Behind the Scene, a one-of-its-kind app to streamline film production, launched in Malayalam cinema

When Shameer Sharafudeen and Renjith Raghunathan sold their web development company in 2017, little did they imagine that they would end up creating something out-of-the-box for the film industry. They have launched Behind the Scene, a one-of-its-kind mobile app to streamline filmmaking. “There are applications mostly to help with the pre-production stage of film production. But our app is unique in that it covers all the three important stages of film production — pre-production, production and post-production,” says Shameer.

Shameer and Renjith have been working on the app from 2023 and tested its modules with the second season of the web series Kerala Crime Files last year. The first film that has fully made use of the app is Khalid Rahman’s sports drama, Alappuzha Gymkhana, set to release next month.

Other projects for which the app came handy are Padakkuthira headlined by Aju Varghese, Bha bha bha, starring Dileep, Vineeth Sreenivasan and Dhyan Sreenivasan and Mathew Thomas’ Night Riders. It is also being used in Nissam Basheer’s Prithviraj-starrer I, Nobody and a couple of movies that will be announced soon. “Anand Ekarshi [director of Aattam] has used it in his new short feature film that will do festival rounds,” Shameer adds.

Shameer and Renjith, both natives of Thiruvananthapuram, were classmates in school and later did post graduation in computer science. “My dream to become a filmmaker had to be kept on the back burner when education became the priority. We started the company, Colorz, in 2008, with Renjith handling the Kerala operations. I was managing the Dubai branch,” says Shameer, who created the software, Jukebox, for the Cable TV Operators Association in Kerala, as his MSc project, which was later implemented across the state by Asianet Satellite Communications and Siti Cable. 

Shameer recalls that he rarely used to watch movies until his love for cinema was kindled when he watched Ustad Hotel (2012) while living in Dubai. “By then we had both reached a saturation point running the company. So we sold it and I came back home with plans to become a filmmaker, while Renjith joined another company,” says Shameer. He worked as an assistant director and associate director in the films Y, Roy and Third Murder, made three short films and conceptualised advertisements and documentaries.

“It was those five years behind the camera that gave the idea for the app. I realised that cinema is indeed rocket science! It is a mess with no streamlining.”

A page in Behind the Scene app
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The app can be accessed by the producer/production house, director and his team, production team, location manager, casting director, costume designer, art director, cinematographer, spot editor, editor, CG team and colorist.

Shameer explains that once the script is locked, the app allows assistant directors (ADs) to analyse scripts, identifying and tagging essential elements such as characters, locations, props, and wardrobe. They can add additional details like reference photos and descriptions to all elements.

Casting managers, location managers, production designers and costume designers can work on corresponding breakdowns directly from the app with details and references provided by the direction team, thus eliminating the risk of misalignment, inefficiencies, and errors. “For example, a location manager can enter a matching location, including addresses, maps, contact numbers and photos through this app. Same way a costume designer can enter costume options for every character.  The director or the team can see all these options in real-time and can make decisions accordingly.”

Home page of the app
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

He adds that the ADs will benefit the most from the app. “I know how tough it is being an AD. They are the go-to persons for everyone — the producer, the crew and the cast. They are always on tenterhooks because they have to keep a tab on everything. A small mistake can upstage the schedule.”

The app simplifies the complex task of scheduling film production by allowing users to create stripboards (a document that contains a row for each scene in the schedule), generate shooting schedules and manage call sheets. It also gives a complete module to manage camera and editor’s reports – the documents that provide detailed information about the footages, so that the information is organised and easily accessible in the post-production stage.

Besides Shameer and Renjith, the team has Jamshi P, an engineer-cum-entrepreneur, and actor-entrepreneur Jins Bhaskar as the business partners. Among the collaborators are director Sunil Ibrahim, cinematographer Swaroop Philip, actors Gibin Gopinath and Sija Rose and editor V Sajan.

A page in Behind the Scene app
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Jamshi says, “New filmmakers are open to using it while it takes time to convince those who are used to the existing work flow.” Having worked in and behind the scenes in theatre and cinema, Jamshi says that he has been using Enterprise resource planning (ERP), a software that helps to streamline business processes, while running his company. “I understood the need for such a system in the film industry while working on the sets of Kunjeldo. Later when I met Shameer ikka and heard about what they were doing we clicked as a team.”

The app had a soft launch at last year’s International Film Festival of India in Goa and was also showcased at International Film Festival of Kerala 2024.

Shameer admits that it was a surprise when veteran editor Ranjan Abraham appreciated the app, having used it in Bha bha bha. Ranjan, who has been around for three decades, adds, “I found it extremely helpful. You get a whole picture of what is happening in the project thus saving a lot of time.”

Behind the Scene app had its soft launch at International Film Festival of India 2024
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Shameer recalls that Khalid was initially skeptical about using the app in Alappuzha Gymkhana. “He said that it won’t work in Malayalam cinema because sometimes they decide a scene over a cup of tea. We told him that the app has been designed that way. He agreed to give a try and eventually it worked for him,”Shameer says.

Nissam says that he is extremely pleased with how the app has fared so far during the pre-production phase of I, Nobody, which will go on floors next month in Thiruvananthapuram. “As the updates reach everyone using the app, no one can make the excuse that he or she didn’t know about the change. It saves a lot of paperwork as well. I have been an AD and we ADs used to arrive on the set with a bag full of printouts every day,” says Nissam.

Shameer adds, “We are not imposing it on anyone. Also, we are adding new features as per the suggestions and feedback of those who are using it. It was a big moment when we could impress veteran cinematographer PC Sriram sir. He even recommended it to a few prominent producers.”

The team is already in talks with makers and producers in other languages. “Many are trying to streamline the process manually. Now when we are giving them a ready-to-use product we are sure they will latch on to it. We have so far got positive responses from them,” Jamshi says.

The app is available in iOS, Android and the web. Details on www.behindthescene.app.