MIFF 2022: Baahubali VFX supervisor PC Sanath explains importance of understanding stories

National award-winning visual effects (VFX) supervisor PC Sanath held a workshop titled VFX: An Ever-evolving Tool for Storytelling at the ongoing 17th Mumbai International Film Festival.

Sanath, who has worked on films such as Enthiran (2010), Eega (2012), Baahubali (2015) and Pulimurugan (2016), said there is not a single film in today’s times without visual effects. “The advent of new technological tools has expanded the scope of VFX, but one supervisor should never be carried away by technology or other similar films. He should always understand the essence of the story."

Sanath, who has been a part of the field for the past two and half decades, also illustrated the way effects have helped filmmakers in visualizing and realizing their cinematic dreams while also pointing toward the possibilities that VFX offers to future storytellers as new frontiers are being crossed with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

Calling VFX artists magicians, he added, "What a magician does on stage, visual effects do on screen. It does magic with the story and takes it to another level altogether. When a filmmaker or technicians fail to achieve something in a film, they think of visual effects. VFX can achieve anything, as only the creator’s imagination is its limitation.”

Sanath is the co-founder and director of the Firefly Creative Studio of Hyderabad and is part of various industry bodies such as TVAGA (Telangana VFX, Animation and Gaming Association).