A film director is a showman who is the general in charge of film production. Directors are tasked to supervise & coordinate various departments involved in the filmmaking process such as directing actors, writing, cinematography, lighting, editing, and composing a film score, amongst others. The director has ultimate control over all aspects of the filmmaking process.
Besides coordinating the production aspects of filmmaking, a director is also involved in different creative aspects such as writing, casting, and choosing the crew.
All in all, it’s a responsible job. To get deep into the world of entertainment, we spoke to a famous film director Aditya Seth to let us know what goes into the life of a film director.
Tell us more about yourself.
I am Aditya Seth. I was born and brought up in Delhi. After finishing my graduation, I assisted Prakash Jha in Delhi, worked here for a few years then moved to Mumbai to make my career in the film industry.
You have established yourself as a director in the industry, but how did it all begin? What is the starting point of your journey?
I was always fascinated by films, art, and cameras. There was an undeniable interest in films & that eventually pushed me to become a part of the industry. My family knew about my passion for the camera. My sister had bought me a box camera which was quite popular amongst youngsters in those days. The camera though very basic helped me hone my skills in photography & built my interest in visualizing actuality.
The years I spent in college helped me decide on my profession. I was an active member of our Dramatics Society in college, was the drummer in our college Rock Band & I was studying English literature along with doing photography & in my college life, I watched a lot of movies. It eventually led me to a sense of realization that I wanted to be a Filmmaker.
What steps did you take next when you realize your goal?
I submitted my application for the entrance exam for post-graduation in FTII. When the final year graduation exams approached, the college teachers went on strike at Delhi University. It led to the postponement of my undergrad exams. Later, when the college conducted exams, they clashed with my FTII entrance. So, unfortunately, I couldn’t sit for my entrance exams.
My mother knew the internationally acclaimed Shri. Prakash Jha’s aunt. She had a conversation with him & then I got an opportunity to work under him as an apprentice for almost two years. We worked on six documentaries and Two Tele – serials together. I rose to the position of Chief Assistant. By that time, I had learned enough to establish myself as a director so I moved to build my career as a filmmaker.
We often hear that outsiders and people who don’t have a Godfather in Bollywood struggle more than others. Did you go through the same phase while setting yourself up?
Before I left for Mumbai, I was already an independent filmmaker and I had one project in hand. The project that brought me to Mumbai was a Tele – Serial to be shot with the legend Pran Sahab. I shot a pilot Episode with him & other stellar actors for DD Metro but unfortunately by the time we got a slot the marketability of the channel had become unviable & the project collapsed. My next project for BiTV / TVI was also a disaster as the channel went into bankruptcy after I had made seven episodes of a Tele-Serial. The whole market scenario had changed, and I got stuck in it. I was forced to reinvent myself entirely after facing these early failures.
Financially also, it was exhausting. My debts were continuously increasing. This particular period taught me how ruthless Mumbai City is. But it also acquainted me with self-reliance and confidence. The struggle was nerve-wracking. But three years later, I successfully established myself in the industry. So I never had a Godfather but people supported me enough after seeing my talent & efforts. So I’d say if you have talent, passion, and strong willpower to achieve your goals you wouldn’t need a godfather.
The industry will accept you.
What is the fundamental role of a director during filmmaking? And what’s necessary for becoming a film director?
The director is the ‘Captain of the ship’. Everyone needs to be good at their jobs, but the director needs to be good at everything. He must know the makeup, technical, set-up, and every other department. It is a director’s work to combine all departments and establish coordination between people to help build a complete Audio-Visual experience that’s pleasing to the eye and the soul.
A director should understand the language of Cinema and have a sense of visualization. The other aspect of filmmaking is that it needs to sell. If a director doesn’t sell the movie, he will lose his reputation, and no production house will agree to work with him. So, a director needs to have a lot of aptitude – skill-based and business-based. Along with all of these, a director must have a passion for cinema. If he lacks focus & intensity his efforts won’t bear fruit. All in all, it’s about creating a film that people would appreciate.
What type of relationship do a director and the production house share?
Purely financial. When someone invests money into something, they would surely expect a profitable return. Film-making is a business, an investment where the producer or the production house expects a good return. As long as the profit is positive, the production house is happy. The relationship starts getting sore only when the film is not getting the expected return. So it goes hand in hand. No work for the director in the future if they don’t get their profits.
How does film distribution work? Can you enlighten us about it?
Film distribution works in two ways. In the first method, distributors will give you promissory notes. You can take that note to a producer who will finance your movie. In the second method, the distributor will become the first investor and give you some seed money. You can use the seed money to make the movie and later go on to other producers for financing. The OTT channels are an example of this kind of film distribution. They invest the money as well as distribute the movie.
How does an OTT channel acquire a movie? According to you, what will be a more profitable release – an OTT channel or a Box office?
OTT channels have two ways of buying a movie. Channel may opt for a revenue-sharing tactic, or it may buy out the rights of the whole film. Talking about OTT and Box office releases, I think there are pros and cons to both. While at the box office, you may get much more collections than expected. It will be reversible if the movie is not accepted by the audience or does not do financially well.
Whereas OTT platforms make the release risk-free as they commit to an amount beforehand. So, you do not have to worry even if the movie fails to attract an audience.
The OTT channels taking the world by a storm? Do you think these new world entertainment channels will replace the old forms of cinema?
In my opinion, it will not happen soon. We live in a society where people still use both telephones and mobile phones. The roads still have rickshaws and electric scooters running on them together. Things do not get extinct here, but they co-exist.
So, I don’t think theaters and old-age forms of cinema will cease to exist. There may be a decrease in consumption as more people will prefer watching OTT channels on the go rather than going to cinema halls or sitting in front of televisions. Whereas, other people will sit in front of their television sets to watch serials. They will visit theaters to enjoy Cinema. All forms of exhibition & entertainment shall definitely co-exist.
Coming back to you, how do you choose a script? Do you look at the business aspect of the content?
Filmmaking is a business, we have to consider the trade and money invested in the film being made. Therefore, I try to pick a movie with dramatic content whenever I have to select a fiction script. The script should be well made & marketable. On the other hand, when it comes to non-fiction work, I choose movies that move me emotionally. The film should have something that the world needs to know, it needs to provide them with access to unknown, unexposed phenomena.
Most of the time, movies made on subjects like social commentary don’t work as well as other commercial movies.
The filmmakers try to target the man on the street as their audience. These people come to the cinema to escape their life’s drudgery. Showing them the same problems that they go through in their daily lives doesn’t provide them with an incentive to watch the cinema. They want to live their fantasies through cinema. That’s why people prefer to watch commercial cinema, and reality-based films with social commentary are not preferred.
Why is the film industry making remakes so often?
These commercial movies are based on tried and tested methods. They always work and generate money. The second reason for the making of remakes may be decreased creativity. Filmmakers are running out of ideas, and they do not want to take risks in the film market. Therefore, they use the same formula and make remakes instead of new ventures. But they should realize that if a movie is seen by even 10 percent of the population, it will be successful.
We also don’t have a lot of science fiction. Do you think that Indian cinema is conservative?
That’s a very good question. We surely do miss science-based movies in our industry. We do well in commercial cinema, but when it comes to scientific scripts, we lack storytelling skills and imagination. Our tradition of storytelling is based on mythology. If we work on our techniques and animation, we may excel surely in the future because our film industry has enough talent to produce good science fiction.
What else have you done other than filmmaking?
For the first ten years, I worked in documentaries, Ads, and television serials. Along the way, I started teaching too. It was a dare that made me start it. But something about teaching and imparting knowledge to young-intrigued minds felt right. Now, it has been almost 25 years since I’m teaching filmmaking. I was lucky enough to contribute to Film making & Film Education. I have made films, written academic papers & also written edited books.
How do you think filmmaking shaped your life?
Everything I am today is because of filmmaking. Whatever I have received in life comes from it and goes back to it, or is an extension of it. In simpler words, I am indebted to filmmaking. It has made me see the world through a much different but much-needed lens.
As much as cinema looks like heaven from the outside, it is full of exploitation from the inside. So, do you have any suggestions for people entering the film industry or any red flags they should avoid?
Don’t be glamour-struck. People who come to the industry to become someone else never do well because they only see the limelight. They forget the struggle that actors have gone through in the past. They need to be realistic about themselves & their own skill sets. They start getting desperate when they see a little bit of struggle and end up being exploited. If you are coming to the industry, you should comprehend what you bring to the table. You should be aware of your strengths and skills and keep on polishing them. If you understand yourself and how best you can monetize yourself, half the battle is won.
Several youngsters and aspiring filmmakers will learn a huge deal from it. Before going, would you like to share some of your life lessons with the readers?
I would say never give up on your dreams. The competition may get tough, but never stop believing in yourself. Try to improve yourself and your skills instead of focusing on others. Look at life as an opportunity instead of worrying about the struggles. Life will surely treat you well if your goal is good work and not success.
