{"id":19327,"date":"2013-04-01T14:56:41","date_gmt":"2013-04-01T18:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=19327"},"modified":"2013-04-01T14:56:41","modified_gmt":"2013-04-01T18:56:41","slug":"errol-kellymaster-movieset-maker-who-created-indiapakistan-and-bangladesh-in-colombo-formidnights-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=19327","title":{"rendered":"Errol Kelly:Master Movieset Maker who Created India,Pakistan and Bangladesh in Colombo for”Midnight’s Children”"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/p>\n

Dilrukshi Handunnetti<\/strong><\/p>\n

Veteran film actor Ravindra Randeniya refers to him as the \u2018master of movie set-making\u2019, an apt title for Errol Kelly, Sri Lanka\u2019s quintessential art director and production designer, who, despite his international repute and an incomparable contribution to the world of cinema, remains the epitome of humility.<\/p>\n

For Errol Kelly, it had been one wonderful cinematic journey, a path strewn with difficulties but successes only a few could achieve in actual life. \u201cI was lured by this art at the tender age of 17 years,\u201d says Kelly with a smile.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As a student of St. Sylvester\u2019s College, Katugastota, Kelly accidentally took upon himself the task of assisting his uncle, celebrated movie cameraman, Willy Blake, while shooting Elephant Bay, in 1971.<\/p>\n

\u201cI instantly fell in love with the film industry and there was no looking back,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

In 1972, Kelly joined Dr. Lester James Peries, to assist him in the filming of the movie, God King. He created movie sets for the first time, for Peries\u2019 movie, Kaliyugaya. Next he began working with the industry\u2019s pioneering spirits including Tissa Abeysekera, Gamini Fonseka and Sunil Ariyaratne, a craft he loved to learn.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked with the best and learned from the best. They all generously imparted knowledge. I was the sponge, ready to absorb.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelly acknowledges Dharmasena Hemapala as his industry guru, whose keen eye, he feels, could never be replaced. In the 1970s and 1980s, several Italian movies were filmed in Sri Lanka, followed by German productions, and Kelly\u2019s expert eye on location identification, in addition to creating excellent backdrops, proved extremely useful.<\/p>\n

He says, \u201cI never had technical training. We had no cinema schools to graduate from and had \u2018on the job training\u2019 only.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his first Hollywood break, Kelly\u2019s creative platform was raised to absolute international heights and Director Steven Spielberg relied heavily on Kelly when making, Indiana Jones.<\/p>\n

Hollywood break<\/strong><\/p>\n

This was followed by a string of other successful international movies including Mother Teresa, Jungle Book II and Robot Warriors. \u201cI was completely hooked by the kind of amazing assignments I kept getting. It was a great time to be dabbling in movie-making. There was so much creative energy and inspirational people to work with,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Besides exciting opportunities that demanded excellence and immense creative depths, Kelly says he has had his fair share of challenges. He had to create a 65-foot tall robot atop a hill for the film, Robot Warriors which proved a Herculean task. The budget was inadequate for what he designed, so he tied cables to create propellers and had a truck pulling at the cables to make the mega robot function. The robot also had to be positioned on a precarious hill, all of which, instead of daunting Kelly, only spurred him on to achieve his target.<\/p>\n

For The Amden\u2019s Men, a film premiered in Germany recently, Kelly designed and constructed the entire interior of a ship \u2013 inside a tiny studio. To create the rocking effect of a ship, he ingeniously used a rocking chair inside the studio-appointed ship and used water pipes to create the water gushing effect as the ship had to be eventually sunk!<\/p>\n

The biggest challenge however, was when Deepa Mehta required Kelly to create backdrops and sets depicting three countries for her film, Midnight\u2019s Children. Kelly, always up to the task, ended up creating India, Pakistan and Bangladesh \u2013 all within Colombo.<\/p>\n

\u201cI visited the specific locations described in the script and came back with a clear idea as to how a select number of locations in Colombo could be converted into three different countries, which is exactly what we did. The film, barring a few establishing shots taken in Kashmir and Mumbai, was entirely filmed in Colombo.\u201d <\/p>\n

Kelly received many accolades when he created Ghats that resembled the famous Ghats of Varanasi for Deepa Mehta\u2019s controversial film, Water. To begin his work, he visited Varanasi and studied the Ghats, making copious amounts of sketches to bring back home. \u201cThen I told Mehta, it is not possible to recreate the Varanasi Ghats which are unique. But Ghats can be constructed here, so Beira Lake provided me the backdrop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Varanasi Ghats in Colombo<\/strong><\/p>\n

An experience he cherished was when he art-directed for Mother Teresa. Kelly skillfully converted a Colombo slum area to resemble Calcutta some 100 years ago, gave the area a stained look, provided the locals with period costumes and used a theme of pale colours.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor an art director, understanding colour, tone and depth are very important. I begin everything by visualizing the director\u2019s words and the script. You can say that I live in my imaginary world as I begin to visualize movie concept or a script. It is slightly obsessive,\u201d he smiles.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Water, I used serene and pale colours for that were the tone of that movie \u2013 somber and serious. For Midnight\u2019s Children, I used bold colours. India, besides the sets and backdrops, were depicted through a riot of colour, Pakistan through greens and royal tones and Bangladesh with a combination. That\u2019s one part I truly enjoy about movie-making. Backdrops gain depth when costumes complement them,\u201d declares Kelly.<\/p>\n

Before undertaking a project, Kelly would read the script and then meet the director for an extensive discussion. Then he would list out possible locations (with a gallery of images stored on his laptop at all times) and next, travel on \u2018location-hunting missions\u2019 with his team, comprising a photographer, construction manager, carpenter, painter and a draftsman.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, the sets I create are a labour of love. For a man who assisted in films for a mere Rs 15 some 40 years ago without ever grumbling about wages and long hours, I still consider each opportunity to do something new and creative as a gift from God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Location hunting<\/strong><\/p>\n

Loving each film he undertakes, Kelly is clear about \u201cgiving his best\u201d to everything he does, from selecting locations to designing sets. Though having a long list of impressive films to his artistic credit, from Deepa Mehta’s Water to Steven Spielberg\u2019s Indiana Jones, from Temple of Doom to Jungle Book II, from Mother Teresa to Indochine and then to the latest \u2013 Midnight\u2019s Children, Kelly\u2019s formula for success is three-fold \u2013 \u2018loving his product,\u2019 \u2018doing his best\u2019 and \u2018striving to achieve the highest industry standards.\u2019 \u201cFor me, it is no difference whether it is an international blockbuster, local film or a TV series. I bring the same passion and enthusiasm.\u201d<\/p>\n

The zeal and creativity he brings in is such that his work was nominated for the 2006 GENIE Prix Awards, the Canadian equivalent to the Oscars, and several movies he has made creative contributions to, have been Oscar-nominated films.<\/p>\n

Keen to leave behind a tangible \u2018movie\u2019 heritage and eager to pass on his knowledge and expertise to the next generation, Kelly recently designed and constructed The Mahinda Rajapaksa National Tele-cinema Park in Ranmihithenna, Tissamaharama, in a sprawling 235-acre land. The first of its kind, this includes a modern studio and sets depicting hospitals, police stations, courts and various backdrops that can be used in multiple ways.<\/p>\n

Taking pride in his craft and training his juniors with dedication, many offers of honorary citizenship have come his way. But for a man of amazing creativity, Kelly\u2019s heart lies right here, in Sri Lanka. \u201cI am happy to be Sri Lankan. I wish to live and die in Sri Lanka.\u201d<\/p>\n

As production designer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Machan <\/p>\n

Dheevari: Fisherman\u2019s Daughter<\/p>\n

Mother Teresa: In the Name of God\u2019s Poor <\/p>\n

The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli and Baloo<\/p>\n

Robot Warriors <\/p>\n

Poronduwa <\/p>\n

Fifty\/Fifty <\/p>\n

Ghosts Can\u2019t Do It <\/p>\n

The Iron Triangle <\/p>\n

The Further Adventures of Tennessee Buck <\/em><\/p>\n

As art director<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sleeping Dictionary<\/p>\n

The Intended<\/p>\n

Der Kapit\u00e4n <\/p>\n

D\u2019or et de safran (TV)<\/p>\n

Il figlio di Sandokan<\/p>\n

Les myst\u00e8res de Sadjurah (TV)<\/p>\n

Beyond Rangoon<\/p>\n

Le livre de cristal <\/p>\n

Shadow of the Cobra (TV)<\/p>\n

A Dangerous Life (TV mini-series)<\/p>\n

Der Stein des Todes<\/p>\n


\nIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom<\/strong>
\n <\/em>As special category cinematographer<\/p>\n

Water \u2013 design consultant<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spies Inc. \u2013 Art Director: Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/p>\n

Indochine \u2013 Set Decorator: Malaysia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy
\n(TV mini-series) \u2013 Art Director: Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tarzan, the Ape Man \u2013 Head of costume and wardrobe department<\/strong><\/p>\n

As set decorator<\/strong><\/p>\n

La Porte du Ciel (TV)<\/em><\/p>\n

COURTESY:CEYLON TODAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti Veteran film actor Ravindra Randeniya refers to him as the \u2018master of movie set-making\u2019, an apt title for Errol Kelly, Sri Lanka\u2019s quintessential art director and production designer, who, despite his international repute and an incomparable contribution to the world of cinema, remains the epitome of humility. For Errol Kelly, it had …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Errol Kelly:Master Movieset Maker who Created India,Pakistan and Bangladesh in Colombo for”Midnight’s Children”’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19327"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19327"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19328,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19327\/revisions\/19328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}