How challenging was it to bring nature into the lives of the family?
It was not very challenging. you just have to do good cinematography. Once you place the people there, only the angle of the light has to be correct.
We -- Radhamohan, art director Kathir and me -- did intensive pre-production work. We had visualised the entire film before we started shooting so we knew where we would place the camera, where the light would come from... Even small details like where a lamp post had to be placed, or how to get the passing shot of a car was decided beforehand.
What was the most challenging part of the shoot?
After he sent me the first draft, Radhamohan told me that he had added a scene just for me! That was the scene on a full moon night when the father and daughter go to the middle of the lake in a boat. We did a lot of shoots during the day, then we shot the moon's reflections separately. What you saw as one shot was shot at different times, and then put together. I was a little worried until the scene in its entirety.
Then, there was a dream song with Ganesh and Prakashraj in unusual costumes. Instead of using a track and trolley, I used a handheld camera so that the images moved to have an eerie feeling. Instead of the choreographed movements, we showed jerky camera movements.
Also Read: The surprise package in Abhiyum Naanum
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