Romancing the lens

Four films, all super-hits. Flush with accolades, and already one of the most sought after cinematographers in K’town — that’s George C Williams for you. The man who made heads turn with his very first venture Raja Rani, has now established himself as a leading technician in the industry after his brilliant work in Vijay’s Theri.

He’s also among a handful of cinematographers who can approach both experimental and commercial cinema quite seamlessly. George speaks at length to DC about his early development, his inspiration, his rapport with Ilayathalapathy and Atlee, and his future plans.

“When something becomes your passion, it becomes your everything,” starts George adding, “During my school days I saw the film Idayathai Thirudathe and was very intrigued by it. Hence, I started watching a lot of films to analyse the lighting and colour tones, especially those of PC Sreeram sir, Santhosh Sivan sir and Jeeva sir. That’s when I decided that I would be a cinematographer!”

After completing his graduation in Visual Communication, he was introduced to cinematographer Nirav Shah and his career started soaring from then — “I joined Nirav sir with the help of Kalyan (dance master) and worked on three films as his assistant. It was a wonderful experience.”

Ever since his very first movie, he has been known for showing exemplary skill with lighting. When asked why he emphasises on this particular aspect, he says, “The highlights, shadows, light and darkness set the mood and add value to story telling and makes it gripping and interesting. Every script demands a unique lighting pattern to uplift the story telling. That’s why, on a location the first thing that runs through my mind is the light and placement required to make it look natural.”

In Theri, showing Vijay in three different avatars, shooting the fight scene on a busy Chennai road, and the introduction chasing scene brought him lots of admirers. “The fight sequence at Parry’s Corner was shot on a set! Art director Muthuraj sir team and VFX Wala, a Mumbai based visual effects company did a fantastic job to make it look realistic and match the original location. And, we were lucky to get Nikolaj Najdenov and team from Bulgaria for the roller-skating camera work in the chase scene. We shared ideas and worked very hard for each sequence.”

Having worked with Atlee Raja Rani and with Vijay in Kaththi, George tells us that he shares a very good rapport with both of them. “The best part about Atlee is that he never interferes with what I do. This gives me the scope to experiment. And, coming to Vijay sir, he is an extremely cool person. We know each other’s work and I admire his energy levels!” he exclaims.

Speaking about how he’s able to balance both commercial and experimental cinema, he states that when he understands the subject, it becomes easy to set the mood. “For experimental movies like Naanum Rowdy Thaan, I take the liberty to bend a few rules. But, for commercial movies like Kaththi, I completely go by the script and experiment in places where I think it can look good,” he says. George also says that though he’s one of those who silently goes about his work, he has a naughty side in him too! “We play cricket on the sets and I even pull pranks. It sets a positive mood,” he laughs.

He gently negates the idea of taking up directing just yet. When asked if Bollywood is on his mind, he says he would love to work there. “Currently, there are two projects in the pipeline, but I’ve not signed anything though. As far as Bollywood is concerned, it’s in God’s hands!” he says, and bids adieu.