Pan shot of an illustrious career

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ramachandra Babu still cherishes his days at the The Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. While pursuing his diploma in Motion Picture in the academic year 1968-71 he had K G George and John Abraham for batch-mates. For his photographic endeavours, he would rely on a particularly photogenic face in the school who was none other than Jaya Bachchan! He remembers that “her expressive face suited well  for all aspects of photography,” reminiscing on those glorious years. Director John Abraham was in his senior batch and this acquaintance led him to wield the camera for John’s movie ‘Vidyarthikale Ithile Ithile’ in 1972. Cinematography, in his terms, is born out of the creative use of light and shade. One with an artistic background could easily get hold of the technique of capturing the right moments into frames. The skill, he explains, comes out of carefully studying old paintings and classic photographs so that the frame composition can be learned in the right way. Remembering the days when he began his career, Babu says, “Those days, to get every element synchronised before the camera was a great task. The cinematographer had to ensure that everything goes well before the camera on the sets.” He says even the make up on the face of an artist has to be in sync with the photographic element and he believes that cinematography is best taught to somebody who possesses a talent for visual aesthetics. With the advancement in digital technology, he says, the ability to take a creative decision is lost. “As there is a provision to alter whatever is captured on the camera, the criteria of absorbing the elements with precision is now lost.” With the overuse of graphic interface, the technician is at a vantage point of exploring the provisions to the fullest. “In the early days, there used to be a creative decision making process in capturing the frames. It was a tiresome work to arrive at the exact shot that suited the context”, he remembers.One of the challenging experiences he faced in his career happened on the sets of ‘Padayottam’, the first 70mm movie in Malayalam directed by Jijo. To shoot a ‘chess dance’ sequence in the twilight was such a difficult task to accomplish. The dancers were lined up on almost half of the squares on the life-sized chess board placed on a boat. More than hundred lights were used to provide a well-lit setting and the shooting began well in the afternoon. So as to get a particular shot, he had to capture the same shot with two cameras from two different angles so that the elements of nature and the surrounding crowds were visible on screen.  Ramachandra Babu has panned his camera for films including ‘Swapnadanam’, ‘Nirmalyam’, ‘Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha’, ‘Yavanika’ and P Padmarajan’s ‘Rathinirvedam’. The ace technician has kept up his pace with changing times.  He says he is equally at ease with the colour and digital eras. He had won the State award for best cinematography for four films including ‘Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha’. Babu also headed the technical committee of the recently-concluded  International Film Festival of Kerala.