Nikhil S PraveenWedding videos are in a way similar to movies. Both have a hero and a heroine and there are supporting cast, cameraman, director, editor and the like. Moreover, except a fight sequence, there is scope for every cinematic element in a wedding video. However, in a movie retakes are possible but there is little scope for that in a wedding video.
Master of short films
Nikhil S Praveen is an ace wedding videographer. Combining the role of director, cinematographer and producer he made a mark by capturing wedding scenes in his video camera. When he donned the role of cinematographer for Jayaraj's movie Bhayanakam, he spent 17 days shooting in a lake. His excellent work ultimately fetched him the National Film Award for the Best Cinematography. The 25-year-old unassuming man from Mattakara in Kottayam was adjudged the best cinematographer in the country from several other professionals in his field. He achieved what many cinematographers with vast experience and having all the latest technical equipment at their disposal could only still dream about.
It was Nikhil's love for the camera that he nurtured since school days that set him on the path to national glory. Several local residents who had thronged Nikhil's house, on hearing the news of the award, posed a common question: "Where was the camera he had carried around during his childhood?
Video shoot after bunking classes
Nikhil was in Plus-Two when he went for his first wedding video shoot. It was the marriage of his friend, a native of Malam. For the shoot, Nikhil got Rs 4,000 as remuneration out of which Rs 1,500 was given as the rent for hiring camera. His shoot, which began on Sony PD170 camera, is now with Canon 1DX Mark II.
The style of marriage videos also changed during these times. From long videos of 2-3 hours, short-duration videos of 10 minutes dubbed as 'highlights' became the trend. Nikhil was able to display his excellent skills in the shorter format, which was shot based on a script.
Movie clicks
Nikhil focussed on candid wedding videography from 2015 when 'Phoenix Studio' was started in Mattakara. He also did many music videos and advertisement films. He became an associate cameraman of the movie Yakshiyum Njanum. Nikhil's first movie was Kodeshyan written by Jayaraj and directed by Pradeep Nair.
It was Nikhil's efforts with Canon 1DX Mark II that became the visuals of Jayaraj's documentary Rebirth and the movie Bhayanakam.
Nikhil attributes the success of his cinematography and the award to the crew who worked with him for the shoot. As live sound recording was employed, LED lights and battery unit were used for the shoot. The national award was possible as everyone from camera focus puller to light boys worked wholeheartedly. During the shoot of a kite-flying scene in Bhayanakam, the heli-camera fell into the lake after a kite got entangled with it. The camera worth Rs 3 lakh was soon fished out and the visuals retrieved and used in the film.
While filming a sequence involving Ranji Panicker on the boat, Nikhil noticed the cloudy sky and a group of birds flying. Sensing the visual delight offered by such a shot, Nikhil panned his camera above and captured the fantastic visuals. His experience in recording candid moments of wedding couples and their families prompted him to capture visual elements that are not part of the script.
With Nikhil's national award, wedding videographers and photographers in Kerala are bursting with pride.
