u/PuzzleheadedRound353

TLDR: Studio system in india in f*cked

I have been working as a dev exec at a major Indian film studio for more than 6 months now.

My experience has broken something inside me and idk where to go from here.

I’m the first rung of the ladder at the studio so I’m the first one who gets to read scripts when they come in.

In my time I have noticed that the studio is not really interested in developing work or talent. They want everything ready. They don’t want to pay writers to develop upon any material. I’ve had the opportunity to contact some big names among the indian writers and they’ve even submitted good ideas / concepts. They have all been passed on by the studio because they will require development.

They literally expect a complete show bible and a bound script if it’s a movie. Basically they want writers to write on spec. But even then they will not pay them. They will take the project to a streamer (there are only 4 in india: Netflix, Amazon, JioStar, Sony) and if the streamer likes something then and only then will they commission the project.

In my time I have not seen any project get commissioned, no script that’s being bought. The streamers always find a problem with the material (and usually the problem is solvable with development) and reject it.

Moreover, everyone at my workplace is a marketing person or MBA including my boss and my boss’ boss. Nobody comes from a film background or actually even cares if they’re making a good film or not. Everyone just wants to know if the film will sell on the first weekend.

I’m overworked, underpaid and there’s an unsaid expectation to work 24 hrs with no overtime pay. Work life balance is not a thing. Asking for a holiday seems like I’m doing a crime. And btw this was something really new for me: earned leaves. I have to work to earn my holiday. This all is giving me hints of slavery…

I see no future for cinema in india. The studio will survive and even thrive because of all the royalties they continue to get. It feels like that’s becomes their main business, their main source of income.

I want to know how do you keep hope alive. It’s so terrible out here. I came here in the hope that I would pitch them my movie someday but now I’m just hiding the fact that I have even written one because if I do they’ll argue that the movie is there’s since I wrote it while I’m employed with their company.

This is disillusioning me from cinema. The business is actively working against the art and artists, not even trying to support.

TLDR: Studio system in india in f*cked

I have been working as a dev exec at a major Indian film studio for more than 6 months now.

My experience has broken something inside me and idk where to go from here.

I’m the first rung of the ladder at the studio so I’m the first one who gets to read scripts when they come in.

In my time I have noticed that the studio is not really interested in developing work or talent. They want everything ready. They don’t want to pay writers to develop upon any material. I’ve had the opportunity to contact some big names among the indian writers and they’ve even submitted good ideas / concepts. They have all been passed on by the studio because they will require development.

They literally expect a complete show bible and a bound script if it’s a movie. Basically they want writers to write on spec. But even then they will not pay them. They will take the project to a streamer (there are only 4 in india: Netflix, Amazon, JioStar, Sony) and if the streamer likes something then and only then will they commission the project.

In my time I have not seen any project get commissioned, no script that’s being bought. The streamers always find a problem with the material (and usually the problem is solvable with development) and reject it.

Moreover, everyone at my workplace is a marketing person or MBA including my boss and my boss’ boss. Nobody comes from a film background or actually even cares if they’re making a good film or not. Everyone just wants to know if the film will sell on the first weekend.

I’m overworked, underpaid and there’s an unsaid expectation to work 24 hrs with no overtime pay. Work life balance is not a thing. Asking for a holiday seems like I’m doing a crime. And btw this was something really new for me: earned leaves. I have to work to earn my holiday. This all is giving me hints of slavery…

I see no future for cinema in india. The studio will survive and even thrive because of all the royalties they continue to get. It feels like that’s becomes their main business, their main source of income.

I want to know how do you keep hope alive. It’s so terrible out here. I came here in the hope that I would pitch them my movie someday but now I’m just hiding the fact that I have even written one because if I do they’ll argue that the movie is there’s since I wrote it while I’m employed with their company.

This is disillusioning me from cinema. The business is actively working against the art and artists, not even trying to support.

TLDR: Studio system in india in f*cked

I have been working as a dev exec at a major Indian film studio for more than 6 months now.

My experience has broken something inside me and idk where to go from here.

I’m the first rung of the ladder at the studio so I’m the first one who gets to read scripts when they come in.

In my time I have noticed that the studio is not really interested in developing work or talent. They want everything ready. They don’t want to pay writers to develop upon any material. I’ve had the opportunity to contact some big names among the indian writers and they’ve even submitted good ideas / concepts. They have all been passed on by the studio because they will require development.

They literally expect a complete show bible and a bound script if it’s a movie. Basically they want writers to write on spec. But even then they will not pay them. They will take the project to a streamer (there are only 4 in india: Netflix, Amazon, JioStar, Sony) and if the streamer likes something then and only then will they commission the project.

In my time I have not seen any project get commissioned, no script that’s being bought. The streamers always find a problem with the material (and usually the problem is solvable with development) and reject it.

Moreover, everyone at my workplace is a marketing person or MBA including my boss and my boss’ boss. Nobody comes from a film background or actually even cares if they’re making a good film or not. Everyone just wants to know if the film will sell on the first weekend.

I’m overworked, underpaid and there’s an unsaid expectation to work 24 hrs with no overtime pay. Work life balance is not a thing. Asking for a holiday seems like I’m doing a crime. And btw this was something really new for me: earned leaves. I have to work to earn my holiday. This all is giving me hints of slavery…

I see no future for cinema in india. The studio will survive and even thrive because of all the royalties they continue to get. It feels like that’s becomes their main business, their main source of income.

I want to know how do you keep hope alive. It’s so terrible out here. I came here in the hope that I would pitch them my movie someday but now I’m just hiding the fact that I have even written one because if I do they’ll argue that the movie is there’s since I wrote it while I’m employed with their company.

This is disillusioning me from cinema. The business is actively working against the art and artists, not even trying to support.

This is like a semi advice request and semi vent kinda post.

I moved to a new city 6 weeks ago. I have full time office job and the hours are long! Like 9-10 hours everyday and even alternate Saturdays are working, south asia am i right?

I found a house and moved in at the beginning of April. In the last 4 weeks I’ve lived in this house, I got a bed, a mattress, a table, all the appliances, damn bedsheets and pillow cases. And my parents sent me some stuff from home. I organised it all and like my apartment is a functioning household now.

5 days ago I get a message from my mother telling me that she’s coming on Sunday because my entire family is stressed that i’m not eating home cooked food.

My mother has been in my home for 3 days and it literally feels more like her home than mine. Today morning, I yelled at her a bit before I left for office. I was upset all day at the office today. I was trying to figure out how to talk to her. I could feel the guilt of yelling because I’ve seen my father yelling at her and every other family member throughout my teenage years so I have that trauma as well. I don’t respond well to someone yelling at me and also feel extremely guilty about yelling at someone. When I came back at 11pm I sat with her and apologized and tried to explain the reason behind my anger. Her response was some tears and she asked me to book her a flight back home.

While trying to articulate my point of view, I realised she has not really respected my opinion or wish a majority of the time. The conversation went deeper than I thought it would. I could recall that she never really respected much of my wishes during my childhood and teenage years. Small things like don’t touch my stuff, let me put things where I want, to larger things that i confided in her asking her not to tell my father but she did at least more than 50% of the time (we mutually agreed upon this figure after she argued “not always”).
We spent more than an hour having this conversation and I kept my cool. She barely said anything and whenever she did, she tried to justify her actions, not looking at the bigger picture and what I was trying to say to her.

This conversation made me ask myself if this is gaslighting? I went for a shower, crying in there and I came out determined to not talk and just go to sleep, considering it was almost 1am. But the conversation continued. She tried to justify by saying that the only reason she came was that I wasn’t eating home cooked meals. I tried to ask her how can I relieve her of this stress, her staying with me and cooking for me is really not a long term solution. She had no answer to that. I tried to explain to her if she had given me more time I would’ve done some trial and error and started to eventually cook. I’m also sick and tired of eating out all the time. I’m in my late twenties, I can feel the food fucking up my body. And south asia definitely does not have strong food checks or hygiene standards.

At 1:30am we’re still arguing about a solution. I’ve said my piece and I’m visibly upset. She tells me how can we sleep angry, we both won’t get good sleep. I turn to the other side, silently crying and I begin to hear snores from my mother less than 10 mins after her statement.

Here I am an hour later, awake in my bed knowing I have to be in office in less than 9 hours and she’s nicely asleep snoring her worries away.

Is this gaslighting, am I delusional? I need an outsiders view. Please advise me how do I deal with this. I’ve had the privilege of growing up in a major city in a relatively financially comfortable family but I’ve always wanted to leave home. I was excited to go to a different city for college and excited to move out again for work. How can I explain this to my parents? I always feel guilty because my emotions come out aggressively. My parents aren’t willing to change, I know this for sure.

This is like a semi advice request and semi vent kinda post.

I moved to a new city 6 weeks ago. I have full time office job and the hours are long! Like 9-10 hours everyday and even alternate Saturdays are working, south asia am i right?

I found a house and moved in at the beginning of April. In the last 4 weeks I’ve lived in this house, I got a bed, a mattress, a table, all the appliances, damn bedsheets and pillow cases. And my parents sent me some stuff from home. I organised it all and like my apartment is a functioning household now.

5 days ago I get a message from my mother telling me that she’s coming on Sunday because my entire family is stressed that i’m not eating home cooked food.

My mother has been in my home for 3 days and it literally feels more like her home than mine. Today morning, I yelled at her a bit before I left for office. I was upset all day at the office today. I was trying to figure out how to talk to her. I could feel the guilt of yelling because I’ve seen my father yelling at her and every other family member throughout my teenage years so I have that trauma as well. I don’t respond well to someone yelling at me and also feel extremely guilty about yelling at someone. When I came back at 11pm I sat with her and apologized and tried to explain the reason behind my anger. Her response was some tears and she asked me to book her a flight back home.

While trying to articulate my point of view, I realised she has not really respected my opinion or wish a majority of the time. The conversation went deeper than I thought it would. I could recall that she never really respected much of my wishes during my childhood and teenage years. Small things like don’t touch my stuff, let me put things where I want, to larger things that i confided in her asking her not to tell my father but she did at least more than 50% of the time (we mutually agreed upon this figure after she argued “not always”).
We spent more than an hour having this conversation and I kept my cool. She barely said anything and whenever she did, she tried to justify her actions, not looking at the bigger picture and what I was trying to say to her.

This conversation made me ask myself if this is gaslighting? I went for a shower, crying in there and I came out determined to not talk and just go to sleep, considering it was almost 1am. But the conversation continued. She tried to justify by saying that the only reason she came was that I wasn’t eating home cooked meals. I tried to ask her how can I relieve her of this stress, her staying with me and cooking for me is really not a long term solution. She had no answer to that. I tried to explain to her if she had given me more time I would’ve done some trial and error and started to eventually cook. I’m also sick and tired of eating out all the time. I’m in my late twenties, I can feel the food fucking up my body. And south asia definitely does not have strong food checks or hygiene standards.

At 1:30am we’re still arguing about a solution. I’ve said my piece and I’m visibly upset. She tells me how can we sleep angry, we both won’t get good sleep. I turn to the other side, silently crying and I begin to hear snores from my mother less than 10 mins after her statement.

Here I am an hour later, awake in my bed knowing I have to be in office in less than 9 hours and she’s nicely asleep snoring her worries away.

Is this gaslighting, am I delusional? I need an outsiders view. Please advise me how do I deal with this. I’ve had the privilege of growing up in a major city in a relatively financially comfortable family but I’ve always wanted to leave home. I was excited to go to a different city for college and excited to move out again for work. How can I explain this to my parents? I always feel guilty because my emotions come out aggressively. My parents aren’t willing to change, I know this for sure.