Raw deal for technicians
I am of the view that our present crop of cinematographers are getting a raw deal from the media. I saw two very good movies recently - Rang De Basanti and Paruthi Veeran and was bowled over by the works of Binod Pradhan and Ramji respectively.
The reason I am mentioning these two is that both movies would’ve fallen flat if it was handled by any average cinematographer. Yet I hardly find a mention, leave alone an interview by either of these guys in the press.
It’s always the directors who are sought after. Not that i hold any grudge against them but film making is always team work and each person has a role to play. So it’s good to expose and encourage talent. On the other hand till a few years back, the likes of P C Sreeram, Rajiv Menon got enough and more media attention and adulation.
Also I should mention here that none of the media ever threw any light on the work of editors, arguably the most painstaking job in film-making.
June 5th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
exactly ! Atleast cinematographers get mentioned sometimes…but editors never.
The very art of holding the audience interest is in the editing.
June 6th, 2007 at 5:20 am
PKSir
You are right..if movie is big hit director , hero , heroine(summa oru thamasukku than pa) and music director pathi than adhigam pesuvaanga…
But one thing PK, though it is a team work, captain thane ellathaiyum organize mattrum vazinadai sellanum…
Recently Antony is doing amazing job in Editing..have u seen his work in Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu?..i hope he does same in Sivaji…:)
Sari paruthi veeran review unga parvaiyela innum varalaiye???
June 6th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Bala…actually I was watching the dances from ‘fool n final’ and it struck me that the steps and the settings were similar for all the songs. Then I tght abt Sankar’s movies where each and every song wld be unique. PK’s post came to my mind and I had the same thgt u mentioned. Its the director who ultimately chooses everything. So no wonder he gets the major credit.
June 6th, 2007 at 11:16 am
Bala and Sree,
As I clearly said, I dont hold any grudge against the directors, but even then, with directors i think the credit they get is misplaced. They get credits for turning out hits..Paruthi veeran was a very interesting effort and i hold no qualms if Ameer gets the credit. But if ameer makes a pot bolier with Vijay tomorrow and gets appreciated, i would definitely think twice about that.
A director should be appreciated for how he’s shaped the characters and story visually, How he’s extracted the work from the technicians and the artists for the story…I have nothing against Shankar but appreciating a director because he can shoot song sequences well does not make sense to me. Its another matter that even there, Mani Ratnam (save for his last few movies) would score over Shankar
When u appreciate a director i’d say also respect others who have toiled with the director.
In technicians only a select few star value technicians get that adulations..
Prominent among them are PC Sreeram, Rajeev Menon, Thotta Tharani,balu mahendra etc. nobody knows anything abt editors, and abt good cameramen like M S Prabhu, Thiru etc. Just check out Mahanadhi and Hey Ram to see their works.
And invariably even when they get covered, it would have nothing abt their craft and how they shot/edited a particular scene, what equipment they used etc..Only when the press talks abt those intricacies will the public realise and recognise the true value of their work and also the hardships faced in the film industry.the hardships faced in the film industry..
June 6th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Karthi…u need to note a cpl of things here. first there is no dispute that the technicians shd be appreciated. But u shd also take into account that the very same technician wld not have performed in the same way with a less demanding director.
Mani and Sankar have their own unimitable styles…while Mani brings out subtlety Sankar is a master entertainer. Both give importance to music and presenting each song differently. remember ‘Mouna raagam’ and ‘Mudhalvan’ ? I think the creativity portrayed in ‘uppu karuvaadu..ooora vacha soru..’ in Mudhalvan and ‘Andankaaka kondakaari…’ in Anniyan shd be attributed to Sankar. Yes the paitners and model makers did a good job..but the idea is Sankar’s.
//but appreciating a director because he can shoot song sequences well does not make sense to me//
why not ? There are some who like the visual treat like the painted sarees on rocks and the cute made-up lorries in ‘Andankaaka kondakaari’ .The costume is attractive and the steps are very synchronised. How abt ‘Yamunai aatriley…’ ’s visual effect?
As u said the technicians and their work she be mentioned and appreciated…but when it comes to the man of the movie its defenitely the director.
What is the story in ‘Thalapadi’….but for Mani , who cld have spun so grand an entertainment with such a threadbare storyline ?
June 6th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
test
June 7th, 2007 at 5:35 am
@PK Sir,
yes I did see mahanadhi and HeyRam and their work were tremendous..
There is no question about appriciating tehnicians.
but when a movie is flop, director is the one getting blamed for everything ,in that case credit also should go to director..
@sree
you have valid points..:)
@pksir,
Ippadi first standard mathiri kootal ellam poda vaichuteengae..adhukkuthan ungae test messagea??
June 8th, 2007 at 5:26 am
PK,
only a little more time..
People who were talking about the director and hero alone, are now talking about story, screenplay, cinematography and re-recording. Only a little time until their interest acquires the technicians. The time is soon to come.
And Sree, please stop beginnining a sentence with “Maniratnam and Shankar”. Im very allergic to that.
It is like telling “kamalhaasan and Kaathadi raamamoorthy”.. they are not equals ( i mean the domain)
Sree, the man of the movie is certainly the director. But It is about getting the share of limelight they deserve. Sreekar prasad - editor of Alaipayuthey. Alaipayuthey is nothing without that editing. I say he deserves more than a few internet appreciations. Cameraman Thiru, Art director Rajasekaran and many many more technicians whose works have added value to the movie are comfortably forgotten.
Applause is a magical moment. All your creativity gets completed at that point. I dont see that happening for a few technicians. And that wont happen unless the clapping hands recognize who to clap for.
June 8th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Keerthivasan….
// first there is no dispute that the technicians shd be appreciated.//
I hope u did not miss this in my comment.
:)) is clubbing Shankar with Mani so bad that it wld bring about allergy ?
I think u r hasty is brushing Shankar aside ..Mani may be good..but Shankar need not be talked of so lowly .It takles a lot of creativity to cater to all sorts of audience.
“Le génie frise la folie / genius is close kin to madness ” ..I see this a lot with Mani and Kamal.
Sreekar prasad - editor of Alaipayuthey. Alaipayuthey is nothing without that editing. //
It took a Mani to recognise that and bring out the best in him. So that need to be appreciated too.
I say he deserves more than a few internet appreciations.//
ofcourse…it is not being disputed here.
why is that u r not giving me a convincing answer to this ?
//But u shd also take into account that the very same technician wld not have performed in the same way with a less demanding director.//
until then maybe u shd try ‘avil’
just kidding 
have a nice weekend , keerthivasan
June 8th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
keerthi,
Well said. I certainly believe that those who sweat it out behind the camera should get recognition in addition to the director.
Sree,
Going by your logic, the most celebrated director in the history of tamil cinema should not be Mani or Shankar. But it should be S P Muthuraman. If thats what you think, fair enough.
I’d rather see a film by ameer who has done 3 films to date than see an SP muthuraman film who has done 25 films with Rajinikanth. Its great entertainment, but not my idea of cinema.
Have you ever thought why a mani ratnam goes back to sreekar prasad all the time for all his movies? Why not a fresher? Mani or Shankar would choose freshers for actors but they will never select a fresher when they are loking for an editor or cameraman. If an ace director is so dependent on a specialist to do a specialist job, all i am seeking is some more limelight for that specialist, irrespective of the class or ability of the director.
The only director who has the guts to entrust the responsibility to a young talent behind the camera is Kamal Haasan - Thiru was not a big name when he shot Hey Ram.
And Kamal is a director who will never paint an entire town for a song sequence but one who will shoot an entire village sequence in campa cola grounds right in chennai. I think directors wshould be appreciated for the authenticity they bring to the story, not for their ability to shoot interesting songs, we have enough talented MTV video directors and cinematographers for that.
June 8th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Sree, I’d like to take it further.
If thats a deal about catering the audience, we shouldn’t even be mentioning Maniratnam. I would say great directors like “Dharani, Shankar, Selvaraghavan”. Maniratnam is a failure when it comes to generating revenue. People need maniratnam only for mentioning his name. So is Kamalhaasan. A grand failure in terms of revenue. They do not cater all types of audiences. If there’s a title called “Cult-director” and “Cult-actor”, we shall give it to them.
The fact that I’m allergic about is (no, avil doesn’t work for me :P) I never saw any great deal of creativity in Shankar. It is way too exagerated. If computer graphics (the most awkward CG ever) and grand props is what you call creativity, well I can buy that arguement and even rank TRajendar likewise.
Regarding technicians performing less with less demanding directors, a straight no. It is a wrong statement. Technicians have outperformed themselves even under small banners and small directors. You’d find several reviews pointing out to the technical brilliance in soththai movies. Except may be for music directors. They give their best sounds to the best directors. But music directors get a great deal of the limelight..so, ignore them.
This statement may be so naive - “most directors are bullshitting guys”. People swarm into film industry without prior qualification and sit on the director’s chair. They are not good project managers. Not all great-directors in TN are real directors. They just have an impressive story, and rope in the best technicians.
Maniratnam couldnt have got the same quality work from someone else. Do you think some novice editor could have done that job ? Mani recognized his talent, agreed. But Mani didnt do the job. Sreekar did it. He deserves more appreciation than sowing his name in the credits, or giving him a 100th day shield with no one to clap for. I understand it is not being disputed, but i somehow like repeating it..
June 9th, 2007 at 1:46 am
hey I typed a 2 page reply and lost the whole thing bcos I did not give the rt answer in the maths test :((
I feel like hitting myself
June 9th, 2007 at 6:24 am
after sulking a lot budhi vandhu wordla la type pannaren
and ozhunga 10+10=20 nnu calculate panni modhalaye anga pottuten
Hello Keerthivasan….
//I understand it is not being disputed, but i somehow like repeating it.. //
yeah…I can see that.
The main point I like to make is that there is nothing wrong in directors getting the major credit and attention when a movie is a hit.
The director is the one who is responsible for giving a success or not….so where there is responsibility….and it is carried out well…the adulation goes with it.
In any project the entrepreneur is the one who brings all the factors together…if even one fails…the entrepreneur pays.
//If thats a deal about catering the audience, we shouldn’t even be mentioning Maniratnam.//
Is there any confusion here? Are u trying to say that Mani does not do commercial movies ?
Mani strives to give a commercial hit and sprinkles a lot of goodies in his movies to keep all strata of the audience happy…in ur admiration for Mani…u r overlooking that fact that he too includes the demands of the distributors and that is what is needed for the A,B and C areas.
Now tell me how much u like the ‘mayya mayya’ number ?
why were ‘chaiya chaiya’ , ‘nila adhu vaanathu meley’, ‘koncham nilavum’ , andha arabic kadaloram’ included in his movies ? because the story demands , eh ?
I agree that Mani , Kamal , Illayaraja , Kannadhasan are all geniuses. But that does not mean all their works are meant for geniuses or connoiseurs. So it does not make sense to overglorify their work just bcos we are in awe of them.
I am popping an avil before writing this (lets hope it works for me ) .
//well I can buy that arguement and even rank TRajendar likewise.//
How can u even bring that uncouth clown TR here ? Its gross injustice to Shankar. Infact I am finding it very hard not to take it as a personal insult. Suggesting that ppl who enjoy Shankar’s movies cld even like TR’s is hitting below the belt. I sincerely believe ppl who have real weird tastes or one who likes to self-inflict pains watch his movies.
As for Shankar painting the town and using props…I guess it brings out the child in us…atleast ‘andakakaa kondakaari..’ and ‘azhagana rachasiye..’ did to me. I felt it was a treat to the eyes . The dance and costumes were good too.
// Technicians have outperformed themselves even under small banners and small directors.//
This and then this
//Except may be for music directors. They give their best sounds to the best directors.//
When the M.directors who have all the applause and recognition inspite of the directors do not perform well unless they are with good directors…why wld other technicians perform better with mediocre ones ?
They may have talents but they need the right oppurtunity to bring them out.
//without prior qualification and sit on the director’s chair.//
I don’t recall claiming that they have any qualifications or have gone throo formal training.
Not all great-directors in TN are real directors. They just have an impressive story, and rope in the best technicians. //
Ya..among all the good for nothing ones , the one that is able to identify a good story and select the best talents gets all the credit….its quite natural.
//You’d find several reviews pointing out to the technical brilliance in soththai movies.//
Good..so ur mission is accomplished.
But let me ask u this…are they sought after ?
To be sought after….u need to give a hit and to give a hit u need a good director.
If computer graphics (the most awkward CG ever) and grand props is what you call creativity//
So Shankar’s graphics are bad ?
He chose the most awkward CG ever !
I hear u blaming Shankar not that talented or otherwise designer .
Got my point ?
June 9th, 2007 at 7:28 am
Karthi….
I do not know much about Muthuraman’s movies.
But by the way u put it..it must be a real masala kind.
I think we are talking different languages here.
I am not saying that just bcos ppl watch some director’s movies
The directors can be called talented ones.
Infact , I vividly remember u saying in one of ur posts..its not OK
To blame S.J.Surya for giving soft porno..if one does’nt like it , its
Better to avoid it. So these are the kind of directors who cater
To a select set of audience. But Shankar cannot be included in it
As he gives a little bit of everything to keep all strata happy..the
Magic is that dirs like him achive it.
Mani seeks Sreekar agreed…but for Sreekar to be a success, Mani
Shd give a hit. The collective responsibility of all the technicians
Success rests on the dir. If he fails all fail .
What does it matter if its campa cola grounds or an entire town or a tiny
Hamlet tucked in Nilgris..as far as the visual effect is good I am happy.
Where songs are concerned…embedding songs in a movie without
Breaking the storyline is an art. Also ur MTV guys are stereotypes..
When I hear a Himesh Reshmiya’s music invariably my mind matches
That with ‘aashiq banaya..’ so he fails there. Versatility is the key.
Even Mani had to include ‘ Narumughaiye narumughaiye…’
in a movie like Iruvar.
June 9th, 2007 at 8:06 am
Yeah PK.. this mathematics thing is eating me up !!
either i forget to enter, or i give the wrong answer (very difficult ma.. maths ellam pottu pala varusham aachu.. )..
June 9th, 2007 at 11:15 am
>>I do not know much about Muthuraman’s movies.
But by the way u put it..it must be a real masala kind..
I dont know the difference between real masala and virtual masala :).
I think i’ve said certain things enough times and i’m just going to say one last time.
1. The technicians should get credit, i do not want to get into major or minor tag or whatever. i think u agree with me on that. Credit implies more awards, awareness about their work for the beterment of the movie, media coverage, better salary (Imagine chottu pasanga getting 1 crore salary for their so called acting ) even some cult/celebrity status is ok.
The directors - the real good ones who deserve that for their ability should get credit. For me, ability implies conveying a credible story very well visually and it should touch me in some way.
If you think Shankar makes great cinema and hence deserves credit, its your opinion
June 9th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
karthi..my comment to Keerthivasan is in moderation.
June 9th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
//I dont know the difference between real masala and virtual masala .//
unga geek budhi ungala vidaadhu
If you think Shankar makes great cinema and hence deserves credit,
its your opinion //
Idha munnadiye solli irundha nalla irundhu irukkum
:))
June 10th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Ellathayum Vidunga, we have a very basic problem - script/screenplay writers are not as respected as they should be, heck scripting is not considered important at all. You can make very good movies with bad cameramen - but it’s much more difficult to make good movies without script and screenplay. Good movie - as in generally a flop in Tamil Nadu
June 10th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
BNB
late a sonaalum correct a soneenga! i agree i missed out on that.
the guy who wrote the story of manichithrathazh would have made like 50,000 Rs.
We all know how much P Vasu (for his ‘original’ script) and Rajni would’ve made
February 6th, 2008 at 6:28 am
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article Raw deal for technicians, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.