The wizard castS a spell

This gives him an opportunity to attend a 15-day workshop in Hungary,where he will learn about the modern techniques in cinematography and its aesthetics from the world cinematography greats. This year,he is the only one from India to be selected as a scholar.

Deepu is on seventh heaven ever since he got a call from the Institute,saying his film has been selected for the Bi-annual International Competition in Cinematography for the film schools. Deepu doesn’t hide his excitement. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to work under the supervision of renowned international cinematographers. The candidates will get to shoot a short film with high-end equipment,under the supervision of the world’s greatest cinematographers.”

Leaders of the previous Masterclass had names like Vilmos Zsigmond ASC (American Society of Cinematographers),Haskel Wexler ASC and BillyWilliams ASC (all Oscar winners).

“When Umesh narrated the script to me,I knew it was a challenging one. As the film is a glimpse into the lives of inhabitants of this one room,in a lodge located near a railway station,I knew I will get to do something different and defining. After the film was screened in the institute,many marveled at the set. It was hard to believe that it was constructed in a studio. It was the excellent art direction by Deep Kulkarni and the ageing (which gave it the original-to-the-core look) by S Rama Krishna helped us attain what the script demanded,” he says.

“The characters were all earthy and inhabited the same space but in different time frames. So,it was crucial that we kept the set as real as possible. My challenge was to reproduce the real colours and skin tone to give a natural look and feel to the film. A lot of effort was put into the making,” he smiles.

Ask him about his cameraman and Umesh can’t stop showering praises. “To an extent,yes,he has successfully transformed the script on to the reel. The concept of the film itself was a little offbeat and the camera was a major component in translating the idea of the film. I realise it is important for directors to give space to people who handle other aspects like camera or sound,so that you get a different perspective.”

Deepu cannot agree more. “Umesh gave me complete creative freedom which was why I could approach it with

a fresh mind and the result is for you to see,he says.”

We also cannot agree more.