| Name | Vishal Solanki (I) |
| Date Of Birth | Saturday, May 14, 1983 |
| Biography | Born in Mumbai, India on May 14, 1983, at the tender age of five, Vishal Solanki won First Prize in a city-wide coloring competition; and, from that point onward, painting and drawing were two of Vishal's abiding passions.During his formative years, Vishal won many awards in painting and drawing. However, it was not until he had spent two years during high school trying to focus primarily on studying science that Vishal realized his true calling lay in creative and artistic endeavors. And so it was, that Vishal enrolled in the time-honored Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art in Mumbai, India in order to study the commercial arts with a specialization in still photography.In the course of studying at the Sir J. J. Institute, Vishal worked as apprentice to acclaimed veteran Indian Cinematographer Binod Pradhan; and, as assistant to cinematographer Kartik Vijay, on 'Taxi No. 9211'. Also during his tenure at the Institute, Vishal won five awards, including, the State Government Bronze Metal for Best Work; the CAG Bronze Award; and, the John Walter Thompson 'Big Idea of the Year' Award. And, shortly before graduating from the Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art with a B.F.A. in Commercial Arts and Still Photography, Vishal shot still photography advertising campaigns for some of the major advertising agencies operating offices out of India, including, Ogilvy & Mather, Grey Worldwide India, and Viacom-18.Upon completion of the photography advertising campaigns in India, Vishal traveled to the United States in order to study both Cinematography; and, Directing at the Los Angeles Film School. While at L.A. Film School, in addition to working with state-of-the-art high definition digital cameras, the budding young DP worked with both super 16mm and 35mm film cameras; and, he considers himself to be fortunate to be a part of the last generation of 'filmmakers' to have hands on experience in the film medium.Since graduating from L.A. Film School with a dual diploma in Cinematography and Directing; and, with Honors in both areas of specialization, although Vishal has worked as Cinematographer in all formats and genres, on a regular basis, he has been hired as Director of Photography for Film Noir /Surrealistic-style Narrative Feature Films requiring an extremely strong sense of dramatic lighting.Now, in an age when manufacturers are turning out new cameras every quarter, Vishal believes that his primary focus -- like the primary focus of the Director and the Producer -- should be squarely on the story and the screenplay. And, like many of the renowned Directors of Photography who he admires, Vishal believes that although many visual variables -- including, camera movement, composition, and, lighting -- have to be carefully configured in order to bring the director's vision of the script to life, that if one or more of these visual variables stands out to the film's viewers apart from the story, then, the cinematographer has failed to properly do his job.Vishal Solanki's cinematic journey has been a rich mix of cultural influences culled from living, studying, and working in the two great filmmaking capitals of the world -- Mumbai and Los Angeles. And, along the way, Vishal has been greatly inspired and influenced by many other cinematographers, including, classic cinematography titans Vittorio Storaro, Sven Nykvist, Jack Cardiff; and, Conrad Hall. Other favorite lighting masters include Vilmos Zsigmond, Roger Deakins, Robert Richardson, and John Toll. And, a near plethora of brilliant Indian cinematographers from southern India. |
| Birth Place | Mumbai, India |
Movies of Vishal Solanki (I)
 Taxi No. 9 2 11: Nau Do Gyarah as camera trainee |
