| "The Genius of Manick
Sorcar"
A Graduate level Class Project at the College of Mass Communications,
University of Denver, Colorado, USA
|
"Please hold your technical books in hand
while I shoot", Jack Ferguson, the director and cameraman
of "The Genius of
Manick Sorcar" requests Sorcar.
|
Manick Sorcar was the subject for a 2001 Fall Quarter
graduate level class project for the Mass Communications program
at the prestigious University of Denver, Colorado, USA, where a
group of students of Film Making were instructed to "shoot
a celebrity, interview the person covering some of his work, edit
it, and present it as a two minute interview package to be telecast
on campus TV ". The students selected Manick Sorcar as their
subject and came to his residence with their sophisticated camera,
lights, and script on October 26, 5 pm. Jack Ferguson was the director
and cameraman, Roma Sur was the producer and scriptwriter, and Faye
Allen was the interviewer.
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In addition to a thorough and most interesting interview
with Manick Sorcar, the group took footage
of his technical books , the unique house, the basement animation
studio, glimpses of how he does his animation, his awards and trophies,
and of the many unique multi-media art
pieces displayed throughout the interior.
How did it feel to capture it all and capsule in a package of two
minutes? In their own words:
|
A tight close-up of one of Manick's miniature
paintings,
President Lincoln on a grain of rice. |
Jack Ferguson takes close- ups of some of Manick's
tile paintings representing
13th century of India
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"Attempting to capture the essence of Manick Sorcar in two
minutes seems an impossible task. For us (University of Denver graduate
students Roma Sur and Jack Ferguson along with undergraduate Faye
Allen) this was the assignment for the video production class of
Dr. Sheila Schrouder. Manick Sorcar is like a Dr. Jeckyll and Mr.
Hyde type of character. By day he toils away as an electrical engineer,
lighting expert & CEO of Sorcar
Engineering, Inc., doing lighting designs for multi million
dollar projects such as the Denver International Airport and the
Colorado Convention Center expansion. His books (he's written three
so far) on lighting engineering serve as text at some of the world's
most prestigious universities. |
| While this sounds like a full time job for most
of us, it is only half of Manick Sorcar. By night at home, in what
he describes as his "mini India", Manick Sorcar is an
artist, director, producer, father, and husband. Sorcar likes multi
media and his broad comprehension of subject brings new meaning
to the concept. He paints on peanuts; he uses seeds to create images
of Gandhi, and newspaper clipping to bring Princess Diana and the
Clintons to life in black and white. |
Manick Sorcar demonstrates how he does his animation
in his studio.
|
Faye Allen interviews Manick Sorcar
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He creates award winning computer-based animations
that interact with real life characters, recreating ancient Indian
stories and myth for American children. His laser light stage shows
which employ up to 50 people are modern spectacles that combine
East and West, art and science into one amazing experience. His
family are his singers and actors, his costume designers, and production
coordinators. In fact, Sorcar believes his life's greatest achievement
is the way he's been able to include his family in almost everything
he does. A modern day Renaissance man, to use an over used and often
under deserved deceleration, is probably the simplest way to describe
Sorcar.
|
| There's much that can be said in two minutes but
it's easy to see how the video interview assignment on Manick Sorcar
could have easily run two hours. We are proud to have Manick Sorcar
for our subject and thank him for giving us the time and opportunity
to share his life with us." |
-Jack Ferguson, Director and Cameraman
-Roma Sur, Producer and Scriptwriter
-Faye Allen, Interviewer
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