Setup director -YMGGK

A show begins. It shows promise. The promos are good, the launch episode generates interest, an out-of-the-box idea makes you want to see the next episode. Clearly, daily soaps do make for good viewing, at least for the initial episodes. And here's the thing. It is 'setup directors' who direct initial episodes of new shows to grab eyeballs, a la 'special sequence' directors forBollywood films. In fact, TV's highest rated shows had setup directors from help mount the shows.

While most of the shows had good TRPs at some point during their run, some fail to live up to expectations even after starting well. While producers feel it is a game of economics and they can't afford these talented yet expensive directors in the long run to direct their shows, setup directors feel that every show loses its fizz after a certain period of time and it does not give them creative satisfaction to continue directing a show that has no finite story. It is a task for the director who takes over after the show has been established to keep it going, there have been a few shows who have shown great TRPs initially, lose fizz and so leaps, newer situations and characters are introduced. We spoke to a few setup directors.

Setup director: Arvind Babbal

TV Shows: Saraswatichandra, Afsar Bitiya, Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli

Challenges: "After the initial 50-60 episodes TRPs are considered and the writers and directors take a backseat. There should be seasons for daily soaps so that every show does not have to be dragged after some time. After the first few months, a show becomes a means of livelihood and your vision for the show is totally lost."