Subrata Mitra
Encyclopedia
Subrata Mitra was an India
n cinematographer
. Acclaimed for his work in The Apu Trilogy (1955–1959), Mitra is often considered one of the greatest of Indian cinematographers.
At the age of 21, Mitra, who had never held a camera before, began his career as a cinematographer with Satyajit Ray
, the legendary Indian film maker, for Pather Panchali (1955). He continued to work with him for many of Ray's later films. He is known for pioneering the technique of bounce lighting, while filming The Apu Trilogy. He was also a cousin of the renowned singer Uma Bose
.
From 1997 until his death, Mitra taught cinematography at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) at Kolkata.
(1956), the second part of The Apu Trilogy. According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers:
His director Satyajit Ray also stated:
" I feel my most important technical innovation is the use of 'bounce lighting', induced by my love for naturalistic lighting."
" An actor can overact or underact. This equally applies to lighing and cameraman. He has to observe restraint in his work like the actor. I feel that in my own work I have a tendency to 'underact'."
" My experience in Pather Panchali were rather unusual, because before this I had never touched a movie camera or even worked as an assistant to a cameraman...Almost every shot of Pather Panchali posed a problem for me, innumerable problems, many sleepless nights spent on ruminating over the prospects of the next day's shooting...Pather Panchali had many excellent shots--both technically and artistically,but it had many bad shots too."
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
. Acclaimed for his work in The Apu Trilogy (1955–1959), Mitra is often considered one of the greatest of Indian cinematographers.
At the age of 21, Mitra, who had never held a camera before, began his career as a cinematographer with Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
, the legendary Indian film maker, for Pather Panchali (1955). He continued to work with him for many of Ray's later films. He is known for pioneering the technique of bounce lighting, while filming The Apu Trilogy. He was also a cousin of the renowned singer Uma Bose
Uma Bose
Uma Bose ' was a musical prodigy. She was the daughter of Dharani Bose and Prabha Bose .She was a disciple of Dilipkumar Roy, with whom she composed several songs. Her popularity coincided with the increase in the popularity of Bengali songs in the 1920s and 1930s...
.
From 1997 until his death, Mitra taught cinematography at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) at Kolkata.
Innovations
One of his most important technical innovations was his introduction of bounce lighting, which he pioneered while filming AparajitoAparajito
Aparajito is a 1956 Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray, and is the second part of The Apu Trilogy. It is adapted from the last one-fifth of Bibhutibhushan Bannerjee's novel Pather Panchali and the first one-third of its sequel Aparajito. It focuses on the life of Apu from childhood to college...
(1956), the second part of The Apu Trilogy. According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers:
His director Satyajit Ray also stated:
Filmography
- 1955: Pather PanchaliPather PanchaliPather Panchali is a 1955 Bengali drama film written and directed by Satyajit Ray and produced by the Government of the Indian state of West Bengal. Based on Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's 1929 Bengali novel of the same name, the film was the directorial debut of Ray...
- Directed: Satyajit RaySatyajit RaySatyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature... - 1956: AparajitoAparajitoAparajito is a 1956 Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray, and is the second part of The Apu Trilogy. It is adapted from the last one-fifth of Bibhutibhushan Bannerjee's novel Pather Panchali and the first one-third of its sequel Aparajito. It focuses on the life of Apu from childhood to college...
- Directed: Satyajit Ray - 1957: Parash PatharParash PatharParash Pathar was Satyajit Ray's first film apart from the Apu Trilogy. It was also his first comedy and first magical realist film...
- Directed: Satyajit Ray - 1958: JalsagharJalsagharJalsaghar is the fourth feature film directed by Satyajit Ray. Jalsaghar is a narration of the end days of a Zamindar in Bengal. The landlord, Roy , is a just but other-worldly man who loves to spend time listening to music and putting up spectacles rather than managing his fields ravaged by...
- Directed: Satyajit Ray - 1959: Apur SansarApur SansarApur Sansar , also known as The World of Apu, is a Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray. It is the third part of The Apu Trilogy, about the childhood and early adulthood of a young Bengali named Apu in the early twentieth century Indian subcontinent...
- Directed: Satyajit Ray - 1960: Devi - Directed: Satyajit Ray
- 1962: KanchenjunghaKanchenjunghaKanchenjungha is a 1962 Bengali film by Bengali film director Satyajit Ray. It was Ray's first original screenplay and his first colour film....
- Directed: Satyajit Ray - 1963: The Householder - Directed: James IvoryJames Ivory (director)James Francis Ivory is an American film director, best known for the results of his long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, which included both Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala...
- 1963: MahanagarMahanagarMahanagar is a 1963 film directed by Satyajit Ray. It is sometimes released as The Big City in the English-speaking world. Based on a short story, Abataranika written by Narendranath Mitra, it tells the story of a housewife who disconcerts her traditionalist family by getting a job as a salesperson...
- Directed: Satyajit Ray - 1964: CharulataCharulataCharulata is a 1964 film by Bengali director Satyajit Ray, based upon the novella Nastanirh by Rabindranath Tagore...
- Directed: Satyajit Ray - 1965: Shakespeare WallahShakespeare WallahShakespeare Wallah is a 1965 Merchant Ivory Productions film. The story and screenplay are by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Madhur Jaffrey won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 15th Berlin International Film Festival for her performance...
- Directed: James Ivory - 1966: Nayak - Directed: Satyajit Ray
- 1966: Teesri KasamTeesri Kasam-Awards:* 1967 National Film Award for Best Film* 1967 Moscow International Film Festival: Grand Prix - Nominated-External links:*http://www.upperstall.com/films/teesrikasam.html...
- Directed: Basu Bhattacharya - 1969: The GuruThe Guru (1969 film)The Guru is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory.-Plot synopsis:A rock star, Tom Pickle , travels to India to learn to play the sitar with the great musician Ustad Zafar Khan...
- Directed: James Ivory - 1970: Bombay TalkieBombay TalkieBombay Talkie is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory. Bombay Talkies was a film studio that made films in the early part of the Hindi film industry.-Plot:...
- Directed: James Ivory - 1974: Mahatma and the Mad Boy - Directed: Ismail MerchantIsmail MerchantIsmail Merchant was an Indian-born film producer, best known for the results of his famously long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions which included director James Ivory as well as screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala...
- 1985: New Delhi TimesNew Delhi TimesNew Delhi Times is 1986 Hindi film directed by Ramesh Sharma and written by Gulzar, starring Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore, Om Puri and Kulbhushan Kharbanda in lead roles...
- Directed: Romesh Sharma
Quotes
" Every cameraman has his own method of work innovated by his own conviction,taste,etc. One cameraman believes that he can please his audience and himself by glamourising the heroine only;another one believes that the main object of lighting and photography is to create various moods and feelings."" I feel my most important technical innovation is the use of 'bounce lighting', induced by my love for naturalistic lighting."
" An actor can overact or underact. This equally applies to lighing and cameraman. He has to observe restraint in his work like the actor. I feel that in my own work I have a tendency to 'underact'."
" My experience in Pather Panchali were rather unusual, because before this I had never touched a movie camera or even worked as an assistant to a cameraman...Almost every shot of Pather Panchali posed a problem for me, innumerable problems, many sleepless nights spent on ruminating over the prospects of the next day's shooting...Pather Panchali had many excellent shots--both technically and artistically,but it had many bad shots too."