courses specifically. I had a great one in undergrad and a few development courses in grad school. Most of my writing background is in fiction and journalism -- I took a lot of creative writing courses in college and that was invaluable. And I have read a handful of the standard screenwriting books and gone to a few seminars which is good, too.

FI: What would you recommend for someone who is interested in getting into filmmaking, but will lean more towards not going to school?

SR: Make something -- a short film, a short documentary, a low-budget or no-budget feature film on video -- something. Anything to just throw yourself into it and see if you like it, if you have a feel for it, or if you have an idea and can make it into a film. Pool your resources, see what you can afford, what you have available to you, if you can bug friends and family to be part of the crew and cast, borrow a camera from a friend, use old equipment, etc. And just do it, just go in and try. You'll never know if you really like it until you see yourself. And if you do, then keep learning and avoid the same mistakes and try again. That's basically what film school is anyway.

FI: Did you feel like you missed things in the self-study which you learned through school?

SR: In school you have the advantage of feedback from a professor or instructor. That's the most valuable asset of any writing course as opposed to self-study -- being able to have someone critique and show you how to improve your writing.

FI: Are you working on a feature now? If so, please talk about it you're so inclined.

SR: I am working on a couple of things. I have a script that is about to be optioned so that will be in development. And I'm writing other projects, hopefully one I can direct soon. Sorry to be so vague, but I don't have any one specific project pinned down at the moment.

FI: Were there any funny/interesting/horror stories that happened during the making of American Made?

SR: Boy, that's a broad one. In general, it was just a lot of fun being on location and having to live with everyone for a week in the middle of no where. I became very close to the cast, as they did with each other. Consequently, we joked around -- a lot. So we had to get the cast to stop laughing and joking around and focus during takes. And they did. That's the luxury of good actors, they can focus and turn it on quickly.

FI: What's next for you?

SR: Ah yes, the "what's next?" question. Writing and directing a feature is what's next -- that is, what I hope is next. Who really knows? So I'm trying to find scripts, obtain material, and write on my own until I have something that I really believe in and want to make into a full-length film.

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American Made - The Official Website

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