Shraddha U Sane & Rima Mondal share tips on becoming a Production Manager in Bangalore

Can you talk about your personal/professional journey that led you into production?

Shraddha: After pursuing my master’s in filmmaking, I worked as a Film Editor, Script Supervisor and Executive Producer before switching to a VFX Production Managers role in MPC Bangalore.

It was on the movie sets and edit tables where I started to understand how the screenplays, scenes, music, VFX and background score is woven together to create a seamless piece of art. In the 10 years, I spent in the film industry I got an opportunity to work on a dozen blockbuster films before I moved to producing commercials for ITC Bingo, Swiggy, Google, Amazon, Nivea, GoDaddy, Marico, Aegon Life, Perfetti, Quikr to name a few.

My love for numbers matches my love for filmmaking and I have always had a keen interest in understanding the workings of every department, big and small, which led me to becoming a Producer. The end goal is being to make the best use of resources without compromising on quality and director’s vision.

Rima: Going back to the good old days when I worked as an artist and a visual designer. Quite a learning there but gradually at some point felt I was stuck with Print as a medium. And wanted to expand my horizons with moving forms of storytelling. I decided to take the route of studies and did my Master’s in Film communication. That gave me full access to world cinema, mentors and friends of the field. Then, worked my way across advertising and broadcast as a producer in different media agencies. Moving on to becoming a filmmaker and producer exclusively working on films on environment and sustainable development for years. And then landed up at Technicolor back as an advertising producer.

As long as there is creativity and powerful storytelling around, that keeps me going.

What part of your job do you enjoy the most?

Shraddha: I enjoy the rush of energy that comes with collaborating with a big team of talented creatives and producers who persistently strive to deliver quality content and make a timely delivery.

I seek a structure and workflow that is reliable, consistent, and increases efficiency. It helps bring a certain surety and calmness to proceedings in a super dynamic work culture. I am not there yet, but the idea is to continually explore and learn from the bottlenecks I face in the way.

This stream of filmmaking ensures that there is no single moment of dullness you’ll experience.

Rima: “I like the challenges thrown at me while keeping production and operations on track which is inherently multipart. Navigating through the day’s hassles and finding solutions that would serve the team and project best is another dimension that excites me as it is testing, to say the least. I also enjoy brainstorming sessions for operation challenges and devising management strategies that can enhance the business’s functioning at large.

What top 5 tips would you give for those trying to get into the industry in Bangalore?

Rima:

• I love interactions and team collaborations the most. Every new project or challenge brings in a different set of people and team dynamics. And steering through those challenges brings in a whole lot of new learning each time.
  Anyone aspiring to be a part of the VFX industry and knows the game, it would not be difficult at all to enter the field. Besides being competitive, the industry is growing bigger and better, keeping everyone on the toes to learn and grow in their respective careers.
• Bangalore as a city is lively and multicultural, it is traditional as well as metropolitan at the same time. So there is something for everyone here. Most preciously it boasts of pleasant weather which everyone loves. So one need not worry about living in the city.
• TCS in Bangalore has it all under one roof where it offers films, gaming, advertising and animation – a plethora of departments to choose from for anyone wanting to come to India and explore.
• The world-class artist pool is huge and enormously talented in Bangalore. The artists and staff are ethnically and culturally from diverse backgrounds which makes it even better as a workplace.
• Mobility across sites is going to be great for collaborations, building relationships and enriching career growth.

What projects have you worked on at The Mill?

Rima: I have worked as a Producer on many incredible projects and to name some would be Facebook Oculus, Apple, Dashlane, BBC, BT, Netflix, Ocado and many more. However, as a Production Manager, now I get to work closely with all the departments alongside the production and resources team, thereby enabling me to be a part of every project that is running on the floor.

What early career challenges did you face and how did you overcome that challenge?

Shraddha: Transitioning from a goal-oriented approach on the movie sets to an extremely process-driven system was the biggest challenge as I embarked on my corporate journey. Though I have over 10 years of work experience in different verticals of filmmaking, my role at MPC (now The Mill) also happens to be my first corporate job! The VES Handbook of Visual Effects, our super talented creative team and my lovely fellow producers helped me overcome the initial challenge.

Rima: Sometimes there was a lack of support and right mentorship during early career. But that has shaped my own experiences and I believe one should help, support and encourage every other person who you are working with each day. Also for guidance, whoever you look up to, just knock in for a conversation and get going!

Want to work at The Mill Bangalore? Apply here.