We recently connected with Abhishek Tata and have shared our conversation below.

Abhishek , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I discovered my passion for pursuing a creative and artistic path professionally during a pivotal moment in my life. It was in ninth grade when my parents, with great enthusiasm, took me to watch a theater play in which my uncle was performing. At that time, I was rather reluctant to attend, as my interests were still evolving, and I had yet to find my true calling. However, the moment I stepped into the theater and witnessed the magic unfolding on stage, I felt an immediate and profound connection with the world of art.

The experience was transformative, as I was introduced to an entirely different realm of expression and storytelling. As the play progressed, I found myself captivated not only by the actors’ performances but also by the mesmerizing role that lighting played in enhancing the narrative. Initially, I couldn’t quite grasp the intricacies of how light could create such a powerful impact, but as I delved deeper into this newfound fascination, I began to understand the profound influence of lighting on the immersive experience of the audience. It was in that theater, on that unforgettable evening, that I realized my innate affinity for the world of arts and the pivotal role that lighting played within it. This revelation ignited a passion within me that has guided my professional journey ever since, inspiring me to pursue a career where I could harness the transformative power of light to craft meaningful and immersive experiences for others.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi my name is Abhishek Tata, a gaffer based in Los Angeles. My primary job on a film set is to light it. I make sure that all the lights whatever the cinematographer needs for a specific shot are up and running in the perfect condition. I with the constant support of the Key Grip make the frames look beautiful and cinematic according to the cinematographer’s plan and director’s vision. I also maintain the continuity in terms of lighting so that various different shots when edited together can look like the part of the same world. Many people don’t usually know about the gaffer but gaffer is someone who is like the cinematographer’s right hand and in order for camera to see and capture dazzling images, lights are the most important thing. Me as a gaffer tries to achieve that perfect balance for the image so that it looks natural as well as cinematic at the same time.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The best thing that can be done by the society is to educate up and coming artists. The industry and the range of topics that it covers is very vast. I was lucky to find a few very good mentors along the way who made me understand the basics of lighting. That might not be the case for everyone. It is very difficult to find and learn about all the nuances of various subjects which are related to cinema. So, having proper places where anyone with the right desire and enough passion can go and learn about all this is really necessary. Also, a lot of times just desire and passion are not enough. Money can become an hassle as well. A lot of people all around the world spend all their lives doing something that might not have been their first preference just because they could not afford to study what they desire. The life of limelight is sure bright enough but it also charges a hefty fee from anyone who makes it to the bright side. Many stop somewhere in between and most don’t even start. If we could come up with a solution where everyone irrespective of their financial situation can get a chance to learn that in my opinion would be the best gift that the society can provide to support the artists. This may seem as a naive thought but I feel someday, not too far in the future we as a society will be able to achieve it.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I have one goal in my mind. I want to make cinema. I want to tell stories. Stories of a person, stories of a place, stories of various people unknown to each other. All of these stories connected by one person, the viewer. The world is too big and too complex for people to sit back and relax, I sort of understand that. The people, the viewers they don’t have time or energy to just take a moment and enjoy the view or explore the beautiful planet we live on. I want to create stories for them. I understand you are busy and cannot visit each and every destination, I understand you don’t have time to spend some time with your family. I understand all this because I am the same, even I am caught up in the whirlpool of responsibilities just like you. So if I am going to put in all my effort and time anyways, why not put it in creating all those experiences and feelings that you are too busy to feel. I want to give people a window, a window of 3 hours in which they can see and feel all their desires. They can see themselves in that window or they can see others, they can see stars, they can see aliens or they just see the green grass or tall mountains. They can see whatever they want in those three hours all along with their families. This is my goal, I want to provide those three hours of pure freedom to the viewers of my cinema.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.behance.net/gallery/149347707/2021-Present
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmmaker_abhishek/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhishek-tata-2058a3131/

Image Credits
The personal image – Pranav Mehta