Against All Odds

Rinoj Varghese is a recent Film Connection grad who has just pulled off the seemingly impossible; single-handedly writing, directing, and producing a feature length film, Beyond Your Consciousness: The Beginning. This passion project has already won 4 awards at the GFFAs, including Best Feature Film! I sat down with this miracle worker to discuss the trials, tribulations, and the obstacles he faced in accomplishing this incredible feat.

 

How did you originally get interested in film?

I was born and raised in India. From the time I was young I was fascinated with movies. I used to watch a lot of movies produced in India. There’s a lot of great content produced in my mother tongue, Malayalam. In India we have a different central language in every state, and each state has its own film industry producing films in that language. Even though I don’t understand all the languages, from every state, I could easily understand the stories. I concluded that language is not the thing connecting the audience to the movie, but rather an emotional core. Watching films, from across India, in so many different linguistic and cultural traditions was my first film school. I wanted to consume as much as possible. Around this time, I watched my first Hollywood movie: The Ten Commandments. This film really dragged me towards the Hollywood movies. I’d always look at the bottom of the posters to see who’s the director, the writer, and I knew these are the people who create movies. I wanted to become one of them, but I wasn’t sure where or how.

 

One day, when I was a teenager, I was walking the streets of my native-place and I saw a poster for The Sixth Sense. As usual, I read the names, and this time I saw “M. Night Shyamalan.” I thought, “That sounds like an Indian name.” I did some research and found out, like, “wow, he’s an Indian, he’s living in America, and he’s making Hollywood movies.” I realized, “If he can make movies in Hollywood, I can make movies in Hollywood.”

 

“If he can make movies in Hollywood, I can make movies in Hollywood.”

 

It strikes me that Bollywood is one of the only markets in the world that rivals Hollywood. Did you ever try to break in there instead?

I never tried because my family’s financial situation was not good enough for me to think like that. When I was a teenager that seemed impossible. Bollywood is in the north and I am from the south. I never knew what kind of movies I would be making, but I knew that I could make movies. Discovering myself took years, and now I’m in America. So that teenage dream to become like M. Night Shyamalan hit my brain again. Whenever I get a chance to make movies in Bollywood or in Malayalam, I would love to do that, because that’s where my roots are.

How have you adapted to writing in a language that isn’t your first language?

It’s been tough. It’s a big challenge. Sometimes when I write, it’s not conveying exactly what I want it to. I’ll play with a translator, and look at the text, and work with it until it finally says what I want it to. In the time it might take a native speaker to write 5 pages, I might only get through 1 or 2 pages. Once I finish with my script, I’ll send it to my friend Nicholas Durante, who’s a screenwriter, and he will correct the language wherever it’s needed. It’s the biggest hurdle I’ve had, but I’m not going to stop.

How did you become interested in screenwriting, specifically?

I always knew I could write. I didn’t quite understand proper formatting for script writing, but I knew I could do it. When I started my school, I started reading a lot of scripts and learned the basics. My first script, which I wrote with my mentor, became a Scriptapalooza semifinalist. That gave me confidence to write more. I’ve now written five complete scripts.

How did you end up deciding to make your own film?

I wanted to be a filmmaker. I thought to myself, “What is the next step? If nobody is buying my script, if nobody is producing my script, then I’m going to make my own movie.” And for that you need a lot of courage and confidence.

Can you tell us a bit about the writing process of Beyond Your Consciousness: The Beginning?

After I wrote about 40 pages, I passed it over to my wife who always gives me amazing critical feedback. She read it and said, “It’s going really well, it’s developing well, but what’s unique about this movie?” Soon after that I got writer’s block. It felt like the script itself was keeping me from writing the script I had thought I was writing. I created the story, I created the characters, but the story and characters themselves started to whisper that I was heading down the wrong track. Then I got a great spark, and I went in a totally different direction I hadn’t thought of.

How did you fund this project?

I live just outside of Washington DC, there aren’t a lot of eager film investors here. Most People don’t understand the industry and I faced a lot of doubt. There was a lot of, “Will he do it?” Some of my friends helped me, but I used a lot of my own savings. I just decided I was going to make this movie, and I did. I originally sat down to write a limited budget script, based around the premise that I would spend 30-40 thousand dollars, but it ended up being $100,000.

Being so new to the industry, how on earth did you source your cast and crew?

That was another huge obstacle. I’m just starting, I’m not known, and I don’t know that many people. Again, I was up against doubt. I connected with different organizations and emailed people again and again until I put together my first crew. The day before I was to start casting my crew fell apart. It was totally broken. I asked my wife for advice, and she said, “Just get it together and go for it, go do what you love to do. Your strength is confidence, don’t lose your confidence.” I completed casting and found a brand-new crew a month before I had to start shooting. Then that crew fell apart too! I sat with my wife, and she put an ad online. A close friend of mine, Nicholas Prainito, like a saint, brought a whole team to me. In two weeks, I put together my third crew! It was miraculous. That’s how it goes, you fight you fight you fight. Keep fighting.

 

That’s how it goes, you fight you fight you fight. Keep fighting.

 

Mostly, so far, you’ve discussed your love of writing. Was taking on the role of director particularly challenging?

As I write, I visualize the movie in full widescreen. I know what the shots should be, what it should look like, what the ambience should be like. I’m not a technical guy, I’m not a good cinematographer, I’m not good at a lot of things. But, I’m good at writing and directing. My vision was strong, and I was confident that I could execute it. If you have all the answers for your cast and crew, they will believe in you. Your confidence creates confidence in your crew and cast.

What’s next for your film?

I’ve already submitted to 8 film festivals and am waiting to get the notifications back. From there I need to start thinking about distribution. If I can get proper distribution, then I can get my film watched by people all over the world.

 

How did you discover Film Connection?

I found it online. I’m a family man, I have two kids, my wife, and I’m living in DC/ Maryland. It would have been extremely hard for me to go to New York, LA or Chicago to go to film school physically. It was perfect because it was looking for remote education and focusing on screenwriting and directing.

I understand you and your mentor, Richard Brandes, had a great relationship.

Richard is a great guy and a teacher, he was very supportive and always answered all of my questions. He’s continued to support me and give me good guidance to this day. When I came to him, I was writing scripts in the past tense, like they were short stories. He really taught me how to format for the medium and gave me confidence.

[My mentor, Richard, has] continued to support me and give me good guidance to this day. When I came to him, I was writing scripts in the past tense, like they were short stories. He really taught me how to format for the medium and gave me confidence.

 

Do you have any advice for someone starting the program?

I should say that you need to ask yourself: “Am I really passionate about movies?” It’s not a professional job, if you are looking for a “job” you aren’t fit for this. This is about doing what you love. Of course, this is a great program and comparatively quite reasonable. If you are self-motivated, it can really work for you. In school, nobody can teach you how to imagine, they can only teach you the technical aspects. You must show up with the passion.

Finally, do you have any advice for someone thinking about making their own film?

I believe in the 5 “Ds.” You should have a Dream. You need to turn that dream into Desire. All consuming desire. In order to achieve your desire, you need to make the Decision that this is what you are going to do. This decision will create the Determination you need to overcome the barriers and obstacles to achieving your dream. This dream, at the end of the 4 Ds, is your Destination. If you want to be a filmmaker, here is the thing, anyone can dream to be a filmmaker, but bringing this dream into reality is really hard. You need action. You can’t be afraid to take action.