Budget nahi hai

“We like the script and we are doing it*” – People with money
For a film maker, the above sentence is nothing short of an orgasm.
But wait, what’s that ugly asterisk sign has to say?
Oh never mind, it can’t be that bad. After all, they like the script. 
Now, just for formality, let’s look at what it says:
*”We are really excited about it and we really want to do it.
And we totally agree that it needs xyz crores to do it right. But looking at the market conditions and the fact that no BIG STAR would do this and the fact that you are getting a new director on board, add to that, the lack of commercial marketability in absence of a BIG STAR and the fact that it’s an ‘art house’ sort of a film and we again go back to the fact that there is no BIG STAR, we can spare xyz crores ÷ 10 as the final amount (Including service tax, VAT, CST, import duty, octroi, excise, stamp duty, gift tax, inheritance tax, road tax, luxury tax, carbon tax, window tax, toll tax, soda tax, sin tax, ganpati / navratra donation and all other taxes).
Release? What release? Oh yea, theatrical release. We will get back to you on that.
Oh and we will keep the prequel / sequel rights. And the worldwide distribution rights. And we will charge an interest of 24% per annum. And you have to do away with your fees, and the Directors fees. Since we are giving him / her the chance to direct, shouldn’t he / she be paying us, instead? Just kidding, what are we? Financial Savages?
And you have to get your accounts audited before we release the final payment. And we need a ‘U’ certificate from the censor….and we will keep you updated of the additional conditions that we may impose without your concurrence.
Great, let’s do this, people. Even though there is no BIG STAR associated, we are so damn excited. Why wouldn’t we be?”

Look at the brighter side, they are so ‘excited’. Things will eventually fall in place, right?
Yeah, right!!

“Budget nahi hai. Next project mein le lena” is a ‘get out of jail’ line for every production person.
But does that ‘next project’ ever come? For a few it does. And the rest of them have to go through the same grind again and again and again.
But is the situation really bad? How do people from the industry are often seen driving expensive cars, partying at exotic locations and living in posh areas?
The answer is a bit complicated. The faces we seen on televisions and social media, spending all that money, are just a small fraction of this industry. Whatever the situation may be, there will always be money for such faces. But let’s not get into who is being paid how much or why he / she is being paid that much.

Where does all the money comes from? And where does it all go?
Well, let’s begin…

1 – Studios: Studios are the ones with a fat wallet and an ever fatter appetite for keeping their wallets fat. They are here to make money. And they will make money, eventually.
A lot has changed since the so called studio culture became an integral part of the industry.
Studios have been investing into content that isn’t much of a ‘profitable venture’ for the conventional financiers. It is because of findings from studios that the industry has seen a significant improvement in the scale of film production. However, convincing them to green light a project is not an easy task. I mean, sure you would have a kick ass story line but you need more. A lot more for them to sign cheques for you.
To begin with, you need a known star cast who has agreed to be a part of your film. It’s tricky because a known star will entertain those who already have a studio backing for their film. Now that’s a deadlock, isn’t it?
After that you need to convince them about the marketability of the film. This is quite a logical expectation from anyone putting in their money into your vision.
So, in addition to being a film maker, you also need to be a marketing genius.
And then comes the budget. You will be asked to cut down on every possible portion which according to them in ‘avoidable’. At times, production houses end up working on a cost to cost basis with an expectation of earning from their share of the profit share, if any.
A share in the overflow is often a mythical number for many.
Just to explain, a studio will put in funds for the production of a film. After that comes the Prints and Advertising (P&A) cost which at times can even exceed the production budget (Really???).
Add to this, a notional rate of interest which can range anywhere from 18% to 24%. These three costs will add up to the total cost of production. But hey, one can always recover this, right? Wrong.
Once a movie is released, the first share goes to the government in the form of entertainment tax. The exhibitors / theatre owners will deduct their margin before giving away the balance to the distributor.
The distributor will deduct a ‘Distributors Margin’ which is normally 15%. After that the financier / distributor will recover their P&A cost, interest cost and production cost from the revenue through theatres, satellite (TV), music & all other rights. Any profits available after all such deductions will be shared equally between the studios and the production houses.
Too much numbers for one’s liking, isn’t it?
The most damaging thing for the studios and films they finance have been the presence of incompetent people sitting at important positions. For eg: A marketing guy selling cold drinks may be excellent when it comes to his / her line of work. However, his / her performance cannot be taken into consideration while putting up such a person at a level in a studio where decisions regarding a film are to be made. Similarly, the fact that you are the son / daughter of an influential personality from the industry doesn’t give you the birth right to come and sit at an equally influential position in a studio.
And this doesn’t stop here. At times you will be expected to pass on a ‘backend’ amount in lieu of getting your project sanctioned. Not that I personally know of someone who has asked for such an amount or who has paid such an amount but still, once in a while, birds do chirp *wink*.
In the real world, you have to pull off a lot of favours and use a lot of influence to even get a face to face with such people.
Often makes us wonder, are we in the wrong line of business?
And the results are there for everyone to see. With studios either shutting down or cutting down on their projects, it’s quite apparent that it is going to be a tough phase for the industry. The bosses sitting abroad have tightened the noose on the kind of projects that are being sanctioned and this is the time when content will take a back seat and they will go all out to make money.

2 – Individual Financiers: These were the people responsible for keeping the industry alive before the studios decided to venture in. They might not have the kind of funds as compared to the big studios but they are very much relevant even today. A larger portion of regional films are still depended on such financiers for their projects. But just like the studios, all they eventually care about is the amount of money that a film can make.

3 – Crowd Funding: This is a very interesting concept that caters to a certain kind of films. As the name suggests, it’s a group of individuals who will pool their funds to produce a film. These are the individuals who believe in the content and are willing to come together and support a film.
You cannot expect to raise huge sums of money through crowd funding and more often than not, you will have to approach a distributor when it comes to the P&A spending. There have been a few projects that have successfully used this mode to fund their requirements and it’s quite apparent that the audience would have never been able to see some amazing work had it not been for these people risking their own money. With the big players now willing to fund only in mega projects with mega starts, this is a channel that will gain popularity in the times to come.

4 – International collaborations: This too is a concept that will soon start opening up avenues to upcoming as well as established film makers in the industry. However, approaching financiers from abroad is not an easy task. Also, convincing them to invest in an Indian concept is equally tricky. These are the people who will take up projects with an international appeal. Such arrangements can often be time consuming and complex but you can rely on them if your film has a scope for a much larger audience.

5 – Government funds: Yes, the government does have a ministry to censor fund ‘new age’ film makers in the country. Add to this the subsidies for shooting in India and treaties with shooting friendly nation and we have a pretty solid backing from the government. What a time to be alive as a film maker, isn’t it?
However, with great power comes great responsibility.
Result? Lot of rules and regulations that one must comply to.
So, if you have a content that in any way brings ‘harm’ to Indian ‘culture and values’ you can say goodbye to government funds. With time, the ministry has been trying its best to promote films through funds and film festivals, both in India and abroad. However, political influence and red taping often makes it unreachable for new comers and small film makers.

One must accept the fact that it is not easy to make a film in India.
It’s even more difficult to release one. People will sell what the audiences buys.
And the audience has been buying a lot of bullshit recently.
So, the next time you decide to spend money on a film, make it count.

Directors uncut

“Doctor ka beta doctor,
politician ka beta politician
aur Director ka beta Director
Actor banega”

If you are born in a Bollywood family, you would want the largest share of the glamour pie, wouldn’t you?
Do they succeed or end up dragging their careers with their last names? The results are there for everyone to see.
But Dynasty system in Bollywood is a topic for some other time.
For now, let’s discuss about the direction or at times, misdirection part of film making.

A director plays the most important role in any video production that we see on screen.
Be it a television commercial or a feature film, Director is the captain of the ship.
But do they always call the shots? Not really.
There are various external forces, working around them, that influence their work.
It’s not always that these forces be able to gain importance in a director’s work but when they do, they do it as follows:

Actors: An actor is as good as his director wants him to be. But it is not always that an actor would want himself to be projected in a certain way.
There are a lot of egos at work. And at times, these egos dictate terms for the director.
If you are a well-known face in the industry, you will come on board for your face value and your fan following. That gives you an upper hand in how things go on and off set.
Working with big stars can help your career. However, if you are not an influential director, stars can hijack your vision. At the same time, it is easier to work with new comers in a way but again, you have to spend that extra time and efforts with them. But as a director, it should not matter to you. Be it a mega star or a new comer, you have to bring them down in the ground to get the output you want.
However, it’s easier said than done.
Directors gets thrown off a project because the ‘star’ did not want him on board.
Directors do not get the necessary funds they need because the ‘star’ cast has eaten up the major chunk of the allocated budgets.
We blame the director and his storytelling skills for something that’s not up to the mark but we fail to realise that at times, his / her hands are bound by what’s at stake for them.
No one wants to be in the bad books of a famous actor.
Directors’ line up outside the doors of these stars so they can kick start their project.
Not all actors are a pleasure to work with. At times, they become a thorn in the flesh.

Studios / Financiers: They are the ones with the money. They sign you cheques. They have risked their (investors) money on your vision. And more often than not, you will have to bow down in front of them. They will have their say in the star cast. They will force you to put up a nonsensical item songs for “promotions”. They will do whatever they can to force their money making tools into your work and at times, will end up destroying it all. They want to make big money. For their bosses and for themselves.
But can we blame them? Every investor wants his money back, don’t they?
People would not want to invest in a content that can bring a backlash from the society or monetary returns.
They would not want to fund a film that may end up with an ‘A’ certificate because it will hamper their collections.
They would not want to invest into something that can prove to be ‘controversial’ for a few sections of the society.
And they would certainly not want to invest into something that can hurt the ‘sentiments’ of people watching the film.
I am not saying that a director would purposely want to do all of the above.
However, if a story has to be narrated in a particular way in order for it to be honest, there is nothing that should restrict a director. Wishful thinking, indeed.
We need to understand that there is no fix formula for success in this field.
As a director, you have to keep in mind the recoverability of funds. But it should not be the only driving force.
A well-funded will with all the right elements of a hit can turn out to be a disaster.
At the same time, a low budget film can end up making its mark.
Presence of misfits amongst the lot that controls the money has led to a situation where there is a major crisis of funds. And they have no one but themselves to blame for it.

Audience: We are the most important factor that influences everything that’s being shown on the screen and are responsible for what’s been shown.
With the quality of content being shown on television, films and other medium, it’s safe to say that we are a really bad influence.
Our social structure has not evolved in a way to accept new and path breaking content.
On television, the normal audience would still want to watch a drama between saas and her bahu. They would still want to watch a fictional character out for revenge. They would still want to watch reality shows which have no reality left in them.
When it comes to film, they would want to watch it because of the star cast in it. Everything else is just irrelevant. They would not even know the name of the director but would surely know the dance steps of the actor by heart.
How do we change the mind-set of the audience?
It’s a collective effort. Let a studio decide to not fund contentless projects. Let an actor decide not to take up the same stereotype project and let the known directors of the industry step up and tell revenant stories.
With the growth of digital platform in the country, there is some hope left. But with the majority of audience still in their cocoons, we can never be too sure.
It’s the majority of audience that will dictate the type of content that will be shown on screen.
A director can either be a part of this rat race or can take a stand of his own.
But it’s not every day that we see a director put his / her foot down and will not let his / her vision be tainted by the prevailing mediocrity.
But if we look at the other side of things, a person is already overloaded with the reality of things happening around him / her. They would want cinema / TV to be a medium that can divert their minds from it all. This makes it even more important for the film makers to create content that is appealing yet relevant.

I tried seeking answers to a few questions that have always lingered around in my head.
A few of them are as follows:

Q: Why would someone want to be a Director?
A: It’s a personal choice. For some people it’s a career choice they make subconsciously while pursuing a career in the industry. For others, the hunger to tell stories from their point of view acts as the motivating factor.

Q: Is it glamorous?
A: Depends on one’s definition of glamor. It is satisfying for sure. But if it’s glamour that you seek, maybe direction is not for you.

Q: Where do the new comers start at?
A: There are various institutes that teach you the very basis of direction. But they cannot teach you film making. One can gain the basic knowledge but will need the practical training. Start assisting directors and learn as much as you can before you are confident enough to tell a story from your perspective.

Q: What qualities should one possess to be a director?
A: It’s your natural instincts that drive you in this direction. You have to be a good reader. Not necessarily a good writer but you should be able to put your story across in a way that keeps the viewers engaged. Apart from this, one should have the sense for acting, art direction, music, lighting, camera angles, frames so on and so forth. At the end of the day, when you are directing, you are directing everything that goes around on a set.

Q: Can cinema change the way people think?
A: Not really. It is not a tool for a social / political change. The best cinema can do is mirror the happenings around us. People seek entertainment. A social / political message cannot overshadow the entertainment quotient.

In the end, I would want to admit that a Director is not always right.
Certain works are genuinely bad and they cannot blame anyone else but themselves.
After a certain high point in their career, their preference shift. And unfortunately, the industry has such characters in abundance.
Many try to hide behind an absurd comparison between “commercial” and “art” cinema.
I totally disagree with such comparisons. A film is either good or bad, full stop.

I, personally as a part of the audience, look up to the directors to bring about a change in the kind of content that has been dumped on us. However, it cannot happen overnight.

“Revolution is not an event. It’s a process”

Andddd cut....

Lights, Camera, Struggle

“Bhai mere paas koi option nahi tha” he said with a straight face.
Here’s a guy from a small town, with good looks, academically sound (till it lasted), did very well as a model in Delhi but shifted to Mumbai for a career in the ever so appealing profession, Acting.
It has been over 2 years since he came chasing the dream.
But did it all go as planned?
“Chal raha hai. Jaisa socha tha waisa nahi hai” he answers with a bright smile.
Him and many alike have left their hometowns and are here in search of that “one big break”.
There is absolutely no harm in pursuing your desired career path.
But is it passion or a lack of choices that drives the daily struggle?

Part 1: Passion

You ask a young aspirant, the reason behind his career choice and you will hear the word “Passion”.
Honestly, I think most of them don’t even know what that is.
Not all of us are blessed with good looks. We can blame our genes but that’s a fact.
So, even if you are above average, people around you make you feel like a Greek god.
No, I never got that feeling.

Entertainment Industry is just like any other industry where there is always a demand for new products.
For an Actor, he / she is the product.
Good looks can help you get an audition invite but is not a guarantee for landing the job.
Yes, it is a job and like any other job, you have to be good at it in order to get those lucrative promotions.
“Education ki zarurat nahi hai ye industry mein” is a misconception that has plagued the aspiring youngsters.
You need not be a gold medalist in economics or be able to solve the cube root of 1037 till 5 decimal places in order to be an actor.
Attending to acting workshops or dialect training is indeed helpful but a basic educational background is an extremely important part of your overall personality and confidence.
So, if “passion” is what drives you, I pray that that you know what it means and are willing to support it with hard work.
Because passion can help you get by the initial phase but you have to think long and hard before deciding to jump in front of a world that appears shiny and precious but is filled with struggle on a daily basis.
 

Part 2: Struggle

“Hello sir, kuch chal raha hai? Do I fit?”
Basic questions that people ask standing in front of an audition studio.
And if they do not get a positive answer, they will thank you with a smile and move on to the next studio.
Yes, this is what some people do each and every day.
They will get up, look at their WhatsApp group for audition updates, fill their hand bag with spare clothes and head out with a hope. A hope that today might be their lucky day.

In the initial days, people get those odd assignment which mark a beginning of their hopefully glamorous career.
However, the supply is increasing with every single train / bus / flight that lands in the city and the demand is not adequate enough to absorb it.
Result? You queue up in front of casting offices just to get the casting person’s number / email ID so that you can send in your pics and work profile to them and hope that they will call you if something comes up.
But is that hope good enough?

 “Yaar client bolta hai ki find a model like face and acting ka director pe chod de” said a casting director, frustrated to the tip of his fading hairline.

It’s not shocking though. Some people just want a pretty face to face the camera and everything else can be “sorted out”.
There was a time when actors in the industry did not have muscular bodies and six packs.
However, a lot has changed since bhai started removing his shirts.
Today the first thing you do if you want to be an actor / model is that you join a gym.
What follows is numerous hours of training, lots of protein shakes / steroids and tight fitting clothes to show off your muscles.
While it could work for certain type of projects, it is definitely not the only way to boost your chances.

Exploitation has found its roots in each and every phase of our lives.
This industry is not different. However, it is unfair that the people in the industry have been stereotyped by the outside world as predators.
Just to explain, middleman, known as ‘co-ordinators’, play an important role if you are as aspiring actor / model.
These are the people who are your link to the casting team and audition invites.
They have office setups, WhatsApp groups, email IDs and run a profitable business.
A casting director will inform the co-ordinators for a particular assignment.
The co-ordinator will spread the work through his channels of communication.
So, if you are lucky enough and end up landing the job, the co-ordinator will take a share out of your remuneration.
Honestly, there is not harm in such a business model.
But, just like any other business, you will find the trouble makers in this line of work too.
These will be the people who will take a handsome portion of your remuneration as their ‘co-ordination’ fees. If you refuse, they will try and threaten you by not sharing the audition updates in future or even spreading false rumors about you.
And there will be a few sick humans who would want favors that are not limited to money only.
I would like to reiterate the fact that there is just a small fraction who indulges in such wrong doings and if you pay attention, you can avoid the exploitation.

We all need a roof over our heads, don’t we?
Majority of us cannot afford to buy a house in Mumbai.
So, what’s the problem? Renting is a good option, right?
Wrong.
It’s extremely difficult for bachelors to rent a house in Mumbai.
Your chances take a serious hit when you are working in the “Film Industry”.
So, you have to contact the brokers who will show you houses where people from your industry are allowed to stay.
In return, they will ask for their brokerage which is equal to one month’s rent.
Upon renewal of the tenancy agreement, you will once again have to bear the brokerage for no apparent reason.
If you happen to ask the logic behind it, they will pounce on you by saying “Rule hai bhai, naya aaye ho kya?”
So, you rent a place for 11 months but you end up paying 12 month’s rent.
Security deposit and other “miscellaneous charges” will just add to your cash outflow.
Passion certainly comes with a price tag, eh?

There is always a brighter side to things and acting is no exception.
Your talent will take you places. Trust me, it will.
You will get the respect and the fame that you deserve.
But nothing comes cheap. Be it the amount of money you have to invest in order to survive during your days of struggle or the hard work that you have to put in, fame will ask for its sacrifices.
If you are an ‘outsider’ you will have to put in that much extra to get what you supposedly deserve.

Part 3: Beginners Tips

A few points that might come handy while you chase your dreams:

1 - Know your strengths. There are various types of job assignments. A few of them being, Print shoots, Television commercials, Theater, daily soaps and movies. You might not fit for each and every category. You can be a model and do well without going to the acting part. Similarly, you need not be a successful model to be a good actor.

2 - Obtain thorough knowledge if you want to be a good actor. Choose the right courses and workshops, train in theater and you might end up being an actor after all. There is no substitute to training. Even if it comes naturally, you will have to mold it and polish it in a way that can engage the audience.

3 - Avoid shortcuts because there are none. 

4 - Interact with people. Get to know the current happenings around you. Keep yourself updated through social media for possible assignments and don’t be afraid to speak up against exploitation of any sort.

5 - Use social media to hunt for houses. You can avoid brokers and save money. At the same time, be vigilant enough to avoid getting duped.

“Acting nahi toh kuch aur kar lenge. But Industry nahi chod sakte” is what I have heard many people say.

Fame is an addiction.
It can either destroy you or take you places.
Whenever you see a successful face on the screen, remember that it’s not just the looks that has taken him / her there.
It’s a combination of skill, craft, right attitude, respect and humbleness that makes a good actor.

Please note that I have tried to put forth my point of view on the acting side of the business.
I am not an actor myself and I have not faced the struggles that are mentioned above.
However, if you wish to point out errors in my observations or want to add something, please feel free to contact me.

Happy struggling!!!

Filmy Accountant

“Bhai aish hai tere to”
“Salman Khan se mila hai kya tu?”
“Roj party karta hoga”
“Are you dating a model?”

This is how most of my friends / relatives reacted when I decided to quit my job as a CA and started working with film makers in the areas of production and distribution.
Yes, I was an outsider, with no connection whatsoever with the entertainment industry.
The only connection being my ex-employers who run a well-established consultancy business in this industry.

Initially it was all a bit confusing. Learning the terminologies, the process flows and dealing with the crazy working hours.
However, I soon realised that the most important thing that binds the people together in this line of work is Respect.
Imagine a crew of 100+ individuals working tirelessly for a vision that one man carries in the form of a script. It’s the respect for each other’s work that helps them pull off such glamorous feats.
Behind the shining lights and pretty faces, lies a group of hardworking vendors & technicians who treat every project as their own.
Before something can be judged as Hit or Flop, there lies months and years of hard work that moulds pages and pages of written words into a moving picture on the screen.

So, is the finance team equally important in this industry?
I would say, yes. Matter of fact, it holds much more importance than other industries.
I mean no offence to the financial knowledge of the people from the industry but finance is something that’s ‘scary’ for them.
They will manage to shoot under extreme conditions but will not be able to concentrate on numbers from the comfort of an air-conditioned room.
I tried educating them with the basic knowledge but somehow people just do not have the mind space for numbers and legal terminologies.

I would be lying if I said that it’s easy for finance guys in this field. Be it a CA or an on shoot cashier, it’s always taxing. Yet, there is something that keeps everyone going.
At times I felt out of place. Imagine you being dressed in formals while everyone around you is dressed comfortably? Yeah, a guy dressed in formals is the guy to talk to if you need money.

Even though it’s all glamour and fame that we see on screen, everything is about numbers.
Be it the production costs or the final collections, people with finance background play an equally important role in the industry.
There is an apparent shortage of people from the accounting and finance background in this industry.
Yes, there are certain aspects of accounting that are specific to this industry but if you can take the pains to get acquainted with it, a great career opportunity is there for the taking.

Most of the production houses have an in-house team of accountants that they rely on for the daily accounting.
However, accountants play a much vital role on the shoot.
They are an inseparable part of the film crew.
At times, people hire accountants for a particular project only. There lies a risk of lack of continuity in employment. But if you are good with your work, working as a freelance accountant can earn you more than what you could have with a permanent employment.

How does an accounts guy get into this Industry?
Internet is the best place to source for job opportunities in this field.
You can try contacting the production houses directly to check for vacancies.
Or you can contact the consultants / CA firms managing clients from the industry.

Finance is not a glamorous job, I agree. But you are as much a part of the team as an actor or a director.

I have started this blog to talk about various aspects of this industry and how someone who does not have any past background in the industry can start his / her journey.
It’s not always as glamorous as it looks from inside. But if you are up to the challenges, there’s no better place to work.

And my response to friends / relatives;
“Bhai aish hai tere to – Nahi hai. And hai toh bhi I have earned it”
“Salman Khan se mila hai kya tu? – Mila toh bhi kya? He’s not going to adopt me or something”
“Roj party karta hoga – Party karunga toh kaam tu karega?”
“Are you dating a model? – Have you seen my face?”

With that, I guess it’s time to pack up!!!!