'Ramayana' was pre-visualized using motion capture tech
What's the story
The much-awaited film Ramayana, directed by Nitesh Tiwari and starring Ranbir Kapoor, Yash, and Sai Pallavi, is being touted as India's most expensive film. In an interview with Variety India, cinematographer Pankaj Kumar revealed how every scene was pre-visualized using motion capture technology to make it a visual spectacle while retaining the emotional essence of the story.
Perspective
'I do not care that much about how the...'
Kumar, who has previously worked on Ship of Theseus and Tumbbad, said he doesn't feel the pressure of expectations from Ramayana.
"There is a lot of pressure for Nitesh because he has to be answerable to the audience. I don't face that much pressure."
"Actually, I do not care that much about how the audience is going to react because it's a process of work."
"If I did care too much about it, then my work would suffer."
Unique approach
How was the shoot of 'Ramayana' different from other films?
Kumar explained that the process of Ramayana was different from other films because it is a VFX-heavy project.
"Most of the environments had to be created digitally."
"We were not going to get full-scale sets, and we were building fragments of sets, and most of the backgrounds were blue screen."
"So, most of the scenes were pre-visualized. Nothing was decided on the floors that we will shoot it this way or that way."
Technical details
'Nitesh and I would sit together and...'
Kumar further revealed, "In simpler terms, every scene was animated in virtual environments."
He also shared how he coordinated with Tiwari and the animators to make the planning and execution smoother.
"I would sit with the animators and design my camera moves according to the script."
"Nitesh and I would sit together and mull over the shots, whether it's working or what tweaking we need."
Film release
How much pre-production did 'Ramayana' require?
Kumar concluded by saying that Ramayana was planned with immense pre-production.
"This film was planned with an immense amount of pre-production."
"I know that I have not done this much pre-production for any other film that I've done."
The film also stars Sunny Deol, Kajal Aggarwal, and Ravie Dubey, among others. It is set to hit the screens during the Diwali weekend.