Gurinder Chadha the director of her first film ''I'm British But...'' was a documentary. The film was about being Asian and British and it was told by four Indians from different parts of British Isles. Gurinder said by producing this documentary ''I learned was how powerful editing was and how it takes what you're doing to a completely different level. She commented on her own work to be ''My work then was all about, basically challenging images of us in the media. She also states '' I'm part of the mainstream fabric of Britain, whereas when I first started we were completely on the margin''.
How is the directors style shown?
Gurinder Chadha who directed this documentary has her own unique style as she tells the narrative in different ways. One of the ways is through a famous Indian band with subtitles so the viewer can really think about it as they are singing in different language and the lyrics are really powerful for example ''Leaving your Punjab, my friend'' it suggests Indians leaving their country to come over to Britain. The other technique she used was interviews which therefore follow the codes and conventions of a documentary.Screenonline quote said: "The Bhangra musicians Chadha interviews appear more comfortable with the music attracting white audiences, but note that it contains references that would be missed by most white listeners.
The style she uses is similar to the film ''Slumdog Millionaire'' if we were to compare it to a mainstream films as the director styles are similar in some ways as at the end of the movie in Slumdog there is a dancing scene and as in the film ''I'am British but...'' it also shows people dancing and having a band and it's similar as it's about Indian slums and it's about the same culture.However, we can't really compare as one is a film other is a type of documentary. Through the documentary she shows close-ups, medium shots of articles which really sets up to the narrative of the film about Asian culture and racism. She also uses the sound well as the band is important for her to get the narrative across to the audience.
What have you learnt about how these shorts were made?
What I learnt about this shot ''I'am British but...'' that you can really create a meaning when editing and put it as to how you want the audience to absorb/understand the media text. Also that you could base your film on real facts as Gurinder based her film/documentary on the 80's riots. Also that sound is very important in telling a story this will help a lot because for my 5min film we are not allowed to use dialogue, however we can use a soundtrack so we could pick a soundtrack that compliments what is happening on the screen the same thing the director done in ''I'am British but...''.
How have the shorts captured the audience?
The film ''I'am British but...'' I think captured a lot of audience that's why it was such as success back in its day because the film had so much different elements and therefore is something in the film that everyone will like and it would capture their interest. The people who would watch this film may be the fans of the band ''The Bhangra'' and this could be the reasoning they would watch it. Some people would watch this because they may be interested in the Asian culture. The other type of people would watch this could be some historians who have interest in what happened in the 80's. Finally film/documentary lovers also the fans of Gurinder.
About the director:
- English film director of Indian origin
- Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in the UK
- She is most famous for the hit films such as: Bhaji on the beach, Bend it like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice,Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
- Her most recent project is the comedy film ''It's a Wonderful Afterlife released on April 12 2010
- She used to work for BBC radio as a reporter but later on she moved in the television and moved into film production in 1993.
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