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NITESH TIWARI

FILM-MAKING

101
ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Nitesh Tiwari is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and lyricist best


known for his record-breaking, Indian film, ‘Dangal’. Tiwari
was born in Itarsi, Madhya Pradesh and graduated from the
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 1996 with a
Bachelor's degree in Metallurgy and Material Science
engineering. He worked as a creative director at the
globally-acclaimed advertising agency, Leo Burnett before
he entered Bollywood. He debuted as a director by
co-directing ‘Chillar Party’ which won the National Film
Award for Best Children's Film for that year.

He then directed the supernatural political drama


‘Bhoothnath Returns’ which became a box office hit. In 2016,
he scripted and directed Dangal that was screened at the
Beijing International Film Festival in April 2017 and second
BRICS festival in June 2017. The film is the highest-grossing
Indian films and the fifth highest grossing non-English film,
having collected over ₹2,000 crores. Tiwari has garnered the
Filmfare Best Director Award and the Telstra People's Choice
Award at the 2017 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction to Filmmaking.

2. What happens in Pre- Production.

3. Post-Production.

4. Production

5. Art of Storytelling

6. Cinematography

7. Budgeting for a Film

8. Assembling Cast and Crew

9. Location Scouting

10. Working with Music Director.

11. Role of an Editor.

12. Excerpts from Scenes.

13. Is Filmmaking a viable career option?

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01

Introduction to
Filmmaking
In this lesson, you will get an insight
into the world of filmmaking.

0
03
01 Introduction to Filmmaking

Overview of Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film. It is divided into
three broad processes, i.e. pre-production, production and
post-production. A film involves an initial story, idea,
screenwriting, casting, shooting, sound recording and
reproduction, editing and screening before an audience.
Filmmaking deals with economic, social, and political
contexts and use variety of technologies and cinematic
techniques. Film production involves a large number of
people and can take from a few months to several years to
complete.

Who is a Filmmaker?
If you are not in love with films, then, you should not even
attempt to become a filmmaker. A filmmaker is a storyteller
who takes a story that appeals to him, translates it in the
visual medium on screen and presents it to the audience. A
movie should not just entertain people but make them think
for a while. As a filmmaker, if you can make a difference in
somebody's life in the tiniest possible manner, then, you
should consider your job well done. A director does
everything in the film. He can be considered as the “captain
of the ship”. He has to be involved in every department from
the very beginning.

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02

What happens in
Pre-production
Learn more about the concept of
pre-production and the various
processes involved in it in this lesson.

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02 What happens in Pre-production

Finalize Screenplay before Shooting


Pre-Production begins with an idea or a script. The director needs to
approve the storyline. He needs to be happy with the screenplay
that has been written by the screenwriter. The shooting script is
elaborate and an overwritten version of the screenplay. The
screenwriter does not write the shooting script. The director
alongside his cinematographer writes it. The main difference
between the screenplay and the shooting script is that a screenplay
is a selling tool, whereas the shooting script is a production tool.

Line Producer, Cast, Costume Designer & DOP


The filmmaker then starts forming his team. He has to get a line
producer on-board who will decide the number of days required to
shoot the film. A line producer will also estimate the approximate
budget of the film. The director needs production designers who
decide the essential props, the kind of set and the look required for
a scene. He needs to have a Cinematographer or a Director of
Photography who is going to be shooting the film for him. It is
crucial to have a great understanding with the DOP because he is
going to translate the director’s vision into a cinematic experience.
Get the actors. The director needs to go to a casting director who is
going to audition every character according to the screenplay. Then,
the director has to start evaluating the auditions and zero-in on to
the final cast of the movie. The director requires a costume designer
and should be clear about the kind of costumes that he wants his
characters to wear.

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02 What happens in Pre-production

Assistant Directors
The director should assemble his team of assistant directors’ (AD). A
Chief Assistant director stays in direct contact with the director.
Many other assistant directors work under the Chief Assistant
Director. Not many people know that even a small project that does
not have a massive budget has close to 7-8 assistant directors work-
ing on the film. Their jobs are well defined because one person usu-
ally does one job. One AD will just be in charge of giving the Clap.
Many people wonder about the importance of the numbers that are
written on the clap. Those numbers are very essential because the
shoot does not happen in a linear fashion. The director may shoot
scene 38 today and scene 2 tomorrow. The job of an AD is to specify
the number that is being shot. He has to ensure whether it has sync
sound or not.

Most of the information is written on the clap. When the editor starts
cutting the film, he knows a particular scene belongs to a particular
portion in the screenplay. There is an assistant director to manage
the schedule and one to manage the crowd.

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02 What happens in Pre-production

Editors, VFX Team & Choreographers


The director needs to have a music director and lyrics team in place
before going for the shoot. A director also has to decide on the
location. It can be a real locations or a set. Nitesh Tiwari prefers to
shoot ideally on real locations unless the locations are unfit for
sound recording. The VFX or special effects team should be finalized
because they tell the director as to how a particular scene should be
shot for special effects.

If the film has to be edited during the shoot, then, a editor must
accompany the director at the shoot. A sound recordist is required if
the director is doing a sync song. It is essential to have a
choreographer on board and give him enough days for him to be
able to choreograph the songs and update the cast about the dance
steps.

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03

Post-production
This lesson will give you a deeper
understanding of what post
production is and the processes
involved.

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Post-production
03
Basic Line-up
After everything is shot, the basic thing to begin with is the initial
line-up.
You put everything you have shot according to the screenplay and
gauge whether your shots are visually appealing or not. Usually, the
first cut is quite lengthy because you do not treat it very harshly. The
first cut is done to judge the basic flow of the story.

Final Line-up & Final Cut


If you are not happy with some shots, then, you need to re-shoot
them. Certain portions of the film may not have turned out to be as
good as you wanted. In that case, re-shoots are done only for those
specific portions. Then, the final line-up is locked and it is fine-tuned
to get the Final Cut of the film. If special effects or VFX is to be added
to certain portions of the final cut, then, they are taken from the
timeline and provided to the VFX team.

Music & Sound Production


The Final Cut is given to the Music director so that he can start put-
ting the background music. The music in Bollywood is divided into
two parts i.e. the song and the background music. Sometimes, the
same person does the music for both, the song and the background
music. It is a common practice to have separate people doing these
things. If you have shot the film in sync sound, then, you do not
need to do much of dubbing. Nonetheless, the sound engineer has
to start correcting the sound that you have recorded and clean it up
so that the sound “sounds good”. It may require re-recording if the
sound quality is not up to the mark.

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Post-production
03
If the film is shot in sync sound, then, you have to end up dubbing 5
to 20% of the film. Else, you have to dub the entire film.
The sound engineer also starts doing the Foley and collects all the
sounds that are there in the film. There can be a sound associated
with whatever you see visually. For instance, the tossing of a coin
has a distinct sound. If the same coin falls on the floor, then, the
sound is different. A good sound engineer should be able to source
the sound of the coin falling on of the floor.

Color Correction
There is something called DI where color correction of a film takes
place. The job of a colorist is to sit and color correct the film. The film
is shot raw and a colorist actually corrects the film and gives it the
necessary shade. People wonder at times, as to how one particular
film has only a sepia tone or a blue shade. This is because the film
was shot that way or color corrected as per the sensibilities of the
colorist and the Director.

Working on Reels
In the post- production process, the work is done on reels. The film is
divided into various parts of not more than 18 to 20 minutes
duration. You can have as many as 10 reels for a movie. One single
timeline will be very heavy to work on for a BGM artist or an editor.
If a sound guy is working on an entire timeline and something shifts,
then it will shift the entire timeline. It will be complicated to fix it.
Once the work is done on all the reels, then, they are connected
together. The best part of working with reels is that the entire
project is not under any threat. You can simply make corrections
to a particular reel if any such need arises.
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Post-production
03
Sound Mixing
Once you have the sound and music in place, a sound mixer sits in a
full-fledged studio and does the mixing. The background music, the
sound effects and the dialogues need to be in the correct propor-
tion. As a director, you can realize if the background music is louder
than the dialogues or not. Communicate the necessary changes to
the sound mixer on time.

Big Screen
When you are happy with the sound, the Foley, the mixing, the col-
oring and the edit, then, watch the rough run on a big screen.
Watching a film on a small monitor screen is different from watching
it on a large screen. When everything looks fine, then, you get down
to make a DCP or the final print format of the film to be sent to the
theatres. You need to go to the theatre and gauge things that can’t
be done in a studio. Sound is mixed at different levels. If you go to
the theatre and realize that the sound needs to be higher, then, you
mix the sound in such a manner that it is audible and clear.

A theatre will play the sound at 6 or 6.5 and would not risk their
audio equipment. Therefore, the idea is to mix the sound such that
6.5 sounds like a seven in the theatre. Even the color grade of the
movie may look different due to different projectors used in the-
atres. At the studio, the color correction takes place under ideal
conditions. But, it may look drastically different in a theatre. It can
cause disappointment to you as a director.

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Post-production
03
A smart cinematographer usually does not put all his fantasies into
the film because he knows that half of the film would not be playing
exactly as he planned. You have to arrive at a neutral grade to know
something that will go with great and not so great projectors. You
should check for the sound, the sync and the color. Once everything
looks fine, the final print is aired or released.

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04

Production
This lesson dives into the intricate
details of the production process
and breaks down certain myths
regarding it.

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Production
04
Scheduling
Imagine you are making a film that is scheduled for 55 days of shoot.
You need to have the entire schedule in front of you before going for
the shoot. The characters, locations, and the shot breakdown are done
for a particular day. If the scenes are heavy, then, you can shoot around
three scenes a day. If the scenes are light, then, you can shoot for 18
scenes in a day. You, as a director need to discuss the schedule with the
Chief Assistant Director and the cinematographer. You may need to
shuffle a few shoots to strike a balance between a stressful and a less
stressful day. When you go to a particular location, you would want to
complete all the scenes that can be shot at that place. This model saves
a lot of production cost.

Demystifying Film Production


There is a common misconception among people that writing or
filmmaking is very easy. According to Nitesh Tiwari, filmmaking is a
highly disciplined field.

You need to do a lot of homework before coming to shoot at the movie


set.A director cannot randomly walk onto the set without preparation
and start shooting. Everything needs to be planned. You need to com-
plete your target every day and hope the film is completed on time.

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05

The art of
storytelling
Learn more about the art of story telling
as Nitesh shares his experiences from
creating ‘Chillar Party’, ‘Dangal’ and
‘Bhoothnath Returns’.

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05 The art of storytelling

What is Storytelling?
Storytelling is an individual form of expression. Everybody
has a different way of telling his or her story. Nitesh Tiwari
has a unique way of telling a story that is different from
other Indian directors. A few people want to make thrillers
or dramas while others want to make horror films. However,
there are certain principles that are common across all sto-
ries. According to Nitesh Tiwari, writing is the most import-
ant part of any film. If you get it right on paper, then, the
chances are very less that you will get it wrong in some
other form. Spend as much time as you need to write a story.
Do not stop until you are happy with your script.

Story behind Chillar Party


Writing a Screenplay begins with an interesting idea or
thought. It can just be four lines or a two pager. You need to
be able to see the potential in those four lines. For instance,
Nitesh got excited and decided to write Chillar Party. It was
conceived from a thought that a bunch of colony kids forges
friendship with an Orphan who has a pet dog. United by
their common hatred for dogs, they eventually fall in love
with the dog and then decide to save the dog. Nitesh Tiwari
saw potential in the story because he could picturise it in his
head. He thought of the characters and the idea of getting a
villain in the story.You need to build on the core story and
create the screenplay.

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05 The art of storytelling

Story behind Dangal & Bhootnath Returns


Nitesh was intrigued by the basic premise of the show. The inspirational
story of a man who trained his daughters, against all odds, to become
world- class wrestlers caught his attention. Nitesh did not start working
on the screenplay of ‘Bhootnath Returns’ until he stumbled upon the
thought of a ghost contesting elections in a movie. It was a political
satire and appeared to as a great story for the director. These premises
are strong enough for you to get excited for a project.

Evaluating a Screenplay
Nitesh does not commit to a film until the final screenplay. This is
primarily because the first four lines of a story can be exciting but it may
not have the capacity to hold the audience for a period of 2 or 2.5 hours.
A final screenplay can only give clarity about the entire picture.

Writing the Shooting Script


Nitesh Tiwari hails from an advertisement background where he has
always worked in a team. He never writes the shooting script alone. He is
comfortable writing and discussing ideas with his team members. As a
director, the best idea may or may not belong to you. You should be
open to other people’s ideas. Once the basic premise is in place, start
writing the story in full detail. Once you write close to 20 pages, then,
you can start visualizing the characters and graphs. You should then
focus on writing the one- liners because they dictate the flow of the
script. Try writing around 70 to 100 one-liners.

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05 The art of storytelling

Nitesh finds writing one-liners challenging and yet necessary at


the same time. It helps a director to know exactly how the film
is going to pan out on screen. If you have any doubts, make the
necessary changes in the one-liners. If you are interested in
writing, then, go and read the screenplay of other movies.
Watch the film and analyze how things are done. Nitesh usually
tries to keep it under 110 pages otherwise the movie will
become too lengthy. Once the shooting script is completed, the
director starts filming the movie.

Observe People
You need to be a good observer if you want to be a good writer.
You never know when you are going to come across a very
interesting character who can become extremely memorable.
You can borrow a lot from real life. People will start
empathizing with the characters if those characters resonate
with the people. It is important to travel as much as possible.
You do not have to go to US or Europe. You can travel within
your city and meet new people.

Introspection
Nitesh Tiwari does not like certain kinds of films. However, he
has found that such movies perform excellently well in box
office. Therefore, he watches those movies in the theatre to
gauge the reaction of the audience. It also reminds him that his
personal preferences may not align with that of the audience
every time. Therefore, introspect and understand the audience’s
mind-set.

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05 The art of storytelling

Nitesh writes for the audience because they are the ones
spending money to watch his movie in a theatre. You can also
write for yourself but that will altogether be a different
objective.

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06

Cinematography
This lesson introduces you to the concept
of cinematography and the roles that this
concept entails.

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06 Cinematography

Who is a Cinematographer?
Cinematography is one of the most technical jobs of filmmaking.
Cinematographers are highly qualified people who have spent a
considerable number of years learning cinematography. If you
think that you can become a cinematographer without a degree,
then, it is not possible. Cinematography is indeed a specialized
job. In non-technical language, a cinematographer is the man
behind the camera. He captures the director's vision on screen.
He is the director’s right hand man.

Roles of a Cinematographer
He plays various roles at different stages of filmmaking. You, as a
director, need to decide the schedule with the cinematographer.
You need to discuss the shots and understand whether a
particular day is hectic or not. A cinematographer can tell you
the estimated time required to shift from Scene A to Scene B.
Therefore, he comes handy while finalizing the schedule with the
first assistant director. A cinematographer is crucial to
production and costume design. He can help decide the color of
the costume such that the color on screen looks perfect. He is
also critical at the time of color correcting the film. He teams up
with the VFX artists and shoots the scenes accordingly. He also
gives his valuable insights about the shot breakdown in a scene.

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06 Cinematography

First Recce & Tech Recce


In the first recce, a director explores all the options. However, in
the tech recce, the director and the cinematographer explores
individual scenes, blocks the frames and lenses for the day of
shoot. The cinematographer has to decide on the number of
shots and define the camera angles. A cinematographer is the
backbone of the filmmaking process.

Scenic Breakdown
Emotional bits are easy to shoot, but certain things require a lot
of technical expertise. You can refer to the scene where Mahavir
Singh had a fight with his daughter in their Akhara. Nitesh Tiwari
wanted to communicate a few things through the scene. He
wanted to communicate the humiliation that Geeta felt, and the
aggression with which she fought back Mahavir Singh. It was
also important to show that Mahavir Singh lost the fight because
of his old age.

How did Nitesh Tiwari communicate all these things through


camera movements? He could have taken still shots but decided
to take steady-cam shots in the end. This was done after
consulting the action director, the wrestling coach and the DOP.
The whole sequence was shot in 48 frames. It is like shooting a
scene in twice the speed. However, certain scenes such as
Mahavir Singh getting tired and running out of breath was
slowed down to evoke emotions. You need to plan out the shots
with your DOP, well in advance, to get the desired result.

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07

Budgeting a film
In this lesson, learn about the
factors influencing a film’s budget
and more.

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Budgeting a film
07

Factors influencing the Budget


There is something called as production cost and star cost in Bolly-
wood. Every script has a production cost i.e. the money required to
make a film. The budget varies depending on the script. If your film
is set up in a small room, then, the production cost is going to be
low. Similarly, if you can finish shooting a film in 35 days, then, the
production cost is going to come down. If a film involves VFX or
expensive equipment, then, the budget will rise exponentially high.
Budgeting is all about understanding the best way to shoot without
compromising on the quality of the film.

The Influence of the Cast


In Bollywood, the budget is also influenced by the star or cast. If an
actor has a proven record of accomplishment on box office, then,
the producers are willing to shell out more money to produce the
film. Else, the producers play safe and keep the budget tight.

Convincing a Producer
How do you convince a producer? How can you approach a
production house?
It is tough to find a producer. Nitesh considers himself fortunate in
this aspect.
You need to figure out a way to meet the producers. Find the
contact numbers of the right people. Nitesh Tiwari receives synopsis
and portfolios everyday through email or on WhatsApp. Do
whatever it takes to get your idea to a producer.

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Budgeting a film
07

Writing a great Synopsis


It takes a lot of time to read the entire screenplay. Nitesh Tiwari is
extremely reluctant to read entire screenplays. He has been in meet-
ings where the entire screenplay was read out to him. He later real-
ized that he was not interested in the film. It would have been much
better if he knew the summary of the movie in advance. As a film-
maker, you should focus on writing a great synopsis. Think of the
best possible way to describe your story in a few words. Nitesh was
excited about all his three films just by reading the first 4-5 lines of
the synopsis.

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08

Assembling cast
and crew
In this lesson, you will learn about
forming your cast and crew and the
importance of a test shoot and
coordination.

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08 Assembling cast and crew

Get the Cast of Your Choice


Nitesh Tiwari had the opportunity to work with Mr Bachchan and
Aamir Khan. They were concerned about the screenplay and not the
‘name or fame’ of the director. This is the reason as to why Nitesh
feels that writing a great story is the key behind getting a great cast
on board. At times, it depends on your luck and the lead actor’s
frame of mind at that moment.

When Nitesh read out the screenplay for ‘Bhootnath Returns’ to


Amitabh Bachchan, the latter was eager to start the shoot as early
as possible. However, when Nitesh read out the screenplay for
‘Dangal’ to Aamir Khan, the latter expressed his willingness but
uncertainty about the schedule. Nitesh decided to wait until Aamir
was ready to start the shoot. A great actor who has many
blockbusters to his name will charge a premium price for doing a
film. Therefore, you should start budgeting for the film only after
the lead cast is locked.

Assembling the Team


Nitesh Tiwari considers himself fortunate for not having to
compromise on the DOP, production designer or music director of
his choice. However, he knows of other directors in the industry
who were barred from choosing a particular crewmember. In the
end, your producer must be confident about your direction and the
team. Many directors choose to work with the same technicians for
their films. A director is likely to retain his team, provided it has
been a pleasant work experience in the past. Filmmaking, in the
end, is a collaborative process.

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08 Assembling cast and crew

Importance of Test Shoot


You need to get your characters wear the costume of your choice.
Then, you have to create certain walls in the background and find the
right combination of clothes and its colors on a big screen. For
instance, Nitesh Tiwari tested five shades of white for Aamir Khan’s
kurta. When shot outdoors, the white colour tends to burn on screen.
Therefore, the DOP suggested Aamir to wear a cream colured kurta so
that it appears white on screen. This is the importance of a test shoot.
Again, Nitesh wanted a navy-blue costume for Geeta in the film. They
had to try three different shades of blue. Therefore, Geeta had to wear
a light blue costume so that it appears as “navy-blue” on screen in the
presence of stadium lights used in the film.

Working in Harmony
As the production of the film begins, the team gets confident about
the project. Nitesh Tiwari strongly believes in working harmoniously.
He abides by a golden rule and ensures that everyone adheres to it.
“No one can scream at anyone” is the golden rule on his film set.
People can make mistakes and issues can be easily settled through
constructive discussions.

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09

Location scouting
In this lesson, you will learn about the
multiple processes involved in finding
the apt location for your scene.

30
09 Location scouting

Choosing a Location
As a filmmaker, you need to figure out your comfort zone. Are
you interested in creating a set or shooting at a real location?
Nitesh personally prefers shooting at locations unless they
become unfit for the shoot. Most of the scenes in Dangal were
shot at real locations. However, a few scenes had to be done in
Chroma due to crowd mismanagement. For instance, the scene
where Mahavir Singh was coaching Geeta and Babita on the
terrace could not be shot due to people waving at the camera.
The shoot location should be as per your visualization of the
scene. Dangal was shot in six different villages but it appears as
if it was shot in the same village. Nitesh Tiwari found an
agricultural field, school, hospital and a market of his choice in
different villages. He had to travel to other places to shoot
scenes of mud wrestling and dangals.

Sync Sound & Dubbing


If you are creating a film using sync sound, then, you need to
take the sync sound artist to the shoot location. You need to
understand whether a particular location is sound friendly or
not. For instance, if there is a highway close to a field, then, the
sound of vehicles can distract the shoot. Nitesh insisted on
shooting at a “distracting” location because it was too good to
be left. He decided to dub the scene shot in that location.
Similarly, you need to have a discussion with your producer
before finalising any location.

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09 Location scouting

Scenic Breakdown
Nitesh identified a house in Kila Raipur during his location scout.
He wanted to shoot the sequence in Dangal where Mahavir
Singh slaps Babita’s cousin. Kila Raipur had a railway station and
a Gurduwara. He had two men stationed at the railway platform
and the Gurduwara to inform him about the timings of the trains
and “Gurwani”. Nitesh would shoot between the arrival of train at
the platform and the commencement of Gurwani in the
Gurduwara. In that way, he was able to shoot the scene in sync
sound.

Similarly, he wanted to shoot the Commonwealth Games’ scene


at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Delhi. This was because the
games were originally played there and a wrestling pit was
already built. Even though it was the most logical thing to do,
Nitesh found it to be cinematically challenging. There was a 15
feet wall behind the wrestling pit and the audience could not
have seen the crowd in the movie. Therefore, Nitesh had to shoot
the wrestling scene in Thyagaraj stadium . They had to create a
wrestling pit and a set. It was a mammoth task but it was a cine-
matically pleasing scene altogether. As a director, you need to
think of ways that make a scene look better cinematically. Be
willing to recreate scenes in your own way at right locations to
be able to make an impact.

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10

Working with the


music director
Music always plays a key role in the
process of filmmaking. In this lesson,
learn more about working with the
music director, music production
and more.

33
10 Working with the music director

Briefing the Music Director & Lyricist


You, as a director, need to be clear about the brief that you give
to the music director. Without proper guidance, he can run into
ten different things and come up with something that you
dislike. Be precise in your brief to the music director and the
lyricist. For instance, Nitesh Tiwari needed a song to resonate
with the intensive training period of the girls in the film. He
briefed Pritam and Amitabh Bhattacharya about the scene and
gave them an insight about the stage of life when children
have differences with their father.

Music Production
Nitesh wanted the music to be based on the folklore of
Haryana. Pritam agreed to it but insisted on keeping the
arrangements modern. Therefore, songs such as “Dhakad” and
“Bapu Sehat ke liya” had both modern arrangements and local
influence. Once the brief is given to the lyricist and the music
director, they come up with sketches and commences the
music production process. The music directors gets the singers
and people involved in creating background music, mixing and
mastering. Mixing a song is a mammoth task as the number of
layers are extremely high. Pritam was in love with the
screenplay of Dangal and had therefore decided to create the
background music himself. Since he had worked on the songs,
therefore, he was able to do justice to the background music as
well.

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10 Working with the music director

Theme Creation
Nitesh wanted to create a music theme for the film. Mahavir
Singh told his wife that the Indian tricolour will fly high one
day. The soundtrack that accompanies the scene is based on
Singh’s theme of “desire”. When Mahavir Singh got to know that
his daughters had beaten up a boy, he saw hope in them. The
soundtrack resonates with the theme of “hope”. However, there
are independent events such as the one where Geeta fights her
first Dangal. According to Nitesh Tiwari, emotions are
interlinked between scenes and are not independent. The
music director needs to keep all such points in mind before
creating the background music.

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11

Role of an editor
Learn more about the importance of an
editor and the various roles that an
editor plays in the process of
filmmaking.

36
11 Role of an editor

Introduction to Editing
Editing is a technical job. An editor needs to be aware of the
technical details and the editing software to be used.
According to Nitesh Tiwari, an editor is the third storyteller in a
film. His role is to put all the final scenes together. You and your
editor needs to have a shared vision. For instance, if you, as a
director, want to evoke emotions through a scene, then, the
editor cannot cut the scene abruptly.

An editor needs to be extremely sensible about the pace and


length of a scene. He needs to employ reasoning and logic
while cutting a scene. Nitesh Tiwari is choosy about his edits
because he writes the shooting script with the edit in mind. For
instance, he had a rigid edit approach for the ‘Hair-chopping’
scene in Dangal.

Scenic Breakdown
Nitesh Tiwari wanted to prolong the impact of the ‘hair
chopping’ scene in the movie. He wanted to add emotion to
the scene through the reactions of Mahavir Singh and the
people of the village. He wanted to reveal the short hair of the
girls towards the end of the scene. He advised Ballu Saluja, the
editor of Dangal, to cut the scene accordingly. Nitesh had
however shot the girls emerging from behind the shop. Ballu
used his own instincts and used the ‘reveal shot’ before the
‘reaction shot’. As a result, the audience was able to understand
the reason behind such a reaction of the villagers in the film.

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12

Excerpts from
the scenes
In this lesson, Nitesh talks about the
minute details that are taken into
consideration while shooting for a
scene.

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12 Excerpts from the scenes

Scenic Breakdown
Nitesh Tiwari explains one of the most rewarding yet
heart-breaking scenes from Dangal. He went to Haryana, Delhi
and Punjab for the location recce. Nitesh found an old, broken
wrought iron bridge running over a Canal. He wanted to shoot
a part of the training scene in that location. The bridge was
broken and had holes in it. It was one of the first locations that
he had locked. When he had come to the location for tech
recce, the bridge was already repaired. The production team
ensured that the bridge was safe for commutation.

The shoot was scheduled on 20th September. Interestingly, it


was the first shot of the film. Setu, the DOP, checked the
position of the sun and the position where the camera needs to
be placed. Nitesh wanted to capture the sun and its reflection
on the canal in the scene. Setu crosschecked the requirements
on the penultimate day of shoot. However, it started raining
heavily on the day of shoot. The sun was nowhere to be seen.
Nitesh had waited for 3-4 hours but the shoot had to be
cancelled. The bridge had to be repaired and the shoot was
rescheduled for the following week.

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12 Excerpts from the scenes

The position of the sun had changed in the following week. The
DOP had to change the camera angle and the position. The
rehearsal was concluded but they were again in a fix on the day
of shoot. Nitesh and his crew realized that the position of the
sun had changed again. They had to shift the camera position
to get the sun and its reflection on the canal in the same frame.
The team put in enormous hard work for a scene that lasted
only for 2 seconds in the movie. This sums up the art of film-
making.

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13

Is filmmaking a
viable career option?
In this final lesson, explore the scope
of creating a career out of filmmaking
and the key necessities in making your
career happen.

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Is filmmaking a viable career option?
13
Passion is the Key
You need to be in love with films to be able to pursue filmmak-
ing as a career.It will be difficult to survive in the film industry if
you are just there for the money. The pay will be relatively low
irrespective of the department you join in any profession.
Nitesh Tiwari recommends that you should pursue your passion
without thinking about the monetary value.

Learn Filmmaking
As you gain experience and prove your abilities, you will have
no shortage of money. It takes time to become an established
filmmaker. This is because you will have to start at the bottom
of the hierarchy. Nitesh started out as a director. However, he
had spent close to 12 years in advertising and learnt, watched
and wrote scripts for films. There are a lot of filmmaking
courses in India as well as abroad. You can take online courses
relevant to filmmaking. There is always an option available for
every kind of budget. You can pick and choose what you want
to do. You can learn things on your own like Nitesh Tiwari or
get enrolled in a film institute. Nitesh has learnt everything
through his life experiences and the work he has done with
other directors.

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Is filmmaking a viable career option?
13
Career Options
The career options are infinite. Some of them require technical
expertise whereas others do not. For instance, you do not need
a degree to become a writer or a director. If you are good at
your job, then, you will definitely get noticed. Filmmaking is a
very disciplined and demanding job. You cannot survive in this
career if you are not passionate about it. It takes a lot of
dedication to stick with an idea for 3 years.

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