#i went into film post prod generally because editing is the only thing i managed to stick with

[vasfasan]

me when my dad tries to push me into IT and away from Film Prod:

[newmonk]

TAKE IT EASY

30TH MARCH 2018 I was out with mom for my birthday lunch. My 25th birthday. This year wasn’t heading anywhere in terms of what I’d imagined it to be and I was sort of disoriented with life. I had just quit a long term project mid-way on an ugly note, was at the lowest in my personal life, and I’d started losing interest in things around me. Seemed like everything was breaking down at the same time.

But being the eternal optimist that I am, I was pushing myself everyday into thinking that come what may, now on I will only focus on what I want to do, both professionally & personally, so that I’m never in the mental space that I was (then)in.

Coming back, after lunch when mom & I headed out of the restaurant, I got a call from Riva (OML), saying they wanted to meet regarding Anirban Dasgupta’s Amazon Prime special. Now Anirban had discussed about his special with me and had mentioned a couple of months ago that he wanted me to work on his special, but in what capacity, I didn’t know, I don’t think even he knew what designation he wanted me to handle when he said that. Honestly, I was yearning to work on a stand up special, yet was slightly skeptical, as some time ago another comic had approached me to work on their special, since that hadn’t materialized, it had fizzled my excitement. Anyway, I was elated to be working with Anirban, since I really like the man, his comedy and even more: his ethic. So right after I got off the call with OML, at that very instant, I felt positivity rush through my head, a feeling that this could be the beginning of something new, a fresh start.

FLASHBACK #1 I remember meeting Anirban for the first time at CLC Mumbai back in September 2016, he had called me over to record his set. I had frequently been shooting live stand up sets then, and a mutual friend, Siddharth Dudeja had referred me to him.

3RD APRIL 2018 I met the producers Tihany and Harshita at OML, we had a nice conversation and I shared my previous work with them. They clearly seemed like people who were open to working on new ideas with new people, which was really good. So, after certain deliberations over the following week (as I am told), I finally got a confirmation call to direct the special!

11TH APRIL 2018 Pre-production for ‘TAKE IT EASY’ kicked off on 11th April 2018, the core team sat across a table, and tried to understand each other’s’ perspectives. Usually, I take some time to open up and discuss my ideas, and that’s what happened here as well, but the vibe at that workspace was quite comforting, and within a couple of days, I felt like a part of the team.

Special thanks to Tihany, Harshita, Riva & Sneha for handling the entire production so well right from the top.

15TH APRIL - 30TH APRIL 2018 Recces at CLC began. The good part was that CLC was home turf for both of us; Anirban(as artist) and me(as director), as we had done several shows at the venue both together & individually, yet we knew that it would be challenging to shoot there, as the entire idea was to make CLC not look like CLC, firstly because it is an Amazon Special and has to look like one! & secondly, ANYONE who has seen even one Indian stand-up act on YouTube knows exactly how CLC looks like. That was the first realisation that this is going to be a tough job.

As recces and pre-prod meetings became routine, Parag - Associate Producer, joined the team (He is a valuable addition to any unit that he joins)

TRIVIA #1 Judah Friedlander, Bill Burr, Chris Rock & Chris D’Elia are some comedy greats that Anirban introduced me to during pre-production. We kept referencing their work; posters, framing, edit patterns, trailers, which helped us get perspective on our own show, right from the beginning.

FLASHBACK #2 Anirban had asked me back in January (2018), how the idea of an entirely black and white special was, what would be anyones’ first thought about it. What was my first thought about it? My first reaction was that it’ll be super-cool, but immediately I started thinking about its context with the material & I remember telling him a mix of black & white with color would be a better option.

6TH MAY 2018 Shoot day passed by just like that, I honestly don’t remember much from that day, it was a weird mix of nervousness, sleeplessness & excitement. I remember how it ended though, we celebrated Harshita’s birthday at CLC, and later Anirban, Prerna & I went to a house party, quite chill, good times :)

9TH MAY 2018 – 11TH JUNE 2018 Post production. Long working hours. Sleep? What’s that? No routine. Miscommunication. Post production. Long working hours. Sleep? What’s that? No routine. Miscommunication. Post production & Sound Mixing. Long working hours. Sleep? What’s that? No routine. Miscommunication. This loop is infinite.

On a serious note: Pooja, Mihir & Kshitij, added immense value to this project.

One interesting thing that happened during this time was that we only got the OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION to go ahead with the black & white look just ONE WEEK before the final delivery of the special. Hard to believe, right?

BACKSTORY: During pre-prod, we were told that the black & white look had been approved which is why we had planned EVERYTHING according to that color palette, but just TEN DAYS before the shoot, we were informed that suddenly the platform wasn’t sure of screening a full blown one hour special in monochrome, and was contemplative about their decision (Read: Murphy’s Law). Now neither did we have time for coming up with Plan B, nor could the show date be pushed, we had no option but to play safe, so the setup that we finally shot; including: lighting, backdrop, costume, was kept global/generic, since the call of the special being in color or monochrome would only be taken during post-production. It was a bummer, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

We stood our ground, and as you may have noticed: the special went out in MONOCHROME. Yay!

PRE-CLIMAX The kind of freedom Anirban gave me was commendable. He didn’t compromise on anything whatsoever, and I truly truly appreciate that about him, it was empowering. The thought was clear, we wanted to create a new experience for the comedy viewers, but with purpose in place, not only for the sake of it, or just because we could. We had fresh ideas, at the same time, needed to balance it with the guidelines of the platform, so although we were taking risks, they were calculated, as to how experimental we can/should get.

CONCLUSION During this process, I realised that Anirban apart from being such a well-established artist, consciously ‘chooses’ to be a student of the (comedy)art form, always open to ideas, opinions and learning. You name a special (live or online), and I’m quite sure he must’ve seen it. That level of involvement.

He’d told me once that his intention is to go up at least once on stage EVERYDAY, irrespective of the circumstances; That just blew my mind! Even I want to be that determined in what I do, or find something that pushes me to that extent.

I can’t even begin to tell how straining, restless yet satisfying the last two months have been. But streaming the special on Amazon Prime Video now is a great feeling. I’ve seen the special on all devices possible, Android phone, iPhone, Macbook, Windows, PS4, Fire Stick, you name it. I think I’m just habituated to watching it every day.

Anirban performed ‘Take It Easy’ for the last time at CLC, Noida on 23rd June, 2018 & coincidentally I was there to watch the show, for the final time, thereby coming full circle with the show. Somethings are meant to happen I guess, or perhaps I’m just overthinking. Haha.

RANDOM NOTE I love the art-form. It comes from a place of angst and frustration, its just lovely to see a comic go up of stage and share their individualistic opinion about things. More than laughing, it makes you wonder about the circumstances that the person has been through, the issues that we as a community, a country face on a regular basis. Stand-up actually comes from a place of deep-rooted pain and I think that’s beautiful.

SHOUT-OUT (i) Namit & Prerna(Anirban’s management): These guys operate at a different pace man! So efficient & creative at the same time. I love the understanding they share with Anirban, it’s such a good marriage between the three. They helped us sail through the process, with ease. Most of the good ideas & creative decisions that made it to the final output, were actually suggested by the two of them. Great collaborators.

(ii) Vipin from 9 Horses, who gave the sound the exact feel that we wanted. P.S.: Sound is the MOST important (yet highly neglected) aspect, especially for a comedy special, it’s make or break.

(iii) Every stand-up artist who has hired me till date. It was because of them that I could consistently practice shooting and editing comedy, it was during this course that I realized the potential that stand up has, especially visually, and I can’t even begin to tell how experimental it can get, if thought through!

CONCLUSION CONTINUED I want to thank Anirban for giving me this opportunity, I absolutely enjoyed myself through it (except the marketing collaterals -_-)

Also wanted to share that I got to direct another Amazon special, for Gaurav Kapoor. This time again, we’ve tried a different look and feel and I’m really glad that the folks at OML have been accepting of most of the ideas that we’ve pitched to them. Anirban & Gaurav’s specials are two ends of a spectrum, which is good for me, since I get to showcase my versatility right from the beginning of my directorial journey.

Directing ‘Take it Easy’ was a big deal for me, and I think I lived up to it(whatever the case, IMDb ratings will tell soon). I hope I’ve grown as a person during this process and can apply the knowledge I’ve learnt from this, into future projects and life, in general.

Going back to my beloved(NOT) corporate films for a while, see you on the other side!

Sharing some images from the process behind making ‘Take It Easy’.