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Finding a way to blend Indian and American cinema while filming in Carbondale could be considered a daunting task.
For one group of students, it was less of a stretch than expected.
Jon Klemke, one of three sophomores finishing his film project for an independent study this week, said he learned the difference between American and Indian cultures isn't too great to bridge.
"Regardless of where you go, people are fundamentally the same and want the same things, but they express it in different ways," said Klemke, of Glenview.
Cinema and photography majors Klemke, Nick Nylen and Danielle Williamson worked with students at Xavier Institute of Communications in Mumbai, India, to help construct the concept of their half of the roughly 24-minute film, which focuses on love and religion across cultures.
With the help of Jyotsna Kapur, an associate professor in the program, the students said they learned not only about all aspects of the film-making process, but the importance of a connection with other cultures in a globalized society.
Kapur said the students asked her about Indian cinema after a lecture she taught their freshman year, and she suggested the idea of collaboration. She said she had discussed the idea for a while with colleagues at the Xavier Institute of Technology, where she worked before coming to the United States in 1989.
When students at both universities expressed interest in the idea, Kapur applied for two grants but was denied both. She said the idea would have been abandoned, but Williamson said they should continue anyway, and the students from Xavier agreed.
When the editing process for the film segments is finished, both parties will exchange and complete one another's films. The students hope to travel to Mumbai and work side-by-side on the final editing for the films, Kapur said.
Months after its start, the three students said they've learned a lot from the project. Nylen, from South Holland, said the experience has taught him a lot about cinema as an art form.
"You have to keep pushing things to get the shot and image you're looking for and not compromise because of time," he said.
The segment of film was shot in locations around Carbondale, but contains many elements of Hindi cinema such as a song and dance number, Kapur said. In addition to writing the script and directing the film, the students also composed the music.
Not all of what was learned dealt with the art of cinema, the students said.
Williamson, from Rockton, said she learned about connecting with people.
"Even though we are thousands and thousands of miles apart, we can still have relationships and communicate with someone from a different country," she said.
Williamson said the recent terrorist attacks in India highlight issues that the students' film touch on. She said they are trying to show the similarities between people, and that people should not be judged and blamed as a group.
Kapur said the film is a good response to the tendency of globalization to create war and heighten the effects of the declining economy. Projects like this enable people to take charge of it instead of being victims on the receiving end, she said.
"Making this film is living as we should be in this world now, as world citizens," she said. "I think today's young generation embodies that."
Genna Ord can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 273 or gord@siu.edu
