In a scenario rivalling the climax of the Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer “Inception”, when the clock strikes 11 on November 11, 2011, film producer Ranjan Singh will debut his short film online which is about 11 gamers across the world tacking the dangerous 11th level of a video game. The film, which has been shot in 11 different nations by 11 different directors and their crews, is aptly titled, “Project 11”.

And the plot thickens. Says Singh, “The story takes place in the real time world, so obviously 11.11am will come at different time zones across the world, so first the Tokyo guy logs into the game, then the Beijing one, Mumbai and Baluchistan follow. Now once they log into the game and they start playing – what happens to them then is what this film is all about.”

“Project 11”, which was wrapped up in a budget of just `9 lakh, has big hopes riding on it. The length of the movie, which was shot across 11 different countries is – you guessed it right – 11 minutes. And capturing the world, one short film at a time, are “Project 11” producers Singh and Vikas Chandra. “We thought, ‘Why not make a short film, that is also under a shoe-string budget, to prove that we can still shoot all around the world and make a world-class film?'” says Singh. Explaining the complicated process of making an 11-minute movie with 11 directors, Singh says, “It all started from Facebook, Skype and other online portals, where similar filmmakers from all over the world come in and collaborated.” After finalising the 11 directors, the storyboard was sent to them. “We had to discuss it at night. Once they started shooting their respective portions, we would Skype and e-mail, and if anything else was needed, we would tell them from here in India. Then the rushes would be uploaded, and we would approve them.”

But how did they manage to wrap up everything in a meagre `9 lakh? “We basically paid for all the equipment and other costs, and the directors were all nice enough to do it pro bono.” Similar strategy, Singh says, was applied when it came to marketing, “We are completely relying on the internet as a platform and hoping our videos go viral. We are trying to get help from the media. We have taken a couple of favours to put up hoardings near the release.”

“The point,” says Singh, “is to prove that one can make a good film in a small budget. Also, what happens is that if this short film makes money… if any cost incurred can make even a small profit, then the model is sustainable. And I am sure if this model of fimmaking becomes more popular, it could open a whole lot of avenues and inspire other young filmmakers.”

For now these filmmakers are trying to rake in the moolah from all the outlets available, “We are hoping once the movie is showcased online, we might get sponsors. I am already in talks with mobile operators and homes video labels. Tomorrow, let’s suppose a video label can come up with a DVD. And then there are online portals like Hulu or Netflix where one can catch content by paying per click.”

Singh says that “Project 11” is an international movie, shot in authentic languages with subtitles. “There are two known faces from India in “Project 11” – Siddharth Karnik who has starred in a Yash Raj film, and there’s also Shikha Talsania who starred in “Wake Up Sid”. But apart from that, the rest are all actors from other countries which are featured in the movie.” The producers, Singh and Vikas, even scouted for the cast via social networking sites. Singh says he knew one of the actors, Mark Bennington from before when he had come to India once. “In fact,” he says, “Except for Mark, I still haven’t met anyone from the international crew.”