An analog guy in a digital world! Deval Samanta is a Director of Photography/ Cinematographer from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune - 2006. He graduated in Mass communication and videography from St. Xavier’s college, Kolkata. He’s been a Gaffer for 7 years after film school and light designed for several feature films, to name a few - 3 idiots, Fitoor, Kai po Che, Aladdin, Bhool Bhullaya, Saawariya.. He has passionately been behind camera for 20 long years and shot second unit for several feature films; such as -Tiger 3, Samshera, Super 30, Kedarnath, Dhoom 3, Daddy, Fitoor, Kai po che.. He’s been an independent freelance cinematographer for the past 7 years and doing his magic ever since.. He’s a light ferry who paints with light given any canvas. He’s gifted with an incredible eye to detail and loves doing circus at a Magnum Opus scale. He’s one of the first Indian Cinematographer to have been invited for Unreal fellowship V6, virtual production programme. Films shot by him have won the prestigious Cannes lion and Dadasaheb Phalke award. He’s been a National level Athlete and a National level Basketball player. The sports men spirit is the core in him. He’s the founder of eyediate lab.
An analog guy in a digital world! ​​​​​​​

Deval Samanta is an Indian Cinematographer/ Director of Photography currently based in London.

He earned his specialisation in Cinematography from the esteemed Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune - 2006. Prior to this, he completed his Batchelor of arts - undergraduate studies in Mass Communication and Videography (BA - MCVV) at St. Xavier's College, Kolkata - 2004. He went to St.Xavier's school, Hazaribagh which was his hometown where he grew up. Notably, his educational journey has been rooted in Xavier's institutions throughout.

Currently, he has established himself as an independent freelance Cinematographer/ Director of Photography, amassing an impressive portfolio spanning 25 feature films, more than a hundred advertising commercial films, number of short films, multiple music videos and even few non fiction documentaries over the course of two decades.

In his formative years, he held various roles within the realm of Cinematography : DoP / Cinematographer / Virtual Production DoP / 2nd Unit DoP / Camera Operator / Gaffer / 1st AC / AC / Photographer.

Furthermore, he holds the distinction of being one of the first pioneering Indian Cinematographers to have completed the Unreal Fellowship V6 - 2021 though he had started researching on real time technology as early as 2016.
He has transitioned from traditional VFX to real time technologies and have been shooting ICVFX on LED Volumes.

Mr. Samanta initially honed his skills as a gaffer for a duration of seven years following his film school training. He is affectionately referred to as a "light fairy" due to his exceptional ability to artistically manipulate light on any given cinematic canvas. His work is characterised by his meticulous attention to detail, he is particularly passionate about orchestrating grand spectacles on a Magnum Opus scale.

In his body of work we can see his commitment towards public service, environmental issues, Climate change, women empowerment and children welfare.

His cinematic contributions have been recognised with prestigious accolades, including the Cannes Lion and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. He has also worked as a gaffer on a short film called Kavi which was nominated for the Oscars in 2010.

Beyond his cinematic pursuits, Deval Samanta possesses a strong athletic background, having achieved National-level recognition as an athlete and a basketball player.

Lastly, he is the visionary founder of eyediate Lab, a creative venture that encapsulates his dedication to the art and science of cinematography.


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