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INDIA FIRST PERSON
PASSIONFORTHECAMERAAND
A CONCOCTION OF COLOURS AND CREATIVITY
A TECHNICAL EDUCATION NEED NOT BE MANDATORY IN THE LIFE OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS. THE CAREER GRAPH OF RAVI K CHANDRAN TESTIFIES TO THIS IN EVERY WAY
and seamless in Fujifilm. In fact, I really liked the way, for instance, Black Swan and The King’s Speech was shot. They had some of the most beautiful scenes ever shot.”
For a creative cinematographer like him, Fujifilm stocks seem to offer solutions for different looks. “I want to try something new and try to achieve new things in every movie. A cinematographer should not be bored by his own creations. Shooting should inspire us. Every scene should challenge the cine- matographer. I am using Fujifilm stock a lot in mixed light condition, because it gives a different look.”
Commending the new ETERNA Vivid 250D’s effectiveness in light and dark areas, he says the stock was used extensively in a lot of places while shooting on his current film.
“We had lot of sunshine and bright areas as well as a lot of shadows too. ETERNA Vivid 250D gave the right balance of shadow details andsun- light. The sequence demanded rapid movements of camera but the latitudes were extremely good.
“I really liked the blend of the sharpness and smoothness of Vivid. In daylight, the colours pop out aesthetically and never appear harsh even in mixed lighting conditions.”
Ihave never been a student of cinematography,” Ravi concedes, but is quick to add that his list of inspirational figures is quite a long one. His education began watching movies by cinematographers like Binod Pradhan, Ashok Mehta, Santosh Sivan, Sabroto Mitra, Rajiv Menon, Anil Mehta, PC Sreeram and his own brother, Ramchandra Babu.
“I did the entrance exam for FTII, Pune, but my father passed away at that time. So I decided to assist my brother for two years. Then I worked with Rajiv Menon in commercials; he used to be a steadicam operator and we became good friends before I eventually got into films.”
With a whole bunch of box-office hits in his folio, Ravi wears his success lightly. A movie’s success, according to him, is about team work and every tiny element is as much about responsibility as it is about the art of cinematography.
“When I started working in movies, I understood it is not just cinematography but the entire film making procedure that plays a major role in bringing out a successful film”.
Recalling his long years of struggle to make it big in the industry, Ravi says most
people don’t realise that even established cinematographers like Ashok Mehta and Binod Pradhan had 25 years of struggle to stamp their names in the film industry.
“We are here today purely because of our passion and hard work without compromising on our ideas and beliefs. Luck also plays a great part. One needs to be lucky to bag a good film.”
“Firaaq was based on a storyline that is wrapped up in a day. We had five different characters in the film and when I first read the script I thought to do something different and experiment with it since it was a straight print and we did not go through DI.”
His most experimental and challenging shot in Firaaq was a sequence with actor Naseeruddin Shah. The shot was very dark but the audience could still see the shadow details. “It worked quite well,” says Ravi.
For Firaaq, Ravi tested the whole range of colour tones of Fujifilm before zeroing in on five stocks. “I knew Fujifilm was very good with various colour tones. The five stocks were for the different characters and they blended really well. The result was exactly the way I perceived it. It gave a distinct look to the film which had a low budget.”
With the desired results, he decided to opt for Fujifilm in his next venture Anjaana Anjaani. “I selected the ETERNA Vivid stock. It gave me the right colours with less light. The transition from an over exposure to an under exposure was very smooth
Velraj came to Chennai in pursuit of work. Though inclined towards photography he didn’t do much at first to foster his talent. Once he got the opportunity, he grabbed it with both hands after studying at Sourashtra College in Madurai. “I got introduced to popular cinematography through ace cameraman Mr S. Tirru and from there started my film
career. I worked as an appren-
tice and then as assistant in
films including Hey Ram
(Tamil), The Legend Of Bhagat Singh, Champion and Hungama.
“I was the assistant on nine other movies after which my guru asked me to carry on on my own. In fact, I was not really ready for the next big step, but it was he who cajoled me into going solo and it got me the chance to work with Dhanush on Parattai Engira Azhagusundaram.
“But with nothing else on the horizon, I then contemplated quitting films and settling down back in my hometown. Then Pollathavan happened and the industry really appreciated my work. Acclaimed cinematographers like K.V. Anand, Balu Mahendra and Kathir as well as director Nanda Periyasamy personally congratulated me for my work.” says the proud cameraman.
He is now working on Engehyum Eppodhum, directed by Saravanan, from the school of
A. R. Murugadoss. It goes without saying, of course, that Velraj plays an integral part in the team.
Whilst talking about the colour reproduction of ETERNA Vivid 250D which is being used here for the first
30 • EXPOSURE • THE MAGAZINE • FUJIFILM MOTION PICTURE
BEYOND EXPECTATIONS
SHY, SOFT-SPOKEN R. VELRAJ HAILS FROM A SMALL VILLAGE IN MADURAI, TAMIL NADU. HE WON THE RELIANCE-VIJAY TV AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN 2007
time by Velraj, he enthuses about the new stock: “The colours on the screen were as I saw them actually with my eyes, and so their actual reproduction is amazingly accurate.”
Speaking about contrast, Velraj notes: “It is really very good. The highlight details were present and did not bleach out. There are strong blacks and the detail was beyond my expectation.” He then notes the stock’s ability for “whole day” use from early in the morning to late in the evening without any worry.”