I’ve been making films for the past 15 years. So far, I’ve directed 6 live-action feature films and acted as the animation head in two animated feature length films. And I did not go to a film school. Instead, I went to an Engineering college to study Telecom.
The Computer Geek
It was mid 90s, computers were getting smarter, smaller and cheaper every year. The Internet was growing fast and there were talks of information technology everywhere. Colleges began offering new courses and it caught everyone’s attention. We finally had something else to look at as a career path other that engineering and medical.
Like most kids, I dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot and a doctor, but my interest in computers led me straight to choosing an engineering degree in information technology. Funny thing is that my interest was only limited to computer games and nothing more. I didn’t even know whether I could make a career out of it or not. All I knew was that it was the talk of the town and my parents also saw potential in it so it seemed like the right choice back then.
Then I entered the most crucial part of my life. My interest in computers grew immensely. I developed new skills like image & video editing, animations and music. A whole new universe opened up for me. It was the most exciting time as I began dreaming of creating something fantastic. Unfortunately, none of that ever materialized as I had no clue how to formulate the ideas. But I kept on dreaming.
A New Millennium
The Y2K bug wasn’t the only thing for me to worry about. College caught me off guard and threw a whole new set of challenges at me. Moving to a new city, adjusting to the semester system and facing the scariest monster I’d ever seen in form of a book called Calculus, was enough to derail my plans. But I had to go through it. Specially after failing to convince my parents about switching my career to performing arts. And I can’t thank them enough for that. For if I hadn’t learned to face my demons back then, I wouldn’t have made it this far.
Life took an interesting turn when I learned a programing language. It was the first time I understood how software and games were made. I felt like I got closer to seeing my dreams coming to life. I began by combining my existing animation and music assets with newly learned logic and produced a simple game. It felt like I achieved something big. I wasn’t bold enough to share it with the world though. But it allowed me to look at my life with a whole new perspective.
I had just started having fun with coding when Telecommunications was introduced to the syllabus and it was made obvious that it was a booming industry and that everyone should focus on securing their place in the market. I had to follow the majority, but my heart was still where it last felt warmth. Semesters became more demanding and I found lesser time for my interests. My happiness was restricted to making cool animated presentations for my friends.
It was obvious to everyone that I wasn’t in the right place. When all my colleagues went for internships in Telecom companies, I applied in a media production house. But unfortunately, I didn’t get any response. And since the internship experience was mandatory for the degree, my last resort was to intern as a web developer in a real-estate company.
The Switch
Soon after graduating, I got a job in one of the Telecom service providers. I used to sit inside a room they called a Switch where all the data & calls got automatically re-routed to their respective recipients. My job was to report and resolve faults in the network for it to run smooth. I tried blending in. I tried to enjoy, but I just couldn’t. Specially when I learned that I won’t get paid even after probation. And it was not because I was bad at my job. It was just a norm. One of my seniors had been working there for two years without a salary. He was fine with it, but I wasn’t. If I were to borrow money from my parents even after a four year long expensive degree, I’d rather quit. And so I did and went back home.
While contemplating my next move, I get a call from one of the media production houses I applied for during my last semester. I had already made up my mind of applying for jobs abroad. But that phone call gave me a good jolt. It brought back those warm memories from when I was made my first game. My game dev career from a parallel universe flashed in front of my eyes. I had to give it a try.
One Last Try
I went in with a closed mind. I had planned to go abroad after all. I took my computer hard drive wrapped in an old newspaper with my portfolio in it. And by portfolio, I mean unfinished animations, music compositions and video edits of me dancing and lip syncing to my favorite songs, with my roommate from college, captured using the worst quality webcam. I wasn’t too impressive in my interview either. But I guess my passion saw me through and they offered me a job.
The fact that I was getting a salary made it an obvious move to accept it there and then. But what kept bugging me was that I was not in the Telecom sector. It’s funny that I felt alienated during college and when I finally got a job, which could help bring my dreams to life, I felt like I was a complete stranger. But it was what it was and I found peace in my job as a Video & Sound Generalist.
A Little Push
Technology evolved and so did the companies benefitting from it. Our production house also began redesigning their pipeline and establish themselves as a visual effects studio. New posts were created and relevant resources were to be hired. The existing ones were either to be retrained or laid off. And with my little knowledge and experience, I could see the end of my short-lived creative journey.
By then my colleagues from college were all getting comfortable in their positions and earning well. I just couldn’t imagine going back. I’d be left far behind in the survival race if I do. I was learning new tools everyday. I desperately needed something to cling on to. But despite all the efforts, nothing was able to keep me afloat. Until one day, one of my seniors asked me to try animating a 3D character. I took a small portion from one of my favorite songs and animated a character performing it. That was it! I received a lot of praise from my peers. One of the popular computer graphics blogs also acclaimed it. I was like living a dream.
Timing couldn’t have been better for the production house to announce that for some reason, they had given up on becoming a visual effects studio. Seniors left the company one after another while those who were left behind were asked to be as they were like nothing happened. But it wasn’t the same anymore. I could clearly see a road block ahead and so with the help of my newly learned skill, I managed to get a job in a game dev studio.
to be continued…