We need more cinematography schools: Shanmugasundaram

Chennai, Nov 1 (IANS) Cinematographer Shanmugasundaram, known for his slick camera work in Tamil films such as "Rowithram" and "Aarohanam", feels there is a need for more schools to hone the skills of aspiring cinematographers.

"When I was studying visual communication, there were only two schools in Tamil Nadu that offered courses in cinematography. Today, over the years the number must've multiplied but unfortunately we still have only handful of schools in the state offering the course," Shanmugasundaram told IANS.

The cinematographer, who takes inspiration from Santosh Sivan and K.V. Anand, feels that everybody cannot learn from experience.

"The common misconception is one can learn while assisting cameramen on ground. But, unless you don't get your basic learning in a classroom, it's difficult to work on the movie sets," he added.

Did classroom learning help you in your career?

"Yes, it did to a great extent. The projects we did back in college were of great help and it certainly helped me to understand what I was getting into. Biggest advantage of classroom learning is you're allowed to make mistakes and learn from it," he said.

Shanmugasundaram is currently working on a Tamil-Telugu bilingual starring Aadhi Pinisetty.