I was not very keen to allow decorative coloration to play too larger a role. I like to use colour to create an emotional threshold but without losing the authenticity of the situation. Blue in a night scene can be realistic and acceptable, but pink in a day exterior can confuse the audience. These views may have been influenced by my background in documentaries which develops a liking for realism.

Above were the questions we were up against. In the end, we began shooting without as much as a single test run.

We used Agfa XT 320 for interiors and all the night scenes. For day exteriors we used XT 100. I like the soft tones of Agfa. It is a pity we will never be able to use this wonderful film stock again. In selecting the stock and the laboratory, we did not have much of a choice. Also, we had to rely on an old Arriflex IIB camera. But, Prasanna was generous enough to provide me with the best of lighting equipment available locally at the time.

The Gemini Laboratories in India did a marvelous job. I should thank the colour timer Baskaran for his patience and untiring efforts for giving us the ‘finished look; we wanted. Te final print was close to that ideal, although it was released 06 years after the shooting.

Two thirds of the film were shot in an old mansion near Kegalle. The surrounding atmosphere and our emotions were hightened by the occasional classical piano pieces played by Harsha Makalanda, the music director who came there to witness the shooting. Harsha sat at the mansions grand piano and treated us to the classics. We were effectively in the sway of something magical.

According to the great cinematographers Vittorio Storaro, such emotional experience can leave their imprint on the finished film.

I believe it did happen in “Dark Night of the Soul”

M D Mahindapala
Cinematographer