Why Creativity Shouldn’t Be Cheap: Written by Yvette Tan

A few days ago, I came across this post on Facebook:

I don’t know where it’s from so I can’t cite sources, but it generated a lot of response when I reposted it. It’s a constant headache among people in the creative industry–graphic artists, writers (especially writers!), photographers, and so on–that they are under-compensated, their work undervalued.

There are two prevailing notions behind this that I know of:

First, non-creatives have the tendency to think that just because anyone can, say, a. write, b. buy a DSLR, and c. take a graphic design class, these are automatically skills that everyone can possess.  Professional writers suffer from this misconception the most because in theory, even a first grader can string a sentence together and if a seven year-old can write, then it shouldn’t be a hard skill to master, right?

Wrong.

The second misconception is that creatives work like machines in the manufacturing industry, in the sense that the more work you make them do, the cheaper production gets. Many people think that projects that involve creativity can be bought wholesale, again, like physical products.

Wrong again.

Let me tackle the second point first. Unlike machines, which have moulds and run on continuous power, ensuring (theoretically) quality product all the time, creatives are human beings that use brain power. Contrary to popular belief, thinking is hard work, even if it does not burn much calories. It tires the body and fatigues the mind. Quality of work can diminish without rest. Whether you want to give someone a discount because s/he has given you a lot of work is up to you, but they shouldn’t be able to use ‘buying wholesale’ as an excuse.

Now the first point. Yes, a seven year-old can fill a notebook with words. And yes, that same seven-year old can take nice photos (but hopefully not with a DSLR, unless you are very, very wealthy). But what people don’t realise is that what they’re buying isn’t just someone who will do a job that they could do themselves, if only they had the time. What they are buying, particularly when they hire a professional, is the time, effort, and experience that person put into honing his or her craft.

What you are buying are words that every client, every investor, loyal or potential, will see, so it is in your best interest to make sure that those words are damn good.

Obviously, this post comes from a personal disappointment. As a young writer, I kept coming across these two arguments, and I didn’t know how to respond to them. I don’t know where I read it, but now I know how to explain why we charge what we charge:

What we charge isn’t really high because when you divide the amount spent on art/ copy by the number of people you want to impress (clients, investors, employees, your mother) and the profit/ morale you will generate from it, then you will realise that what you are paying isn’t expensive at all.

If you ask me, most creatives still aren’t being paid enough for their work. I’m still hoping that this changes someday.

Posted on : http://yvettetan.com/2012/11/26/why-creativity-shouldnt-be-cheap/

Gour Hari Dastaan impresses parliamentarians

It takes patience and perseverance of unimaginable levels to come even somewhat close to what Gour Hari Das has accomplished. For the uninitiated, he fought a silent war for 32 long years against his own government to prove his patriotic association towards the nation. Finally, after three full decades, the government gave him a certificate recognising his work as a freedom fighter.

As you might be aware, Ananth Mahadevan's film GOUR HARI DASTAAN, inspired by his life is all set to release this Friday. Ask the freedom fighter how important is the film for him and he immediately says, "It's not important for me, it's important for the next generation. I hope whatever I have done is a source of inspiration for the new generation to do something for others and for society." 

He goes on to add, "The difference between the youth of today and pre-independence is that in those days when we planned to sabotage or attack the British, our cause was justified because we were fighting for the country. Today the youth lack aim and motive. They merely blow up trains, kill innocent people and fall prey to misleading religious fanaticism. Everything is wrongly politicised. The youth of today need to learn from the youth of our time."

According to Das, Vinay has done a superlative job in the film. "Vinay is fantastic in the film. How good he is can't be expressed in words. I have quite a few clippings and photos of him from the film. Looking at them, I sometimes can't believe that he's not me. He put in a lot of efforts to look similar to me," says Das on a concluding note.

Impresses parliamentarians

A full house of members of parliament including ex commissioner of police Satyapal Singh and other prominent names loudly applauded and hailed GOUR
HARI DASTAAN-THE FREEDOM FILE in Delhi. Das was mobbed and feted by them and they even decided to discuss the film in parliament and the issues it
raised. Praises from "genial" to "the most important film of our time" were showered on the film. 

Despite parliament in session, the MPs made it a point to attend the screening and watched spellbound reacting at all the right places where the acidic humour made them laugh. The dialogue and Vinay Pathak's spellbinding performance came in for special praise.

GOUR HARI DASTAAN also stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Ranvir Shorey and Tannishtha Chatterjee in pivotal roles.

Amitabh Bachchan praises Manaatlya Unhat

It’s not very often that Amitabh Bachchan praises regional cinema but he seemed to be very impressed by the trailer of Marathi film, MANAATLYA UNHAT, which releases this Friday. 

The actor wrote on a micro-blogging site, “T 1928 - https://youtu.be/HrdHaS5rKEI .... Marathi film trailer, director brother Usha Jadhav, of 'Bhootnath Returns' .. सर्व शुभेच्छा !!”

Even Nawazuddin Siddiqui was all praise for the film. Said the actor, “MANAATLYA UNHAT is a very good film. Based on a true story, it’s directly superbly by Pandurang Jadhav. Please do watch it.”

Anil Kapoor also applauded the film saying, “From what I have seen of the film, I can say that this is a stupendous work and effort. The film has been made with passion. I wish the entire unit all the very best. May this film become a huge success.”

Starring Kishor Kadam, Mitali Jagtap, Hansraj Jagtap, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Nagesh Bhosle, Ruchita Jadhav, Chhaya Kadam, Manthan Patil and Oveshikha Patil, MANAATLYA UNHAT is produced by Anand Sagar Productions. It is jointly distributed by STV and Pickle Entertainment. 

5 reasons to watch 'The Magic of Giving'

Shahroze Sadath's short film THE MAGIC OF GIVING was released recently & if you haven’t seen it yet, we give you 5 reasons to watch it.

1. The film gives a very simple yet important message of selflessly giving others. This is a very important thing in today’s day and age in which we normally think only about taking.

2. It’s an emotional ride which can make you laugh and cry at the same time. 

3. The film has a very able cast comprising of Vaquar Shaikh and Shweta Gulati & both have done a tremendous job in the film. 

4. It’s just 18 minutes long and surely worth your time and attention. 

5. Most importantly, it’s got the potential to make you think and change the way you look at life.

We hope the above reasons will make you want to watch the film.

CHAK DE! actress Seema Azmi goes bold with Marathi film CHITRAFIT

Seema Azmi, best remembered as the player from Jharkhand in Shah Rukh Khan starrer CHAK DE! INDIA is going to be next seen in the first ever bold Marathi drama movie CHITRAFIT 3.0 MEGAPIXEL, directed by Diwakar Ghodake.

Seema’s role in the movie is something new for her, as she was never seen portraying a bold character before. Seema too was little apprehensive at first. She said, "Initially, bold scenes weren’t part of the film. The makers told me that they will portray them through shadows and not show it explicitly. And even I was a bit scared as I had never done something like this before. I don’t mind doing if it’s the requirement of the script, but I should be comfortable. I just don’t want to do because other people are doing it and join the bandwagon. Then, Diwakar persuaded me as it was essential for the film. We gave many shots and finally canned it. Apart from climbing mountains in the film, doing bold scenes was challenging for me."

When probed to her how she bagged this film, Seema said, "I got a call from Diwakar. He was looking for a girl who is dusky and looks slightly elder than the guy in the film. He saw my profile on a social networking site and sent me the script. When I read it, I was immediately game for it. I quite liked the concept of the film and I think it needs to be told in today’s date. So, I agreed to meet him and that’s how we connected."

Praising his lead actress Seema Azmi, Divakar said, "When Seema was told about this character, she liked it and thought of trying it. She has a good quality that she understands the nature and seriousness of her characters well. Coming from National School of Drama, that quality is imbibed in her. And I wanted someone who understands the seriousness of it. Some actresses didn’t understand the subject and what the story is all about.

He added, "She used to walk at a stretch for three hours while shooting. And next would be again ready for the shoot. Seema did trekking very well in every location, so that was her plus point. She had the attitude of ‘I’ll do, I don’t have any issue.’ While other girls plainly refused it. They had excuses like 'Vanity van is not there, or other facilities are not there’. But it was not so in Seema’s case."

When asked if it was tough to cast Seema because of her non-marathi background, Divakar responded, "Actually I don’t believe in Marathi or Hindi casting. I just believe that the person should be able to understand the character well. Many Marathi girls were interviewed but Seema had a lot of balance for this character. Moreover, she was not afraid of this movie being made in Marathi. She was rather happy that she was about to do this role. Her immediate response was, 'I have to do this, no matter how much I have to walk, or travel to interiors of jungle, I will do it’. She was completely a hassle free actress."

CHITRAFIT 3.0 MEGAPIXEL is produced by Rahul Borse & Abdul RC and co-produced by Somnath Devkar & Jeevan Patil. It will be releasing all over Maharashtra by STV and Pickle Entertainment, who have joined hands as co-distributors.

CHITRAFIT 3.0 MEGAPIXEL has graceful Music by Yug and very realistic Set and Production Design by Dinesh Lahase. The film stars Seema Azmi and Ashish Pathode in pivotal roles. Also starring Ravi Patwardhan, Gauri Shankar, Shefali Maydeo, Dansing Rajput, Mike Hevan, Nerav Soni, Vinita, Mahesh Rale, Isha, Sachin Kabir, Vipul Patil, Meenal Chirankar, Komal and Suhas Shirsath, CHITRAFIT 3.0 MEGAPIXEL is cinematographed by Sachin Kabir. The film is all set to release on 20th February, 2015.