By Fred Fernando from High School Junkies
Amidst the multiple lockdowns of 2020 and a pandemic in full swing, creatives all around the world were forced into their dens. And with it, came all kinds of creations. The High School Junkies (HSJ), known for their short films on social media platforms released an action-musical called The Knight Out, a time-looped action comedy titled Cake කෑල්ල, and වංක රටා, a music video for popular Sinhala-rapper Ravi Jay. At the same time, they also ventured into something quite different.
HSJ Founder Akash Sunethkumara started a project called Junkyard Theory, a webinar series where he goes live with filmmaking personnel from around the world. The initiative also commenced amidst the first lockdown when Sri Lanka had its first wave of Covid-19 cases. Akash shared that he saw a lot of people going live, talking about various issues that had not received much exposure before. And since everyone was confined to their homes, a new audience had opened up, and he thought that it would be an ideal time to introduce a series where veteran filmmakers could come on board and share their knowledge.
Akash said that most filmmakers on the other side of the globe were under lockdown at the same time as well, so it worked beneficially for both parties. Akash initially reached out to his connections in the industry and started going live on Instagram, eventually graduating to higher profile guests who sometimes needed a bit of convincing. He shared: “There were times I had to reach out month after month and sometimes deal with PR in order to book a session. Even with a pandemic, filmmakers are busy!”
Notable guests on Junkyard Theory have included Academy Award-nominee Dean Cundey, cinematographer of Jurassic Park and the Back to the Future trilogy; Academy Award-winner Paul Hirsch, editor of Star Wars and Mission Impossible; and Academy Award-winner Dan Laustsen, cinematographer of The Shape of Water and John Wick 2 and 3.
Currently, Akash has conducted 12 sessions, which he fondly refers to as Season 1. Akash enables guests joining the live stream to pose questions. In their most recent interview with Fabian Wagner (cinematographer of Justice League: The Snyder Cut and Game of Thrones) there was quite a viewership and engagement.
As to where Junkyard Theory will go in 2021, Akash states that his plan is twofold. The live sessions would continue on social media, and he already has a lineup of guests for the first quarter. Secondly, Akash aims to fill the gap in film education in Sri Lanka by bridging Sri Lankans with accessibility to world-renowned filmmakers who willingly share their knowledge.
“All the interviews are streamed for an approximate duration of an hour, and it’s completely free. Each episode is pretty much a masterclass on whatever branch of filmmaking the guest is part of, be it cinematography, editing, writing, etc. Almost all our guests are filmmakers from Hollywood. And we plan to bring on some of these guests as speakers for the online courses that we plan to begin later this year. This is not something that you can find in any local film school,” he stated.
Akash states that there is a growing market for film education in Sri Lanka and there have been queries about pathways into the industry. Together with filmmaker Andrew Sean and long-time cinematographer Kasun Rathnasiri, Akash conducted two online webinars where they shared the basics of filmmaking with an enthusiastic audience.
Also a lecturer in his spare time, Akash shares that juggling film education with his film projects is no easy task. He is currently redrafting his first feature with the team, working on pre production for another short film and also reaching out to potential guests for Season 2.
He also revealed that the next guest for Junkyard Theory would be Robert Dalva, an American film editor who was nominated for a Best Editing Oscar in 1980 for his work on The Black Stallion. He also directed its sequel, The Black Stallion Returns (1983) and served as the editor for Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Jumanji (1995), and Jurassic Park III (2001). The session will be live-streamed via the HSJ and Junkyard Theory Facebook pages on 15 January at 8.30 p.m.
Akash believes that Junkyard Theory is his way of giving back to the community. “I wish I had this type of opportunity growing up. The internet has literally bridged everyone everywhere and you can learn anything you want. And with Junkyard Theory, it’s an opportunity to learn from the best in the field.”
All past episodes can be found on the Junkyard Theory YouTube channel.
Catch the High Schools Junkies’ new column on The Morning Brunch, every Friday starting this week.
