It involved lots of conversations. The biggest thing was actually going to India. Most of the preparation for the film and how it was going to look came about by just being there, taking photographs, going to locations, and discussing.
Obviously we were using some of the same locations, even though we were shooting on digital. The experience of being in India was a big part of making the film. A lot of other films that shot were in England and other places, and the location was not a massive part of the look. Being in India, the actual experience informs your viewpoint on how you would shoot the film. We were shooting in the same place that they are supposed to be in. The scenes in Mumbai were shot in Mumbai, the scenes that are set in Jaipur were shot in Jaipur.
When all the cast and crew from England got there, along with a massive Indian crew, it almost felt as though we were part of the story. You make reference to other films and photos. I have a love of photojournalism and photography, so I was like a kid in a sweet shop when I got there.
I was taking photographs of everything. The difficulty comes in making something completely original. So the look of this film is driven by the story. You follow the story, follow the characters. I tried to make it look interesting. John Madden is not only a great director, he is an amazing craftsperson. You can achieve anything. I had a great experience working with John. Originally there was a conversation about shooting film on the project. But we were in Jaipur and Udaipur, which is quite a long way away from the lab in Mumbai.
I think it was the first British feature film done on the F65, and I liked the look. I was very happy with the camera and the rental company that I use, Movietech in Pinewood Studios, London. They are very reliable and the lenses from that company are amazing.
