sylvesterfonseca

Congratulations to Sylvester Fonseca (@sylvesterfonseca ) for winning the ‘Best Cinematographer’ (Web Original Film) award at Filmfare 2024 for Amar Singh Chamkila! Your incredible vision and artistry brought this story to life in the most vivid and heartfelt way, and this recognition is so well-deserved. A huge round of applause to the entire Amar Singh Chamkila team for their exceptional work across departments, as the film continues to bag multiple awards and win hearts everywhere. At Redchillies.color, we’re honored to have been part of this journey as the color grading studio, contributing to the film’s visual storytelling. It’s truly fulfilling to see the love this masterpiece is receiving! Cheers to the magic of cinema! ➖ #AmarSinghChamkila #Filmfare2024 #ColorByRedchillies 🌶 ➖ Director : Imtiaz Ali DOP : Sylvester Fonseca Colorist : Makarand Surte

Sylvester Fonseca isc Sylvester Fonseca graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in 2013. Sylvester’s debut feature film, ‘Island City (2015),’ premiered at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival and received critical acclaim on its release. He then worked on a lot of short films like ‘Juice’ (2017), and segments from Netflix anthologies; ‘Lust Stories’ (2018) and ‘Ghost Stories’ (2020). ‘Manmarziyaan’ (2018) was the start of his collaboration with the talented director Anurag Kashyap. They have then continued to work on several projects, ‘Sacred Games’ (2018) for which he won Critics Choice Awards (2019) and Filmfare OTT Awards (2020) for Best Cinematography. Followed by ‘Choked’ (2020) and recently ‘Kennedy’ (2024) which had its premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. He has worked with Imtiaz Ali for his latest film, ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’ (2024). Apart from his success in the film industry, Sylvester is also a respected contributor to the advertising industry. Collaborating with leading directors to create some of the most memorable and successful advertising campaigns. Sylvester’s exceptional talent, technical expertise, and creative vision have earned him a reputation as one of India’s most promising young cinematographers. His passion for storytelling and dedication to his craft continue to inspire and captivate audiences around the world.

Feeling incredibly grateful for this thoughtful gift from @dp_shellysharma (her favourite frame from Chamkila). The film holds a special place in my heart, and it’s amazing to see it resonate with others. This will serve as a reminder to set benchmarks high and to break them often. #chamkila #imtiazali #diljitdosanjh

Carnaby Street, London. 5 years ago. The moment we were told that Sacred games was the first Indian series to be nominated for the International Emmys. People who I terribly miss teaming up with @anuragkashyap10 @sylvesterfonseca ❤️ PC: Rahul B.

The cinematography of Chamkila, directed by Imtiaz Ali, plays a pivotal role in bringing the legendary Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila’s story to life. The film's visuals, crafted by Sylvester Fonseca, rely heavily on organic, rooted imagery, keeping the performances at the forefront. Fonseca's choice of Cooke Full Frame Anamorphic lenses helped achieve a distinct visual texture, providing soft, natural flares and a large field of view, which gave the film a subconscious sense of grandeur. His decision to shoot using a single camera allowed for carefully composed shots that emphasize the emotional core of the characters and scenes, which Fonseca found integral to maintain authenticity and emotional depth. Fonseca collaborated closely with Imtiaz Ali to create a unique visual language, where each scene was designed to capture performances and emotions in a masterful, key-framed shot, avoiding unnecessary cuts. His choice of the Sony Venice camera further complemented the lenses, especially for handling complex lighting in night scenes and high-contrast outdoor shoots. Split screens, animations, and transitions between timelines were key techniques used to enhance the storytelling, making Chamkila visually dynamic. . . . . #cinematography #amarsinghchamkila #imtiazali #filmmaking #photography #punjab #chamkila #camerawork #movielover #loveforcinema #hindicinema

Witness @sylvesterfonseca’s vision and the art of storytelling 🎥✨ Which is your favourite work of his? 🎬: Chamkila | Netflix Kennedy Almost Pyaar with DJ Mohabbat | Netflix Dobaaraa | Netflix Sacred Games | Netflix Ghost Stories | Netflix Manmarziyaan | Eros Now, Zee5 Juice | Prime Video Choked | Netflix

Excited to share my next feature “Dhadak 2”, directed by the incredibly gifted Shazia Iqbal and starring Siddhant Chaturvedi & Tripti Dimri. In Cinemas November 22nd, 2024. @shaz.3.0 @siddhantchaturvedi @tripti_dimri @dharmamovies @karanjohar @apoorva1972 @marijkedesouza @sum5211 Rahul Badwelkar @caesar2373 @amritsingh099 @nileshchaubey21 @pradeep.pashte @agnogupta679 @zeeshan___0223 @javedkhan.85 @steadicamniteshsingh07 @tinysubtleties @shivam_salawkar_ @monicatiwari @manikjbatra @sangeeth.varghese @sumanroymahapatra @trupti.chavan @animeshpanwar @iamankitwayne @__jagbir__ @sanyukta_mohta @divyaanshii_chauhan @hukkunamatata

@sylvesterfonseca, the cinematographer of Amar Singh Chamkila, unveils the mesmerising journey of bringing the poignant story of singer Chamkila to screen with Sony VENICE. ​ The film, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra and directed by Imtiaz Ali, focuses on the emotional connection between Chamkila and the audience. The use of the Sony VENICE played a crucial role in achieving this vision. ​ “After a series of trials, we selected the Sony VENICE camera, as our trusty companion. The camera conjured a unique textural tapestry and the VENICE’s 6K sensor produced crisp yet organic-looking images,” explains Sylvester. ​ Read the full interview via the link in our bio. #CreateWithSony . . . . #FilmWithSony #Cinematography #Filmmaking #chamkila #contentcreator #sonyindia #Venice #Cinema #cinematic #cinematographer #filmmakers #SonyCamera #filmshooters #lightscameraaction #filmshoot #technology #cinemaline #filmmaker #vinece #Netflixindia #ARRahman #ImtiazAli #DiljitDosanjh #ParineetiChopra #sonyvenicecamera

Chamkila’s music was heavily influenced by the Punjabi village life he was surrounded by growing up. To capture the essence of this influence, we crafted a sequence that mirrored the fleeting nature of childhood memories. We wanted the audience to feel like voyeurs, peeking through fragmented glimpses into young Chamkila’s world. Using the Clairmont Swing and Shift lens system by Century Optics allowed us to twist, turn and move lenses in interesting ways for a variety of effects. The plane of focus, distortion, and apparent depth of field can be manipulated in several ways via tiny gears resulting in some ethereal images. This wasn’t merely a stylistic choice but a way to truly bring Chamkila’s memories to life in a way that leaves a lasting impact. Put together by - @tinysubtleties

To visually portray Chamkila’s trance-like state when he’s truly in his zone, we used a wide lens coupled with creeping camera movements. This allowed us to get up close, and at times create an almost suffocating sense of intimacy with him. We further amplified this effect with a powerful warm non-diegetic backlight and blurring the edges of the frame. This combination of techniques created a space where Chamkila appeared lost, completely consumed by the music while the world swirled around him. Put together by - @tinysubtleties

For people curious to know what ‘Chamkila’ was shot on, I thought i’d share this. I try to curate the camera and lens combination that best serves the story and director’s vision. I’ve found that lenses play a disproportionately greater role in creating the image (vs the camera). Most modern digital cameras are very close to each other under general shooting conditions and they can be matched up very well during the DI/grading process. Only under extremes is where you can see certain cameras providing an edge over the others. (e.g. Sony Venice 1 & 2 with low light capability, Alexa 35’s extended highlight retention ability etc.) After several tests I picked Cooke’s Full frame anamorphic lenses which are designed to work well with today’s digital sensors. A squeeze factor of 1.8x (vs the traditional 2x) gives it the distinct image texture. The sharpness at full open is decent and at T2.8 the lenses performed quite well. Their special flare set had uncoated glass elements leading to some interesting soft flares and blue streaks making the image more organic. Moreover, the large field of view of these lenses is fantastic to create a certain ‘bigness’ on the screen, which the audience perceives subconsciously. The Sony Venice camera complemented the lenses beautifully. The sensor has good skin tones, decent dynamic range, vibrant colours, and clean shadows without perceivable noise. In some night scenes we pushed up the ISO to 2500 to help get the necessary exposure. The inbuilt ND filters tackled harsh sunlight seamlessly without any colour shifts and the Rialto rig is always a bonus. @netflix_in @imtiazaliofficial @pradeep.pashte @nileshchaubey21 @tinysubtleties @monicatiwari @profilmmakingbysony_india @cookeoptics @sonyprofilmmaking #Netflixindia #ARRahman #ImtiazAli #DiljitDosanjh #ParineetiChopra #sonyvenicecamera #cookeoptics #anamorphic #baselight

Aaj kuch nahi hoon ji, par kal hojaunga ✨ 🎥: Amar Singh Chamkila (2024) Dir. @imtiazaliofficial 📷: @sylvesterfonseca #AmarSinghChamkila #bollywood #ai #verticalvideo #cinema What If Amar Singh Chamkila Was Shot Vertical @diljitdosanjh @parineetichopra @kumudkmishra @anjumbatra @nishabano @anuragarora @sarkarshibasish @mochou05 @arijitsingh @jonitamusic @artb @rajnishkhanuja @srustij @sylvesterfonseca @sumanroymahapatra @dhiman.karmarkqr @mrsheetalsharma @soamaagoswami @chetansjhawar @castingchhabra @makarandsurte @apinderdeepshingh @nidhisethianair @saregama_official @kamil_irshad_official @arrahman @hiral_viradia @wearewsf #IfChamkilaWasShotVertical #IfAmarSinghChamkilaWasShotVertical