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February 17 somehow try to cheat . In 5Cs of cinematography , one is Cheating ! ( laughs ) Cheating as in to patch up the scene , instead of wasting money in shooting the next day .
SK - Is the classic style of cinematography like of Balu Mahendran ’ s , is still alive ? Can it be done with today ’ s technology ?
KVA - No , he has explored and tried almost everything . No two movies has same style of cinematography . Veedu is different from Kokila or Mullum Malarum . If don ’ t try new different things in an art , it becomes stale . It is always same , yet different . In those days we used golden rules of composing the subjects in the screen in cinemascope format some 30-40 years ago , like keeping the subject in the left or right side edges , not diving the horizon etc . Then , people started composing the screen using symmetry , keeping the subject in the centre . Venu ’ s style of cinematography was more rugged and candid . Recently , the cinematography in The Grand Budapest Hotel was different , they composed the image in 4:3 aspect ratio keeping the subject in the centre . It got several awards for it ’ s cinematography . So , it has to change , it has to evolve . The art is more
important than the artists . So the change is good .
SK - What would you advise for the aspiring filmmakers who want to make a mark today ? How can they enhance their visualising
capabilities ?
KVA - They can do or explore anything . Today , in order to survive in the industry , one can spend more time in visual aesthetics , history of image composition , appreciating artworks or modern photography instead of spending time in learning the parts of camera or how it functions . Learn and then unlearn . Then your foundation will be set and you can do better things .
SK - One quick mention about
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Panasonic GH4 , you had used this camera in one of your movies for a song ?
KVA - Yeah . I used it immediately , when it arrived in the market . I was really impressed that a DSLR could have 4K resolution . I used it for Anegan in Roja Kadale song for the background shots in Canada and shot foreground subjects in a green matte studio back in Chennai with Arri Alexa . The quality of images in GH4 matched with Alexa perfectly and it was superimposed well without difficulties . I think it saved around 50 Lakhs from the producer ’ s pocket ! ( laughs ) It was not mainly because of the budget , but we couldn ’ t get call sheets from the actors . I also used GH4 in some of the action sequences as it was lighter in weight . It ’ s fantastic and I ’ m actually waiting for GH5 . I loved its new features of 6K recording , better processor and sensor , better autofocus and no use of external hard disk . One thing I am really excited to explore is the use of Kowa 2X lens for anamorphic with GH5 . With that , you get full frame image in 6K , which is fantastic .
SK - Thank you Sir . Thank you for coming and sharing your views and experiences .
KVA - Thank You .