Written by on Mar 4, 2011. Posted in Production News

BBC supernatural drama Bishaash trains crew on location in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is part of the setting for new supernatural drama Bishaash, which split its shoot between Dhaka and London. The story follows a young British-Bangladeshi woman who has a series of supernatural adventures when she discovers she co-owns a Dhaka antique shop.

The series was produced by the BBC World Service Trust using funding from the UK's Department for International Development as part of an English-language learning scheme in Bangladesh. It filmed in a variety of locations in and around Dhaka and a village was built in the forest region of Gazipur. Among the biggest challenges was Bangladesh’s lack of a filming infrastructure. The region has a domestic industry but locals had to be trained to meet the required standards.

Mary Hare, a Producer on the project, said: “Bangladesh doesn’t have a conventional filmmaking infrastructure. Location Manager Charlie Thompson recruited a local team and basically trained them in the required fields. All the local crew we used had basic industry experience or basic skill sets in the right areas, so we trained them to broaden their skill bases and enable them to use them in the international arena.”

Bangladesh doesn’t have a conventional filmmaking infrastructure. All the local crew we used had basic industry experience or basic skill sets in the right areas, so we trained them to broaden their skill bases and enable them to use them in the international arena.

Half a dozen locals went through a formal training programme organised by Thompson that included seminars and on-the-job learning. Thompson said: “There’s a specific way of working in Bangladesh and much of it’s based on who you know. There’s quite a lot of local corruption and bribes usually play a big role in the process but as we were a BBC production that wasn’t an option for us. Our training programme focussed on all the logistics of location management and also how the locations department is supposed to communicate with the other departments involved in a film production.”

No English is spoken on the streets of Dhaka and the local language is very inaccessible too so a good translator is necessary to keep things running smoothly. Roads are busy and there are often long delays involved in travelling even short distances. Limited equipment is available, although lenses need to be imported as the local quality isn’t high.

Health and safety was also a big part of the training provided by the production. Thompson added: “We had lots of first aid kits and made sure people knew how to use them, as well as training for the chaotic driving conditions on the streets of Bangladesh. You want to avoid ending up in a Bangladeshi hospital. Heat is a big safety consideration and we had a special kind of acid as well to help ward off snakes.”

We had lots of first aid kits and made sure people knew how to use them, as well as training for the chaotic driving conditions on the streets of Bangladesh. You want to avoid ending up in a Bangladeshi hospital. Heat is a big safety consideration and we had a special kind of acid as well to help ward off snakes.

Joyanta Howlader, the project’s Production Coordinator, said: “Local filming support is available from ward commissioners in the city and international projects are always likely to attract interest. It also helps to co-ordinate with the police. There’s no real system in place or any kind of rules for filming. You can be on the streets with a camera and if people start asking questions it’s just a matter of explaining what you’re doing.”

Thompson concluded: “Go there because it’s a great experience. Schedules are hard to adhere to but it was generally a very positive experience and it can double for India and most of Asia too.”

Bishaash will be screened in the UK weekly on the Zee Network's Zee Cafe beginning March 6th 2011.

Photo Credits:
Gazipur Forest set courtesy of Sheikh Rajib Islam
Bus station, Market and Open-Air Gallery images courtesy of Mary Hare
Camera Operator courtesy of BBC World Service Trust and Mary Hare