What’s so hard about making a movie? Well, that is interesting, although a very simple and perhaps naive question. We met with Sharath Chandra, the cinematographer from India, and he gave us some insight into this universally puzzling enquiry.
The first thing we sensed from Sharath was that there is nothing hard about making a movie – that is, if you love movies and if you have faith in how the movie will turn out. Actually, there really is quite a lot of work involved but when people set out to create something from a bunch of pages called a script, and they are all working together with the same purpose, then it becomes a labor of love as opposed to being a difficult task. With the right planning and the best craftspeople and the right creative team, you can do anything. Sharath knows about all of this because he took the time to travel from India to Los Angeles and studied cinematography and filmmaking at two well known universities that specialize in teaching students how to make movies. Once he graduated he jumped into working on films with both feet and he has been working steadily ever since.
He is a busy guy and he is an in-demand cinematographer with other talents that range from expertise in sound work and editing to writing and directing. He is also a powerhouse producer who can make a budget and a shooting schedule and then manage the production to make sure all the scenes are shot properly, the cast and crew are on the set when they are supposed to be there and the film or digital video is completed on time and within budget. He has been on enough shoots to know when things are going right and when things are off a bit. When he is working in the position of Producer, he has to fix those things if they are not running smooth. He has to jump in and make things right before they get out of hand. He also knows that if he does his homework and prepares thoroughly for the next day’s business on the set, then things generally never go wrong. He is just as thoughtful when he is shooting a film as the cinematographer. Basically, nothing is difficult if you love what you are doing.
