From Computer Science To Filmmaking — Sharath Chandra Is Unstoppable
Going from computer science to filmmaking seems like a very interesting way to go. In fact, if given the choice, almost everyone would choose the latter. Although sitting at a desk all day staring at a brightly lit screen parsing numbers and creating code might seem like a heck of a lot of fun to some of us out there, being on a real movie set interacting with producers, directors, artists and actors gives one a sense of what life can really be when living it at full speed ahead.
Sharath Chandra, also known as “Moon,” Chandra means Moon, took that leap of faith when he was studying IT at university. He felt a real pull for the world of computers but he also felt the creative tug to go and do what he had always truly wanted to do: make movies. He always loved films and he loved the idea of being a cinematographer and a director since he was a kid. But, like most of us, he also felt that only a few can really make it in the movie industry. He compared it to being on a professional soccer team. A great deal of people try out for the team but only a very small percentage are ever invited to join and play professionally.
Sharath decided to take the plunge anyway, so he left university in India and went to the Philippines and graduated with a diploma in Filmmaking. He worked on a lot of projects there, which gave him practical hands-on experience. That, of course, gave him much confidence in himself and he went back to India and was hired immediately as a Director’s Assistant and worked with the well-known and very established director Sai Prakash. Sharath’s first project was the Kannada Movie titled Sri Naagashakti. That was his introduction to working in Indian movies.
After assisting on a number of films in his home country he decided to come to Los Angeles to study at the legendary New York Film Academy, where he received another diploma. Sharath has worked on many feature films such as Borderland, Regen and Shake Off The World. He has worked in the cinematography department as 1st Assistant Camera and Focus Puller. Sharath has also directed and produced many short films including comedies and dramas. He is also an integral part of the production team at Voxx Studios, which produces Telenovelas for Univision Studios, RCN Television and Television Federal in Los Angeles, California.
