Post-Chat Q & A with Rajiv Jain, Indian Kenyan Cinematographer, Bhartendu Natya Academy of Dramatic Arts Graduate - Lucknow, India

Post-Chat Q & A with Rajiv Jain, Indian Kenyan Cinematographer, Bhartendu Natya Academy of Dramatic Arts Graduate - Lucknow, India

The following questions were submitted during our chat with Rajeev Jain, but went unanswered during the session.

Wahi: Rajiv, why did you choose cinematography and not photography?
Rajeev Jain: It's more like it chose me. While studying drama at the graduate level I began to study still photography with a fabulous man named Surendra Jijaji. He had been one of the photographers working along with theater groups for the living during the depression. He was the most inspiring teacher I had ever met, and my love of still photography grew to the point where I thought I would prefer to pursue a career there, rather than as a cinematographer. I had been shooting a few public service announcements around that time, and shortly after getting my diploma's degree Late Renu Saluja called and asked me to work under Mr. Binod Pradhan which put me officially in the film business. Once I was in, there was no turning back.

Wahi: Who were the DP's you studied?
Rajeev Jain: I watched a lot of the cinema classics when I was a film student, so I was heavily influenced by the likes of Subroto Mitra, K K Mahajan, Ashok Mehta, Binod Pradhan, and Santosh Sivan.

Wahi: I'm a film student and we only use digital cameras. Is that going to be good or bad when I try and get work in the industry?
Rajeev Jain: I guess that's going to be a plus because any type of shooting is better than talking about it, and it looks as if the industry, or at least part of it, is trying to go that way. What you have to watch out for is the tendency to take lighting for granted since you almost always have enough light and the exposure is automatic. It's not just about quantity, but rather the quality and direction of the light. Keep in mind that we more often that not supplement and control the light even in situations where we have enough light to expose film. That's one of our main contributions to the tone and emotion of a scene.

Wahi: Is there a type of narrative film you like to shoot? Are they particular directors you like to work with?
Rajeev Jain: I suppose I'm pretty open about the genre, I can get excited about shooting anything as long as there is a chance to do something interesting with the photography. I do have some favorite directors, and rather than name names, I'd rather say that they have several things in common. They have a strong visual sense, are passionate about their work, and give it their undivided attention.

Wahi: Many feature films like Rang De Basanti? and Black and the upcoming Sawariya have utilized the digital intermediate for color timing certain sequences. Do you foresee the digital intermediate as the future and if so, do you feel that DoPs with a background in music videos and commercials will have an advantage?
Rajeev Jain: Telecine technology provides unparalleled opportunities for color grading. It is the ultimate in moving image control, you can isolate individual colors, tonal ranges and areas of the frame and manipulate them to create the best possible image. I'm very excited about the break through of this technology into the feature film world, and look forward to the results as it helps to further elevate the art of cinematography. Obviously, those familiar with the potential will be more likely to embrace and exploit that potential. We are viewing images daily that in some cases simply wouldn't be possible any other way. If there is a weak link in the system, it is that there is no true equivalent to the old straight across 25-25-25 printer light which shows you exactly what is on the negative. Colorists will sometimes offer something up that is supposed to be what is on the negative, but it is usually very flat and off color, and never resembles my Polaroids, a work print, or anything else for that matter. Since there is no true normal setting, things tend to get a bit more subjective. It's still necessary to deliver a good solid negative that's got a "look", but once you've got that in your hands, digital color timing can be your friend.

Wahi: Do you think music videos have an influence on kids and on our values?
Rajeev Jain: I'm afraid they must. They have too much exposure not to. Unfortunately, their influence is probably not for the better.

Wahi: Why do you shoot your videos in the Super 35 format? I understand the resolution issues, but does it really matter when you're eventually going to broadcast quality images?
Rajeev Jain: Everything should be shot in Super 35. It's something I've been doing for about four or five years now, and I'm told it's pretty well caught on. I hear from the colorists that 60 -70 percent commercials and music videos that they transfer are Super 35 now-a-days. Why wouldn't you want to make use of the extra 25 percent or more negative area. There isn't even a cost increase involved. Like everything I shoot, my two most recent concert jobs (Carry on Pandu & Kalpvriksh - The Wish Tree) were done on Super 35, and in both cases the letterbox format of a 1.85 ratio was chosen. Due to the lateral increased area of the full aperture negative, we were able to shoot with 3 perf pull down cameras with a 25 percent saving on stock and processing, which is huge when multiplied by multiple cameras and multiple shoot nights.
There is also less reloading because the rolls last an extra 33 percent of shooting time, resulting in less down time. We were taking superior pictures to those we would have taken if we had shot conventional 35mm, for less money. How often can you combine those two? You imply that the additional quality could be overkill, I don't agree, I contend you can still see a difference, and you must consider that the increased negative area allows us to push the photography even further. With all the dialogue about film vs. video going on these days, shouldn't we want the best quality film look we can get?

Wahi: When I look at your vids, it appears you use almost the same colour scheme all the time. Is that the result of using the same colorist?
Rajeev Jain: I'm not certain that I agree with the "all the time" part of your comment, but I must say that I am more inclined towards the warm tones in photographing my subjects, than I am towards using the cool blue tones or cyan. I can assure you that there are at least seven different colorists that have transferred my best known videos, so that's not it. The director's vision and the stylist and production designer's input probably have more to do with the color scheme than anything else. I react to what I am given

Wahi: It seems it is easier for new directors to break into the music industry than new cinematographers. What recommendations would you make to the aspiring DoP trying to break into the industry?
Rajeev Jain: I have to agree with your observation, and although it appears to defy conventional wisdom, the labels do seem to be much more likely to take a chance on a new director, particularly if they can team him/her with an experienced cinematographer. The only recommendation I can make is to Shoot, Shoot , Shoot as much as possible. There is a vast amount of knowledge to acquire, and theory can only take you so far. Beyond that there is a lot of trial and error, and the sooner you get those errors out of the way, the better. Shoot everything you possibly can, and take time to evaluate your results, making note of what works and what doesn't. Gaffing seems to have led to shooting for many of music videos hot new DP's, so you might also consider working on lighting crews any chance you might get. Telecine is also a huge part of the image making process in music videos, and I always recommend that aspiring cinematographers do what ever they can to observe in some important telecine sessions so they can learn or at least feel comfortable with the workings of this tool.

Wahi: What are the advantages of shooting super 35 for telecine.
Rajeev Jain: I guess it's my job to keep repeating this over and over again until it becomes an industry standard as put forth by Vittorio Storaro in his Univisium proposal. Let's try this analogy. If you were making a mosaic of a given size, in this case the size of your television screen, using 1000 tiles, wouldn't it look even better, be sharper, and more realistic looking if you made the same image using 1250 smaller tiles? You see the increased negative area of Super 35 uses 25% or more grains to make the same picture, rendering each grain smaller, and thereby increasing the resolution. There is also something magical that happens when you widen out on the gate of the telecine machine in this final optical stage of the process. You would also be amazed at the ability to pull clean blow ups of 50% or better to extend your coverage in situations where you may be a bit short. The only downside to Super 35 is that there isn't anymore image to reposition with than you have on your full aperture negative, unlike normal 35 which gives you the opportunity to repo into the unused areas. I prefer to think that our ability to compose a shot should be good enough to make use of all the negative area available, rather than hold some back for the occasional mistake. It does require a bit more concentration at the time of shooting, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I mentioned 3 perf pull down in response to an earlier question, and I should mention that many of the television productions shot on film are currently using 3 perf super 35 cameras using the central 1.33 aspect ratio for broadcast at the moment, but protecting (keeping clean of equipment) the full Super 1.85 aspect ratio for future HD syndication with it's 16:9 aspect ratio. Univisium is getting closer all the time.

Wahi: How much do the directors concern about the cinematography? Do they want a special f-stop or do they just say "make it look cool"?
Rajeev Jain: The director/DP relationship can have a pretty wide range. In some cases the director will have a strong vision and it is your job to realize that vision through your collaboration.
Some directors, in some situations, will have strong ideas about the film stock, lighting, lensing, and overall look of a film. On the other extreme, you may be asked to "make it look cool", or you could wind up somewhere in between. No matter which, it is the cinematographer's job to embellish and perhaps improve upon that vision, or perhaps even supply a vision when there isn't one. Very few directors that I've worked with actually discuss specific f-stops. This is the DP's domain, and not many directors even dare to go there.

Wahi: Would you recommend someone who wants to be a DP to just bite the bullet and buy an Arri III as a way of breaking into the world of commercials and music videos. Or do you think Hi-Def. video will be making substantial inroads in the next couple of years as it already has in the feature community.
Rajeev Jain: I not sure how much of a foothold HD will get. The Association of Independent Commercial Producers recently cancelled a symposium they were holding on HD commercial production due to lack of interest reflected by ticket sales. You could say it's not broken, so why fix it? As far as buying a film camera goes, I have owned my own camera in the past, and depending upon the type of work you are trying to get, and where you live, it could help you to get jobs, but I caution you against building an equipment empire which could have you using less than state of the art equipment and eventually hold you back. There is nothing as educational to a young cinematographer as actually shooting and evaluating the results. So anything that facilitates that is a positive. I guess I'm saying that if you choose to go there, make the best of it, but keep an eye towards a day when you can get out of the equipment business so you can fully devote yourself to the art of cinematography.

Wahi: You seemed to benefit early in your career from mentors. Has this been a motivation for your mentoring up and coming DoPs?
Rajeev Jain: I know that when you are standing at the mountain of cinematographic knowledge it seems so huge, and it just seems right for us to share our experiences and shed light where we can.

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