(Aug 18, 2023) In the year 2020, as the pandemic was about to disrupt the world, a 23-year-old youngster, Abhilasha FNU embarked on her maiden international flight – to Los Angeles, carrying dreams packed within her suitcase. She had secured admission at the prestigious New York Film Academy for a filmmaking course.
In just three years, Abhilasha has been able to stand on her own in the film and television world of America. As a script supervisor, her contributions to television projects like ‘At Home with Tori,’ and films like ‘Miracle Before Christmas,’ and ‘I Rise’ have been standouts in her short yet successful career in Hollywood. ‘I Rise’ (2022), has even clinched eight awards at the Christian Online Film Festival, adding a boost to her career. “My most successful script supervisor work is in Big Boys 2023, a LGBTQ based feature narrative which is doing wonders and winning at prestigious festivals worldwide,” Abhilasha tells Global Indian.
The script supervisor has played a pivotal role in the Spotify-produced series ‘Gold Diggers Hotel,’ collaborating with the American songwriter, singer and record producer, Leon Bridges. She has also been associated with ‘Man in The Long Black Coat,’ a production featuring renowned American actors like Mark Feuerstein, Neal McDonough, Dermot Mulroney, and Christopher Lloyd.
“I volunteered for various film projects during my initial days as a student of filmmaking, before I started earning in the United States. Being on set, learning the craft, and wrapping up productions have always brought a sense of fulfilment,” Abhilasha shared in an interview.
From Mirzapur to the US
Hailing from a traditional North Indian family, her relocation from India to the United States marked a big moment, making her the first woman in her family to undertake both an American journey and an unconventional career path of filmmaking. Her inherent knack for creation, expression, and storytelling had been evident from a tender age, and her family supported her daring choice to tread a unique trajectory.
Challenges in the US
However, her journey was marked by challenges. Mere weeks into her film school programme, the Covid-19 outbreak swept across the globe, forcing classes into the online mode. Like countless international students, Abhilasha grappled with dejection and uncertainty in a foreign land away from home. “We found ourselves in rented apartments, far from home, staring at laptop screens while trying to master a hands-on profession like filmmaking. Initially feeling like an unwelcome break, I soon realised that this setback couldn’t deter me,” she remarked.
She turned the adversity into a situation of opportunity. The enforced slowdown enabled her to immerse herself in comprehensive reading and research on diverse facets of filmmaking—spanning screenwriting, continuity, filming, editing, and timing.
Lucky breaks amidst the pandemic
During the pandemic she got a chance to direct and write for productions of her college peers. She also took on the role of a Covid compliance officer for some college projects, a novel position within the film realm that required mastering intricate paperwork. As she excelled in this role, she caught the attention of her professors, which eventually led to her first feature film assignment.
This breakthrough served as a gateway to a plethora of subsequent opportunities. Since then, Abhilasha has been part of productions like ‘At home with Tori,’ ‘Leon Bridges – Life from Gold-Diggers Hotel,’ ‘A Miracle before Christmas,’ and numerous other film and television projects, all within a brief three-year timeline of her cinematic journey.
Embracing the role of a script supervisor
Abhilasha loves her job as a script supervisor in Hollywood. She explains, “I gravitated towards the role of a script supervisor due to its inherent blend of pure creativity, observatory skills, and supervision.” Her affinity for reading screenplays, coupled with her unique ability to vividly comprehend their essence, helped her perform well. “Drawing on my high emotional intelligence, I can grasp the story’s emotions and characters, capturing the nuances of each scene, even when I have read the script once” she added.
As a script supervisor, her responsibilities include script analysis and on-set organization. She shoulders the crucial responsibility of ensuring the seamless alignment of unfolding events with the director’s creative vision. This multi-dimensional role demands a perceptive awareness of the overall on-set atmosphere, functioning as an astute observer while offering insights and guidance to both the director and other departments involved.
Her prior experiences as production manager, assistant director, and production designer, for college productions have given her invaluable insights on delivering her best as a script supervisor.
Life before venturing to the US
From an early age, Abhilasha’s life was steeped in creativity and the arts. She is a trained dancer and singer and used to love writing and reciting poems during her childhood. As she grew older, her interests gradually gravitated towards the realm of filmmaking. She completed her bachelor’s in arts, majoring in clinical psychology, and went on to achieve a master’s in journalism and mass communication from Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda.
In a visual communication semester, she filmed her first short film on her android phone and simply loved the process and received appreciation from her professors and classmates for her storytelling vision and directorial skills. This motivated her to take up film studies and headed to Los Angeles, California.
In her leisure time, Abhilasha loves painting and takes pride in being an NFT artist.
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