Slumdog cinematographer a millionaire by experience

His passion for photography began at the age of thirteen when he decided to take it up as a part-time profession. Today, having been a unit member of Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire, cinematographer Monic Kumar G feels the film has been one of the most enriching experiences of his life.
"It was a very different experience to be working with an international crew who carried some of the latest hi-tech equipment available in the industry, along with them," Monic said.Apart from Danny Boyle, he has worked with international filmmakers like Ismail Merchant, Wes Anderson, Asif Kapadia and Kamal Hassan.
A Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu passout, Monic's diploma film Vidiyalai Nokki won a National award in the late Nineties. "It was interesting to work with digital and celluloid cameras in Slumdog Millionaire. But, eventually Danny realized that it was the new SI 2K digital camera that will portray the film better. So, we started using the newly introduced Mini SI 2k camera," he said.
Monic worked as a first camera assistant with highly acclaimed American camera technician Anthony Don Mantle in the film. "Anthony used all kinds of lenses. We used one of the extremely heavy lenses and carried the cameras on skate boards for chase scenes. The children who had to run around for many of the shots were the essence of the film. We could not control their movement, so Danny preferred us to let them move around freely and capture the right shots," he added.
However, the most challenging part for Monic was getting acquainted with the hi-tech cameras. "There were times when some takes were done and the camera would just crash off. There were moments when we had to constantly keep working towards maintaining the right temperature so that the camera did not show technical problems. Every night we would sit and analyze our mistakes so we did not repeat them the next day," he said.
Monic believes the best lesson "Slumdog Millionaire" taught him was the need for healthy competition and to face challenges with grace and intelligence. "We assistant camera guys would compete amid ourselves as to who would keep the camera running effectively throughout the day. The entire experience was very memorable and fulfilling" he added.