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cHeNNAI
of lenses and camera angles. I do a lot of homework before I shoot,
studying the light on location, its ambience. My own intuition leads
me to create the rest, including choice of raw-stock which is always
obviously Kodak.”
Chezhiyan is very practical in his outlook towards cinematography. In
realistic films the budget is low, but he never compromises. Although
he cannot wait for anything and anytime of the day is ideal, he still
tries his best. For the film Thenmarku Paruvaktru, the entire film was
shot in April-May. Tamilnadu in summer was very hot – in the morning
at 8 am the light is harsh, but at 4 pm when the sun is behind the hills
is a good time to shoot. They exploited this situation in such a way,
planning their schedule so that the entire film was shot in 36 days –
without compromise.
Chezhiyan’s conception of the visual approaches between a feature
and a documentary is interesting. “In documentary the challenge is to
handle non-actors, the light that one gets, the pre-existing image and
adapt oneself to the situation” he says. “The visual approach should
be to hide the mastery of one’s camera work. The camera should not
become an obvious presence in the hands of the director,” Chezhiyan
adds.
To him, DI is a good tool. He knows the limits of techniques and
where to use them, particularly in realistic films. Robert Bresson
stressed the importance “of necessary images, not just beautiful ones.”
So the thin line between necessary and beautiful is really important
to comprehend. “Emotion is the scale to determine the need of
technology,” says Chezhiyan.
An avid art admirer of especially paintings, Chezhiyan almost tries
to paint images on celluloid whenever he wields the camera. “I am
directing and making documentary films and ad films where I play
around with light and shade a lot,” he says. “As a cinematographer
creating his own films, I am able to fulfill my life-long passion for
visual poetry. As a passionate student of cinema I study the structures
of screenplay,” he adds. He looks forward to directing more films in
future.
His latest projects are Rettai Chuzhi, Magilchi and Thenmarku
Paruvaktaru.
When shooting the last film, Chezhiyan encountered the most memorable
and interesting incident of his life. “In Thenmarku Paruvaktaru, I
was shooting night-exterior. The entire sequence was about thieving.
According to the script the sequence takes place in moonlight,” he
says. “So I had to contend with a minimum lighting source and then,
to add to my headache, I needed some wide shots. But since I was
using Kodak stock, the results were beautiful. Once again Kodak did
the impossible for me. Kodak, is thus the magic stock for me.”
I
“Kodak is another name for freedom.”
When I am shooting, on the magazine cover itself my
camera assistant sticks the label of Kodak. This gives
me a kind of confidence and keeps my creative madness
alive. Kodak for me is the other name for freedom. I can
do anything with Kodak, even under expose up to five
stops as I did in Thenmarku Pervaktaru for night
exteriors. The black level and the density of the images
at that exposure were marvellous.
At night, 5219 is my choice. In Rettai Chuzhi I used 5217
with 85 for the entire film. The colour reproductions of
the hazy exteriors were superb. In Makizhchi and
Thenmarku Paruvaktru I used 5201 in day exterior,
5205 in evening and twilight. I am always more
comfortable with available light. Because only through
lighting can you determine and convey the time of the
day. All of my four films are realistic films, particularly
Thenmarku Pervaktru. I wanted to feel the flow of time
during the shots. Mixing artificial light source can kill
the mood of time and ambience. So I let it remain
realistic, using available light.
Technical Specifications
Film Thenmarku Parvaktru (2010)
Director Seenu Ramaswamy
Producer Captain Shibu Issac
Stock Kodak 5201, 5205, 5219