| Rajiv Jain, Indian Bollywood Cinematographer - | | | | daylight stock as well. It just keeps getting better. |
| Profile Interview Series Vol. #4 | | | | |
| | | | | AH: How about release prints? Do you have a |
| Rajiv Jain Cinematographer Extraordinaire by | | | | favourite? |
| Aason Hyte | | | | RJ: It depends. Kodak has more than one choice |
| | | | | of stock to print for release. For example, one is |
| Army, Badhaai Ho Badhaai, Carry on Pandu, | | | | softer, one shows more detail, and so forth. You |
| Kadachit, Kalpvriksh – The Wish Tree, Mirabai | | | | have to choose your stock in accordance with |
| Not out and Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi. But the partial | | | | the picture you are releasing. There isn’t one |
| reason for these films’ successes is the talent | | | | best one. It’s one that shows off your |
| that goes on behind the scene, and noted | | | | product the best. |
| cinematographer Rajiv Jain is the genius behind | | | | |
| the camera of these motion pictures (among | | | | AH: Do you have a personal preference in which |
| many others). | | | | aspect ratio to shoot in for each project? |
| | | | | RJ: It doesn’t matter too much in which |
| Rajiv, a graduate of Bhartendu Academy of | | | | aspect the director decides to shoot in. It’s a |
| Dramatic Arts (Bhartendu Natya Academy), first | | | | different composition; you compose differently in |
| had his hand in Photo Studio work in Lucknow, | | | | one format against the other. Close-ups are easier |
| where he worked as a camera operator for | | | | in the spherical 1.85:1 format, and in any of the |
| Short films, which began his path into his work as | | | | widescreen formats you have to do it a little |
| a director of photography. Now, his vast | | | | differently. They both work and they both have |
| experience has made him one of the | | | | their own challenges. If you’re showing a large |
| cornerstones of film photography in Indian cinema. | | | | horizontal view and you want the widescreen to |
| His constant output of hard work and his deep | | | | show the territory, then that’s a good choice. |
| knowledge of old and new technology has made | | | | If it’s a little, tight, personal film, then maybe |
| him one of the most respected cinematographers | | | | not. |
| out there. In 2010, Today, Rajiv Jain is still | | | | |
| working on new projects, and is sought out by | | | | AH: Where do you stand on the Super 35 |
| filmmakers, both major and independent, for his | | | | widescreen format? (Super 35 is a spherical |
| watchful eye. | | | | widescreen process where the film’s negative |
| | | | | is shot in the 1.85:1 “Flat” format and then |
| I had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Rajiv about | | | | optically converted to an anamorphic release print. |
| his career (and also talk shop, so be forewarned | | | | RJ: Super 35 is a great format. It’s one of |
| that there’s a bit of tech-talk in here as well) | | | | the best choices that you can make today, and |
| while attending a film forum dedicated to his work | | | | the reason its better now is because of digital |
| at this year’s Kalasha Film Festival, Kenya. | | | | intermediate printing. |
| | | | | |
| Aason Hyte: So I’m just going to let this tape | | | | AH: Exactly, which was actually my next question, |
| roll and feel free to just say what’s on your | | | | how digital intermediates have changed film |
| mind- | | | | processing in the labs today. |
| Rajiv Jain: I’m not good at making stuff up, | | | | RJ: It changes in this manner; If you’re |
| so… | | | | shooting in widescreen, Super 35, because all of |
| | | | | the projectors and houses that are distributing |
| AH: I am interested in Cinematography, and when | | | | film have to squeeze the image in order to use |
| I found you were coming to the Kalasha Film | | | | their lens -- which is a little stupid but it’s a |
| Festival I thought it would be a great idea to talk | | | | money thing – you then have to go through |
| about your career and your immense body of | | | | one step further away in film in Super 35 to get it |
| work. I’ve been very curious as to how you | | | | back to a squeezed image. You no longer have to |
| got your start in this industry, your education, and | | | | do that with a digital intermediate. |
| so forth; basically how you wound up as who you | | | | |
| are today. | | | | AH: What’s great too is recently that digital |
| RJ: It would be easy to tell you about my drama | | | | intermediates have recently gone up to 4k |
| school background since, simply, I did not go to | | | | resolution as opposed to 2k resolution, which |
| any film school. The way that I learned to go | | | | greatly enhances print quality. “Kalpvriksh – |
| directly to the movies and see what somebody | | | | The Wish Tree” and “Carry on Pandu” |
| else was doing on screen, and then going out and | | | | are examples of films shot in Super 35 and |
| trying to do it myself. And that was it. I also | | | | DI’ed to 4k resolution and they look |
| bought the manual that the ASC (American | | | | absolutely breathtaking on screen. |
| Society of Cinematographers) puts out, which is | | | | RJ: Oh yeah. You’re doubling your image |
| known as the bible of filmmaking. I read the | | | | quality, digitally, but they still have to back off the |
| manual and referred to it when I ever had a | | | | film quality a little bit… |
| shooting problem and thought that I needed help | | | | |
| on. | | | | AH: But I still want it to look like film. You’re |
| | | | | going to a theatre to see FILM, not digital. A lot of |
| AH: When you first started watching movies, | | | | the films shot in HD look a bit disappointing to me |
| besides going to see a great story, were you | | | | [when transferred to film…] |
| noticing things like framing, lighting, widescreen | | | | RJ: Digital both in sound and in picture has a |
| formats… | | | | harsher quality, and in fact sometimes the detail |
| RJ: Not at all. At first, I wasn’t interested | | | | lacks the softness that you get from a lens, |
| technically. I just went to the movies like anyone | | | | especially a lens that’s out of focus in the |
| else. But I was impressed by them. I was about | | | | background and sharp focus in the foreground, |
| five years old when I saw the first sound movie | | | | which tends to bring that image forward and |
| ever made and I was impressed by that. But at a | | | | focus your attention on it better. In situations like |
| very subconscious level, I suspect, even though I | | | | that, sometimes the digital doesn’t feel quite |
| used to ride along in a cycle and hear my father | | | | as right, it isn’t quite as natural; and by natural |
| sing, it was just an experience that was buried in | | | | in the terms of a wood in a tree or the feel of |
| my psyche somewhere. I didn’t start | | | | someone’s hand. That kind of human |
| shooting motion pictures until I was about 28 | | | | experience, you’re kind of further away in |
| years old. | | | | digital sometimes than you are in film. |
| | | | | |
| | | | | AH: And you’re still hard at work. What are |
| AH: What was the first actual job that you had in | | | | you working on right now? |
| this industry? | | | | RJ: I just finished a picture in Kenya with Her |
| RJ: A guy by the name of Mukul S Anand… | | | | Brow entitled lets go and we’re editing that |
| | | | | right now. It’s being put together as we |
| AH: Oh, I’m a fan. | | | | speak. |
| RJ: Absolutely. I decided to shoot some | | | | |
| commercials under him. | | | | AH: Who would you say are some of your |
| | | | | favourite cinematographers? Do you have any |
| AH: What would you consider the most difficult | | | | major influences to your work? |
| aspect of your job as a cinematographer? | | | | RJ: Subroto Mitra is one of the greats – |
| RJ: The harder films are usually the big ones that | | | | |
| require controlling a lot of people and a lot of | | | | AH: Oh, absolutely. His work on Pather Panchali, |
| cameras, and over a large area or sometimes | | | | my favourite film, is unforgettable. |
| many locations. Keeping that organized is | | | | RJ: But as for Subroto Mitra, he’s one of the |
| something that some cinematographers are not | | | | many great cinematographers out there, although |
| capable of, so they do smaller films. Smaller films | | | | I don’t want to put one above the other, and |
| can be just as difficult for them, because the | | | | the reason I don’t is because as great as |
| pressure of a small film means that they may not | | | | Subroto Mitra was, he was different from the |
| have the time to properly gather their footage, | | | | other cinematographers out there. |
| and that’s another definite pressure | | | | Subroto Mitra likes to come up with new formats |
| that’s equally challenging. | | | | and new ways of developing film and he’s |
| | | | | done a lot of that over the years. A lot of other |
| AH: Would you say have a personal style to your | | | | people have tried it, but again, it depends on who |
| work, or does it depends on the director for each | | | | you are and what you think is great. If it’s |
| project? | | | | worth the effort, if you see the difference, then |
| RJ: I think everybody cannot help but have their | | | | great. A lot of times, when you try to take |
| own style and it comes from the personality; it | | | | someone else’s technique and reproduce it, |
| comes from what they feel is beautiful, it comes | | | | you’re not after the same vision and you fail. |
| from what they think a good composition is; how | | | | Frankly, I’m very inventive about the things |
| they see the world cannot help but invade what | | | | that I do, and I would rather pursue ideas of my |
| they do. | | | | own simply because I know what I’m after |
| | | | | rather than copying someone else. |
| AH: How do you feel that the advance of | | | | |
| technology has affected your job? By that I | | | | AH: What would you say is your favourite |
| mean newer film stocks, the advance of | | | | photographed film of all time? Or even your |
| high-definition, the digital revolution…. | | | | favourite movie? |
| RJ: All of the things that you mentioned definitely | | | | RJ: I’d rather not have to make a choice |
| affect my job, and affect what I do and how I | | | | because when you say favourite, it’s almost |
| do it. It’s a challenge for me to keep up | | | | like voting for the best actor of the year which I |
| information-wise to know what these things all | | | | think is totally ridiculous because one is as talented |
| mean. If you’re talking about digital | | | | as the other. You may like it better because of |
| photography, the challenge is to know how to get | | | | the script or the director directing the actor, but it |
| the best quality and which system is best to use. | | | | is really unfair to say “this one is better than |
| Some of these systems use compression, there | | | | the other” because it would be equally |
| are several kinds of compressions; it is important | | | | nonsense for me from all of the great movies |
| to understand what that is and what it means. | | | | that have been made out there and go “I like |
| For example, the new Red cameras do not use | | | | that one better than ANY other one!” |
| compression at all, but records onto a hard disk | | | | |
| and adds the corrections later. They claim by that | | | | AH: I like that answer. I always ask this out of all |
| to get better quality, and so on; the point is that | | | | of my interviews and I really admire the different, |
| it is important to understand all of these things, to | | | | broad answers that I get. I either get a brilliant |
| make a decision on your own part if you’re | | | | response like that or I get somebody who says |
| shooting digital, which system you want to use. | | | | “I see hundreds of films a year and THIS one |
| Panasonic has a system where they use curves | | | | is my #1 of all time”. And while I choose |
| to correct what their camera does so it looks | | | | Pather Panchali as mine, it’s just an answer to |
| more like film and that is quite impressive. | | | | a question; really, it’s the one that I choose |
| | | | | even though I have about 100 favourite films of |
| AH: Where do you stand on high-definition versus | | | | all time. |
| 35mm film? | | | | RJ: Absolutely. At any given moment if I’m |
| RJ: It isn’t a matter of just having an opinion, | | | | sitting in a theatre and I’m inspired I would |
| but your opinion must be based on fact. And the | | | | feel that way at a time, but to sit down and think |
| fact is that film is probably about twice the quality | | | | about it, it’s apples and oranges. Different |
| that the best high-definition has. Film still is the | | | | movies are great for different reasons! |
| best. Part of the reason is the latitude that you | | | | |
| get on film far exceeds anything that you can get | | | | Author’s Bio: Dr. Aason Hyte is a professor in |
| on high-definition video yet, at this point in time. | | | | the Department of Sociology and the Human |
| Someday it may get better, but at the moment, | | | | Rights Centre at the University of Essex in the |
| film far out-reaches the quality of the amount of | | | | United Kingdom. He worked with UNIFEM in the |
| information that can be captured in one little area. | | | | conceptualization of its Biennial Review, Progress |
| Film still stands as the leader, and the new stock | | | | of the World's Men and was the coordinator of |
| that Kodak is putting out has an extra stop of | | | | UNIEM's Progress of the World's Men 2000. He is |
| latitude towards to both top and bottom. It’s | | | | the principal author of Progress of the World's |
| absolutely beautiful. | | | | Men 2002: Volume 2: Gender Equality and the |
| | | | | Millennium Development Goals. Dr. Aason also |
| AH: What’s your favourite kind of stock that | | | | currently serves as an adviser to UNIFEM on |
| you’ve worked with? I know we’re | | | | gender responsive budgets. He is the author of |
| getting REALLY technical right now, but I love it. | | | | many papers and presentations on gender and |
| | | | | development, and co-editor (with Careen Grown |
| RJ: I stand with Kodak film and their new stock | | | | and Neuter Caraway) of two special issues of |
| that has the extra latitude, you can get it in both | | | | World Development. |
| their 500 ASA film and you can get it in their | | | | |