Meet Aryan Gupta | Commercial Director & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aryan Gupta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aryan, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
Something that helped me a lot in my career as a Director and a Producer was adopting an “I trust myself to do this” mindset. I remember last year when I was tasked with directing a commercial for Levi’s, I pitched an idea that involved some rather dangerous stunts. The idea was met with great enthusiasm and approved, but as the shoot dates got closer, the gravity of what I was attempting to pull off started dawning on me. I was attempting to build a massive structure, suspend my actors by their ankles 10 feet in the air and then pulling off one of the most complex camera moves I’ve ever attempted. All in a single uncut take. Additionally, we were in the freezing cold with just 8 hours to set up, finish construction, shoot and wrap. A nervous mess the week before the shoot, a moment of self-reflection made me realize that this nervousness is just a part of the process. I needed to trust in my abilities, my prep, and most importantly, in my team of brilliant and talented crew members.
It took a good look in the mirror to finally find the optimistic and confident director that I needed to be to pull off the shoot.
In the end, we ended up with a great commercial that exceeded my wildest expectations. It is to date one of the projects I am most proud of.
I’ve used this mindset to motivate all my work since, be it as a director or as a Producer. It is what makes me tick, and what gives me the confidence to know that I can successfully execute some incredibly complex shoots.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I base all the work I do on one simple question: “Is it fun?” I like doing work that is lighthearted, fun, and make people smile. Comedy is such an underrated and important genre. It shaped my childhood, having grown up on comedy movies. It made me realize that comedy is the best way to get a memorable message across. Embracing that, I aim to create work that is humorous but uses the comedy to get a message across that people remember. As a director who specializes in commercials, this is extremely important. Most commercials are, to be blunt, forgettable. I aim to create commercials that stick with you and stay in your memory because they made you laugh and think “wow, that’s new.”

One of the lessons I learnt along the way was the initial reaction to any idea is the best way as a director to know whether or not you have a good project on your hands. When I first pitched the Levi’s commercial, the most common reaction was a laugh and then a look of disbelief. It solidified that I had a project on my hands that people would remember.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
That’s an interesting one. First up would be the Griffith, of course. It’s an iconic landmark of LA (and I’m a huge LA LA Land fan.) A Santa Monica Sunset, a visit to the Academy Museum and the Peterson, a visit to the Grand Central Market and LACMA.
Then late at night, up to Mount Wilson Observatory with hot chocolate, some camping chairs and a ton of blankets. There’s a vantage point up there that lets you see all of LA. It’s beautiful, and there’s no better place to catch up with an old friend than that.
Then we’d go camping. I absolutely love being outdoors and the campgrounds around and near LA are nothing short of spectacular. Ricardo Campground and Los Alamos Campground are some of my favorite places to take new campers because of the incredible views.
A weekend cruise on the PCH, a late lunch at Dan Sung Sa in Ktown, a very late dinner at Sanamluang Cafe (Order the Yen Ta Fo). If the time is right, try to go to Long Beach to see bioluminescent algae make the water glow blue.
A hike to the Hollywood sign, a quiet reading session at the WGA library, a walk around highland park to look at all the midcentury furniture we could never afford. Pop over to Pasadena to show them Old Town and get a coffee from Home Brewed Bar on Madison (get the salted caramel latte. Trust me.)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to the incredible Cast and Crew that make all my projects possible. Film is a labor of love, only possible because of the talented people who have helped me along the way. The only reason I can dream up the wild and crazy ideas I do is because I know I have these incredibly talented people who have my back and will execute them perfectly. I also want to dedicate this shoutout to my family. To my father, Kamal Gupta, my biggest support and motivation. The man who made me believe that anything is possible. The man who instilled a love for film in me since I was a child.
To my mother, Monika Padha, who taught me to dream big.
And to my sister, Charizma Gupta, who reads all my work. Because we all need an editor in our lives.

Website: www.directedbyaryan.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whycantiusearyan/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aryan-gupta-a4a703196/

Image Credits
Zheng Qu