Rajiv Jain ICS WICA, photography india – Director of Photography
Rajiv Jain ICS WICA, photography india – Director of Photography
In the Internal View
By Christine Markee
Rajeev Jain DP credits include Army, Badhaai Ho Badhaai, Carry on Pandu, Kadachit, Kalpvriksh – The Wish Tree Mirabai not out and Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi seven films all functions long, 5 short films, commercial 1032, 6 TV series, 43 music videos, documentaries and 105 infomercials.
Markee: You just finished shooting the independent film, Kalpvriksh – The Wishing Tree, in Cinemascope, a format which had its heyday in the 80's. What prompted you to use it?
Jain: Kalpvriksh – The Wishing Tree was the first collaboration between [director] James and I Manika. This project was a low budget, but do not want to look like this. Manika is a great believer in film making, as I am, but trying to convince producers that spend most of the budget to shoot 35 mm was a hard sell. 16 mm seemed to be our only option until I brought the 3 holes of 35 mm to the idea of table. After comparing the costs that [apparently] the same cost of 16 mm, but with all the qualities of 35mm.
The problem was that there was no 3-perf cameras available in Mumbai this time. I was in a post house when someone in the lab said he had heard I was looking for 3-hole camera and heard Prasad had one. We have them, took them to Mumbai in a test session and they were fantastic. The image gave us all I had expected and Kalpvriksh – The Wishing Tree became the first film in 3 holes to shoot in India for quite some time.
Markee: Did you have a learning curve?
Jain: He who forgives not larger negative. What you see in the picture is exactly what is photographed on the negative, nothing less – there is no space to "move" to everyone. With 3 holes, a hair in the door is a very big business.
Manika and I did a lot of preparation, but even with that we still had a tight schedule: 55 days of filming and two days of pills. We use all the tools that can and called all the friends and favor for the best film we could. One of the interesting tools that we had was an arm Jimmy, "The BMW of cranes." This unit allowed us to build a crane, boom and all in one platform. We helped to keep rental costs down and allowed us to easily keep the camera alive, even when moving quickly.
Markee: Kalpvriksh – The Wishing Tree this is an old tree. Do Cinemascope lends itself particularly well to that content?
Jain: Yes, I think I did. The film has a lot of tight environments and deep conversations with a lot of details, a smaller format has not given us the depth and detail we wanted. Manika and had to always wanted to shoot the film in a 2.35:1 ratio to give a classic look and Cinemascope Cinemascope format was ideal for him. Widescreen frame allows the image displayed in layers environments each character is surrounded. Also move the camera much to give the film a good pace. Shooting of 35 mm also has allowed us to shoot faster and more efficient: No need to worry about high-definition monitors, clipped highlights or ND'ing windows. In a when low-budget film is something I never have enough of.
Markee: Do you have to use film material special?
Jain: No, the population is no different. Kodak chose 50D, by the scenes day to get a very classic colors and high image contrast. For the interiors we used Kodak 500T, a high-speed action with great range and sharp detail. Both populations look very classical and natural, something that certainly is trying to achieve.
Markee: They seem to have unleashed a new wave of Cinemascope production from Kalpvriksh – The Wishing Tree involved.
Jain: On the time to finish principal photography Aaton was ready with his new body of Penelope 3-perf camera, ARRI and called me to say now may change any of its Arricam or camera movements to drive 535 3-perf.
Has been a lot of rumors. Camera operators want alternatives to the cost of 35 mm and limitations of digital technology. Cinemascope is a great alternative for movies looking to shoot 35 mm, but need a cost effective option to bring producers. Although now I'm shooting my first feature RED, get back to zero in Nairobi and next is a 3D action film in Dubai, I have really wanted to shoot new Cinemascope.
Tags: Rajiv, Rajeev, Jain, director of photography, cinematographer, dop, bollywood, India, India, Jain, Kalpvriksh, Mumbai, cameraman
Mini Biography: A previous comment editor of Empire magazine, Christine Markee has written on film for numerous publications including The Guardian in the UK, Maxim, the magazine Radio Times and Eve. The author of The Ultimate DVD Easter Egg Guide, which is also co-wrote the film in 1001 What to See Before You Die and co-author of Chick Flicks. Jo has made numerous TV appearances as a film critic on British television and was also a screenwriter of MTV in the early 1990.
About the Author
A former reviews editor at Empire Magazine, Christine Markee has written on film for numerous UK publications including the Guardian, Maxim, the Radio Times and Eve Magazine. The author of The Ultimate DVD Easter Egg Guide, she is also a co-writer to 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die and co-author of Chick Flicks. Jo has made numerous TV appearances as a film critic on British TV and also was a script writer for MTV’s Cinematic in the 1990s.
Kodak camera Infomercial
