Project timeline: 25 October 2022 · interview milestone. Published as a retrospective on 23 October 2026.
The Secret Dimension connects my directing work with Arian’s music and Tia Bajpai’s performance. Arian and I are listed as co-directors, and I want the story of the project to reflect that collaboration. For me, one of its most interesting public accounts is Tia’s description of the preparation behind it.
She described scene files covering the location, costume, makeup and timing, as well as reading and rehearsals before filming. I like that this part of the work became visible. A finished video can make a change of location or styling look effortless; the preparation is what helps all those changes stay connected to a purpose.
The day behind the film
I value preparation because it creates room for attention when the work reaches the camera. If the basic requirements of a scene are unclear, energy disappears into avoidable uncertainty. When those requirements are understood, there is more space to think about performance, continuity and the emotional purpose of an image.
A musical project makes those relationships particularly interesting. The song has its own structure, but the visual story still needs development. Costumes and locations can contribute to that development; they should not become changes made only to keep the screen busy. I want the viewer to feel that each new image belongs to the same creative direction.
Tia's interview also discussed research into Indian culture and respect for religious values. That matters in an international collaboration. Working across countries does not mean asking someone to leave their background outside the frame. It means understanding the context they bring and allowing that understanding to inform the work.
There is a practical and a creative side to that awareness. Practical planning helps people know what is expected. Creative awareness helps the production recognise when an image, a gesture or a choice of presentation carries meaning beyond its immediate visual effect. Both require listening as well as deciding.
I want to make ambitious work without losing the people inside the production. In a collaboration across cultures, that means listening and understanding the significance of what appears on screen. The preparation behind The Secret Dimension gives me a concrete example of the organisation I want to connect with creative ambition.
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