KSFDC goes hitech
The Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) is completing its Rs 3 crore modernisation programme in its silver jubilee year with the installation of state-of-the-art DTS recording facility at Chitranjali Studios, Thiruvananthapuram. The facility was inaugurated by State Culture Minister TK Ramakrishnan recently.

The first film to be made in Chitranjali studios using DTS recording facility is the Malayalam film Aaraam Indriyem (Sixth Sense).

P Govinda Pillai, chairman, KSFDC, says that during the past two years the corporation had been making operational profits and would end the current financial year with nominal profits. This is noteworthy considering the fact that KSFDC had been incurring losses ever since its inception 25 years ago. The corporation has also received in principle, an approval from the state government for regularising temporary employees and promotion of regular staff. There are over 300 employees on its rolls, Govinda Pillai added.
KSFDC’s managing director K Sivaprasad said the highlight of the last four years of operations was that the corporation could retire its debts to the Toddy Welfare Fund Board, Indian Bank, Canara Bank and other financial institutions.
The additional facilities created recently include DTS Recording facility at a cost of Rs 60 lakh, two additional outdoor units (one exclusively for TV production), an additional cinemascope camera taken on long lease and computerised editing facilities. The Kalabhavan Digital Studio has already commenced operations and is exclusively meant for video production.
In view of the tight financial position of the corporation, KSFDC and Real Image Media Technologies Ltd, Chennai, the distributors of DTS recording/playback facilities in the country have entered into a revenue sharing agreement instead of outright purchase or lease by KSFDC of DTS. Accordingly, the revenues accruing from the DTS studio would be shared on a 60:40 ratio between Real Image and KSFDC in the first year. In succeeding years, the revenue sharing would be in the ratio of 50:50. In effect, the cash starved KSFDC has got a Rs 60 lakh DTS system for free.

Equipment worth Rs 4 lakh is to be procured as part of the modernisation exercise, he added. Under the DTS system, the sound effects, music and dialogue are recorded and stored in CD-ROM discs unlike other digital systems where the digital soundtrack is contained on the film itself.

The six tracks of digital audio data that are stored on the CD-ROM disc are read by the DTS-6D Processor and played back in absolute synchronisation with the film by reading a special timecode track that is recorded on the film along with existing analog sound track. This ensures that a DTS unit in a theatre will not play an in correct CD-ROM disc when the film is screened. DTS is also suitable for multi-language films wherein the common sound effects can be recorded in a track and dialogues can be dubbed in different languages as required according to John Lawson, head of engineering at Real Image Media. Lawson who was in Thiruvananthapuram in connection with the launch of the DTS system at KSFDC studios, said that there would be more digital cinemas in India in the next 10 years than anywhere else in the world. India has leapfrogged from mono sound systems in theatres to digital systems much faster than other countries without going through the evolutions in between. The first film to be made on DTS was Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park in 1993.
There are altogether 535 theatres in the country having DTS facility of which 72 are in Kerala, Lawson said.

Introducing a star sister
A star sister is soon to be launched in Malayalam — Vani Viswanath’s sister Priya. Priya Viswanath is to do the female lead in a film to be directed by Shyam B Pillai, produced under the banner of Film Tools Entertainers. Tamil actress Regeena is another heroine in the film in which Nalini, heroine of yesteryears too is making a reappearance after a long time. Also in the cast are Devan, Indrans, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Sreevidya and Prathapachandran. The script and lyrics are by MR Jose.

Madambu scripting film
on Kunjan Nambiar
NOTED writer, scenarist and national award winner Madambu Kunhikuttan is busy these days doing the script for Kalakkaththu Kunjan Nambiar, a film on Kunjan Nambiar the immortal poet of Malayalam. The script is based on story by MC Radhakrishnan, who will be directing the film too.

The film will be produced by Madavoor Radhakrishna Kurup under the banner of Vega Cine Creations. The cast is yet to be decided, but rumours are afloat that Jagathy Sreekumar will do the title role, that of Kunjan Nambiar.

Film on Pottekad’s Ottakam
NOTED writer and Jnanpith award winner, the late SK Pottekad had always been a favorite of Malayalee readers. And now, his story Ottakam is going to be adapted for the big screen.

The film is going to be a joint venture by the French production house Deo Films and Thriprayaar Sukumaran’s Chaithanya Chitra.

The film will have in the cast Mala Aravindan, Mamookoya, Kunjan, Indrans, Philomena, Shilpa James and some French actors, too. The film will be shot with Kozhikode town as the backdrop.