The curse of our film industry:

It takes months of hard work of a Cinematographer to shoot a feature
film. Days are spent in discussing the look of the film with the
Director, on how to create the visuals to enhance the story. More
discussions with the Art Director and Wardrobe designer to fix up the
colour scheme to be used. At the time of shooting such meticulous
care is taken, even the flicker of a light or a wisp of a passing
cloud hiding the sun calls for a retake!

But release prints are made in a matter of few days only! The
Cinematographer is not given enough time to do the Colour grading and
proper Colour correction. Often when the number of copies are more,
prints are struck at different Laboratories and sent without even
checking the prints for defects. Pressures due to lack of time
during the time of Release is the main cause for poor quality prints.
Even the greatest Laboratory in the world will not deliver good
quality print, unless it is given enough time to colour grade and to
make the necessary corrections. Many a times the copies are struck
while the Cinematographer is doing the corrections on the first copy.

Once they have seen the first copy, the Producer and some times the
Director too vanishes from the scene. The Distributor or the theatre
people then take over at this stage and it is they who decide on the
Positive print stock is to be used for Release Prints. Laboratories
are ready to print on any thing given to them, as long as they are
being paid for it. Once puzzled by seeing only red colour in the
print, I asked the lab what print stock they had used. They told me
it was "XYZ" stock! I have never ever heard about such a Positive
Print film stock. It turned out, that a shipload of print stock, of
unknown origin was seized from a Korean ship. It was lying in the
harbour for many months and later auctioned by the Customs
Authorities. This print film was sold at dirt cheap prices and the
distributors fell for it.

The distibutor and theatre people also decide on how much brighter (
chalkier !)the print shoud be made to suit their shoddy projectors in
shabby theatres ! What happens to your moody and contrasty lighting?
The night scenes turns out as bright and brilliant as the day
scenes!

What is the point in using the services of best Cinematographers,
equipments or film stock to create the best possible images, when
it is to be dumped out unceremoniously from the film processing labs?
Why waste our time holding workshops and seminars for improving our
art and craft of cinematography?

Last year INDIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS sent a letter signed by
about 25 cinematographers asking many of the Laboratories to include
the following clause in their contract with the Producers:


" As the Laboratory requires a minimum Ten days' time to do the
colour grading, colour correction and printing process, the
Producer agrees to hand over the Final edited Picture and Sound
negatives at least ten days in advance to the date of Print Delivery."

Only one laboratory - Prasad Film Laboratory, responded by sending a
reply. Cinematographer Associations too kept mum!

Are we destined to keep on shooting masterpieces which are meant to
be seen only in the laboratory screening rooms and not by audiences
in the theatres?

Will any one suggest on ways and means to overcome this curse?