Is Investing in OTT Projects Riskier Than Film? Producers Weigh In

We talked to producers about the risk attached to OTT vs films.

Producers weigh in on investing in OTT and film projects.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Liberty Cinema/ Pexels/ Altered by The Quint)

With the advent of OTT, the scope that filmmakers had for storytelling improved drastically. During the lockdown, as theatres had to be shut down, several filmmakers and producers started releasing otherwise theatrical projects straight to OTT.

As a producer, what’s the process that goes behind banking on a theatrical project vs. OTT content and is there a major difference?

The Quint spoke to some producers to find out.

Achin Jain, the COO of Sikhya Entertainment, a production company established by Guneet Monga, said, “For us there is no difference in how we are lensing the movie.”

“The process for a producer to make a film is the same but what happens is that when you are working on a theatrical release, given the marketing and distribution cost for a theatrical release, there is a slightly higher risk than a film releasing on an OTT platform."

Achin Jain, Sikhya Entertainment

"This marketing and publicity cost puts an additional pressure on the recovery of a smaller film compared to a bigger feature film," he further said.

Talking about the process of working with OTT content, Jain said, “In general there's been a paradigm shift since Covid. It’s a new format that we as filmmakers and audiences have accepted and it’s our chance to tell stories that we couldn’t tell otherwise. I don’t think producers are choosing OTT over theatres. Both platforms co-exist as markets trying to tell stories that traditional markets were not supportive of.”

Sikhya Entertainment has produced projects like The Lunchbox, Soorarai Pottru, and Pagglait.

Producer Shivani Saran, who founded Terrapin Films and co-founded Mutant Films with Seher Aly Latif, said that the kind of mounting a project needs and the screen time are key to deciding which route (OTT vs film) must be taken.

“Two aspects are really key to deciding which route to go - the first, how much screen time and what kind of mounting does a project need. Certain projects need a series format - longer screen time, multiple key characters at times with individual core tracks, and the prospect of multiple seasons that allow for characters to be explored and discovered,” Shivani Saran said.

Saran added, “The second - what target audience is the project slated for? The OTT audience is really dynamic, perhaps far more diverse too.”

Talking about OTT as a space, Saran added,

“Keeping the current life-stage of OTT in mind in India, it’s exciting to work with new and upcoming talent in all departments for an OTT project. There’s a certain acceptance and patience audiences have shown in this regard.”

Shivani Saran, Producer

On the process of choosing between film and OTT as mediums, Tanveer Bookwala, the producer of Asur, starring Arshad Warsi, Barun Sobit, and Amey Wagh, said, “The narrative, to me, defines the medium. Some stories are more character oriented, need intense layering and are mostly better suited to a long form/series for unfolding their telling.”

“Like a dysfunctional family story or a multi-layered complex plot is told better with more time, allowing for better development," Bookwala added.

“Each project comes with its own chaos. Shows with more controlled environments are preferred since there is a little risk of it going astray, production wise, since margins are slim. While the OTT has a fixed upside, the movie business, especially on big scale movies, offers much higher risk, but much higher reward too.”

Tanveer Bookwala, Producer

He further said, "A pure plot-driven narrative might be a better fit for cinema. Of course, big scale spectacles are also best enjoyed on the big screen only, as opposed to OTT with genres rooted in action, thrills and massive historical or full scale sci-fi."