Major

 

Major : #BehindTheCamera

'Major' editors Vinay Kumar Sirigineedi and Kodati Pavan Kalyan talk about the film's success and much more - #BehindTheCamera

It’s quite hard to foray into the film world and after coming to the industry, it is still difficult to sustain. However, two guys are proving themselves with their finesse in the showbiz. Believe it or not, they are not actors, but they belong to the technical team. Yes, you heard it right! We’re talking about the editors of the film, 'Major'. Vinay Kumar Sirigineedi and Kodati Pavan Kalyan are the men behind the final output of this Adivi Sesh and Saiee Manjrekar's starrer. ETimes reached out to the duo for the weekly series #BehindTheCamera to talk more about the acclaimed movie and its success.

Getting an opportunity to edit 'Major', Vinay Said, ‘’I worked as an associate editor for 'Goodachari'. After seeing my efforts, Adivi Sesh offered 'Major'. Pavan edited some promos during the promotions of 'Goodachari'. So, we have recruited Pavan for Major’s online editing. Sesh and Sashi garu loved his work and approached me to give him the credit as an editor for 'Major'. Since then, we both have been credited as editors for this Mahesh Babu's production venture.

Predicting the success of 'Major', Pavan added, ''As you already know, before the release, 'Major' had been premiered in the major cities in India for soldiers' families and target audience. We were confident about our film. That is why we set the premieres across the country before the release of the film. We were able to take that step as we had that confidence. We thought it would be a success but did not expect it to be such a big success.''

Like many others keen for a break in the industry, Pavan too started as an associate. ''I wandered well for opportunities as an editor. Everyone was asking about my experience in films. So I joined as an assistant editor for the 2022 film 'College Kumar'. Garry BH is the editor of the movie. But, by the time the shooting was completed, we both were given the credit as editors for the film,'' he reveals.

''It depends on the project. We worked differently for each one. For instance, when it comes to 'Goodachari', it’s all about pace and style. We both worked in shifts for 'Major'. PK used to work in the first shift and I used to work in the next shift. After completion of the shoot, we assembled each scene and started editing them with the guidelines of the makers,'' Vinay introduced what an editing process looks like.

Vinay was asked about the run-time of the raw footage of the film, to which he replied, ''Before editing, Major’s decent first cut was around 3 hrs and 40s. We carefully discussed and edited which scene should be placed and which scene should not be placed. Some scenes look good. But if we feel that the emotions are repeating, we edit them immediately.''

On being asked about their editing software, Pavan said, ‘’The majority of the people in the Telugu film industry use Avid and Final Cut Pro for editing films. But we used Adobe Premiere Pro for Major, which is very advanced compared to both. And I am sure Adobe Premiere Pro will have a bright future in the industry. Adobe Premiere is the only software with which we can directly import footage from RED camera and edit.’’

Pavan was asked how an editor's role would be on sets, to which he replied, ''The presence of an editor is much higher than everyone else on the sets. After the director, an editor is the only one who has to spend a lot of time on the sets. In simple terms, editing is just like re-writing the process with the material we have. Editing is the final process in the entire post-production work. An editor’s job is to do it until all the scenes come out properly.''

While talking about the editing experience for 'Major', Pavan said, ''We enjoyed it a lot during the 'Major' journey. We’ve gone through all kinds of experiences while working on the film. Probably, one of the best experiences that we ever had. It was a beautiful journey. It’s the biggest break in our career.''

''I came to the industry to direct films. My aim is to become a director. I accidentally became an editor. There was no assistance during 'Goodachari' times, therefore I assisted Garry BH for the film. But I was involved in all aspects of the filmmaking,'' Vinay said about how he became an editor.

''The shooting of Major was happening at a brisk phase before the pandemic. After completing 40 percent of the shoot, a nationwide lockdown was imposed. However, we used the time to make it better than earlier,'' Vinay revealed how the lockdown led to a positive atmosphere for them.

Pavan is happy about revealing his upcoming projects. ''I am working as an editor of 'Goodachari 2'. Adivi Sesh garu is planning to make an Oscar-winning film in Telugu, and I have been offered. There are a couple of projects in Bollywood. I will be working on director Aditya Dhar’s next. I was asked to edit some action episodes for Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Pathaan','' PK smiles.