"What happens in Pakistan is basically copied"

Dubai based TVC director Anwar Al Amin talks to Marylou Andrew about the differences in the production business in Dubai and Pakistan.

MARYLOU ANDREW: You started your career as a TVC director in Dubai in the 90s. Why not in Pakistan?
ANWAR AL AMIN: I am glad I started here, if I had started in Pakistan no one would have taken me seriously. The problem is that there is no international recognition; no one knows anything about the creatives or directors in Pakistan because they are all in their own bubble. They need to come out of it and put their work in award ceremonies. Dubai is all about awards and originality. What happens in Pakistan is basically copied. Here it is different; the norms and professionalism are totally different.

MLA: How have you seen the production business changing in the last few years?
AAA: Production is becoming very demanding. In Dubai you need to come up with new ideas all the time, because the competition is very tough. It is not like in Pakistan, where the business revolves around three or four directors. Here the options are unlimited and they can hire directors from anywhere in the world. When I first came here they wanted English directors and English cameramen. Even the agencies felt that their creative directors had to be from England. Then a few guys came from India and they changed perceptions and people realised that talent doesn’t have to have white skin and blue eyes, it can come from the Asian sector as well. Now most of the creative directors in Dubai are either from India or from Lebanon. The emergence of Asian talent has been a game changer.

MLA: Why has this region been able to attract all this talent?
AAA: The pay is high and people are appreciated here. The kind of salaries that CDs and copywriters get in Pakistan is a joke. That is how talent is respected and it grows – when they are compensated properly. In Pakistan creative directors want to jump into filmmaking after a couple of years because they think they can make money there.

MLA: You work with agencies in Dubai and in Pakistan – what is the difference in the work style?
AAA: There is a huge difference. Here everything starts with originality whereas in Pakistan it always starts with a YouTube reference that usually links back to India. I also work like this in Pakistan; I grab one scene from here, another from there and do it like that.

MLA: Why don’t you work differently considering that you have all of this exposure?
AAA: I try but you have to find people who think like you. If you work with a seth company they don’t have any business ethics. Indian copies, Indian cinema and Indian style of advertising are acceptable. They are always asking you to copy things but why? We have our own stories, our own talent. I am very selective now about the type of work I do. I want to do human storytelling and this is not happening in Pakistan.

"The pay is high and people are appreciated here. The kind of salaries that CDs and copywriters get in Pakistan is a joke. That is how talent is respected and it grows when they are compensated properly. In Pakistan creative directors want to jump into filmmaking after a couple of years because they think can make money there."

MLA: How many TVCs do you do per year?
AAA: About 10 to 12 TVCs a year and for this region it is quite a lot. In Pakistan, directors shoot two or three commercials a month, but I don’t want to take on a lot of work and then not deliver quality. I spend a lot of time in pre-production. In Pakistan the approach is very different, all they want to do is make money. We also want to make money, but we want to create something original. Even if I watch my commercial two to three years down the line I should be happy. I try to refine and mould ideas in my own style and that becomes more like my creativity. In Dubai when we are given a storyboard, we need to come up with a proper interpretation.

MLA: Do you want to diversify away from TVCs?
AAA: In this work you reach a saturation point fast. So what next? Filmmaking? First you need to test your temperament, can you handle the script or not? I have seen some big flops in Pakistan. Along with the right temperament, you need a lot of time for the screenplay, the pre and post. For me, I will not jump into it right away. I will probably do a documentary first to see if I am good enough to do a film.

MLA: Let’s say a young director wants to come to Dubai and set up here. What advice would you give him or her?
AAA: I always have a question when young people enter this field: are they doing it for the money or to make a difference? If they are doing it for the money, please go and do something else. I have met some good young people here and in Pakistan but the focus is not there. Some of them are good in art direction but want to jump into direction – don’t do that. Do what you are good at. Self realisation is the main thing. Don’t do it because others are doing it.

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