OnePlus India teamed up with Vice Media to launch its its first “Shot on OnePlus” documentary online. The launch comes just days after the company shared the first teaser of the documentary. The 37-minute thing showcases 12 interwoven stories during the global pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19). Each story traces the life of one person and people around them. The company has selected a diverse set of people to be part of the project. These include actors, sportspersons, doctors, gamers, rappers, and even regular individuals. We have already reported about the launch of the documentary.
To recap, the documentary outlines what all went about in the lives of these 12 individuals during the COVID-19 lockdown. The documentary also talks about how coronavirus changed their lives and instances of ordinary individuals stepping up to the challenge. We got some insights around how it impacted cricketers, doctors, and creators across different fields. Regardless of the challenges; the documentary concluded on an optimistic note about hope in humanity and a much needed reset. Here, we will look behind the scenes to see how OnePlus crafted United by Hope during the pandemic and lockdown.
OnePlus United by Hope documentary: Technical stuff
The company shared some exclusive details around the behind the scenes of its first “Shot on OnePlus” documentary in India. As part of the access and details, Siddhant Narayan, the Head of marketing at OnePlus India outlined multiple facets of the creating the documentary. First up, the company clarified that it used multiple generations of OnePlus devices to shoot the documentary. These devices included the latest OnePlus 8 series to the somewhat old OnePlus 6 line-up. This means that not everyone was using the latest and greatest hardware for shoot. The 12 people featured in the documentary shot parts of their journey over a period of three months.
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Narayan highlighted that features like 4K video at 60fps, and Ultra-wide-angle camera offered authenticity to the captured moments. In total, the 12 individuals and cinematographers shot about 960GB worth video spread over 3,758 files. The production team used Adobe Premier Pro and After Effects to create the final product. OnePlus also noted that the pandemic and lockdown made it almost impossible for complicated shooting setups. In fact, the featured individuals did not even have a tripod in most situations. So, to remedy the situation, they had to make do with books or other household items as stands.
For the actual shooting, production, and post-production, everything happened over a multitude of video calls. This made briefing each cast member, team member, script discussions, direction, and reviewing shots with feedback process much easier. Narayan also stated that the lack of complicated camera setups also made things easy for the cast of the documentary. Digging deeper, this lack of setups provided them freedom to shoot the life around them with extreme ease.
Challenges while shooting; The ugly, the bad, and the good
OnePlus noted that the primary challenge was the lack of photography or videography experience amongst the cast. Considering the lockdown, the production team also could not provide hands-on assistance to the cast. This means that the 12 featured individuals had to setup, and shoot everything on their own. All the production team and directors could do was give instructions over video calls. The lack of shooting equipment also made things slightly challenging during the production. With ample remote instructions, discussions and review; the cast and production team established certain level of trust. This level of trust and understanding made the entire process easier and seamless.
Narayan also noted that the user-friendly nature of the camera experience on OnePlus devices made things easier. In addition, the plethora of camera features ensured that the cast did not have to worry about the technical details. This reduced the things they had to worry about making the shooting much easier than other complicated setups. OnePlus also noted that it hopes to make things easier with the help of its India R&D team.
The crew for United by Hope
Finally, let’s talk about the people behind the scenes who helped craft OnePlus United by Hope documentary. These include Cauvery Rajagopal as the Creative Director, Rahul Datta as the director and cinematographer in Mumbai. Vikash Rai as the Editor for the documentary and Xavier Peria, Alok Utsav, and Gaurav Arora as the cinematographers in Chennai, Bangalore, and Delhi respectively. As mentioned above, all the 12 people featured also shot majority of the video clips on their own. These personalities include Dinesh Karthik, Bhaichung Bhutia, Richa Chadha, and more. Other names also include Dynamo, Supriya Joshi, Kubbra Sait, Raghu Karnad, David Woolley, Hanumankind, Dr. Harjit Bhatti, Abrar Bin Arub, and Shubham Dharmsktu.
