How can I become a director? What starting salary can I expect?

It depends on the director. If the director is good and his movies make money and gather golden statues then the studio offer him/her good paycheques. However, if the director is at the start of his long-term career, he's not given that much of freedom with respect to budget and facilities. But if he makes it good, the career lifts off like a rocket. First-time studio directors generally have to sign for scale, roughly $250k with possible 2nd or 3rd pic options at perhaps 600 and 1 mil. If the director makes a big hit, they renegotiate any options

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A director is the person responsible for the creative aspects of film production. This requires a lot of dedication, hard work and the ability to handle problems in tough situations. So, one who aspires to be a director primarily needs patience, confidence, passion and dedication. Formal education and training as a director is not required for a career in the field. But having a degree related to films like journalism, mass communication, viscom etc. would be recommended. Common courses include film history, storytelling, screenwriting, and production. Many movie directors begin making movies, such as short films or home movies, before going to film school. So, there are no barriers for age or qualifications in this field. One can take part in the film projects in their college or school level and Improve their abilities. Internships can help students build a network of contacts, which can be essential to career growth in the film industry. All these would help you to find a career in the field of movie direction. Since this field is more competitive, one needs to have more skills and creativity to be successful. Initially as a debutant, one can earn around 10-15 Lacs per film and if they are popular then can earn more.

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In India, blindly following your dream will not help. There are thousands of people struggling in film industry. Many of them are working as assistant directors for 5 years to 6 years, but still didn't get any break. The problem with film industry is there is no one right way to succeed. You can find 50 people going in 50 different routes. Before taking any risk, first write 2 or 3 full-length scripts, again not high fi ideas like some inception or something. Scripts which actually work well in the Indian scenario. It is good, if it can be a low budget film. Then take your decision. Many new cameras are coming to market like GoPro. Keep a note of them. It is possible to produce the movie yourself. Above all, try to have influential contacts. Otherwise, even if you make a movie no one will distribute. Again hundreds of movies are in studios since no one are interested in releasing them. So good contact is as important as a good script. Facebook and Twitter can actually help in finding those contacts. All these things can be done by doing a job also. After having all right things then you take the risk. Risk depends on the confidence you have in your script. About the salary, it depends on the director's popularity and talent. For example, Rohit Shetty takes INR 20-25 crores for a film nowadays. And, Raj Kumar Hirani takes INR 15 crores for a film.

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