Assistant Directors in Hindi Cinema ! Are they paid enough to live with self respect?
Chandra Barot- Director of Original “Don” was working as an Assisting Director with Manoj Kumar (at the salary of Rs 457 P.M for nine years). Even in those old years of 70s it was not a sufficient amount to survive in Bombay. These days a film is made with Crors and Directors usually have few Assistent directors. Stars charge a handsome amount and so Directors also do. But what about Assistent Directors who sometimes bring some new ideas? Who suggest a better way to picturise a scene? Who increase the creativity factor on the sets? They dont only learn the craft from their Directors but they give their valuable input also. Should not film Industry give a sufficient amount to these AD’s so that they also can arrange a satisfactory life for them and their family. Even Apprentices in every Industry get a satisfactory amount. Dont know what are the amounts given these days to these ADs but as we know that writers and screenplay writers are poorly paid so condition of ADs should be almost same if not better.
Directors of today have been ADs of yester years. Do these Directors take care of this factor when they keep Assistants?
This is clear that several ADs have been highly creative while assisting. Its said that beautiful songs in 1942- A Love story were picturised by Sanjay Bhansali or was improved by him while he was assissting Vidu Vinod Chopra. Several such examples will also be there when an AD brought whole lot of creativity into the film. This is true that to assist a famous and good Director is a fortunate opportunity but this is also true that now a days these assistants are having a talent and a hidden or obvious desire to Direct a movie on their own and its a matter of time only. They are not there in film world by chance. In old time it was usual that somebody got a job in a film studio in any kind of team, technical or nontechnical and later he could get to know that he also could develop a skill to make a film. Today’s generation of Assistant Directors are there by their own choice. They become ADs bacause they want to learn on the sets, the real practicalities asociated with the film making and they wish to be identified in the film circle so that they get finance for their film or they wish to earn enough self confidence before going on board independently.
Has anyone ever talked with today’s Directors who were AD sometime ago? Do they feel or behave more responsible towards their ADs or they also follow the mentallity that ADs are learning on the job and thats the best rumenaration?
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
i aspire to be a filmamker and one BIG!!!!!!!!!! reason why i am still scared to assist anybody is that the money is very less and there are no surety when will you get it.
Well some AD’s get more than money,they get married to Aamir Khan’s ;)
But truly said.Not only AD’s didnt get money but read that they are treated very bad also by some actors/directors.
i was watching the benegal classics lately, and the gems made by NFDC in the 80’s, and was surprised to see the number of famous contemporary makesr in the list of AD’s in those films. see Mirch Masala or mandi to find out…
Rony, this is really a concerned issue. On one side cine Industry vouches every second that new talents are needed there and on other side people other than actors and Directors are very less paid.
Tushar:
Govind Nihalani assisted Shayam Benegal. In that way, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar were AD to Bimal Roy, rather in older time, they had less examples of film making before them so they had to learn via that route only.
I am curious to know whether graduates of FTII, Pune also have to work as ADs on a meagre sum of money?
” What right do assistant directors/writers have to ask for more money ???? Even though some people of both categories might make movies tomorrow … or become directors !!! What do we owe to them ??? They are just are like prostitutes …. get laid … get paid !!!!! do the job …no need for creative inputs … and take whatever pittance is thrown at u … We will continue to pay the costume designers and dance directors more money …. but not the AD’s or the writers” – Bollywood
@RK – most of the FTII film gradutes do not ‘deign’ to work as AD …. due to the ego factor … while they see foreign cinema (De sica, Eissenstein, tarchowsky, kurosawa etc) most of the bollywood directors do not…. So their ego factor comes in … “Usko kya maloom cinema key baarey main … aur main usko assist karoon ??”
They also become too much tough on themselves …. coz they realise that if they want to make films … it must be of that level .. otherwise it should not !!!
They end up making TV Serials/ documentaries ….. or corporate films … The word ‘Bollywood’ or ‘mumbai film industry’ and even perhaps ‘hollywoodf’ is shunned at FTII Pune !!!
@fourthwall – hmmm they get married to Aamir khan …. intresting !!!! I’m going to assist aparna sen’s next film (provided her immensely talented and hot daughter konkona is acting in it) !!!!
- KK watch out – Konkona “may” be reading this :-” … ahem and Ranvir Shorey isn’t going be too pleased with you b-( …………….. just kidding :d
If possible,check today’s After Hours’ (DNA’s supplement)anchor piece. There is an interesting piece on gen-X ADs.
Link to Illuzon’s pointer :
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1059952
wow … thanks for the link ozzie …
and i do hope knokona is reading this !!! She was AMAZING in omkara !!!!
What’s more … she is also from st. Stephens college in delhi … she’s kind of my senior \:d/
Ranvir bhaisahib … u were also pretty identifiable in pyaar key side effects … i think i could see myself in u !!!
(that should cool him down) :-)
Frankly speaking a higher percentage of AD’s in bollywood is their to larn the art of direction and are not able to contribute much and I dont think you should expect to get paid well if you are getting trained and more so looking at exposure and long term benefits of a successful direction career. I had rather say that people should pay from their pocket to be AD’s to successful directors.
that’s a real good point Jwalant …. dnt see anything wrong with that logic either
Jwalant, good point and one I was about to make. You don’t work as an AD, PA, Producer’s Assistant, or any of the other donkey jobs on a movie to make money, you do it to make connections, to learn from what you observe, to do what you love – even if it means some salad years.
I worked on a movie this last week as an unpaid PA for the experience of working with some talented (and famous) young actors (although, I have to admit I did it for the credit as well). The point is to learn and connect so you can take those experiences and connections and build your vision and career through them.
That said, it seems that in India making movies is different than it is here in the US. Usually here it is the crew that makes all the money, most actors are lucky to make a living wage unless they are one of the lucky 5%….
Its so true what all of you guys have said. Take for eg. my case I left an engineering career in the USA to puruse my dreams of directing a film. A chance to be an AD and complete an entire film would make me aware of the bollywood system, increase networking and the process of bollywood film making. For that I am willing to work at low salary or even free:)
Having done a short filmaking course in the US and made a short film in 16mm which I directed, wrote, edited, designed sound, did cinematography I am confident that I can direct a feature. But without getting into the industry its difficult to fullfill the dream.
So as long their are people like me the industry won’t pay the ADs. It’s a simple logic of supply n demand. In this case the supply superseeds demand.
One of the facts about the entertainment industry is that only 2% of the people survive solely depending on it. Abroad most of the people have to do a second job to survive. In bombay you can atleast survive working alone in the industry.
- Manjit, I remember Anurag telling me the other day that the best way to pursue your passion in the film industry is to go “independent”
That might be true but to make a film you should have good amount of money or someone who is willing to invest money in you. Its a catch 22 situation I dont have money and why would someone invest money in me:) Even Anurag had a producer behind him for his films. Somehow you must be able to leave a mark in the industry in some field. Be it writing, editing, cinematography or even choreography etc or try to start in the industry in any department make contacts, grow whereever u find the space. Satya was indeed a powerful films -one of my favourites.
kartik…. now am furious…:”> … what’s wrong if the graduates or students from FTII think rather blv they know better than the lot that exists… a plain point is why wud they take cinema for granted when they have pursued it sincerely as an artform for years… why wud they work under someone they dont blv into or they dont have regards for…. and u know it is no one but us… most times… who treat directors or anyone from bollywood as demigods… whereas most times we know we crib abt them…. i still cant forget the sight of all desperate wannabes… all hovering over every identifiable bollywood figure who were arnd during the All India screenwriters conference at FTII, pune… [@kartik....YOU WERE THERE AND YOU KNOW THAT...!]
I even saw a close friend getting all [over]friendly with Mr. Kashyap… and such nauseating feeling that was…. i mean ppl resort to all sorts of things…. i pity her…
i cant more than agree to you [Oz, quoting anurag] on this… “go independent”…. i just finished reading the Sekhar article… ppl are doing it…. i know easier said than done…. but i think that is what passion for cinema is all about…. u might falter but atleast u will have tht sense of satisfaction tht u tried… u atleast made an attempt….
divya ….. im still laughing as im typing this … ‘desperate wannabes hovering’ around
demigods !!! I know precisely what ur saying …
Some people do it for flattery … and an excuse for asking work … But some do it out of sheer honest appreciation
I hovered around most of the biggies badgering them about their writings, their films,
their work … and admittedly i did treat some of them as ‘demi gods’ ( javed akhtar, vishal
bhardwaj, Kundan ‘JBDY’ Shah, and Balu ‘Sadma’ mahendru ) …. I didn’t intend to (nor i wanted to) ask them for work…. Whne most of them have started ‘independent’ why shouldn’t you or i ???
Appreciation is one … coz every film maker craves for it … but flattery in the hope of work is another …. And often u can’t make out if it is honest or dishonest … so even though it may look sick … let’s ignore it !!!
‘Going independent’ is a good idea…. Although i must say passion without discipline/the
danda over your head, is real difficult to be controlled….
Any education would need a tutor/mentor some level or the other… That’s why ADs choose to assist. .. even if it is a stupid B grade film… coz then they’ll get to know how the industry functions…the camera set ups … lighting…editing.. the basics !!!… coz ftii films are different from bollywood, which in turn are different from hollywood, which are different from Ad films, Corporate films etc
Let me put it this way …. u still have to sit in the mathematics class (if u love maths),
even if it is taught by a stupid/mornic/less knowledgable teacher …
not just to earn grades … but to learn how the basics of mathematics are !!!
and how to impress the examiner who corrects your papers… ( Trust me dear … been there, done that )
Knowledge and discipline are two things that should go hand in hand …. otherwise as ramu says – “Writers are arm chair directors” …. we may become arm chair directors … i.e good noble intentions … but terrible execution
Working under someone and then going independent seems a good idea… that’s what most of the AD’s do …
Kartik, there are a number of reasons why lots of FTII graduates prefer to go independent rather than assisting a director. It’s not only
about being egoistic just because they’ve had access to the gems of world cinema; it’s mainly about the method or process which most directors adopt while making a film. It’s disconcerting to go on a set and assist for a film where are the dialogues are written on the set, where the lensing is only decided on spot, where ’storyboarding’ is unheard of and no one gives a damn about colour schemes. FTII students make about 15 (short) films in three years (in various formats – digital, 16 mm, 35mm) and watch about a 1000 films. So, when they go on a set and see that’s there’s no method in terms of approaching a film, where there’s no sense of shot design and no one plans out the transitions, they don’t really feel like giving all their time for a product they can’t give a damn about. But at the end of the day, they’re all dying to make films – so being independent and struggling it out seems like a better way than being lectured by some inane bigshot
(for whom he or she has no respect) – ‘ki, yahan pe aisa hi kaam hota hai.’