manu

Transmedia live performance

PRACTICE

Production

Post

Generative

Design

Transmedia

PROJECT

Anuj Bhutani's Manu

Location

Los Angeles, CA

Year

[SS24]

Credits

[film + live]

fr_m_d by Eilythia Penati & johans.
With the support of Movement in Motion Collective
Direction, Photography, Writing & Production johans.
Co-Production & Photography Eilythia Penati
Co-Production, Photography & Choreography Lindsay Lykins
Live Production Design Karla Huazano
Additional Photography Amy Pham
Live Photography Katie Luo
Fashion Design & Styling Mika Sharderbakova, Angie Rockey, Jenny Peihan Yu

[performances]

Anuj Bhutani
Janae Holster
Leeann Ross
Arjun Kochhar
Jonah Tran
Ambar Matos Ortiz
Samiyah Norris
Tamar Gabelev
Sadie Grace Shelbourne
Emily Liu
Aristotle Hartzell
Ellery Donlon
SLATERROSE
Leon Powell

[sound]

All music composed and performed
by Anuj Bhutani in collaboration with:

Violin on II-IV. and XI. Madeline Hocking
Tabla on II-V. Neelamjit Dhillon
Additional vocals on I-III., V.,
and featured vocals on XI. Alice TM
Guitar on II. Dustin Carlson
Guitar on III. Michael Alexander
Trumpet on II-III. Chris Van Leeuwen
Co-writer and production on XI. Dan Langa

Accolades

//Oracle Egg BROILER Residency

//commissioned by Anuj Bhutani for his Thornton Master’s Thesis project

Abstract

manu is a multifaceted exploration of Anuj's cultural identity as a first-gen Indian-American. Through dance and film, he delves into his diverse musical background, creating interconnected self-portraits in an evening-length performance.

Time moves through many abstractions of reality, distorting creation, transformation and destruction through dreams, people, our subconscious or even places; what does it mean to be one in a place of many?

Throughout a long semester of producing films and stage performances, we managed to shoot in more than ten locations, conduct a live rehearsal, organize a fundraiser event, and pack Oracle Egg’s stage. As the director and head producer, this project challenged my skills not only in the art form but also in balancing school work and personal life.

overview

Multidisciplinary in essence, this expansive project unveils the procedural and ambitious experimentation of dance, film, and live performance. After talking with Anuj, we were determined to bring something new and fresh to the stage. Although movement has always been part of my medium, my early experiments with dance in [A Shade of Light] and my work on [Nuwarii] convinced me that dance had to be included in this project. I spoke with Lindsay, my housemate and a very talented dancer and choreographer, who was excited to choreograph for the diverse and challenging styles Manu proposed. We collaborated to realize the visions Eylithia and I had written and to expand the project's visual language.

Throughout a long semester of producing films and stage performances, we managed to shoot in more than ten locations, conduct a live rehearsal, organize a fundraiser event, and pack Oracle Egg’s stage. As the director and head producer, this project challenged my skills not only in the art form but also in balancing school work and personal life.

Beyond Memory and Dream

After writing the film with Eilythia, I collaborated with Lindsay and Anuj to refine and blend our intended messages for the piece. Lindsay and I cast our friends and spent two months shooting in numerous locations around Los Angeles. Exploring themes of identity and time structures, the films intertwine dreams, memories, and personal relationships, creating abstracted reflections of Anuj’s subconscious and upbringing.

what is it / you want?

Using Anuj’s archival footage from his childhood, it was a perfect way to begin the project. Overlaping these archives with b-roll and snippets from the upcoming films, What Is It and You Want? serve as an introduction to the musical, visual and metaphorical themes of the overall project.

Beyond Memory and Dream

what is it / you want?

i fall

I Fall begins the narrative with whimsical imagery of falling in love, subtly foreshadowing a painful and almost frightening outcome. Shot in slow motion—an amazing idea by Lindsay, who choreographed it with this in mind—it beautifully portrays the slow burn of this process. Using Sony’s Alpha A7III camera with my DJI Ronin S3 Pro, the crisp and floating image helps convey these emotions on screen. To achieve the idea of 'memories from a cloudy future,' I processed the image through After Effects, using different texturing methods for random blooming and an uncanny vintage feel.

i think

I Think questions the singular and existential byproducts of falling in love, presenting an abstract mass of uncertainty and mixed emotions. For the production of I Think, I built on the work from I Fall and employed my comfortable, multi-camera approach for a wider variety of abstraction and texturing. The setup included a Casio digital camera, an iPhone 14, a Sony Alpha A7III, and a Nikon D4. Using TouchDesigner and my array of After Effects abstraction methods, the outcome is an energetic moving painting that enhances these themes.

i fall

i think

how long?

How Long? is the longest piece and arguably the central question of the project. Anuj worked on this segment for about two years, if not more, and it was the starting point for everything. I first heard it when he performed it for our Performance Technology class in 2023. It was the piece that inspired me to start writing and brought all these ideas together as evolutions and premonitions. The darkest in theme and most dynamic in style, How Long? explores the subconscious through dreams and nightmares, featuring abstracted memories and ritualistic overtones. The piece blends my multi-camera approach with varying intensities of image processing, utilizing TouchDesigner, Runway AI tools, and my Adobe After Effects’ methodical texturing techniques.

i know

I Know builds on the final questions posed in How Long?, leading to an accepting, almost open-ended, and circular resolution that unearths the themes and visuals of What Is It?. Abstracted memories, nightmares, and dreams that evoke uncertainty and an uneasy feeling of 'letting go' cloud the imagery, creating a sense similar to I Fall but less pragmatic.