Unveiling the Depths: "Who we were, who we became" - A Celebration of the Windrush Generation

Hey! I'm beyond excited to share with you my latest cinematic adventure, a project that's been six months in the making—a poetic film in collaboration with the incredible Danae Wellington. Together, we're taking a deep dive into the stories of the Windrush generation, shedding light on the individuals behind the headlines and hardships. Here is a journey of our film, Who We Were, Who We Became.

Before I get into it all, I just want to thank the crew for being such a huge part of this production. I could have not done it without you all!

Brewing Ideas Over Coffee: The Birth of the Project

Picture this: endless meetings at cozy cafes, cups of coffee in hand, as Danae and I hashed out ideas. From the very beginning, we wanted to go beyond the expected narratives. We craved a film that not only acknowledged the struggles but also celebrated the people—their dreams, their farewells, their journeys, and their triumphs.

Four Stanzas, One Journey

Join me as we journey through four stanzas, each unraveling a different chapter of the Windrush story:

The Night Before: It's a mixed bag of emotions—anticipation, celebration, and tearful goodbyes—all on the eve of departure.

The Journey: Let's navigate the challenges and hopes of the journey itself, feeling the heartbeat of those crossing oceans for a new beginning.

The Arrival: We won't shy away from the harsh realities of racism upon arrival, but we'll also capture the resilience and strength that defined their response.

Who we became: This final stanza is a celebration, an uplifting crescendo honoring the indomitable spirit of the Windrush generation. Who they became, the hurdles they overcame, and the richness of their cultures take center stage.

From Sadacca to Sheffield Town Hall: A Personal Invite

I'm thrilled to extend a personal invitation to each and every one of you. Join us at Sadacca on the 15th of October in Sheffield. But that's not all! On the 28th of October, we're taking this celebration to new heights—literally. Our film will be projected on the side of Sheffield Town Hall, turning it into a cinematic canvas.

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to dive into the backstory of "Who we were, who we became." Your support means the world to us, and we can't wait to share this cinematic journey with you. Mark your calendars, bring your friends, and let's make these screenings unforgettable.

See you there!

Darshan.

Ravi - A short about Cultural Resentment fueled by Racial Abuse

Hello, long time no see!

I’m currently working on my new short film Ravi. This film means a lot to me as it’s about a very close and personal story. Growing up in the UK as a South Asian in a very white town, I faced a lot of racism and felt alienated. This has led to me resenting my culture. Now 23, I’m very connected with my culture and wanted to create something that resembles that story. Please have a look at the fundraiser here and consider donating if you can. I would really appreciate that. If you can’t donate, even sharing it on social media would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Darshan.

My Experience Shooting a Film Funded by the BFI and HOME Manchester

As a cinematographer, I've had the privilege of working on a variety of film projects over the years, but the one that sticks out in my mind as the most challenging and rewarding is the film I shot last week as part of a collaboration between the British Film Institute (BFI) and HOME Manchester. In this project, I served as the director of photography, working closely with Ai Narapol, who was the director.

One of the most notable challenges we faced was the tight shooting schedule. We had just two days to capture around 50 shots, which meant we had to move quickly and efficiently to get the shots we needed. To make things even more difficult, we were shooting in a new format, ProRes RAW. This meant that we needed a massive set of hard drives to store the footage, as 44 minutes of footage equated to 1 TB of storage. It was a logistical challenge to make sure we had enough storage on set and backup drives at the ready.

Despite these challenges, we were able to work together and make the most of our time. With the help of a fantastic lighting team that I hadn't worked with before, we were able to create lighting scenarios that felt like natural light. I was very impressed with their creativity and expertise, and the lighting they created added a lot to the overall look and feel of the film.

As the cinematographer, it was my responsibility to capture the director's vision for the film and make sure each shot was framed and lit perfectly. I also had to work with the camera department to ensure that we were using the best equipment for the job. Shooting in ProRes RAW was a new experience for me, but I was excited to work with this new format and see how it could enhance the final product. It was amazing to see the details that were captured with this format, and I was pleased with how the final footage looked.

Overall, this film shoot was a challenging but rewarding experience. Working with a new format and a tight shooting schedule required us to stay focused and work together as a team. But with the help of a talented crew and a creative director, we were able to create a film that we were all proud of. I'm grateful for the opportunity to work with the BFI and HOME Manchester, and I look forward to seeing the final product on the big screen.

Shooting a Short Film for Sky Art's shortFLIX

Hello!

Last month I had the amazing opportunity to come on board as the cinematographer for ‘Left Behind’, a short film about two brothers and their response to grief within their family. Being part of SkyArts, the initiative was to provide directors who had less experience, not in full time employment or studying £10,000 budget to create a short. Having the opportunity to shoot a project with a large sum of budget was fantastic.

I was away in India during the weeks leading up to the project, despite that, Carrie (director) and I worked heavily into the project having constant chats and emails to prepare the days ahead. It was a two day shoot and a 13 scene script, this meant we had to be really fast when it came to shooting, and fast we were!

Ultimately, this experience has been a great opportunity for me and challenged me in a way that others haven’t. I was practically jumping into locations I hadn’t had opportunities to pre-visit, working with a less experience (but actually felt quite experienced) director and figuring out what kit we should order from the hire.

I shot a film on super 8mm in India

This film feels bittersweet.

My grandad passed away today and at the same time, I received these developed super 8 video files from the lab. I felt the need to get this film out today and dedicate it to him. I’m grateful that we were able to see him recently, and while he was well and able to see us too.

The last time I visited was when I was ten for my grandma's passing. I used to hate going to India, the smell, the heat, the humidity - it was all uncommon for me. Now I feel a lot more connected and grateful for that side of me and I feel blessed to have gone again, especially now.

Tread softly.

Darshan.

First time with the ARRI Alexa Mini

I was contacted last minute to substitute in for a DoP that could no longer make the shoot, so I began getting familiar with the scene I was going to shoot, reading the script and all provided pre-production notes. One of the bonuses of this production, was that we were shooting on the ARRI Alexa Mini.

Once I got on set, I went and figured out lighting. Our directors original intention, was to have blue moonlight coming in through the windows. However, we couldn’t do that as the place outside the windows was a massive, unaccessible ditch. So I had to think on the spot. I began looking around the room for practical options, we wanted something to motivate a light source but also keep the far side of the room dark for a ‘monster’ to be hidden in. I found an old glow-up heater, used for when the mechanics (yes, we filmed at a garage) would be cold in the winter. We used that practical in the wides to motivate the warm back light on the side and used my Aputure 300x to help amplify that, and then behind the blue curtain there were fluorescent tubes, so I used my Aputure MC to add some more colour contrast to the right side of our subject. I’ll try get a still with a lighting plan up here when I receive the footage.

So I finally got to shoot on the industry staple of cinema cameras, an ARRI. At first I thought it would be quite daunting, but having already been aware that they are quite simple to use compared to the likes of Sony’s menu systems (which I’ve used the FX9) that I think that relieved me a little.

Using the Arri was a blast, despite having no first or second AC (there was 4 of us, including the actor on set) I managed to chug out a ton of shots. It makes me feel a lot more confident working with ARRI cameras as I’m now aware how exposing for LOG C works and reading things such as the false colour for LOG C. I was definitely thrown into the deep ending DPing a scene I knew nothing about, with no camera/lighting department crew on an ARRI in the dark, but I think it went surprisingly well. I really hope to shoot on ARRI’s again in the future, as their image is definitely above all.

A short about Islamophobia and how media has pushed a perspective.

I recently got the chance to work on the BFI young filmmakers thriller competition for filmmakers aged 16-25. I was approached by a team of young filmmakers with an idea already in their heads. Zane (writer, director and actor) wanted to create this film that challenged the views that western media has put on society about Muslims. We created this powerful short that I will not spoil but really makes you feel guilty as a viewer if it makes you ‘think’ a certain way.

Interviewed by BFI!

I am honoured to have been asked by the British Film Institute (BFI) Academy to be a part of their SCENE weekly Q&A that they host. The SCENE program aims to inspire young filmmakers between the age of 16-25 to get into the film world. Having created my graduate film ‘Kilig’ (which you can watch here!), I was found by people within the BFI world and contacted recently. It’s nice to know that a film I created a year ago has lived on and reached people from established industries such as BFI. It was such a great opportunity to be involved with them. Being an inspiring cinematographer, I get so much knowledge from people above me who are happy to help out and answer any questions of younger studying filmmakers. With that, I feel that I am at a point where I can share tips to say a 16-year-old aspiring DOP so I feel it was definitely worth getting on the Q&A. You can watch the Q&A in full here!

I am hoping that doing this Q&A is a sign that people in the industry such as BFI have an eye on me and feel that I am on the right path. I am grateful and I look to seek out any further opportunities that the BFI and other film institutions offer me.

Tramlines 2022! What an opportunity to film!

I had the amazing opportunity to go film Tramlines 2022. Having had this on my bucket list for a few years now, it felt just as I imagined being there. The thrill of being in the pits and capturing such huge artists such as Sigrid and Sam Ryder doesn’t feel better (I’m secretly a massive fan of Sigrid). I just wanted to share that I had this opportunity and check out this short highlight video (built for Instagram, hence the short-ness) to showcase the event.

DocFest 2022 - What a year!

DocFest 2022 has been such an amazing year. We’re finally back in person and being able to physically meet people is something that was very much missed from the previous years. I really enjoyed sitting in a darkened room and taking in all the beauty of each film I watched. Additionally I had a lot of opportunities this year, including moderating a Q&A for the international premiere for Dancing Pina. There’s much to be said about this year and I will keep raving about it!

As said, I hosted the Q&A and international premiere for Dancing Pina by Florian Heinzen-Ziob, a fantastic filmmaker. I was extremely grateful to be asked to moderate this event. It’s a great feeling to be recognised for my own dance film and then to be asked for this event. Not only did it make sense, but it also gave me the opportunity to discuss my own project and learn from a great filmmaker like Florian. If you get a chance, go watch Dancing Pina, it’s absolutely stunning and inspiring, it’s definitely going to influence the way I continue filming dancers.

On top of that, I got to meet Asif Kapadia which is mad cool! Then I also DOP’d one of the films in his 24 hour make a documentary challenge. This was a crazy opportunity that I am very thankful to be a part of. Watching what everyone had made in 24 hours really highlighted the local filmmaking community and how team work shines in any production. There were some absolutely stunning films and I hope to attend and possibly be a part of it next year.

And post production starts!

And finally we’re here. It’s been an absolute blast of a journey shooting this documentary but we’ve come to an end. It feels so weird to wrap on a project that you’ve been dreaming about making for the past three years. We literally stopped after the last shot and it hit me, wow, that’s it. Not really though…

In documentary the story is actually made not before, but after. It’s really formed in post by the editor and as much as I planned out how I want it to look, I’m aware that it won’t be that. We’ve shot things that haven’t gone to my original plan, but in a positive way. We’ve captured additional things such as breaking competitions and explored stories through peoples personal lives. I’'m really excited to see how Katie takes on the edit and I will keep you all updated as much as possible!

Thank you for sticking around,

Darshan.

Help me create a film!

Hello!

If you have been following me on social media, which you definitely should be, you probably have already heard that I am working on a dance documentary. Ever since joining the Break Dance society at Sheffield Hallam, I have been so keen to create something with dancers.

Something about the way they dance is so visually fascinating to me and I feel that I have developed a style of cinematography where it’s not just a gimbal going in and out but I’m physically ‘there’ dancing with the dancers.

I’ve come to the point where I am in need of more funds to keep the project going. I’ve shot about half of it already and would love to continue the project. However, it’s been getting quite expensive travelling across the UK, buying train tickets for these dancers, food costs and locations.

Please have a look at my Kickstarter and consider sharing and or donating to it if you would like to support me on my journey. Anything will help!

Thank you,

Darshan.

A film combatting the Nationality and Borders Bill

Last weekend I worked on an amazing project directed by Ai Narapol in association with Namsong. The goal was to inform people about the bill and how it will affect immigrants and second-generation immigrants, in this case, the dancer Daniel Phung. I was taken onto the project to shoot the film and colour grade it. Being a second-generation myself, this topic means a lot to me.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

We had a very early start, I’m talking 1:30 AM wake up, 2:00 - 5:00 AM car journey to Leeds and then Scarborough Beach. Once at the beach, it was pitch dark. I lost my second black cap (which I had lost on a set before (I’m still triggered)). The shots we got however, were so worth the journey and lost cap.

We used an Aputure 300X equipped with a strong red gell blasting at Dan to create this ominous red glow in the dark. The sand blowing around created an atmospheric effect with the light, which I loved. Once we got the shots we needed we all ran to the car and warmed up. It was freezing.

Things were about to only get colder for me… As the sun rose, we set back out to the beach. Dan and I ventured into the water and boy was it cold, really really cold. Having spent about 10 minutes barefooted in the water, my feet literally went pure numb for the next two hours. I couldn’t even put my socks back on, it was so weird. I slept in the car back to Leeds, woke up and they were still numb! But believe me, I’d do it again and again.

Currently, the film is being edited by Ai and I can’t wait to share the story with you all!

I'm Officially a Graduate!

Well, the time has come. After spending my whole life studying, realizing what makes me tick as a person, my passion. It feels so weird and quite sad to be leaving the student life, more importantly, Sheffield Hallam. I would joke about hating university when times were tough, but I take it all back. Sheffield Hallam University has made me who I am today, from start to finish.

When joining Sheffield Hallam, I was an extremely introverted person. I was very insecure about my height and appearance. Fitting in was something I worried very about a lot. I remember in the first year, I didn’t even go out on freshers week, I’d lock myself away in my dorm and avoid going into the kitchen if I heard people.

Moving on three years, I’m on stage delivering the vote of thanks speech in front of hundreds, possibly thousands of people at my graduation. I never ever expected myself to be in that position. However, throughout my time at university, I knew I had to keep pushing. One of my biggest moments was forcing myself to ask the talented filmmaker and good friend; Brett Chapman (known as brettinthecity) to meet up. I adore his work and love the fact that he has a unique style that just screams wholesome. Having worked alongside Brett, helped me realise that I can get work in film. From that day I kept going, being as proactive as I can.

I think it would be really dumb not to mention my two best friends. I met Jess/VHS girl in the first year and we just clicked. Fast forward three years and we’re in Brewdog. I was so set on working by myself and I remember Jess wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. Then she told me an idea she had. At that moment I just dropped my idea and said: “I’m working on this”. It’s actually mad how much effort we put into this one film. It was such an ambitious project, sourcing Filipino actresses, finding a variety of locations, fundraising over £800 and shooting alongside a pandemic. We are actually built different.

And Ai. We met at a Hallam freelancer job which I find very fitting. Now we’re working together under our established company; Yellow Pocket for big clients such as Hallam. I like how we are able to really just be ourselves and our clients can accept us for us.

I find it crazy, graduating I’ve managed to DOP a handful of short films, work with clients like Amazon, assist on large film sets, run my own company with Ai, make a fantastic handful of talented friends, shoot on stage with singer song-writer; EDEN, my absolute idol and progress as a human.

Thank you everyone,

I love you x.

Darshan.

DOP of Remnants, My Next Short Film Project!

During the end of my university degree, while I was shooting Kilig, I had been contacted by two very lovely people. Jakob Barnes from Jumpcut Studios and Chris Boyd an up and coming writer and director with a keen interest in horror films. They both had seen my style of filmmaking and wanted to get in touch to have me on board Chris’s latest story, remnants. I thought it was crazy at first, I’ve never been in a position where I would DOP a short that wasn’t a student project. There would be a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, but I felt like after shooting Kilig, I have what it takes.

BTS Photography by Ai Narapol

Remnants is a horror film set in the modern era. We follow Adrian, a teacher at a reservoir. He then finds a walker, one with a strange act to them and pursues them. Over the course of the film, we find to realise that the walker is the ghostly figure of someone Adrian knows very well…

After many discussions with Chris, I got a great idea of what the films visual style was. Chris and I both went to the location to scout and find places where we could shoot, I then boarded the film on CineTracer.

One of the main challenges we had was the time constraints. We were shooting a 10 page script in two days. This involved multiple scene changes, actors, possible weather disruptions, etc. I ended up boarding 43 shots on the first day and 47 shots on the second day. I know this sounds crazy, but both the director and I knew going into this project, we had to take on a guerilla-style approach to shooting. This meant a simple rig, easy to execute shots and shooting what we need as I could come back at anytime without the actors and shoot pick ups of landscapes, etc.

A new thing that I’ve never done is shoot in water. Like, actually put my camera underwater. This was scary considering the price point of my S1H and it being all that I’ve ever worked for but I decided, hey let’s trust this £80 glorified-sandwich bag from Dicapac and see what happens. It worked surprisingly well! One thing to note, the UV filter of the Dicapac seems to clash with any filters used on the lens, creating a weird rainbow effect on reflective surfaces, such as the water we were shooting in.

BTS Photography by Ai Narapol

To summarize, this was a freaking epic shoot. Everyone on set were so on ball with the project, the actors were fantastic, all the crew nailed their roles and I am so grateful for this opportunity. I really look forward to seeing how Katie pieces this together in the edit (it’ll then be shipped to me for the colour grade!)

BTS Photography by Ai Narapol

Photo by Tom Sheffield

Photo by Tom Sheffield

Photo by Tom Sheffield

BTS Photography by Ai Narapol

Credits:

Cast:

Yara | Emma Leah Golding

Adrian | Simon Weir

Catherine | Rayyah McCaul

Crew:

Producer | Jakob Barnes

Director | Chris Boyd

DOP | Darshan Gajjar

Sound | Marcus Anuzis

AD | Nick Deal

AC | Tarik Skalli

Production Executive | Tom Sheffield

Make-Up Design | Isabella Percival

BTS & Unit Photography | Ai Narapol

Editor | Katie Senior

Promoting a Good Cause with Film, Filming with Sheffield City Contact Tracers.

I am happy to announce that I am now part of the filmmaking team at SCCT (Sheffield City Contact Tracers). On the team, I will be working as their director of photography for their second episode, check out their first one if you haven’t already. Coming on as the DOP, I wanted to get under the skin and know all about the project to inform my decisions when behind the camera.

The project, albeit a simple one, was a sensitive one. In this episode, we plan to get under the topic of mental health and how it has affected people during the pandemic. Above are a few stills of the first day of shooting. We shot with Mental Mate, which is a charity that not only provides boxing lessons to help with mental health, but people to talk to. Everyone at Mental Mate has/is going through something and are all about talking about it! I cannot wait to share what we have done in the fullest, video form!

Shooting a Run-And-Gun Campervan Commercial!

After postponing a previous shoot with Clock Off, we found ourselves returning with a lot better than we would have had. It was absolutely gorgeous, it couldn’t have been better! We took to a local pub in Grantham called ‘The Dirty Duck’ (yeah I know). Shot at the campsite and then ventured around shooting in other local areas. One issue we had throughout the days, were the cars. We had one car shutdown fully with a break issue. A few hours later, one of our cars had a tire puncture. These film shoots will never go perfectly smoothly, but hey, that’s filmmaking for ya! Haven’t seen the final edit? Click here!

We did it, we shot Kilig!

I have had the absolute time of my life bringing Kilig to life. It's been both fun and stressful but most definitely worth it. Over the past few months, Jess and I have been doing constant work towards our final film at university and I can say it is really starting to pay off.

When Jess told me about the idea, I jumped straight on it. I didn't think for a split second about going back, but I knew we had a lot of work ahead of us. Amidst a pandemic, we brought limited cast and crew on board. Constant zoom meetings and late-night pre-production calls. Finally being on set, we got to both watch our months of work come to light.

Photo by @AiNarapolFilm / Shooting Scene 2

Onset, we went through challenges. From shooting late nights through tough winds to limited crew and COVID guidelines. One highlight for me personally would be when our lead actress Maria made everybody the most lovely hot chocolate ever. Maria was quite literally a mother on set and I loved it.

From this experience, I can say that I have had a boost of confidence. Growing up, I have had issues about people taking me seriously (probably because I look like a child lol), and for me to step up and direct, having people take my judgment seriously made me feel extremely welcomed on set.

Photo by @AiNarapol

I’d like to take the time to thank the amazing crew we had on set. Jess has pulled me through thick and thin with this project. I cannot stress how much pre-production she has gone through, not only that, she jumped in and sound opped the project! Jordan really helped transform this film, giving me the chance to focus on directing and camera a lot more while he sets up the lights. Ai, I mean what can I say about her? Partner in crime at Yellow Pocket, much love for her doing all the BTS, styling, and acting as Hazel. Last but not least, Shaun, an absolute legend in doing quite literally anything you tell him, (he was 1st AC by the way)!

I'm happy to announce we are beginning our post-production phase. I'm excited to share the final project with you all. I cannot thank everyone who has helped enough with this project. Whether you lent us props, donated, shared, volunteered, whatever. I love you ❤️. #film #project #university #sheffield #sheffieldfilmcrew #sheffieldhallamuniversity #kilig #kilig2021

Behind the Scenes with Yellow Pocket!

Today at Yellow Pocket we took our cameras to Jenny Chan’s workshop! Ai runs the photo side of the company and we thought it would be great to show you guys what it’s like shooting with us. When we work one-on-one with clients, we like to be relaxed and playful. We don’t want them to feel nervous or the need to pose smartly. We want people to be themselves. Nevertheless, here is a BTS of the photoshoot with Jenny Chan Artworks! (video shot & edited by yours truly.) Check out Jenny’s artwork via her Instagram here!

Using CineTracer to Previsualize Film Projects.

Every time I work on a new project, something with specific shots and scenarios. I realize I need a way to explain my vision to clients, actors and crew members. Shot lists are the usual way, you’d grab a piece of paper, sketch out each shot and write down notes to remember below them. Don’t get me wrong, typical shot lists are great. However, drawing requires a lot of time and talent. I’m not a good drawer at all and there are some things CineTracer can do that drawing just can’t replicate (unless you’re really good at drawing and are willing to spend a lot of time!)

CineTracer is a pre-visualization program for filmmakers. it’s great for director of photography’s trying to get their vision across. It’s essentially a game you download from Steam and then you can build a set in a 3D sandbox space using props, actors, lights and the list goes on!

Representing lighting in CineTracer is one of the main benefits. You can create accurate scenarios, even with haze to create realistic light beams. There are even props such as c-stands to see where your lights can be set up in a set, this I really can appreciate.

One thing that stands out about CineTracer, is the camera function. You can literally choose what sensor size your camera is and lens focal length. This is really important to showcase, visually, whether the lens is wide or tight, something that isn’t as clear with sketching.

Not only this, you can set the aperture within the camera to create an accurate representation of depth. I will say that CineTracer is in active development. There are some issues and annoyances, one being that auto-save is not a thing. But it’s truly impressive for what it is.

Check out CineTracer on the official website here!

Thanks a lot for taking the time to read this blog post, it means a lot.

Lots of love,

Darshan.