Second Quarter, 2008
ADLABS
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HARRY BAWEJA on Love Story 2050
INTERVIEWS WITH DOPs Vijay Arora, PC Sreeram, Soumik Haldar, Amit Roy
ADLABS’ NEW DIGITAL LAB An inside look
ADLABS
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY NOT FOR SALE.
SECOND QUARTER 2008
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Foreword Dear Readers, It's hard to believe that three months have passed since our first issue of . During this time, we have been hard at work - some of it consisting of exciting business as usual, some of it comprising ventures that are new and challenging.
opened for business. We are already working on several new films which you would be seeing in the coming months such as Sarkar Raj, 13B and many more. Pictures of the new DI lab are within this issue, but I would like to take this opportunity to personally invite you to show you around our new premises at Film City. We hope you will be impressed!
The past quarter has seen a lot of activity in our processing laboratories. My team and I feel quite proud of the fact that almost all films that won awards and accolades were processed with us. And so have some of the biggest releases of the past few months such as Jodhaa Akbar, Race, U Me Aur Hum, Krazzy 4 and so many more. Our laboratory has grown from strength to strength and this is all because of your trust in us. Today we work with the finest DOPs around the country.
From your feedback, I believe that you have liked . However I would also like to know of any suggestions for improvement. You can always write to me at shankar.dutta@relianceada.com. I look forward to your support as always. Shankar Dutta President - Motion Picture Processing and Allied Services
Talking about new ventures, our new DI lab has
Contents The Future is Here
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Harry Baweja tells Deepa Gahlot about the making of his futuristic fantasy Love Story 2050. His DOP Vijay Arora talks to Johnson Thomas.
For Whom Cinema is Life itself
"Most of my directors have been debutants"
5
PC Sreeram talks to Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan.
7
Kolkata’s hottest young DOP talks to Arpan Mitra.
RGV ka DOP Deepa Gahlot catches up with the busy young DOP Amit Roy.
9
Adlabs New DI Lab An inside look
11
HARRY BAWEJA
The
Future
is Here
Harry Baweja tells Deepa Gahlot about the making of his futuristic fantasy Love Story 2050.
H
arry Baweja, a producer-director with a mixed track record of hits and misses, is justifiably proud of the fact that his Love Story 2050 will be the first major futuristic film to come out of the Hindi film industry when it releases this July. A fan of the sci fi-fantasy genre himself, he wrote the story in 1999 and his friends laughed at him for thinking up such a subject. He then waited patiently for the right time to launch his film. "In those days, only the mass audience went to the cinemas, the class audience stayed home and watched films on video," he says, "Now the multiplexes have come up and I think the audience is ready for something new. Mushy
1
"I don't think small town India is unfamiliar with computers. And sci-fi is no longer alien to them. Finally, of course, they have to accept the script. Come to think of it, nothing is safe; that doesn't mean we don't try.� romances have run their course; comedies picked up about three years ago but who knows how long they will last. We have to think fresh, though India is at least 20 years behind Hollywood as far as this genre is concerned." It is not widely known that Baweja had
started work in a sci-fi TV serial way back in 1994 about ghosts with superpowers but the channel folded up. Since then, he says, he has been "thinking ahead of the times." Baweja, who spent almost three years making the film from the time he started research on the project, did a feasibility
Steven Spielberg produced Back to the Future set in 2010, and there were no mobile phones in the film. So, even a man like Spielberg could not foresee the future.
young, "under 30" audience, he is certain that his film will cut across age groups. "Why wouldn't the audience want to see flying cars and robots?" he reasons. "Who doesn't want to see what India will look like in the future? Whoever sees this film will say 'we saw the future and came back.' It is an exciting concept, and made with our kind of budget though it took a lot of planning. My question to myself was, how much can I afford to lose if I make this film? And I am fine with the figures."A big-budget film today cannot ignore the huge overseas market; would they want to see an Indian sci-fi film, when they have seen the best Hollywood has to offer? "The day I started the film," he replies, "I made
But at the same time, I am not making a documentary on the future. I am selling fantasy. Let people enjoy the future. I don't want to show the problems that might crop up and make the film bleak. The costumes, architecture, hairstyles, make-up, etc. will be futuristic but we don't really know what the future will be like with such rapid progress taking place. Steven Spielberg produced Back to the Future set in 2010, and there were no mobile phones in the film. So, even a man like Spielberg could not foresee the future." Love Story 2050 launches the film career of Baweja's son Harman, and also, behind the scenes, that of daughter Rowena, who has handled a lot of the
study and got the technical team together in India and abroad (there are teams from five countries working on it). He breathed a sigh of relief when the teasers of the film got "an overwhelming response." Clearing doubts
about audiences accepting an Indian sci-fi film, he explains, "We have not taken a Hollywood film and Indianised it. It's a totally Indian story set against a futuristic backdrop. We are not giving the audience a shock. We are not attempting to change their taste buds." Baweja does not pay heed to advice he has been getting about the interiors of India not b eing f amiliar w ith sophisticated gizmos and robots. "Exposure to all kinds of films and shows on TV has changed that mindset," he argues. "I don't think small town India is unfamiliar with computers. And sci-fi is no longer alien to them. Finally, of course, they have to accept the script. Come to think of it, nothing is safe; that doesn't mean we don't try." While his reading is that the multiplexes have a predominantly
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myself a promise. If I could not give the audience Hollywood standards, I would not make the film. I don't want our audience to feel that there is any difference in quality, and we are going to achieve those high standards. For the audience abroad, there are Indian actors, Indian emotions and atmosphere, which is what they seek in our films. They will get that plus excellent technical work."
pre and post production work and assisted her father. Would he have been able to make the film with another star, considering skyrocketing star prices today? "No star asks for more money than he can fetch. If I had taken a star I would have budgeted the film accordingly. Harman is in the film because he suits the role. And Rowena is more interested in filmmaking."
The film, he reveals won't have too much action although that is the Hollywood norm for sc-fi films. "We are taking you to the future but showing you a love story and some action towards the end. Of course, the love story has to be different from the romance seen on screen now because society changes.
Finally, what is the significance of the year 2050? "Just that it will be the midpoint of this century."
VIJAY ARORA
Back to the
Future Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, 9.30 pm: Vijay Arora, DOP of Love Story 2050 is running helter skelter hoping that the penultimate shoot of the film isn't called off for lack of permissions. The crew is hoping to can some of the film's futuristic shots. In the midst of all that chaos, Arora manages an interview with Johnson Thomas. What were your initial years in the industry like? I was a light man in the unit of Prakash Jha's Damul and worked with him for a few more films , then became an assistant cinematographer in a Raj Kumar Santoshi film and finally DOP for Prakash Jha's telefilm Didi. After that, came a Marathi film called Aai, then cameVaastav with Mahesh Manjrekar. Vaastav was shot mostly in natural light, as was Jungle and the effect was appreciated by all. Then came the beautiful, candy-coloured T-series film Tum Bin; Kurukshetra followed and then Astitva, the Hindi and English versions. The English version w a s shot b e autif ully, but unfortunately the film did not get released due to some problem with the producers. Dus was full of style, Naksha was not a good f ilm, but my c amera work found appreciation, Dhamaal though a hit, was not satisfactory - the camera work could have been better. You started as a light man and graduated to DOP eventually. In retrospect, do you think that was the best way to go about it?
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No. Never. It's never an easy climb to DOP and - being a light man - it took me longer than most to achieve my dream. Of course, I learnt a lot more in that duration and it was all hands-on experience, but I would still recommend to youngsters that they go the conventional way via a film school. At the age when I should have enjoyed working, I was struggling to make ends meet. That really can't be the best way to achieve your dreams, unless you are desperate. I have spent around twenty years in this industry and it still feels like a struggle even today! Getting work is not the most important thing. It's much more important to get good, satisfying quality work. The money takes care of my family's needs but it's the good work I get that satisfies my needs. I get a lot of offers but few of them are quality offers. Today I'd be happier with a few quality offers than do the ten-fifteen projects that come my way often. What is a good offer according to you? For me a good offer is one that allows me the latitude to achieve the quality I plan for without compromise. That can happen only
if you have a mega-budget film like the ones produced by Yash Raj, Mukta, Rajshri, etc., or even a small film with a sensitive director. That is what I want for myself. All cinematographers want to do something different, showcase something unusual in their work and I am no different. I try to do the best within the working structure of the filming unit which faces many variables. Ultimately, filmmaking - though a director's medium - is more or less dependent on the economics. The person who provides the cash has the power to veto any suggestion that is made for whatever reason he may choose. So even if we want to do something
At the age when I should have enjoyed working, I was struggling to make ends meet. I have spent around twenty years in this industry and it still feels like a struggle even today! different we are constrained by the circumstances that exist on the set. Considering all this, I wouldn't like to rate myself against the rest. My work so far has been standard. The critics have appreciated it from time to time, but I hope to achieve much more success in the future. Is it difficult being a cinematographer of a Hindi film? Yes and no. It's a pleasure to work with directors with whom I share a good rapport, but with others it is a stretch. Some of them talk big when the film is in the planning stage and fail to back it up when it comes to actually shooting the sequences. They don't have the patience to achieve the look as planned or they want to shoot four-five sequences in a day. The cinematographer has no other choice but to give in. Even if the cameraman is the best in the business, his quality of work will still be dependent on the team he is working with. No one can do good work on his own. Filmmaking is a team effort. Are you picky about the projects you work on? I am not yet in a position to be too choosy, but I try to make an educated choice whenever possible. But it's difficult. I have a family to look after and the money I can make from one film does not allow me the luxury of having a long break between films. That said, the subject of a film and the director are important aspects for choosing a film. How do you plan your shoots? Just like every other DOP I guess. Frankly, many times I plan out the whole sequence of lighting patterns and arrive on the sets only to find that what was promised in terms of sets, facilities, etc. are not available and I have often had to make last-minute changes. Making a film in Bollywood is a frustrating experience. As DOPs, usually we have to make do with what is made available to us. Planning is done in detail, but how far that
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can be implemented depends entirely on the producer for the money he is willing to shell out and the director for how important a particular scene is to him in the overall scheme of the film. Do you ask for the script beforehand? Sure. The script is very important. Without the script it wouldn't be possible to plan anything. I also do test shoots with the stock, actors in make-up, everything beforehand, so that the chances of going wrong during the actual shooting are minimized. If there is any problem in the quality required, it can be taken care of. In this film, Love Story 2050, for instance, there are drastic changes in the make-up for the present and the future sequences and it was imperative that we do tests shoots to cover all possibilities. How is your equation with Harry Baweja, the director of Love Story 2050? My relationship with Harry Baweja is really very good. This is as good as a home production for me. The fact that he has entrusted me with such a crucial film in his son Harman's career speaks for itself. It's a big investment for him and he has done his best to achieve the best! For a futuristic film, how do you arrange the lighting, etc.? This film was mostly shot on indoor sets by Omang Kumar, very little was shot outdoors. Since the subject is futuristic the colour code is overwhelmingly steel grey. I have played on a few colours in this film like magenta and ultraviolet to add to the futuristic atmosphere and setting. It was also a challenge to do the lighting in such a way that reflections do not show up on the film. How are the shoots progressing? The film is nearing completion. The shooting was divided into two major schedules. The first one was in Adelaide, Australia, which constitutes the present-day part of the story. The other, futuristic part is
being shot in India. A major portion was shot on sets at Filmistan Studio. Are you satisfied with your work on this film? I have done my best and I expect the results to show that, but I can't say that I am completely satisfied. No one can be completely satisfied with their work. There's always room for improvement. I also can't say that this will be landmark film in my career. I sincerely hope the audience and the critics feel that way though. Have you had appreciation from critics? I have received fair praise from the critics for Jungle, Dus and Naksha. I also want to win an award for cinematography, and I hope that will happen soon. What about the post-production? Is it hands-on for you? Usually I do go to the lab to check out the progress, but more often than not it's assured that the quality would not be lost during processing. Only when certain changes are required does it become imperative to be at the lab. Love Story 2050 is DI compatible, so everything gets taken care of even before the film is sent to the lab for processing. When the rushes come in, the decisions are made to chart the course for the look of the scene in question - whether it could be semi-gray or blue or neutral, etc. Accordingly, changes are made to improve upon the look on film. Today most of the films go through DI, so the prospect of going to the lab for corrections has diminished to a large extent. Are you doing any other films? Talks are on for two films, but I can't name them as I haven't signed them yet. But they are big films‌ that's all I can say for now.
PC SREERAM
For Whom Cinema is Life itself Interviewing PC Sreeram is never an easy job because he resists it. Nevertheless, Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan was able to have this somewhat unorthodox and out-of-the-ordinary dialogue with the legend.
P C Sreeram has been a cinematographer to important filmmakers such as Mani Ratnam, Fazil, Bharatan, Prathap Pothen, Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, Priyadarsan and K. Vishwanath. He has also directed three films Kuruthipunal, Meera and now Vaanam Vasapadum and is partner at a flourishing ad film company. He has won many awards, the foremost being the National Award for best cinematography for Mani Ratnam's film Nayakan. This 1956-born cinematographer believes simply in excellence. What makes him dif ferent is that he is constantly experimenting with lighting and framing of shots and thinking cinema 24/7. What he does, others pick up, but by that time he would have moved on to new attempts and experiments. He also has the unique distinction of having trained twelve good cinematographers. Those whom he has trained or have had the good fortune of working with him, talk about him in reverent tones; to them he is a guru, a master. Excerpts from an interview: Have you had any formal training in cinematography? I have and I have not. However, the important fact is that I have had another kind of training, every year of my life after I came into contact with the medium of cinema. I cannot imagine a time that I have not been interested in cinema.
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I did study in college to have an informal mental and physical training. Then one day I got hold of a Brownie camera and began photographing. From then onwards, it was a constant process of moving towards cinema. I see myself as a person who had a motive to hold on to. I am not the type who does a great deal of homework before I start work on a film. Theory is not my forte. I am not a systematic student of cinema; rather my travelogue is that of a fakir. I evolved towards cinema; whatever education I undertook was to go towards it. There are complaints about the Madras Film Institute (he has a Diploma in Cinematography from there), that it is not good enough to equip a student to be a cameraperson. But it provided me with an opportunity to see the equipment that makes films; that was good enough for me. Other than that, the education that I believe in is the one which J. Krishnamurthy talked about. He has had a major influence in my thinking. Nothing comes to you unless you go behind it. This is true of cinema also. Please elaborate on your experience with films? As a child I was a disturbed person. I did not know the power of films. My mother was my anchor during those times. I am very close to her and she was like a shield. Now that I have been initiated into films, I
Vaanam
accept the storm that is the film industry; yet, I try to be detached from it too. There are times when I just take off and do not make films at all. W hat prompted you to t ake up cinematography? My only deep interest was cinema. I do not think of myself as one who does camera work in cinema but as one who observes cinema in totality. You could say that it is to observe cinema in totality that I became a cameraman. Only from behind the camera can this happen. I have always been involved in cinema and expected it to take me to new heights. Films such as Black Stallion and Children of Heaven enable me to do that. Cinematography for me was a process to go through to do what I intended to do. The advantage of being a cinematographer is that you are the only person who is seeing what you see; the rest can only imagine what you are seeing. You have been a cinematographer and a director. What is the difference between the two functions? I do not see the functions as different because the two jobs overlap. Even as a cinematographer, I looked on cinema as a director. As a director, I do not give up
For Vaanam Vasapadum (The sky will be reachable to me), after eight months' discussion, the shooting went on for two months. I used a new cast, with many young theatre people in it. I was in charge of direction and cinematography while K Vishwanath was the editor. The film was shot and projected on digital format and the quality of projection is the same as that of usual films. There are no marks even after a few projections. For this film I was using a Panasonic camera. But, my general preference is for an Eastman Kodak camera. The foundation of a digital camera is that it is a new camera body with correct abrasions. The lens is the tool with which you create the visual quality.
Nayakan
cinematography. Both are interlinked, as are all the other aspects of cinema. My relationship with cinema is such that I can only view it in totality and I am in every aspect of the film. You do ad films as well as feature films. Do you think ad films are an inferior variety of films? I do not. For me every film is a film and it has to be done using one's imagination. Even in an ad film one has to pay great attention to framing and lighting which are the key aspects in filmmaking. They are what make a difference to films. What about documentary films? I do think documentary films have a significant place in the world of films. Howe ver, the art of documentar y filmmaking does not come naturally to me. I have to confess that I do not know the language. I sit glued to the TV and watch many good documentary films made by BBC, etc. but I have not yet understood the language. I am willing to be guided by persons who have excelled in making documentary films. Have you made bad films? I have, but not too many. When you are making a film, you are too involved in it and you do not know the total shape of the film.
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Only when it is completed and you watch it do you know whether it is good or bad. At that stage it is too difficult to remake or change, especially when it is an ad film. No excuse in this world will redeem a bad film. A bad film is a bad film and you have to live with that knowledge. Fortunately for me the experience has been rare. Have you been happy with all the films that you made or shot? I have had a certain degree of satisfaction with most of the feature films in which I have participated. However, even with the best of films, when I watch them later, I find that they can be perfected some more. When you see a film after a time lapse, you are able to see it from a different perspective from the one you had when you made the film. People are talking a great deal about the new film that you made, the first digital film in India. Please tell us something about it. I do not know whether I want to claim it to be the first digital film made in India. There have been other attempts by other people. But this is probably the first film in which a high definition camera has been used. As you know, for a film made in the digital format, raw stock (film) is not used and therefore it becomes less expensive. I am doing it because I always want to try new things. But, still my first preference is the film negative.
Were you happy with your directorial venture of Vaanam Vasapadum? Not much! After that I have concentrated more on cinematography. What makes you tick? I have dreams; I follow my dreams; when I get the required funding I translate my dreams into films. Dreams are important to me; they have a personal quality about them. I also always try to give my shots a new look. For this I use various means available light, framing possibilities in shots, one side lighting using filters. In Mani Ratnam's Alai Paayuthe, I told him that I do not want a static camera. He agreed and the result is that the camera is constantly moving. And to do this, I myself did all the camera work. What is your philosophy with regards to film making? My basic philosophy is that I want to live. In order to live I have to do many things. For me living is to be constantly on the wire. Of course there is a great deal of waiting also, but it helps to be relaxed and not tense. I use waiting to reflect and meditate. It is the reflection which makes you act. Are you planning to direct any film in the future? Not for the next twenty years. Anyway, I have been booked for the next five years and I would not have time for anything else.
SOUMIK HALDAR
"Most of my directors have been debutants" A graduate from the Film and Television Institute, Pune, batch of 2000, Soumik Haldar drifted for a few months in Bollywood, assisting Hari Nair on Shool, worked on a few ad films, and then returned to Kolkata. He started by assisting Avik Mukherjee, and then began working independently from 2001. His first feature film was Rasta, directed by Bratya Basu, with whom he worked on one more film titled Teesta. Then there was an interesting project called Ek Mutho Chabi (A Handful of Movies), produced by Rupa Ganguly-- a collection of half-a-dozen short films, made by different directors, of which he shot four. Recently, he has worked with Jayabrato Chatterjee (Love Songs), Arjun Chakraborty (Tolly Lights) and Rituparno Ghosh (Sab Charitrai Kalpanik ) Excerpts from an interview: How did you think of becoming a cinematographer? As far as I remember, I have always been a movie addict. While in school I was simply fascinated by action flicks and songs and dance sequences. But nobody in my family ever had any kind of film connection. I had no clear idea about how films were made. In fact my parents were rather strict disciplinarians and our TV watching hours were drastically rationed. We were allowed to watch TV on Sunday only, and for a few hours. I was thoroughly moved by two films Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parinda and Aditya
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With Tolly Lights and Love Songs running in the theatres, and a Rituparno Ghosh release due, Soumik Haldar is not a person to let grass grow under his feet. A vigorous young person, he has already proved to be a classy cinematographer in Tollywood and is doing some exciting work. Kolkata’s hottest young DOP talks to Arpan Mitra.
Bhattacharya's Raakh - in my younger days. I think those were the two films which made me think about the art of cinema seriously for the first time. Then I was completely bowled over by Mani Ratnam's Roja. I've watched it 14 times! It was when I was in college doing my BSc that I first realized I should learn cinematography. But those were just vague schoolboyish dreams as I didn't even know about where could I learn it. From my friends I came to know about Chitrabani, a very important centre of film appreciation in Kolkata and they have a wonderful library. I used to visit the place regularly after I passed my Secondary Exams and from there I came to know about the FTII in Pune. While in college in Kolkata, I worked for a couple of years as an assistant to Amit Sen, an eminent ad film producer who is also an FTII alumnus. I completed my BSc in 1997 and joined FTII. I graduated in 2000.
“I was completely bowled over by Mani Ratnam's Roja. I've watched it 14 times!”
What was the FTII like? A revelation. It not only taught me the basics of my craft but made me what I am today. I still remember two workshops that we had with legendary cinematographers, Subrata Mitra and KK Menon. Which film have you enjoyed doing the most? One film that I found quite interesting to shoot has not yet been released. It is Lal Paharer Katha (Story of the Red Hills), directed by the Bollywood choreographer Remo D'Souza. The entire film was shot in a remote place in Purulia. For a city-bred guy like me, it was fascinating. The village where we camped out had no electricity, drinking water, road - nothing! It was a gruelling experience, but I thoroughly enjoyed my work. Working with Rituparno was another revealing experience for me. Rituda is a wonderful story teller. He can communicate his thoughts with a clarity that is rare. He can tell you exactly how to fit in your camera, your lighting with his story. The most essential function of a cinematographer is to read the director's mind and carefully reading the script helps immensely. Devising one's lighting style or
Love Songs
camera angles entirely depends on the script and the story it narrates. With the new directors, particularly those who are not well versed in the techniques of film making, we have to understand their requirements and point out the technically feasible options. But Rituda is different. He knows his job and also knows how to bring out the best from his team. I have learned a lot from him. The shooting for Sab Charitrai Kalpanik is complete and the post production work is on. I am also looking for ward to the release of Rangan Chakraborty's maiden film Bar Asbe Ekhoni which was the last feature film I shot. Working w ith Milan Bhow mik in Satyameva Jayate was nice, though I could shoot only about half the film. There were some date problems which we could not resolve. Right now I'm shooting ad films which I love doing.
Bollywood actors Om Puri, Jaya Bachchan (Love Songs) and Bipasha Basu (Sab Charitrai Kapanik)? Omji and Jayaji were both students at the FTII. Being alumni of the same institution creates a kind of bonding. I always thought of them as my seniors. Getting a chance to shoot an actor like Omji is always a learning experience. I was particularly impressed by his sense of getting into the right camera frame always, without the slightest deviation. This correct focus marking is extremely difficult for many accomplished actors, but with him it is so easy that one has to see him in action to believe it. He can repeat the - and let me be very emphatic about it - exact positions he took during the rehearsals. Jayaji too is a great actor and extremely sensible about the camera. In the unit she was like a guardian to all of us. Bipasha and I had developed an excellent rapport during
I do not know if it's an accident, but if so, it is all the more charming... that most of my directors were debutants when we first worked together. I do not know if it's an accident, but if so, it is all the more charming... that most of my directors were debutants when we first worked together. I've been cinematographer to Bratya, Rabiranjan Moitra, Saran Dutta, Jayabrato and Rangan in their first films. Arjun's first directorial venture too was shot by me. These were nice experiences. The films are different, sensitive and quite removed from the crass commercial productions that are churned out everyday. They've all got some kind of critical acclaim from various quarters. What was it like working with three
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the shots. The director wanted to bring out her glamour using rather realistic lights. It was challenging, but we did it. I hope the audience will like it. Here I would like to mention Mithunda's name too. I have worked with him in Raasta, Lal Paharer Katha, Satyameva Jayate and I can tell you that working with Mithun Chakraborty is a pleasure. I can connect with him very well and he likes my work.
to design my lights keeping in mind the script. Composition and lensing are important. Weak compositions and a wrong lens can ruin a film. In many films you will find excellent light designs marred by incompatible camera angles. I try to avoid this kind of error. I think lightcomposition is my forte. There was a time when Bengali films, even the most commercial releases were acclaimed all around. For sometime the aura seemed to have dimmed. But now, again, with a crop of new directors coming up, Tollywood is witnessing a kind of revival. What is your take on it? The aura wasn't lost actually. Bengali films have always won critical acclaim all over the world. They still do. For some time the situation looked bleak but we have overcome it. Because of budget and other constraints we do not have much high-end sophisticated equipment that is readily available, say, in Mumbai. Their films have a national market. This lack has always made us more prone to innovations. Just imagine the kind of work that our cameramen of yesteryears like Subrata Mitra, or on a d i f f e r e n t l e v e l A j o y K a r, B i m a l Bandyopadhay, Dilip Mukherjee did! Now even Tollywood is acquiring sophisticated cameras and lighting equipment and anybody can see the results. Previously and even now sometimes, we have had to go to Chennai for post production. Now things are changing. New generation directors are making their mark. Having Adlabs in town is a boon. But even then, I have to admit that infrastructure is a problem, the sooner solved the better. Have you worked with Adlabs earlier?
Could you explain your style of working? In what ways you are different from others in industry? Well, as I've said earlier, a cinematographer has to follow the script minutely. I always try
My first film was processed in Adlabs and so was my last released film. They have done more than seventy per cent of my films. With Adlabs one can remain assured that the final print will be good.
AMIT ROY
Amit Roy has the singular distinction of having worked with Ram Gopal Varma in five films‌ Deepa Gahlot catches up with the busy DOP.
RGV ka He was watching Lakshya in a multiplex when Amit Roy got an sms from Ram Gopal Varma : "Can we meet." To make sure it wasn't a prank, the young DOP checked if the number was indeed Varma's and went over to see him. Roy had earlier done the Sajid Khandirected segment of RGV's Darna Zaroori Hai, and Varma had offered him a film, but with another director. Roy turned it down much to the surprise of Varma, who was probably not used to hearing a no; but Roy also added that he would drop everything to work with Varma. Later, the director saw a music video shot by Roy and summoned him as possible DOP for Sarkar.
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DOP
"There is one thing that is good and bad about you," said Varma. "What's good is that you know exactly what you want. What's bad is that I am exactly like that, so we will clash." Roy replied that a clash was very likely, but he would always give the director the benefit of doubt. "If I ever write my autobiography," says Roy, "then meeting RGV will be the interval point. My life is divided into before and after RGV. My whole perception of life and cinema changed after meeting him. I can't even begin to talk about how much of an impact he has had on me, both as a cinematographer and as a human being." Life before RGV, told in fast forward mode,
Amit Roy burns the midnight oil over Sarkar Raj with Adlabs DI colourist Ken Metzker
consists of the Delhi boy assisting his uncle, documentary filmmaker Deepak Roy, being hugely influenced by the cinema of Satyajit Ray and Roman Polanski, failing to get into any film institute, learning all he could about cinematography from books in those preinternet days, not wanting to be a DOP, but desirous or learning camerawork, so that when he did become a director, he could tell the DOP exactly what he wanted. There is an amusing post script to the film institute rejections – Roy was invited to do a workshop at Pune's FTII, where he had not been able to get in as a student. After doing some TV and documentary work in Delhi, he came to Mumbai "because I had great expectations of myself" and struggled (along with Hemant Chaturvedi and Fuwad Khan, both top DOPs now) —not short of work, but definitely not the kind of work he would have liked to do. He wanted to do a film, but couldn't get a job as any big DOP's assistant. His experiences made him decide, "I would not be a fourth rung DOP, I knew what I was doing, so I would not assist anybody and spend my days holding the thermocol and being shouted it. My ego and personal dignity came in." An exceptional music video shot in Ladakh, led to doing a promo and song for a KC Bokadia film Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam,
which got him acquainted with Farah Khan whose brother Sajid brought him into the RGV camp. The many music videos he shot, got him Ken Ghosh's Ishq Vishk as his first movie as independent cinematographer.
never gone before. I mimicked the movement of Japanese animation films, was constantly trying to put the camera in the midst of the action.. I am proud of my work in Aag."
It was Sarkar, of course, that got him fame a n d a c c l a i m . " T h e d i r e c t o r- D O P relationship is very organic," he says, "two creative people have to keep challenging each other. Ramu is the most democratic person I know. He also tells his actor, 'don't ask me, show me.' I shot Sarkar with high contrast, strong light sources, a lot of darkness a lot of pure blacks. The lensing was unusual, the tones I created were a new thing then. We were probably the first to work with Super 35."
He has just completed Sarkar Raj, and believes he has come a long way from Sarkar. "What's different is that I had to being Aishwarya Rai into the world of Sarkar, which is a dark, dingy place, and you don't know what's lurking in the corners. Sarkar was shot on real locations, Sarkar Raj on a set, but I lit the set like I would a house. I got photographs shot of a 360 degree view from the real house, got them blown up and put vinyl blow-ups all around the set, so the view from the window in the set looks real. It worked very well. The blacks in Sarkar Raj are not pure blacks, more greys. I did cheat a little when Ash was in the frame, let's say, I treated her close-ups with respect."
The next film, Nishabd was special too, for the naturalistic look Roy achieved. "I wanted the audience to feel that they lived in that house," he explains, "I didn't rehearse a lot, I wanted the camera to respond, like the viewer would. What was also exciting for me was that I shot the picture on the wall, that Amitabh, who is a photographer in the film, is supposed to have shot. I felt like his alter ego." Darling, he says was deliberately shot casually, and then there was the disastrous Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, whose fate at the box-office does not change the fact that Roy worked very hard on it. "I went where I had
For the first time, Roy is working on his postproduction and DI with Adlabs. "I needed to get another creative perspective," he says, "I am satisfied with the set-up they have created, and the equipment they have allows me to do a lot more things than I am used to. The colourist Ken and I have broken new ground, each frame has 10-15 layers of colour correction. I hope we make it a very powerful film." Next step? Direction, of course. "There is really nowhere else to go from here."
"There is one thing that is good and bad about you," said Varma. "What's good is that you know exactly what you want. What's bad is that I am exactly like that, so we will clash." 10
Sarkar Raj
An inside look at the new
ADLABS' NEW DIGITAL LAB
cutting-edge digital facility at Mumbai’s Film City
Housed in the sprawling Adlabs property at Film City which also holds Adlabs' three-decade old film processing laboratory
Colourful waiting spaces, meeting rooms and a variety of refreshment options make the entire experience comfortable and stress free.
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The new Adlabs Digital Lab is a modern and cutting-edge space constructed within a generous area, in a city where space comes at a premium.
An international team of colourists working with large-sized Truelight certified grading theatres ensures that what clients see in the grading theatre matches the final print.
Utilizing the latest colour timing technology, these colourists ensure you get the highest quality DI.
Digital Opticals, Titles, and VFX is handled by experienced professionals in a multiple workstations equipped with the latest software and rendering farms.
A large experienced team of professionals works on all your high end promo needs for both video and print release.
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The in house theatre allows you to have the full big screen experience even before release.
Ensuring Quality in Chennai Adlabs in Chennai has been named the Best Colour Lab by the S o u t h I n d i a n Cinematographers Association (SICA) in 2007.
A. Prabhakar was named Chief Commercial Manager of Adlabs, Chennai in 2005.
currently working on dozens of big budget films.
In this role Prabhakar is responsible for leading Adlabs’ business strategy and film d e v el o p m e nt a c t i v i t i e s , i n c l u d i n g identifying industry trends and business opportunities and continuing to shift the company's portfolio toward high-growth areas. He is also responsible for working with the company's technicians to ensure quality.
Prabhakar also served the Anti Piracy Cell, which is affiliated to the international organisation, and happens to be one of few people in country to have been trained by foreign clients on various topics related to piracy and, copyright related issues. His role included creating awareness among people concerning intellectual property rights on creative work such as music, movies, television, illustrations and photographs.
Prabhakar is a satisfied man, because during the three years that he has been with Adlabs, the company has won numerous prestigious industry awards, for films like Vargam and Thanmathra. Adlabs in Chennai has also been named the Best Colour Lab by the South Indian Cinematographers Association (SICA) in 2007. Adlabs is
Born in Namagiripettai (Salem District), he graduated from Madras University in 1973 with a Bachelor's in Chemistry and obtained a post graduate Diploma in Business Management from Delhi University in 1982. He lives in Chennai with his family.
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