Pakistani Cinema 

Pakistan is fortunate to have an active film industry with strong social and cultural references. While this is fantastic, since representation in film is so important.

 It is also about having appropriate and accurate characterizations of oneself. Films, to that extent, play a major role in how people see themselves, how they claim their cultural identity and voice, and how the world perceives them. Besides that, the film industry also makes great business sense.

Film production is not just a narration on our socio-cultural mindset, it also fosters a creative economy and generates revenues by providing employment to those working in the field. But in order for a film industry, such as Pakistan’s, to fully capitalize, it must maintain its cultural integrity while marketing its productions to an international audience. 

To better understand how the film industry works and how it generates revenues, let us look at the film-making process, which is delineated into five stages: development, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution.

The process of development is where a story-idea is crafted, a draft of the script is written and the financial logistics are planned. Pre-production takes into account the location where the film will be shot, casting of the film crew members and setting the filming schedule. Where and how the film is shot usually has a great impact on tourism for the location, since the story is built around its frame, which itself lends character to the film.

The next step is the crucial production process. At this stage, the right camera operators and supplemental departments begin the grueling but fulfilling task of filming. When filming is complete, the process moves to the post-production phase in which editors and visual artists work their magic, meshing sound and visual effects to create the final product. It can take weeks, perhaps even months, to finalize this stage as the crew decides whether the directed material ought to be in the final cut or left behind in the reel-room.

Finally, we get to distribution. This involves the marketing, promotion and cinematic release of the movie. It’s when the hard work ultimately pays off and the revenues begin to flow.