Have I Made it Yet? - A Podcast for Filmmakers

Ashwin, host of the podcast turns the tables around and gets Tejus Yakhob, Director of Plucked, an award winning short film to interview him for this episode. Ashwin talks about the sound design process during the pre-production, production, and post-production of a film and a bit of his own experiences in the field so far.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

Anusha Rao had to go through four years of engineering before kickstarting her career in film. She started off in the marketing team at Arka Media for Bahubali: The Beginning and several other Telugu Feature Films. following this she worked on a major web series. She has also been to Los Angeles film school where she graduated with her master's having worked on multiple music videos for pocket money, finishing her course with Left Behind - a short film which talks about living as an oppressed person. She then worked as a writer on Stand Up Rahul, a Telugu feature film directed by debutant director Santo Mohan Among her projects that are yet to release is Swarna, a project which is currently in post-production. This episode has been sponsored by Violet Hill FIlms - https://www.violethillfilms.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/violethillfilms/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

Raamz is a stylist turned actor from the Telugu film industry, having worked on films like Robo and Jagadam. He talks about his experience in the film industry. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

Tanya, a Film Editor from Mumbai currently working as a video editor for a popular social media publishing company talks about her experience working in the Mumbai Film Industry. The struggles one faces through the journey of being a newcomer and how it takes an immense amount of effort and endurance to grow. Tanya's work includes Laakhon Mein Ek Season 2 on which she collaborated with OML, A web series on Zee 5, and a bunch of ads and short films. An unreleased Netflix Docu-Series is another one of her projects which is yet to release. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

Pranav Pingle is a director and producer based out of Hyderabad. He started his career in media interning at NDTV after which he did his master's in filmmaking from Bristol, UK. He then founded Mirage Media, a Production Company in Hyderabad. He has worked as an assistant to Nandini Reddy. He has worked as Director for Occupied, a docu-series that follows five young artists in Occupied Palestine. He is currently working on Qubool Hai, a web series set in Hyderabad which talks about human trafficking. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

Sai is a Director/Producer from Hyderabad who was one of the founding members of Raasta Studios, and he currently heads Raasta Films, an Independent Film Studio.  Entrepreneurially, Sai has proven a lot, quickly growing Raasta Studios into one of the major audiovisual production studios in Hyderabad In this episode, Ashwin and Sai talk about his path so far, about the origins of Raasta Studios, and what it takes to balance business and art. They talk about Sai's experience shooting ad films, short films which lead to him producing and directing feature films, web series, and an international documentary project in Africa. Sai talks about methods he uses in Documentary Films. They also discuss the difficulties of heading a project that has been stuck in development hell.  Make sure to subscribe to this podcast and follow us on instagram at @have.i.made.it.yet --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

Vishnu is an upcoming actor from Hyderabad who started his career as a wedding photographer and videographer. He eventually started acting in short films, most notably in Sainma, directed by Tharun Bhascker. As his career progressed, he began working more in the Telugu Film Industry, making his mark in films like Taxiwalla, Kaushalya Krishnamurthy and Commitmental. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

Smaran is a Music Director based out of Hyderabad who composes music for feature films and web series. Starting his career off as a musician playing gigs at bars and cafes, Smaran has eventually made a name for himself in the Telugu Film Industry having worked on successful projects like Kothaporadu, Pressure Cooker, and RX100. He talks about his influences and his career so far, what he wants to achieve and his process of creating music for a film. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

Vidhi has worked as a makeup artist in the movie Pachchis, and has since worked on a lot of projects, most notably on the big budget production of renowned Telugu film director Boyapati Srinu's upcoming movie Akhanda featuring a star cast of Nandamuri Balakrishna, Pragya Jaiswal, and Srikanth. She talks about the kind of struggles that a make up artist goes through while on set, what it takes to take a stand and how important it is to keep calm. Having been a part of different kinds of shoots, she also talks of her experiences on bigger sets and how it compares to the experiences she has on smaller sets. Listen in to know what her journey has been so far! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

The guest for this episode is someone who has been working on films since 2017, initially with dogs, and more recently in the Art Department. Priyanka Nair started her career as a Dog Behaviourist and went on to train hundreds of dogs for numerous clients including the National Security Guard and children with Autism before stepping into film. She discusses her childhood and how her love for animals began right at home, which led her to devote most of her life so far to animals. She talks about the various difficulties and challenges that a dog trainer faces while having a dog on set and advices aspiring writers and directors on the right kind of decisions to make when writing or planning for a dog in a film. Ashwin and Priya also talk about their love for dogs and their experiences with their pets, how they cope with loss and how Dogs are perhaps the most beautiful beings on the planet that have so much that human beings can learn from Resources - tinyurl.com/filmanimals --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

Continuing the conversation from the previous week, Swetaa and Ashwin talk about her experience working with Nagesh Kukunoor, Keerthy Suresh and other such established figures in the industry. The conversation then moves towards technical aspects - her preference for projects with sync sound.  They also talk about how an actor's ideology might affect their choice in the films they work in and how differences are handled. The topic of privilege and nepotism is touched upon and discussed. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

Swetaa Varma, an actor who has made her mark in the telugu indipendent film scene through the various characters that she has portrayed accross different genres. She has played a very diverse set of roles through her career, making herself known to be extremely versatile. Swetaa and Ashwin discuss how she decided to become an actor, the experiences that shaped who she is professionally and what her approach is towards acting. They also talk about the things that come in the way of acting and filmmaking and how such hurdles can be overcome by solutions as simple as open communication. This is part 1 of a two part episode. The next episode will be out next friday. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

After having barely passed through his BTech, Krishna completed 6 months Short Course in filmmaking at Whistling Woods International. He then set up a camera rental store in Hyderabad where he set out to meet with like minded people in order to network and create a team for himself(something he says he would never advice anybody to do). Finding success in his plan half a decade later in creating the right team for himself, Krishna directed a webseries called Artist for Tamada Media following which in late 2019 he lead the young team of Pachchis into production. The film, produced by Raasta FIlms is slated to be released soon. Krishna and Ashwin discuss Krishna's choices; the path he has taken, how he tackles self doubt and insecurity in a profession that is filled with unpredictability. Krishna candidly opens up about his experiences on the sets of Pachchis, how the film made its way into completion through complete uncertainty in the beginning. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

After having barely passed through his BTech, Krishna completed 6 months Short Course in filmmaking at Whistling Woods International. He then set up a camera rental store in Hyderabad where he set out to meet with like minded people in order to network and create a team for himself(something he says he would never advice anybody to do). Finding success in his plan half a decade later in creating the right team for himself, Krishna directed a webseries called Artist for Tamada Media following which in late 2019 he lead the young team of Pachchis into production. The film, produced by Raasta FIlms is slated to be released soon. Krishna and Ashwin discuss Krishna's choices; the path he has taken, how he tackles self doubt and insecurity in a profession that is filled with unpredictability. Krishna candidly opens up about his experiences on the sets of Pachchis, how the film made its way into completion through complete uncertainty in the beginning. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

Rohan is a Production Designer who has worked on various Feature Films, Web Series and Short Films. Having worked as a Chef before turning to films for a career, Rohan's first project was a Feature Film directed by a friend of his who was working on his college graduation project. The Episode also features Kartik Parmar, a Cinematographer who has collaborated with Rohan on a lot of projects as the guest engineer. Ashwin and Rohan discuss various aspects of Rohan's work as a Production Designer - How he has matured as a professional and what it took for him to survive in this industry; How there is little difference in the perception of what an Art Director and Production Designer does and how he has been working to create a culture where there is a clear line drawn between the two terms. Rohan and Kartik also recall anecdotes and experiences from the the projects on which they have worked together, which include Srishti, which is currently doing its rounds in the International Film Festival Circuit and Pachchis, whose trailer has just been released. Support us and become a patron on Patreon - https://patreon.com/haveimadeityet Follow us on instagram for regular updates - https://instagram.com/have.i.made.it.yet Pachchis Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj0EjMsoBI4 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

Cinematographers Kartik Parmar and Sridhar Kakileti have been working together in the film industry since 2017. Kartik made his presence known with his graduation film, Whitefields, which received accolades around the globe, most prominently at Poitiers Film Festival in 2019. Sridhar, on the other hand, began working in the Telugu film industry as a set photographer while simultaneously working as a street photographer, for which he gained recognition across different curations and exhibitions round the world. Together, they have worked on various short films and corporate films. Their first feature film, Srishti, has been featured in the prestigious MAMI film festival, and their latest finished project, Pachhis is set to release soon. Currently, Sridhar dons the role of DOP for Tambourine Films’ upcoming project Thadiginathom, while Kartik fulfils the same role for Mirage Media’s web series titled Qubool Hai. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

The guest for this week is Dinesh Yadav, who is a producer and an executive producer with experience in the Telugu film industry. After graduating from FLAME University in Pune, he worked on feature films like Srishti, which made its way to the revered MAMI Film Festival in 2020. He has also worked on movies like When The Music Changes, which is going around the world making waves in the international film festival circuit. His recent work is the upcoming film from Raasta Films, titled Pachchis. He is currently working as an executive producer on Thadiginathom, which is Tambourine Films' first feature. Support us and become a patron on Patreon - https://patreon.com/haveimadeityet Follow us on instagram for regular updates - https://instagram.com/have.i.made.it.yet --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message

The first episode of the podcast features Wasim and Bala, two writers working in the Telugu film industry. With movies like Pachhis and Oka Chinna Viramam, and shows like Gods of Dharmapuri to their name, they join Ashwin in this episode to discuss a wide range of topics regarding working in the industry. However, their experience is not just restricted to writing, as they have worked in various other departments like edit and art. In this episode, among many things, they talk about their experiences in the industry, their process and the complexities involved in writing projects with different budgets, and the difficulties involved in dealing with people from different departments while trying to protect their creative vision as writers. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/haveimadeityet/message