Animation arrests the attention of students, especially the younger ones, like nothing else. Mare Singara Mohan figured out this valuable nugget of information when he was in his second year of BTech that he was pursuing from Krishna Chaitanya Institute of Science and Technology, Kakutur, Andhra Pradesh. "My heart went out to students in rural areas who did not have access to fun learning methods like animated videos," says the 23-year-old. But the youngster also had another distant goal in his mind, he wanted to pursue filmmaking. Thus, through Vector Academy, he aimed to shoo away two birds with one stone (we're not cruel to kill them!). And while he's already benefitted students from classes VI to X in over 38 schools, he's even made a virtual audio Telugu short film during the lockdown and released it on June 7, making headway in his lifelong goal.
About the short film, which he is most excited about, this eleven-minute film called A Date on the Dark is unique because the screen is blank and only voices heard are of a blind girl and her husband, who just found out that he doesn't have too long to live. The film has already crossed 15,000 views and is doing the rounds on Facebook. "I chose this format because I knew I wouldn't be able to go out or gather a cast and crew to shoot it during the lockdown," says the youngster who completed the whole project in 15 days. In fact, he got his friends Dhrona Srinivas and Alekhya Patwari to help him dub for the film, which he calls, "a simple, feel-good movie that can bring a smile on anybody's face". Mohan is rearing to go with another two short film scripts and he wants to start working on his feature-length independent film soon too.
Coming to Giddalur-based Vector Academy, his start-up that he is equally passionate about, each chapter from Math, Physics, Biology and Chemistry (state syllabus) is condensed into a video that is not more than 30 minutes long. "We spent two and a half years developing this content," informs Mohan. Woah! No mean feat, this. They would engage three teachers to come up with visuals for each chapter and their animator would work based on their notes. They have also come up with subject-wise handbooks that serve as supplements for the videos. "This was necessary because sometimes their textbooks are too complicated and filled with heavy content that might not be so easy to grasp," he explains. The response to their content has been quite satisfactory and that makes Mohan super proud.
At the rate he is going, it sure looks like Mohan will be leaping and not inching towards his goal of being both a filmmaker and an entrepreneur.
A few comments on YouTube for the short film
- Awesome audio experience especially that male voice
- Great concept loved it
- What a different thinking bro
- Meeku manchi future undi, sir (You have a good future ahead of you, sir)
