Achieving Success as a Student Filmmaker

Devendra Golatkar from the Film and Television Institute of India was one of four Regional 2008 Kodak Film School Competition winners.  Now in its tenth year, the annual contest recognizes outstanding achievements in cinematography by student moviemakers.  As the winning entry representating the Asia-Pacific Region, Devendra won acclaim for his cinematography on the FTII diploma film Who Thought of a Little Boy, which revolves around the issue of children's rights.  This short narrative film also won the IDPA Gold Award for Cinematography/Fiction in 2008.

Since that time, Devendra has been busy working on several feature projects, including Swaraiya and Aaditya.  As a Regional Kodak Film School Competition winner, he was sponsored by Kodak as a guest at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.  We caught up with Devendra and asked him a few questions about his experiences over the last year as an emerging filmmaker:

 
We know you graduated from a three-year filmmaking course at the Film & TV Institute.  But that's not how you started out, is it?

DEVENDRA:  I graduated as an Electronics Engineer from Mumbai University before I got into the Cinematography program at the Film & TV Institute of India, Pune. 

As a college student, I was involved in theatre.  We set up one-act plays for various inter-collegiate competitions.  Being involved closely in these - especially the scripting and lighting - helped me to move naturally into films and to explore my interest in lighting and photography.  The final spark was provided by the International Film Festival 'MAMI' held in Mumbai, 2001.  My first exposure to the world of cinema was enough to make up my mind to enroll in a film school. 

Have you had any particularly interesting filmmaking experiences that you can share with us?

DEVENDRA:  There were two particular instances that I can remember:  One was when we had done a split screen shot while we were shooting on an Arri 16BL camera.  Manually rewinding the 16mm film in the darkroom, reloading it and bringing it to the same mark for correct juxtaposition of images during the multiple shots was done correctly.  But because someone was skeptical, we thought the centre blocking we had done had shifted, so we readjusted it during the second exposure.  What we got was the most interesting image with a central area of overlapped images. 

Also interesting was my experience with 100% negative bleach bypass process on Who Thought of a Little Boy.  My director had come for the grading.  He was terrified by the images, as almost nothing could be seen in highlight areas on the analyzer.  I was relieved only after seeing the print.  That section had actually come out the best. 

Have you learned any memorable lessons along the way?

DEVENDRA:  The most important lesson I have learned is that while you are on a shoot, you will always be running against time, will have to deal with lots of crisis situations (often through no fault of your own), and might even have to work with an extremely impatient crew.  But, you can't let any of that affect you.  Even a single instance of lack of concentration or effort can cost the project dearly, even though it may only seem like a simple insert shot at the time.

Also, you have to start fresh with every project you do.  With every new project, we all get a chance to explore new ways to tell a story.   

Who or what have been your key influences or your inspiration?

DEVENDRA:  There have been quite a few who have inspired me at various stages of my life.  It ranges from filmmakers to sports persons, artists or even the great leaders of the Indian Freedom struggle against the British Raj.

Which cinematographers or filmmakers have you learned the most from - or have given you the most inspiration?

DEVENDRA:  I am inspired by cinematographers Conrad Hall, Janusz Kaminski, Robert Elswit, Roger Deakins, V.K. Murthy and Nestor Almendros.  Also cinematographers Ashok Mehta, Madhu Ambat, Aveek Mukherjee and C.K. Murlidharan came to my film school to conduct a number of cinematography workshops.  I learned a great deal from all of them. 

Is there someone you consider to be your mentor?  How does this person influence you?

DEVENDRA:  I was lucky to learn the basics of cinematography from my teachers at the film school.  K.G. Soman and B.C. Naria imbibed a strong understanding and discipline of cinematography.  Also, I was lucky to have Amarjit Amle as my first teacher who was responsible for opening the unknown world of filmmaking to me.  He was a steady influence and mentor during the formative years as I learned that filmmaking is much beyond the technique: it is a reflection of yourself and your values. 

If you could choose to work with any filmmaker in the world (producer, director, cinematographer) who would that be and why?

DEVENDRA:  I would like to work with the director Sam Mendes.  I am a great admirer of his films.  I am deeply moved by his style of filmmaking.  Like Kieslowski, his films delve deeply into human relationships.  Yet he manages to incorporate an intense, dramatic visual style and grandeur in a subject which most essentially unfolds on an extremely intimate level between individuals. 

It is a dream to work with him.  But it is something that can only be earned through attaining a certain level of brilliance in the art of cinematography.

Please share with us your experiences at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.

DEVENDRA:  It was a one-of-a-kind experience.  I value the idea of meeting the best student cinematographers from across the world.  It was a learning experience to meet Aonan, Amparo, Mateo [the other 2008 Regional Kodak Film School Competition winners], Aurelian and Bartek.  It was great to view our films together and to discuss them.  Also, it was nice to meet filmmakers from all around the globe, Clermont being the largest short film festival in the world.  My only regret was that we would have liked the films to be viewed by a larger audience by making the Kodak Showcase event a part of the main festival program.  Also, it would be great if there were a master class held under a senior DP, as nothing can compare to actually shooting some footage together and watching one of the great cinematographers at work.