Already December 2nd
Life is moving so fast. I cant believe it. Life is a humbling experience and you have to constantly remind yourself that nothing is promised, nothing is yours and that everything given is a gift from god that he can take away. Its crazy thats how it works but thats how it works and you have to be ok with that. I live my life in that daily reminder, though sometimes I can forget. But forgetting leads to anxiety and unrealistic expectations. You have to be real with yourself about what it is that is happening In this moment of your life and why. Just be patient and things will happen exactly the way they are supposed too. This is a reminder for me, in this moment and I hope it can be a reminder for you too. Im excited to look back and see everything that this company will accomplish in the future God Willing and that we can use the talents that we have to benefit others and contribute to their success. Success does not happen alone, and when done right it can effect people in the most positive of ways.
TFKR’s Thanksgiving Reflections
Zahraa here, its November 28th and I just wanted to do a quick post about how thankful I am for everything that has happened in this past year. Super grateful for the two interns who have come onto the team Luna and Jaziel. They have helped me out more than they know. Super grateful to the whole team who came onto to the Doritos commercial, despite the lower rates they did an amazing job and Im praying that this company can get to a point where it makes enough money that I will be able to pay everyone there rate and more. Especially thanks to Brennan who did an amazing job as a DP, literally killed it :). Super grateful for the Deli that allowed us to shoot their (shoutout to Adam, the son of the Deli owner). Super grateful to all the people that donated to make the Doritos shoot happen, they helped me out more than they know. Especially: My grandmother, Ghalia, Rashid, my mom Serene, Amber , and Sarah. Your support in everything I do means the world to me, more than you know. Super grateful to Vinny at VSNY for allowing us to use his equipment free of charge, this helped me out way more than he knows and saved my bank account a ton of money. Id probably be broke if it wasn't for him helping me out with all that equipment. Special shout out to my post production crew: Fenn David, and Ben for doing an incredible job editing and taking out any extra logos that needed to be taken out. Most importantly I would like to thank God for making allowing us to find ease in the hardships, and for him allowing for this projects to be complete despite mistakes made. Im praying for the success of this company which really all depends on him and Im super excited for the future of this company and all the upcoming projects that we have. Im so grateful to the people who are trusting me to make good things happen for their own companies and I hope that I can benefit them as they are allowing me to create something for them. Filmmaking is truly a humbling experience because you just realize how much effort everything takes and how we are so dependent on each other for success, as well as the fact that creating is truly a trust. It will either be a benefit or a detriment to the whole organization. If someone allows you to do something for them it is because they trust your eye and your work. Make that trust worth it. Well, anyways. Thats it for now. Happy Thanksgiving.
Reflections post Commercial
We have finally finished the commercial and what a great three weeks it has been. This whole project just shows how much you can really do if you set your mind to it. We had a goal and with proper organization we achieved it. Looking back, there is some things we could have done different. However, overall this was a great experience and for this project everything happened the way that it should’ve happened. It will never turn out the way you exactly expect it too and the shoot day will never go exactly the way you expect it to. Thats the just the nature of life itself. In terms of improvement: we definitely should’ve held meetings with G&E to ensure that we had all the proper equipment with us. We were missing a 3 point 60 watt snap lock for the generator which connected to the m40 (A light) and an 8x8 full grid. After making a few calls though, we were able to find someone to help us out (Thank God). We had an amazing crew who, our DP figured out how to shoot despite the glass barrier dividing the subjects (which caused an issue with reflection). We wrapped earlier than expected and got everyone out by 6 or 7 o clock. It was a great day, with great people and good moments. Im excited to share with you our final product, but we have to wait until the submission periods are over to do so. For now, here is some fun BTS!
Updates on Commercial
There are Several!!!!
Starting with shoot date we had to push to November 3rd because that was the only day our DP was available. Honestly though, I am so happy that we did, we really needed that extra time because just this past weekend were we able to finalize our team. We are still looking to finalize actors, which has been its own journey. Let me take you through some of the things we did to finalize our crew.
Step 1: Make a list of everyone you know
My producer, Luna, took charge of finalizing the list of people that we both knew. We had some of her contacts and some of mine. In regards to DP the contacts. were all Luna.
Step 2: Reach out
We then drafted professional emails to all of the prospects (mainly luna). Asking if they were available to help us shoot. We then had meetings with everyone who was available and naturally we ended up choosing a DP that worked for our goals, and who felt most passionate about the project. Thought all the DP’s we spoke with had an incredible work base.
The time line on this was about a week or so, because we had to have meetings and see what everyone was about. We also had to coordinate times in both of our schedules.
Next Steps:
Finding Location
I took the Liberty of going to a bunch of Delis in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Quite a few said yes, that we could shoot with there store open. There was one, however, that really called out to our names. Shoutout Iceman.
Casting, and all the rest Ill delve into later. Hopefully we will be done with that by Tuesday. You just always have to remember that no matter what, if you have an obstacle you just have to keep pushing through.
Commercial in Two Weeks
Yes. You read the title correctly. Commercial in two weeks is exactly whats going to happen. On October 25th, my team and I will be shooting a commercial with three actors. We will all be making one of the greatest commercials of all time, a winning piece (Insha Allah). Its going to be difficult, but we can do it. Our idea is good. And so, there really is nothing that can stop us from making this great. There is a lot of work that needs to get done though. For this week, that being:
Finding a Convenience store
Getting three actors
Ensuring that we have the basics of what we need (Finalizing Budget, securing food, shot list, pitch deck, getting the rest of crew but consolidating, finish script)
We can get this done. I know we can and Im looking forward to it.
The Making of Amal: An award winning short. Post Production.
Editing:
We had a peculiar situation. Amal is in Arabic, so we needed someone who could understand even just a little bit of Arabic. We got someone who did an amazing job (Rose Sutton) and she worked with what she had. If you are like us and your file sizes are huge, invest in a big hard drive that holds up a lot of space. Hand it off to the editor, and they will turn it into something called a proxy. Now. After the files are in proxy form they can then be edited into a story line. We used premiere. You can use anything. Its just what we wanted to use. My Editor and I set up two days to meet in the Editing Suite and we just hammered through it one by one. I made comments on certain things and Rose would just work with it. The amount of detail and effort you have to put into editing is insane to me. You have to understand the directors vision and then structure it from that. All very cool things. Just because you finish the edit though, it doesnt mean that it is done. Next? Sound Design.
Sound Design:
Sound is one of the most important things in a film. In fact it is the film. So you need to make sure that your sound design is good and that your visions can intercept. My sound designer was my friend and he did a really great job. Along with the score, which to its own merit was incredible.
VFX (optional);
Make sure you get someone good, even if you have to pay extra. Good VFX is better than bad VFX. Quality is the most important because it will pay off in the long run.
Color Grading:
Find a Color Grader or your DP will do it for you (this is my preferred option).
DONE.
There you have it.
Reflections and set backs:
Post production there was a lot of set backs and part of that was because I was kind of going with it as we were going down the line. I thought I knew how everything worked but the truth is I didnt. This was a huge learning experience and now I know what to do and what not to do. But I hope that every single time I do this. I learn.
The Making of Amal: Behind the Scenes. Production.
Production. Fun. Exciting. Nerve-racking. Long Hours. Persistence.
Our production should have only been three total days however. It was four. Lets get to that later.
Day 1:
Smooth, but long. Very long. We got there early and left late. Of course, the night before there was very little sleep. My friend Amina and I took a Sprinter Van over to Queens which was about an hour and a half drive. We backed in, unloaded everything and set up started. People started to come in and before we knew it set up was done and it was time to start. My mind was just on filming so, it was a lot of takes and retakes and providing instruction. This was day one. Just come as prepared as possible, and make sure that your vision for the day is flexible because you have to stay on schedule and things are bound to change.
Day 2:
Yikes. We got shut down in Jersey because we used a plot of land that we didnt have a permit for. Guerrilla filmmaking works sometimes, for a set like ours though it didnt because we were 11 people. So…lesson learned. We took a fall that day though and had to reschedule for a different date in a later month.
Day 3:
Again. Day 3 was easy. Same kind of thing. Doing scenes over and over again, going down the shot list. Arriving early and leaving late. Before we knew it though we had a semi-finished project.
Day 4 (Re-done day):
This day was tough because its tough coming back to a project you thought would be done. However, we had to do it. We all wanted to finish what we had started. So we went to Jersey, and switched locations to a plot of land that I found a few days before. It worked out, we had to work with some unconventional lighting to make a fire appear to be there and used a smoke machine to add to the effect. We ended up starting 4pm and finished at 4am. It was a crazy day, but its good that we finished.
REFLECTIONS:
So many. Its so important to make sure you are informed and on point as possible this helps both you and your team members. Looking back, I could’ve done better and been more organized with everything in order to ensure production goes smooth. Every production you should learn something. Also make notes the night before your shoot and ensure that you have everything that you want outlined. All of this is super important. Keep your Focus, and you have to take initiative because its your project.
With all this being said, we had some lovely times on set.
What does Success mean for TFKR Films?
Two years ago I was sitting on a stool. Dramatic Right? End of Story.
Just Kidding.
My friend was across from me. Also. Sitting on a stool. We were eating Chinese Food and after enjoying our meal she looked at me and asked “What do you feel like Success means to you”. My first answer, without hesitation was “Being Happy, and doing something I love with people I love”. Yesterday, my mom and I were having a conversation about Success, the Quran (Holy Book), and what that means for the both of us. She mentioned a line that I want to share with Humanity.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًۭى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ ٥
It is they who are ˹truly˺ guided by their Lord, and it is they who will be successful.
This beautiful line encapsulates a simple meaning, but there are many things that follow underneath that. That is that being guided by Allah starts with values. Those values are….
Honesty
Integrity
Charity
Prayer
Trust
Faith
Good works
These are all important when it comes to whatever it is that you choose to do in life. Because lets be real, who doesnt want success? Everybody wants to be successful, however we must always remember that success doesnt come from us. It comes from God, and when we are no longer here on earth what can we say that we did. Nothing. Our success is what we have to show. Whatever you believe, its a universal truth that Good is good and bad is bad. Its good to do more good things because that will translate to a overall impact on our society. So lets turn back to what does success mean for this company? Success for this company means to put good out in the world, and have a company that influences society in a way that when I a no longer here God can look a this and be proud because thats all this company really is, an influx of ideas that will influence people in a positive light. That is what success for this company means for me. And I pray to have the constant reminder that regardless of what happens none of it is from me it is from God because this is the truth, and that regardless of who a person is or where they come from to alway seek the beauty of there hearts as I hope they would do the same for me. For this company success lies in our values and it is from the inner workings of the beautiful and thoughtful minds and a trust in the most merciful that we will find our success. Success is not only in this life but also in the next.
There is a beautiful story about a man whom I would like to know more about, his name is Abdelrahman bin Ouf and he was one of the wealthiest men in Medina. He was an Entrepreneur and one of the first 40 people to convert to Islam. He made an effort to implement the principles of Islam by putting God first, he would pray during the night time and all the money he received he used it for the benefit of society. He gave a third of his money to charity, and a third of his money to pay off the debts for people in Medina, another third as business capital for those in need. All of there money was used to benefit the people. It was used for a purpose. Not just for themselves. There is a mentality that “no one cares about you unless you are successful, pretty, or smart”. Something along those lines. Well we should change that, and when this company grows this is something we are going to change. Its important to care about humanity as a whole, not just for our own benefit but so that the society as a whole can be benefited. We were all given different talents for different reasons and that is to elevate each other. May we all find success in a righteous way and In a way that will not only benefit us but also the people around us. Ameen.
To circle back to the story. My definition of success hasn’t changed. I aim to please the most high through the creation of this company and am excited and looking forward to the challenges and successes ahead.
The Making of Amal: Behind the Scenes of our Award winning short. Pre-Production
Writing this haunts me with all the daunting tasks that had to take place.
However. Write I will and maybe you will like pre-production more than me. Regardless, whether you like it or not. I hope that this can be of some help to you.
Finding a Crew
This is the first step to making great things happen. And whatever your vision is, you need the right people to go out there and make it. Now if you have friends who are in the film industry, bang. Hit them up. There is your crew. However, for me. I didnt feel like there was anyone I could reach out to. Most of my friends were still in college or out in the world doing their own thing. So, I resorted to two main platforms: Facebook and Backstage. I posted my story idea on Tisch Crew Calls (FB), and Backstage. I got responses for a Crew, faster than I thought I would. I looked through applications, interviewed people I thought were good candidates and gathered the crew together.
Reflections on Crew
My crew (Alhamdulilah) was amazing. They put in so much work. Especially my DP, Art Director, Gaffers, Sound, Makeup, PAs all really went above and beyond. Ultimately though everyone did there part. My one mistake was that there was someone one set who my gut was like mm maybe not. That will happen. There will be people who you want to work with again (most of my crew) and people who you won’t want to work with again. Thats ok. You kind of just have to be chill, and sometimes the people you want to work with won’t want to work with you. So many different scenarios but ultimately you find your people and they find you. Enjoy the experience of working with others and reflect on how you would want to make it better next time. At the end of the day everyone wants to make a good product and we are all human.
Finding Actors
My characters were Middle Eastern, so finding characters that followed that description alone was tough. Though, I guess its all how you think about it. You can be like AGHHHH NO NEVER AGAINNN… or you can be like, ITS AN ADVENTURE HELL YEAAHHH. So… That part is all up to you. Anyways, the actor part. Was an adventure.
Finding Ali Nasser (Played Bassam)
Adventure on Adventure. Ali was a blessing but finding him was hard. I called around different agencies. They had no one. Then I reached out to different people who were listed as Casting Directors. I reached out to a friend who had a friend who didnt have anyone. Then finally blessings find there way from the skies to me and I found out about an organization called MENA. Middle Eastern Arts Initiative. They had a giant list of Actors.Actresses.Playwrights. anything you needed it was there. I reached out to all the Arab Men on that list. Quite a few got back to me, however only two made the cut. One of them was a Rapper and the other was Ali Nasser. I chose the Rapper because he was Syrian, and Ali was Egyptian. But the Rapper wasn’t a better actor, its just that he was Syrian and that was really what determined my decision. However after thinking over it a little bit more, I realized that the background didnt matter as much as the emotion and I felt that Ali pulled it off better. So after telling him that I had found someone else, I called him back and hoped for a yes and he accepted the offer.
Finding Layla Hatahet (Played Amal)
I started off making it more complicated than it should’ve been. Again, I called agencies, asked around, but had no luck at all. Then there was the moment inspiration (shoutout god), Community flashed in front of my eyes. I knew I had to keep an eye out. My mom was actually the one who suggested that I reach out to Laylas mom and from there we had cast Amal.
Raising Money/Crowdfunding
The Daunting task of raising money for your short film is not any easy one. And off the bat my #1 suggestion is over budget for your film because most of your money will go into production and production can get expensive. Super. Duper. Expensive. When I say low budget. We were very low budget. However, we raised the money. How? Hitting up group chats, writing an emotionally compelling pitch, going up to people, calling friends, people you know and you dont know. Again its an adventure. All of it. So embrace it and whether its $100 dollars or a $100,000 you can do it. Full speed ahead.
To go into specifics, I used Indiegogo. Some things I recommend: start your venture 3 months in advance. Tell everyone you know and try to get a 100 on the first day. If 20 people commit to donating 5 bucks. Your good. In regards to Producers. Some help and some dont help. You may have to just push yourself into the unknown. It will be ok though, just trust.
Reflections
OVERBUDGETTTT!!!!!
Rehearsing with Actors
So. This one. Is one of the greatest parts of Pre-Production. I just set aside tie with Layla and we would meet twice a week to practice. Kids are malleable so she was able to get the lines down pretty quickly. Ali, didnt rehearse and he still did a great job. The hardest part was the dialect (switching from Egyptian to Syrian) but he still managed.
Finding Location
We had two locations. One in Queens and one in Jersey. The location in Jersey I went around, asking people if I could use there plot of land to film on because I was looking for something specific. If your not looking for something specific, any plot of land will do. If you have a vision, do everything you can to fulfill it and the location, matters.
Food and Catering
Look for people to Sponsor your film, and ask if they would be willing to provide discounts for food.
Rentals
Your DP will take care of the Rental List. You just have to send them the order and go pick it up. Just ensure that they dont rip you off and overcharge.
Insurance
A necessary evil. Or is it? This will be a big expense. Do your best to get a friends insurance and do a sub insurance.
Overall Reflections
Get opinions and thoughts from people who know more than you. And Chill. You must be chill and relaxed, you make the best decisions like this. Ultimately its not that serious. So take a deep breath and do your thing.
The Making of Amal: Behind the Scenes of our Award Winning Short. Development
Hello fellow Indie Filmmaker, or reader. Hope you are having a wonderful day. Today we are going to be talking about Pre-production and how that process looked like when making our Award Winning Short, Amal. Ill walk you through the steps that I took, so that you can take these steps and do them better. This will be apart of a overall series in which we will delve into Pre-production, Production and Post Production. So…lets begin with Pre-Production.
Scriptwriting/Development:
This film was written in 2019 of my Freshman year of college. It was a story written from the heart, inspired by the story of Abudullah Al Mohammad, a name that filled the internet during the year of 2019. A video of him making a game out of Bombs dropping in Aleppo, Syria appeared on my phone screen. After seeing it I knew I had to write something to honor my people. They say write what you know, and though I do not know what it is like to be in a war zone, I do know what its like to want to protect something you love. This was an aspect of the story that I found to be truly beautiful and compelling. Thus, I wrote the script.
How I knew it was a good script
It connected people to the characters in the story, and they felt drawn to that. At that time, I did not intend for anything to happen with it.Then again though, everything happens for a reason. My recommendation to you is do a people test. See if it strikes a cord in there heart, that is what matters. Dont listen to every single piece of feedback, but if the response is generally good do It. Listen to the feedback that makes the most sense to you. Let the story unfold naturally.
Reflections on Scriptwriting
Part of me just wishes that I took a little bit more time to go over the script and make sure everything was top-notch. The thing is though, from every production you do you learn. The only thing left to do is just keep doing more!
How It Started
In 2023, I decided that I wanted to make my own short film, and so thus the journey began. This script stood out to me because it was about a subject that was important. It addressed humanity as a whole, not just Syria (where the script took place). It spook to the heart of humans and thus, this was the one. Now that there was the script, the next step was Pre-Production, which we will be exploring in the next blog post.
Thank you for reading!
Links to Abdullah Al Mohammads video/story:
Video of him and his daughter, Salwa
News Stories:
Syrian father teaches daughter to laugh at bomb explosions to make her less afraid
Syrian Girl who went viral laughing at bombs in Idlib makes it to safety in Turkey
Girl who coped by laughing off bombs in Syria on brink of homelessness in Turkey
You can read a few pages of the script HERE.
Recent Updates
There are lots recent updates. Most of it is putting your head down ignoring the noise and valuing the people that you have around you. In regards to TFKR Films the business and being a business owner all really intertwines with how you live your life. The way that you lived will ultimately inform the business and how it will flow. Every small detail matters and its important to consistently be reminding yourself of that fact. In terms of growth in the realm of TFKR, we are moving. We have added two members to the team, each with their own skill set and have quite a few projects in the works. Its October now, and our plan is to being end of November. However, who knows if that is what will happen. Nothing is ever 100% no matter what field you are in. The only thing you can really do is plan, and go through the plan. If something happens, you just have to be quick to think on your feet. These two people (who I would love to intro soon), are going to help things move a lot faster and allow for this company to grow. The goal right now is to gain revenue by connecting to different clients and offering them services that we know we can provide. By doing this we will be able to expand our reach to companies all across NYC and get our name out there. This is our focus right now. That and getting Amal screened and finishing up some business cards. The process never really ends and there will always be more and more that needs to get done, along with more goals to accomplish. Which is why Im a firm believer that satisfaction in your life cant come from your Business or your success it has to come from the one who give your success. Which is God. Im not perfect in anyway, but reaching for God and putting him first is vital to your success in everything else. That must be acted up well. Anyways, thats all for today and I hope that this post can help you in some way shape or form on your journey. The truth of the matter Is, we are here and then we are not. Our value comes with our information along with the skills that we possess. I hope that my time on this earth will provide both value, knowledge, and of course laughter with the success that is to come. Peace be with you.