Most people will recognise Adarsh Ayaz as the child artiste in many popular television serials directed by Sahira Kazmi for the Pakistan Television Corporation Ltd (PTV). That was in the early 1990s when television channels were limited to the government-owned PTV and a private transmission of STN. Those days were marked with everyone watching the same popular drama serials to finding no television programming after midnight. Things changed with the advent of the satellite dish. Every roof of every building seemed to be crowded with these concave, circular steel or ceramic dishes. The nation was amazed by initially five and then 11 channels. And the channels just kept on increasing. People began to buy newer television sets to accommodate the ever increasing number of channels while the introduction of cable began its own media revolution in every mohalla and dhaba of Pakistan.

All this was exciting but something was missing in this media-rush, and it was as evident as the lack of garam masala in Pakistani cuisine. The technology was advantageous in giving the public a choice of programming. But the media boom faced a vacuum that could only be filled by our own local programming. Today, Hum TV, Aaj TV, Geo News, Indus and ARY are dominating the Pakistani channels. They have managed to stir up some healthy competition that will eventually (one can hope) benefit the Pakistani public with better shows, dramas and soaps.

Adarsh Ayaz is one of the few enthusiastic and talented artists in our media industry who has pursued his love of acting, directing and writing. Ayaz started off in the world of acting at a very young age and is still fondly remembered for his performances in drama serials such as “Khaleej” and “Hawa ki beti”. After a brief academic hiatus, Ayaz found himself drawn back to the world of television. “When I came back to Pakistan after completing my education in England, I would still do some acting projects here and there. I still had this thirst inside of me that drove me towards television,” explains Ayaz.

It seems that once a person is bitten by the media bug it’s hard to keep them away from the industry. From being a perception management consultant at a local company he morphed into a producer for a current affairs show called “Pakistan Business Update” on PTV. “Basically, that’s where I started learning the technical aspects of television. Since I did not have an educational background in television, this experience helped me gain a hands-on understanding of editing, shooting and lighting.” After learning the ropes of the trade, Ayaz made his switch to corporate documentaries. “I started directing these documentaries and further honed my skills in production, post-production and of course pre-production. However, it was all reality and current affairs and since I am an actor, my attention would always drift towards entertainment and I eventually made that switch.” Currently, Ayaz is involved in directing, writing and acting in Hum TV’s comedy drama serial “6 Degrees” while simultaneously working at writing and directing another television series for a private production company. Not completely giving up on corporate documentaries, he recently finished a documentary for the Aga Khan University Hospital.

There are many opportunities in the media industry in Pakistan because all these new channels are starving for good programming, explains Adarsh Ayaz. But at the same time, these channels willingly fill their slots with mediocre work since it is after all a business and they need revenue from advertisers to survive.

“As a child actor I mostly did PTV plays. It was on the set of “Zaibunissa” that I started experimenting with the camera. In those days, PTV had studio cameras, which were huge and had zoom functions on its handles and monitor attached. But when I actually started handling the camera it was a broadcast quality Beta D30. It happened when we were shooting a documentary and my cameraman had left. In theory, I knew about white balance and filters et cetera. In practical terms, however, I had not done anything like this. Out of necessity, I picked up the camera and started shooting. Now, even in most of my documentaries and when I am directing, I sometimes handle the camera myself.” Ayaz feels that one can learn a lot through observation but occasionally we all need an extra push to jump into the deep end of things.

While speaking about cameras and cinematography in the television media, Ayaz also voices his belief that there is a lot of overlap in job roles because the media industry still lacks a workforce with specialised technical expertise. “These days, we see a lot of music videos where the director of photography is credited. Internationally, the director of photography is a person who sets up the frame, the mood, lighting, white balance, collaborates with the director to translate his interpretation of the screenplay and basically works toward making a frame look beautiful. He is not the camera operator. Here, the camera operator is referred to as a director of photography because it looks good in the credits.”

Ayaz feels the role of a director is to stay connected to the actors in order to get the best performance out of them, assured in the fact that the director of photography is taking care of the setting up the frame. Then there is also an art director who takes care of the costumes, the scenery and the props. Ideally, Ayaz thinks that this infrastructure takes the quality of production to a new dimension but in Pakistan, a director has to wear many different hats.

Reflecting on the media boom here, Ayaz feels that it happened because the government eased up on its policies, providing the space for many channels to establish themselves. “In Pakistan, one has to understand that if one thing works then everybody starts doing the very same thing. Instead of finding a niche or vacuum in the industry, people keep on doing the same old thing that has been done before.” Ayaz adds that this is the reason why we see a huge influx of television channels but only the big ones survive while the smaller ones just disappear or wrap up as time goes by.

The television scene in Pakistan is fairly young and so Ayaz feels that most of the channels in Pakistan are at the moment hybrids – they don’t specifically serve a single purpose. For example, current affairs or news channels don’t necessarily stick to their format as the advertising for these mediums come through entertainment.

Globally, the television industry seems to have reached saturation point. If one looks at the major metropolitan cities of the world such as Los Angeles, New York or London, it seems every third person one meets is an aspiring actor, writer or director. But not all of them usually get a chance to showcase their talent. According to Ayaz, there are many opportunities in the media industry in Pakistan because all these new channels are starving for good programming. But at the same time, these channels willingly fill their slots with mediocre work since it is after all a business and they need revenue from advertisers to survive.

Ayaz compares the director’s role in the production process to the role played by the captain of a ship. The director has to be present and stay focused on every single aspect of the production. He or she has to know the mechanics of the camera, lighting, editing, and also give guidance and motivation to the entire team. “Camera technology continues to advance. These days, one can get a three CCD camcorder, which is broadcast quality, quite easily and they are so small that they can fit in one’s pocket. For editing purposes, Adobe Premiere is widely used. More tech savvy editors, who have experience with the Apple operating system prefer the user-friendly Final Cut Pro.” Once again, Ayaz brings up the lack of technological expertise in the industry: “There are some editors who are basically machine operators. They know how to upload the digital images on to a computer, and then cut, copy and paste. Then there are editors who know the art of editing, when to end the scene or when to put in music.” To get that level of sophistication, Ayaz feels getting an education in the broadcasting arena is essential. To be cutting-edge and to be functional are two very different things.

Adobe Premiere Pro
www. adobe.com/products/premiere/main.html
Final Cut Pro
www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/finalcutpro