15-second storytelling

From full-length features to short films, the average Indian movie buff is learning to embrace cinema in all shapes, sizes and lengths. A 28-part thriller series with 15-second episodes, however, makes for quite an edgy surprise nevertheless. Shield 5, the first movie to be released on image-oriented social media platform Instagram, is making waves across the globe with its very unique brand of storytelling, 15 seconds at a time.

“I think it’s a stroke of genius,” says student filmmaker Sonali Kapoor. “It’s something I could never have imagined was possible before I watched it myself. The first episode itself, all 15 seconds of it, is a piece of outstanding, intelligent filmmaking. It introduces the protagonist to you and in those fleeting 15 seconds, you get a clear idea of what the thrust of the narrative, as well as the feel of it, is going to be like. He’s nursing a bloody wound as he staggers along the street - a single image that establishes all the basics that I need to know as a spectator to this man’s journey: that he’s in trouble, that he’s on the run, and that he’s not in great shape and so his road ahead is only likely to be a harder and therefore more thrilling one,” she shares.

She adds, “And because it is such a fleeting image, it leaves you immediately hungry for more and sets off a million questions in your mind!” she adds.

The 28-episode series is being broadcast daily on Instagram this month and is set against the backdrop of present-day London. It follows the journey of a security driver who is on the run from the police after a diamond heist and the resultant death of a colleague.

For media professional Megha Verma, the makers’ multimedia approach to telling this story is what makes this an exceptionally different and novel attempt at storytelling. “I find it really fascinating and engaging, following the narrative not only through the individual episodes but also through the pictures that are posted between them. For example, after the first episode was released, the Instagram account that released it also released a ‘Wanted’ poster of the protagonist, John Swift. Put that together with the episode before it, and you get new information as well as incentive to watch the next episode. The pictures add context to the images and flesh out the narrative. They answer a few of your questions, and then you wait for the next episode to answer more it’s a really, really great marketing tactic too. And to put all this on Instagram, arguably the most popular image sharing network in the world with a user base of more than 400 million, is a well thought-out and intelligent move,” she affirms.

Shield 5 was created by director Anthony Wilcox, who earlier worked as assistant director on Layer Cake, Hot Fuzz and Pearl Harbor, and writer Adam Dewar. Screenwriter Krishna Dey points out that an initiative of this nature, while experimental and innovative, can make way for even more original and experimental content finding its way to more kinds of viewing platforms. “No one expects to see a movie being released on a social media platform yet. We have so far gotten used to promotional videos there, at the most, but never new releases. Doing this, then, is a hugely noteworthy move in an age where audio-visual entertainment has already moved from the television set to online video-on-demand services like Netflix and Hulu. The people who are now known as ‘cord-cutters’ or those who’ve severed all ties with cable connections and set top boxes, are a regular thing in the West but a relatively new concept in India. The young generation here is slowly but surely being drawn to apps like Hotstar and ErosNow, but this development is still at its nascent stage. Original content on Instagram coming in now might just accelerate that process, as far as I can tell. And for screenwriters like me, there couldn’t be a better prospect! I mean, think about the kinds of content we will get to create and develop, how creatively challenging and therefore satisfying it could be and all the newer opportunities and avenues it could open up for screenwriting in general!” he says excitedly.