A book's powerful message led an SF State student to purchase scripting rights for a story in which he produced a short 15-minute film.

Graduate film student and advisor Anay Tarnekar’s thesis project, titled “The Book,” was shot on 35-mm film in three different cities surrounding the Bay Area from March 23-28, by award-winning cinematographer and director Svetlana Cvetko. The script, written by Tarnekar, was an adaptation of the original short story “The Good Book,” by Darrell Bain. The main location for the film was set in Tiburon, CA at a Marine Biology facility leased by SF State.

“I read it about five years back and I loved it,” said Tarnekar. “I told him I would buy the movie rights to the story.”

The department requires the approximately 60 enrolled graduate students to submit their self-budgeted film to a thesis committee upon completion of their degree, according to Cinema Department Chair Stephen Ujlaki. The three-year program can take as long as four to five years.

“Very, very, few students even get a chance to shoot on 35-mm film, and the fact that he did is quite an accomplishment,” said graduate film student and advisor Slava Basovich, 27, who shares an office with Tarnekar. He said Tarnekar has spent a lot time raising money for his film.

The plot focuses on the experience of a death row inmate in the 1950’s named Jim Belton played by lead actor Ted Herzberg who wants nothing more than to live an extra day, basing his last hopes on a book that may save his life. Tarnekar said the story touches on the cruel sides of death penalty, as well as the power of a single book. He did not want to include any additional information that may give away the story.

“It’s a perfect short story to make a film on visually and dramatically,” said Tarnekar.

Herzberg who has been acting for nearly 13 years, in theater, as well as in several independent and student films, said Tarnekar was very perceptive and open to other possibilities throughout the process.

“It was entirely his determination that made this 35-mm shoot possible,” said the filmmaker’s brother Rahul Tarnekar, 35. He added, “I did not expect such a positive response and contribution to this film”

Tarnekar was awarded two essential material grants for the film- a 35-mm camera package from Panavision, and 35 mm film from Kodak. This format of filmmaking is very expensive, and typically used in Hollywood films, according to Basovich. He added that most students shoot on 16-mm film, which is nearly half its size.

Associate Professor and Master of Fine Arts Coordinator Karen Holmes said she could only recall three students who have shot on 35 mm film in the past 8-10 years. The department requires students to have a public screening of their work for a selected group of faculty and friends.

The 35 mm format in turn, helped Tarnekar gain a great cast of approximately 50 people who volunteered their talents. The casting was made possible through the Web site www.craigslist.com, SF State open auditions, and the work of casting director David Guilmett.

“The biggest challenge for me was to make everything believable,” said Tarnekar. “It is important to have really intense moments captured in the film.”

As an international student who traveled to the United States from Central India in 2002, Tarnekar has met various challenges to gather the appropriate funds to complete this production.

The student filmmaker who received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mechanical Engineering in India realized he wanted to pursue a career in film instead. He moved to Bombay in 1997 where he worked in the film industry. He said what brought him to the United States was the sensibility of the way films are made, which involves various defined elements and levels of emotions in the films. He began
attending SF State in 2002.

“He is very hard working, he is very persistent and he knows how to handle himself well with people,” said Ujlaki.

“The Book” was Tarnekar’s fourth short film. His other half hour films include a documentary he made about student filmmakers. One of three films was shot in India.

In shooting a film, Tarnekar said there is an evident difference between telling a story and showing it. He said it is difficult to create suspense in that way. The biggest challenge in the process of making a film is pulling off the continuity of the scenes throughout the entire film, Tarnekar said.

“The success in making a film is whether you can pull it off and generate an anticipation in the part of the audience,” said Tarnekar.

Throughout the filming of the “The Book,” Tarnekar said the role between director and producer was a challenging combination to take on. As the director, he needed to focus on the actors, and as the producer, he had the responsibility of taking care of everything else that needed to be done.

“This is the most serious work I have done in a while,” said Tarnekar, who plans on becoming an independent filmmaker and exploring stories from India as well as those of other cultures.

He said he plans on finishing the editing process by the summer, and to submit the final work to the Annual Master of Fine Arts Thesis Screenings, which takes place on campus each May and during the fall semester, where graduate students will showcase their work. Tarnekar will participate in the fall semester. He also hopes to submit his work in various film festivals.