Neil, a young village boy from Munnar, had to wait until he reached Class XII to watch a movie. When he did, the moving frames inspired him to learn more about cinema. “It was my first movie watching and foremost thing that caught my eye was the amazing movements of pictures. I still remember the cameraman of that movie was Ravi K. Chandran, who prompted my love for cinematography." His curiosity and passion to understand the technical aspects of cinema landed him in the field of cinematography.
Neil says that the job of a cinematographer is not just capturing the motion of a subject. “Be it a still photo or a moving picture, when you capture a subject it must have a story to tell. When I arrange a shot, I focus on how a particular shot or angle can tell a story better. Basically I love a story, so when you move the camera, there should be a balancing of aesthetics and technology."
This young camera man's debut in Mollywood was with a super hit of 2013 'Nee Ko Nja Cha' and there has been no looking back.
He is the man behind the visual extravaganza of the successful 'Philip And The Monkey Pen'. “It was Rahul Subramanian who came to me with the story. The minute I heard it, I wanted to handle the cinematography for the movie. It was like going back to our childhood days. The film has a tinge of fantasy in it. In order to bring that magic element, the frame had to be colourful."
He says that the two films have offered him different levels of experiences. “In 'Nee Ko...', the whole crew was young and we had a blast. While the set of 'Monkey Pen' was like a class full of naughty students. We all stepped into a child's shoes to make the little soldiers to act in front of the camera."
Neil, who has worked as an assistant to Amal Neerad, says that his icons are Ravi K. Chandran, Madhu Ambatt and Nirav Shah. “They taught me how to move the camera along with the story. I believe that when you conceive a shot three factors play a big role - inspiration, experience and instinct."
Neil will soon get busy with the two projects in his kitty - Shibu Anthikkad's upcoming flick starring Nivin Pauly and a Tamil project.
