The new office-bearers of the Tamil Nadu Film Directors’ Association, after a three-party negotiation, involving the directors’ council, the producers’ council and the labour commissioner, announced that assistant directors working in the Tamil film industry could henceforth look forward to proper remuneration.
“It has been agreed that the remuneration of assistant directors will vary according to the budget of a film. So far, we have agreed on the salaries for films made within a budget of Rs. 2 crore and between Rs. 5 crore and Rs. 10 crore. The point is to set aside a percentage of the budget as remuneration for the assistant directors, and they will have to be paid every month until the film is complete,” said director Vikraman, president of the association.
The office-bearers unanimously said that this would give assistant directors hope and much-needed encouragement. As part of these new measures, the producers have been asked to sign agreements with the assistant directors working on the films, and pay them directly to prevent malpractice, if any.
Website
Another notable announcement was regarding the launch of their website, which would put up portfolios of artistes and technicians to help filmmakers.
The directors’ association seems to have taken note of the growing popularity of short films and has revealed its plan to lend 5D cameras and equipment free of cost to its members to make short films.
The association has urged its members to give priority to artistes who can speak and understand Tamil. “When that’s the practice in the Hindi film industry, what is wrong in following it here too? We also feel that lack of communication among the people working on a movie will affect the film’s quality and hence this decision,” said R. K. Selvamani, secretary of the association.
