Delays, foggy shots & extra budget for heating
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; January 16, 2023)

Among those impacted by the ongoing cold wave in Delhi were crews shooting for films, shows and web series in the capital. While the temperature dropping to 1-2 degree Celsius in recent days may not have shut down filming, line producers say that it takes a lot of changes in shoot schedules to keep them going.


WINTER SHOOTING HACKS: DELAYED CALL TIME, WARM TENTS AND LONGER SCHEDULES
Sharing a photo from her film Afghaani Snow’s shoot recently, Sheeba Chadha wrote on social media, “First day. Dilli. Cold. Knackered. Also happy tomorrow, a little late call time. Ah! the small joys.”

In fact, delayed call time is what production teams bank upon while shooting in Delhi winter. Sumit Tyagi, a line producer who is currently filming a web series in Delhi, says, “If a shoot is usually scheduled from 5 am onwards on regular days, these days it is pushed back to around 9 am. We also have to wrap up by 5 pm because of the sunset. More indoor shoots and closed, warm tents are what we go for while filming in January. The reason for this is not just chilly weather, but fog and pollution too. We also request production houses to keep four-five days extra as backup because the delay in call time means delay in shoots.”

‘GOT PERMISSION TO SHOOT NEAR RED FORT, BUT IT DISAPPEARED IN THE FOG’
Some days ago during the shoot of a film in Chandni Chowk, the crew realized that the Red Fort disappeared behind the fog and they couldn’t get the shot they wanted even after trying for hours.

Javed, a line producer, says, “Getting permission for filming closer to the Red Fort is itself a difficult feat, and then for this to happen once you do get the permission! We decided to shoot the sequence with whatever was visible at the time and the Red Fort could be included during the editing process. That’s the reason why most shoots that happen in January in the city are indoors. ”

‘WE NEEDED THIS SKY AND TEMPERATURE, SO THE WEATHER WORKED IN OUR FAVOUR’
Extreme hot or cold temperatures affect production, but then there are some who use the chilly conditions to their advantage. Ravi Sarin, a line producer, says, “We are currently shooting a film in Delhi and luckily our scenes need this sky and the cold temperature. Though our shoots are delayed, this weather is working in our favour.”

Mohsin Babur Baghwala, whose haveli in old Delhi is booked for multiple such winter shoots, says, “There were some ad projects and web series which were shot in old Delhi and the weather assisted them in a way, because they needed fog shots. Otherwise they would have had to create such conditions.”