India makes the maximum number of films in the world. In addition to this, there are some 30 prominent channels, alongwith many regional networks. The Indian Media & Entertainment industry tells a compelling story with great investment and growth potential. It is now poised to overtake the mad rush for Management and IT sectors. Today, the number of aspirants who wish to make a career in films and the television sector, especially in the field of Direction, is at an all time high. The scope of direction is ever-widening in this era of technological explosion as a Director’s horizons are constantly expanding, certainly requiring one to be technically sound and well trained.

He can translate not only his experiences but other people’s experiences into a piece of work which can move masses, bring them to tears, draw laughter or ignite their passions. Projecting ideas, intricate relationships, emotions and feelings on the big and small screen calls for an in-depth understanding of the production process. A director is in fact the captain of the filmmaking ship, and his decision is usually the final one.

Thus it is quite evident that a director has to be a visionary and multifaceted personality. He should have a basic knowledge of all departments of film making so that he can communicate his vision to the various specialists with whom he co-ordinates. If there is one hyperlink between the various stages of film production, it is the Director, who co-ordinates with all the departments and gets the job done in compliance with his vision and conception.

Film making is primarily teamwork. The Story, Screenplay and the dialogues written by Script writer (which acts as the blue print for the whole film) is given to the various members of the Film Making team. According to the needs of the script, and the visualized treatment of the Director, the Art Director makes arrangements for the sets or outdoor locations. Then the Artistes enact the scenes as guided by the director, which are captured by the cinematographer on Film (Celluloid) or other formats (Beta or DV). The Music Director infuses life into the film by his background scores and songs and lastly the Editing and SFX artists collaborate to give the finishing touches to the film. All this is done under the supervision, guidance and direction of the Director.

If one has done a course in Direction one could start off as an Assistant Director. Formal training in direction would help an aspirant to climb the ladder to become an independent director / Chief Assistant faster which otherwise can take years if the same is learnt just on the job. Gaining experience is as necessary as acquiring knowledge of the machines on which software is produced; but creativity is the fundamental quality one must possess.

The overflowing number of Television serials, the daily episodes of programmes, the number of Advertisement films and commercials being produced in the country, the growth of news channels and informative programmes and interviews, the increasing production of the documentary films, small budget feature films (with digital video coming in replacing the raw film) and lastly the regular and the big budget feature films; all these have created a tremendous scope and demand for the trained professionals. As they have to keep pace with the deadlines of the channels and the producers, the seniors do not want to hire totally taw and untrained assistants any more. They prefer persons who have undergone formal education and have gained knowledge of the subject before entering the field as Assistants. This change in the attitude and perception of the industry the floodgates for the new talent who are willing to put in their hard work with sincerity.

The growing number of multiplex theatres throughout the country and the governments support to this novel concept, has created great demand for films. With the advent of Digital Video, now films can be made at a very low budget which is just a fraction of the cost of regular feature film. This will also induce the filmmakers to break away from the traditional formula films and to try new and innovative ideas and to make a large number of experimental films. This will lead existing and new and aspiring film makers to make more and more films, thereby creating a totally new demand for the Directors and their assistants.

The field has now become very remunerative. The lowest starting fee for an assistant Director for a television serial can be between INRs. 3000 to INRs. 5000 per episode whereas the most successful and well known Directors charge between INRs. 3 Crores to INRs. 5 Crores for each film.