00
The Thesis
The film is about a man who can't finish things. The marketing should be a man failing to market the thing he hasn't finished. Every piece of content IS the film's thesis, performed live.
Inspired by a Louis C.K. book promo — 2 min, vertical, handheld by a bored cameraperson who texts and sighs. Louis never finishes the pitch. You buy the book because you liked him.
Louis manufactured friction. Su's friction is real. The marketing doesn't promote the film. The marketing IS the film, happening in real time.
The Five Laws
- The obstacle is inside the frame. The saboteur is Su himself
- The product barely gets mentioned. The attempt to pitch IS the content
- Failure is the format. Su tries → derails → derailment IS the entertainment
- Anti-polish. Phone. Handheld. Auto backseats. If it looks produced, it's wrong
- The Nusrat Principle applies. About failure, but FEELS fun
01
Two Modes, One Handle
Every piece of content falls into one of two voices. The audience doesn't know they're watching two different people. When the film drops, they realize the account had split personality.
The Journey
Su's Voice
Raw. Unplanned. Vulnerable. Real. Interrupted. This is Su — the auto confessionals, the "Day 1" posted for the 6th time, the writing struggles.
The Masterclass
The Comedian's Voice
Deadpan. Authoritative. Wrong. Confident delivery of terrible advice. "Step 4: Watch every BTS documentary ever made." Professionally wrong.
02
All 20 Concepts
The complete arsenal. Some are series (repeatable). Some are one-shot gut punches.
01
The Trailer Attempt
Journey
Setup
Su sits to record a trailer announcement
Sabotage
Can't get past the first sentence. "I'm making a film—" no. "I'm going to—" no. Five restarts, each worse
Text card: "Coming... eventually."
Series?
Yes — different attempts, same failure
02
The Logline
Journey
Setup
Explain the film in one sentence. Timer counting up
Sabotage
Starts, stops, overcomplicates, simplifies too much. 3 minutes in, still going. Someone offscreen: "bhai time ho gaya"
Text card: the logline — 6 lines long, crossed out
Series?
Yes — each attempt a different angle
03
The Poster Reveal
Journey
Setup
Dramatic unveiling of "the official poster"
Sabotage
It's blank. Or 7 versions he can't pick between. Talks into each, talks out of each
"I'll decide tomorrow."
Series?
Yes — monthly, different "final" version each time
04
Day 1 of Pre-Production
Journey
Setup
Title card: "BTS: Day 1 of Pre-Production"
Sabotage
Same title, posted monthly. Different location, different mood, always "starting fresh." The loop made visible
The serial repetition IS the joke
Series?
Yes — the algorithm loves pattern recognition
05
The Casting Call
Masterclass
Setup
Casting announcement — for himself. "Male, 37, unable to finish projects, good at starting things"
Sabotage
Treats it straight. Self-tape audition for his own film
Requirements: "Must play 3 versions of himself. Life experience preferred."
Series?
No — one hit
06
Reading the Script (ASMR)
Masterclass
Setup
Close-up hands opening notebook. Dramatic music. Script reading
Sabotage
Keeps rewriting mid-sentence. Reading → writing → panicking → closing laptop
Whispered: "We'll do this tomorrow."
Series?
Yes — each time a different "scene"
07
Auto Draft
Journey
Setup
Back seat of a Delhi auto. Su talks about the film
Sabotage
Interrupted by traffic, driver's music, phone calls. Never completes a thought. Real Delhi sounds
30-60 sec of raw incompleteness
Series?
Yes — weekly, costs nothing, uses the auto motif
08
The Equipment Tour
Journey
Setup
Studio tour — cameras, lights, mics, podcast set, amber light. Very impressive
Sabotage
Text/someone asks: "So how much of the film have you shot?"
Beat. Stare. "None." Cut.
Series?
No — one devastating hit
09
Film Title Generator
Journey
Setup
Post-its on a wall. 20 potential titles
Sabotage
Time-lapse: adding, removing, staring, adding more. Days/weeks. Wall ends empty
Fresh Post-it in hand, marker uncapped. Freeze. "Title TBD."
Series?
Yes — audience can suggest titles
10
The Accountability Reel
Journey
Setup
Weekly 15sec: "This week I'm going to..."
Sabotage
Hard cut to next week: "I didn't do that, but this week..." Stack of broken promises grows absurd
Every 4th-5th week, he actually DID the thing — surprisingly moving
Series?
Yes — the accountability mechanism IS the content
11
The Festival Submission
Journey
Setup
Screen recording: Su fills out a festival submission form. The film doesn't exist
Sabotage
Stuck on every field. "Genre?" stares. "Runtime?" longer stare. "Synopsis?" types, deletes, types, deletes. Reaches "Upload Film File" — frozen
Text card: "Application saved as draft. Since 2022."
Series?
Yes — different festivals, same outcome
12
The Table Read (Solo)
Journey
Setup
Proper table read setup — 6 chairs, printed scripts, water glasses, name placards. All for one person
Sabotage
Reads all parts. Changes voices. Argues with himself. Gets up, moves to another chair to respond as different character. Empty chairs hit hard
Security knocks: "bhai lock-up kar raha hoon." Su alone with 6 empty chairs
Series?
No — one-time gut punch
13
The IMDb Page
Masterclass
Setup
Su creates an IMDb page for a film that doesn't exist. Full credits. Cast: himself × 3. Crew: himself. Catering: himself
Sabotage
Treats it dead serious. Trivia: "Director considered quitting 47 times during pre-production." Goofs: "In the opening scene, the film does not exist"
Rating: N/A. Reviews: 0. Status: "In Development (since 2020)"
Series?
Yes — monthly updates with increasingly absurd trivia
14
Location Scouting
Journey
Setup
Su "location scouts" — but he's in his everyday places. Auto. Tea stall. Studio. Bedroom
Sabotage
Frames each location with hands making a rectangle. Head tilts. "This could work." His entire life is already the set
Freeze: Su framing his own face in the bathroom mirror. Text: "Location secured."
Series?
Yes — new mundane "locations" weekly
15
The Premiere Invite
Masterclass
Setup
Beautifully designed premiere invitation. Gold lettering. Formal. Black tie
Sabotage
Date: TBD. Venue: TBD. Film: TBD. RSVP to email that doesn't exist. The invitation is gorgeous and completely empty
"Save the date. We don't know which one yet."
Series?
Yes — "updated invitations" with one new detail each time (still mostly TBD)
16
Director's Commentary (No Film)
Masterclass
Setup
Dark room. Hushed DVD commentary voice. Describing shots, angles, performances — for scenes that don't exist
Sabotage
Commentary over a black screen. Gets emotional about a scene no one has seen. "This was take 47. Wait — we haven't shot this yet"
"This concludes the director's commentary for reel one. The film will follow. Eventually."
Series?
Yes — an entire commentary track for a nonexistent film
17
The Budget Meeting
Journey
Setup
Spreadsheet. Serious face. "Let's talk budget." Camera: own. Lights: own. Actor 1-3: myself. Post: AI. Total: ₹0
Sabotage
Stares at ₹0. The budget meeting just proved the only thing missing is the doing. Longest pause in any reel
Closes laptop. Whispers: "So what's stopping me?" Cut to black
Series?
No — one devastating hit
18
Fake Letterboxd Reviews
Masterclass
Setup
Fake reviews for the unmade film. "★★★★★ Couldn't stop watching. Mainly because it hasn't started"
Sabotage
Reviews get accidentally profound. "Sometimes the films you never make are the ones that matter most. 4 stars"
"Watched this with my therapist. She says I need to stop projecting. ½ star."
Series?
Yes — audience can submit their own reviews
19
The Shot List
Journey
Setup
Writing a shot list. Shot 1: Wide. Shot 2: Close-up. Shot 3: Tracking. Keeps going
Sabotage
Can't stop. 20 shots. 80 shots. Kubrick-level planning for a film with zero pages of script. Planning IS the procrastination
Camera pulls back. Shot list covers desk, floor, walls. Text: "Script: 0 pages. Shot list: 247 shots."
Series?
No — one visual gag
20
Asking People to Describe Your Film
Journey
Setup
Su asks real people — colleagues, auto drivers, family: "I'm making a film. What do you think it's about?"
Sabotage
Answers are funnier and more accurate than anything Su's come up with. Someone: "About a guy who talks about things instead of doing them?" Su's face says everything
Last person (maybe Maa on phone): answer so devastatingly accurate Su has no response. Cut
Series?
Yes — new people every time. Faces blurred (matches film's rule)
03
The Masterclass — Bad Advice Library
Demotivating reels in a motivating wrapper. Each one delivered deadpan. Every piece is something Su has actually done.
- "Keep watching YouTube videos of how directors get things done. You'll absorb their process through osmosis. That's how process works."
- "Have sleepless nights thinking about your ideas. The less you sleep, the more genius you become. Most geniuses were exhausted."
- "Tomorrow is not a concept. Tomorrow is a real day with real hours. You can use all of them. You just have to wait for it."
- "If you have 10 ideas, work on all 10. The ones that don't work out will naturally fall away. I have 10 unfinished projects."
- "Go to a museum. Stand in front of a painting for 3 hours. Think about what the painter was trying to say. You've done enough creative work for the week."
- "Buy better equipment. Your current gear is the reason you haven't started. Once you have the right camera, the film will practically make itself."
- "Find your voice first. Don't make anything until you've found it. It's somewhere between your 400th YouTube video about creativity and your 12th journal."
- "Step 1: Research. The more you research, the closer you are to starting. I've been researching for 6 years. I'm very close."
- "Watch 4 documentaries about how Kubrick made films. You'll absorb his process through osmosis."
- "How to scout locations: Google Image search 'cinematic Delhi.' Screenshot it. Put it in your mood board. Done."
- "How to find your crew: Post on LinkedIn. Wait. Post again. Wait longer. Assume silence means they're busy."
05
Start Here — First Three to Make
If Su starts tomorrow, these three establish the brand:
① The Trailer Attempt
The flagship. Sets the tone. Defines what the account IS. Direct Louis C.K. DNA.
② The Equipment Tour
Easy to shoot — studio already exists. Punchline writes itself. Relatable to every creative person alive.
③ Auto Draft #1
Shoot on the way to work. Raw. No prep. Establishes the series. Uses the film's auto motif.
Social Strategy
Handle = process identity, not product identity. Documents the journey; film is the destination.
Content Pillars