We recently connected with Indy Saini and have shared our conversation below.
Indy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
When I was in college, I got the opportunity to direct a play on the main stage of the theatre. I researched all kinds of plays, thinking about what types of stories and themes I wanted to explore. At the time I was also a philosophy student and studying various religions from around the world. I ended up choosing a dark drama written in post world war Europe around themes of sexual power dynamics, existentialism, and in which a character committed suicide. I had already directed a successful show earlier in the year and had many people eagerly awaiting my new project. After the opening of the show I started to receive hand written letters from audience members who were negatively affected by the story. I was utterly devastated. My advisor offered that discussion and controversy is good, but the statements of these women’s painful experiences was a blow to me. It opened my awareness to the power of storytelling, and taught me the importance of making sure what you are creating and sharing as an artist aligns with what kind of impact you want to have. It was the most profound lesson I gained from college.
Now as a director/writer, though the goal is always to entertain, I also always want to communicate positive messaging through my work. Sharing stories that push boundaries, break down stereotypes, challenge limiting perspectives, and offer complex views of humanity. Where audience members walk away thinking about the themes, ideas, messages, and imagery, but with a curiosity and excitement. Because that very important lesson still informs me to this day. What we put out into the world has impact, better make sure it’s what you want to be saying!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I was lucky that even though I grew up in a small town, it had a professional theatre company. So from a young age I had exposure to wonderful productions of Shakespeare and Molière, and was able to work backstage as a dresser and props person learning the ins and outs of live theatre. My love of storytelling began here, and led me to study theatre and filmmaking in college. Post college I dove into the theatre world in NYC co-founding an all-new works theatre company that combined technology like digital media on screens on stage with live performance. This opened up an opportunity to work at the incredibly cool, lively, and fun Blue Man Group as a video technician and operator.
Since these early days I have been equally drawn to both the technical aspects of being behind the camera and the storytelling arc of directing, and have regularly meandered back and forth between these positions, occasionally doing both simultaneously. I spent many years working in the camera department on every type of production, most recently working on big budget movies with some of my favorite directors like Ang Lee (Gemini Man) and David Lynch (Twin Peaks 2016). I learned a lot from these visionary legends, most importantly to follow your creative instincts, work collaboratively with a trusted skilled team, and dig deep into the content to uncover the truth of the story.
My latest project, the feature documentary “Women in the Front Seat,” utilizes all of these lessons and skills, and incorporates my creative mission focused on growing the representation of complex female characters and stories in mass media. Through inspirational stories, the film paints a vibrant and diverse picture of women who not only drive their motorcycles but drive their lives. Being a long time rider myself, I directed and shot the film while doing my first solo cross country trip on my bike. It was a transformational experience for me, and I’m thrilled that the film is now out on Amazon Prime, Tubi and YouTube movies. I have several new projects in the works, including a documentary exposing truths about human trafficking in the US, a short film finding peace within grief, and a fun feature film centered on the unexpectedly inter-connected lives of a female motorcycle gang. Stay tuned.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I didn’t understand what it meant to be an artist for a long time. But as I’ve worked a variety of jobs over the years, I have always been compelled to create something, some expression that was speaking inside me that needed to come out. Often my money job was separate from my creative efforts, and friends didn’t understand how I had the energy or desire to be spending time on a project outside of work. But for me it isn’t a choice. It’s a driving force that won’t let go. I must create. That drive never stops. The need to create is like the need to eat and sleep. One close friend who is great with business, sales and engineering often expresses his envy for that passion. He has nothing that keeps his interest for long periods. Even though he likes his life and his work, it could also be something different and that would be OK too. There is no deep connection or passion behind it all. But I also envy his world, his… what I would call an almost freedom. I love being an artist, but it also sometimes consumes me. I am never not working on at least one project. And usually several are all vying for time and space. He and I both enjoy our gifts and innate life journeys. But there is also a craving for a small piece of the that other life experience.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I directed my first short film before I ever stepped onto a professional set. The ideas for how to tell the story came from my own imagination and vision. I brought in to work with me a camera person who had done a lot of professional big budget jobs and there was tension on the set based on her experience and my inexperience, around an idea that my choices were too extreme or wild. I allowed my vision to give in to her ‘experience.’ As I worked more in the big budget professional world, I learned the ‘hows’ and the ‘how not to’s.’ The formulas, the tried and true, the common practices. These are useful things to know and understand. But the big mistake is letting that knowledge stop one from thinking and creating out of the box, from the raw imagination into the world of untried and unknown. It can be easy to fall into this mindset. It’s comfortable.
Looking back, I wish I had fought more for my vision on that first film. I wasn’t inexperienced in my choices, I was outside of the norm, and that was interesting. After working with artists and crafts people who are true masters, I now know it’s good to know what is standard protocol and effective formulas (but maybe not absolutely necessary), but then crucial to let your creativity be free so your unique voice speaks through your art. There are still naysayers when something doesn’t fall into certain patterns, when something isn’t understood because it hasn’t been done or it is risky in its outcome, but this is where the true magic lies. And I’m all in.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.indyksaini.com, www.womeninthefrontseat.com
- Instagram: @indyksaini
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndyKSaini, @womeninthefrontseat
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/indy-saini-b64765115/
- Twitter: @indysaini
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@indyksaini
Image Credits
Liz Hook, John Pingry