A N I L M E H T A - Kodak

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12 When did you take up direction? As a cameraman I was always part of film discussions. Whenever I used to make suggestions, some of the people including the producers of those films would tell me that I would make a good director. And I had already become a producer when I was selected to direct my first Kannada film. I started a production company with my friends Rockline Venkatesh who has become a big established producer now and fight master Govindoo to produce a film Belli Modagalu under the direction of K.V.Raju. My first film as producer was a remake of Telugu hit Seetharamayya Manavaraalu which brought profits to all the three partners in production. The film was sold to distributors even before its release as it was carrying very good reports. Later I did produce Police Story under the direction of Thriller Manju which also became a hit. Later a few of my films including Snehada Kadalalli and Bhagat failed at the box-office, including Police Story Part II. After a long gap, I am now producing my own Aithalakkadi, a comedy which will be directed by me. Karnataka Police was my first film as a director. Producer Praveen Kumar offered me the direction of this film. Then I directed a film Jipuna Nanna Ganda produced by actor Jaggesh which ran for 100 days. I have also faced many ups and downs as a film director. Even after working for two decades as a cinematographer, you are still getting good offers. What is the secret of your success? Nannaseya Hoove Now, I am working as a cinematographer for a film titled Devaru directed by actor-director Sadhu Kokila. The film stars Vijay in the lead. I am in demand in the industry because I am always recognized as a cinematographer of the producer and director. I do not like to order costly equipment just for the heck of it. I always go by the requirements of the producer and director. As a producer and director, I have also known the importance of budget and planning in my films. I think most of the films fail because they overshoot the budget, which is very risky. I always try to give some suggestions during production. And I have always tried to finish my lighting as fast as possible, and do my best work. I always try to work to the expectations of the director, even if it is very difficult and risky job to get a perfect shot. I am prepared to take a lot physical strains in the sets. Do you get pressurized when you work in a big budget film with a super star and do you feel your style of work changes when you work in small budget films with a relatively new director and a new set up? I would not like to play a dominant role in any film, big or small. I think the script of a film should play a dominant role and all the people working for the film should act according to the dictates of the script. And a cameraman should work in tandem with the director of the film. The director is really the captain of the ship as he knows everything connected to the film. You are known to shoot the best action sequences in the Kannada film industry… Yes, I am really overwhelmed when people connected to the film industry and film fans say that some of action sequences cinematographed by me are very good. You should know that I have shot sequences without exceeding the budget and within the time frame fixed earlier. Action sequences are liked by the mass audience who are the real backbone of the film trade. I've also won K a r n a t a k a S t a t e a w a r d f o r B e s t Cinematography for the year 2000 for the f i l m N a n n a s e y a H o o v e d i r e c t e d b y Chennalingappa. You have always been using Kodak products for your film shoots. What is your opinion about Kodak products? Kodak products come in different ranges which are suitable for many types of shots. I mainly use the Kodak 5219 range for my work because it carries many user friendly applications. I have always got best results for my colour schemes with this stock. Chikkamagaloora The Self made and self assured, cool headed and innovative--a person who likes to face life as it comes in its varied forms; now, after several creative years and thousands of magnificent frames later, the ace cinematographer P. Sukumar is all the more fresh and energetic. Sukumar was relaxing at Kochi after the latest Malayalam hit Passenger, a scintillating road movie for which he did an excellent camerawork. This year, the actor-turned- cinematographer is planning to direct a film too. “My ultimate commitment is towards the project I am involved in. I don’t differentiate between a veteran and a novice when I wield the camera.” is always alone P. Sukumar shares his attitudes and points of view on cinema with K. B. Venu You first worked as an actor, then as an assistant cameraman before becoming an independent cinematographer. Was there any notable change in the nature and support of the equipment and raw stock? How did you cope up with the emerging situations, right from the beginning of your career? Even while acting in movies, I tried my hand at the camera. I could make use of all available stocks while I was an assistant cameraman. Even after becoming independent, I considered each and every shot I take as part of an unending experiment. Even in the recent movie, my attitude was the same. And I believe in, and depend on, my basic knowledge of cinematography. I used Kodak’s 500 ASA, a stock that was quite new to me, in Sopanam. It helped me in successfully completing the experiment I wanted to bring into the movie. I got the Kerala State Award for best cinematographer for the film. Even for my latest venture Passenger I used Kodak. Nowadays I prefer high speed stock, and my work has also become speedier. Does this speed go hand in hand with the demands of different filmmakers you work with? I always have a wholesome approach to cinema, both as a cinematographer and a film buff. Malayalam cinema is planned, shot and processed in adverse situations. Right from the beginning stage to the release of the final product, we function in a budget-oriented way. Most of the time we don’t get the right working atmosphere and proper equipment that the film demands. So we tend to 13
14 compromise at different stages of filmmaking. The whole crew must abide by the cinematic socio-economic situation prevalent in a project.. The speed we are talking about is not my natural speed. My speed varies with the nature of the film and the style becomes different and each product is unique. What about the content? We talked only about speed. We can’t compromise beyond a certain limit. If the basic minimum quality cannot be m a i n t a i n e d , h o w c a n w e g o o n compromising? I will tell you an example. A Tamil cinematographer was assigned to shoot a Malayalam movie and he was later kicked out from the project for lack of speed. When the producers came in search of another cinematographer I told them that their approach to the Tamil DOP was wrong. They assigned this cinematographer after watching the high standards he maintained in his works. To ensure this quality, he needs his own time. Otherwise his work will be quite ordinary. It’s unfair to squeeze a person like that and demand too much from him. Even a machine cannot produce more than what it actually is capable of. There is no point in expecting a printing machine to produce 10,000 prints per hour given its actual capacity is only 1000. You have worked with different directors in different genres of movies. How do you approach each subject? The director should be able to establish good communication and rapport with his cinematographer. The cinematographer also must be aware of each minute detail in the subject and the script. Each movie has a particular character and attitude. I work according to that attitude and each frame should reflect the character of the movie. But this attitude should neither surpass the film nor fall behind it. I believe this is the essence of a cinematographer’s artistic success. Have you ever felt being isolated at any stage of creation of a movie? The truth is that the DOP is always alone, in all frames. He gets inputs from the creative and technical crew including the director. But there is an area where the cinematographer himself needs to prove his mettle, his identity as a creative person. The cinematographer and director fix a frame jointly, but ultimately it’s the responsibility of the former to bring in some kind of uniqueness in it. The crew expect such a creative contribution from the DOP. “If you want to rectify a deficiency, you must be capable of doing it.” How do you deal with the actors? Acting is actually an important part of photography. When an actor’s face or body is composed in a frame, it should serve the purpose of the shot. It should become an inseparable part of the narrative. You have worked with established actors as well as novices. What is your strategy in these two different situations? You are also an actor...., All established actors have their peculiarities and mannerisms. The spectators are familiar with their gestures. Some actors have become popular because of their mannerisms. When a popular actor deliberately tries to avoid mannerisms for a particular character and be different, we are able to assess his/her real talents. An experienced cinematographer can work with a regular actor without much strain because he is aware of the actor’s acting rhythm. But when a novice is in action, we need two or three rehearsals before going for a take. The DOP needs that much time to understand his rhythm of action. Have you ever try to break conventional methods of cinematography to mould a novice into a good actor or director? The convention naturally gets broken once a new actor or director enters cinema because everything about him is fresh. Of late I have worked with a number of debut-making directors. I don’t think any of them will say anything ill of me. My ultimate commitment is towards the project I am involved in. I don’t differentiate between a veteran and a novice when I wield the camera. There is a belief among a section of aspirant filmmakers that anybody can become a d i r e c t o r i f h e h a s a n e x p e r i e n c e d cinematographer with him. How far do you believe in this? I have already explained that my commitment is towards the project as a whole. My output will not vary even if the director is absent at the location for some reason and chooses to give instructions over the mobile phone. There are some directors in the new generation who have excellent ideas but are lacking in technical knowledge. On such occasions the cinematographer’s experience will be of great help. This always happens in filmmaking. I am being considered for a particular film because of my experience. Then it’s my duty to help those who are inexperienced in the field. It’s almost like helping a fellow human being who is in trouble. Yo u h a ve n ’ t a n s w e r e d t h e q u e s t i o n completely... An inexperienced director won’t be able to m a ke a f i l m w i t h t h e h e l p o f a ny cinematographer. He will need a good “The truth is that the DOP is always alone, in all frames. He gets inputs from the creative and technical crew including the director.” cinematographer. That makes a lot of difference. If you want to rectify a deficiency, you must be capable of doing it. I will tell you an example. Becoming a cinematographer was not on my agenda when I was young boy. But I had some interest in direction which I still cherish. So I put forward suggestions both from the point of view of a cinematographer and a director. Sometimes they are accepted and help in the success of the movie. Sometimes they don’t click too. T h e r e a r e o c c a s i o n s w h e n t h e c i n e m a t o g r a p h e r ’s s e n s i b i l i t i e s g e t synchronised absolutely with that of the director. What will be your approach towards a project in which this synchronisation never happens? There are instances when this synchronisation gets tampered. With the advent of video monitors the industry began to lose a precious thing, which is nothing but the cameraman’s imaginative power and creative contribution. The monitor gives a diminutive vision of the objects to the cinematographer. But he is capable of imagining how the magnified version on the big screen will look like. Some directors or other members of the directorial team feel that the frame in a monitor is too small in size. If the directorial team lack the capacity to see how the frame will appear on the big screen, it will cause problems for the DOP. Before the advent of monitors, directors used to assess the frame through the camera for one or two scenes and then leave it to the DOP’s imaginative and creative powers. Has the advent of monitors become an impediment in filmmaking? That’s not true. Monitors have in fact helped in improving the quality of filmmaking. It’s quite advantageous to the filmmaker. He can visualize the movie in advance, rewind the visuals and make corrections instantly. Heard that you are planning to direct a movie soon.. Yes... I am going to direct a movie. Kalavoor Ravikumar is writing the script and Dileep will don the main role in the film. The script is almost over and we are on a location hunt. 15
Page 1 and 2: A N I L M E H T A I guess my journe
Page 3 and 4: outine of a small town family, he i
Page 5 and 6: Again and again I have come across
Page 7: 10 You didn’t come back to India
Page 11 and 12: 18 You have worked in Telugu, Kanna
Page 13 and 14: 22 Winning Team Shaji is getting mo
Page 15 and 16: 26 Continuing his series on Lab pro

A N I L M E H T A - Kodak

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