< PreviousCOVER FEATURE The next few years saw you graduate from fi lm school but you were in no hurry to get into making feature fi lms or commercials, was funding an issue? The norm in our industry is that the director often seeks funding and fights for his project to see the light of day. But luckily I’ve never had to do that with any of my projects. Since graduating from the Higher Institute of Cinema, I’ve received many offers to direct but I didn’t like them enough so I turned them down and I went into documentary filmmaking instead. I wanted to have more freedom, the freedom to work on something I like. I didn’t want, for example, to make a commercial film I didn’t like. Later on with all my TV series or films that followed, truth is I was a lucky man. With the Bedoon Zekr Asmaa series, Waheed Hamed approached me to collaborate on it. And production was ready. The same thing happened with Ott w Far a feature film. In 2010, for Taht Al Saytara, producer Gamal Eladl contacted me and told me he wanted to make a TV series about addiction. The project, however, was put on hold for a while and I kept getting off ers from other parties, but I preferred to go with the project I had already talked about with Gamal. COVER FEATURE www.digitalstudiome.com20 / MARCH 2020Before Bedoon Zekr Asmaa you were known as a documentary specialist, what was the idea behind that? When I was studying in the Higher Institute of Cinema, I had no idea I would later become a documentary filmmaker. Immediately after I graduated I got an offer to direct a narrative feature film but I didn’t want to rush into things. I didn’t want my first feature to be a commercial film that might put me on a journey I didn’t necessarily want. I leant towards the idea of documentary films which would give me the freedom to create something I like without any interventions. So I took on the challenge and I don’t regret that choice in the slightest. Making documentary films taught me so much about every aspect in filmmaking. Crews are minimal in documentaries, the director is usually the scriptwriter… you do it all. I learnt everything I needed to know about photography, editing, sound mixing and colour grading. At times it would be just me, a one-man unit. I’d be interviewing and filming at the same time. At the time I wasn’t aware of the experience I was building. Looking back I realise it has been extremely beneficial to my career. I got a chance to grab a camera and shoot in the mountains by myself. Add to that, Arab audiences generally feel documentary films are uninteresting. This gave me added impetus to take on the challenge of creating films that would be educational and exciting. Would you say you succeeded? In all honesty I think I succeeded in what I set out to achieve. Tell us about your debut feature film Ott W Far – what was it like to Then with Haza Al Masaa, producer Mohamed Mashish was looking to collaborate on a project for several years. The excitement to work together was mutual and I told him I had an idea for a TV series. I’m one of the few directors that never had to pitch their project to a production company or a network. And I realise this is exceptional, that’s why I say I’ve been lucky. “THE NORM IN OUR INDUSTRY IS THAT THE DIRECTOR OFTEN SEEKS FUNDING AND FIGHTS FOR HIS PROJECT TO SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. BUT LUCKILY I’VE NEVER HAD TO DO THAT WITH ANY OF MY PROJECTS. I’M ONE OF THE FEW DIRECTORS THAT NEVER HAD TO PITCH THEIR PROJECT TO A PRODUCTION COMPANY OR A NETWORK. AND I REALISE THIS IS EXCEPTIONAL, THAT’S WHY I SAY I’VE BEEN LUCKY..” Moshen’s time as a documen- tary fi lmmaker prepared him what was to come. Moshen on set while fi lming his latest project. COVER FEATURE www.digitalstudiome.comMARCH 2020 / 21 make the jump to the big screen? I had already worked with the highly acclaimed screenwriter Waheed Hamed on my first TV series Bedoon Zekr Asmaa. He believed in me as a director and we had mutual trust and understanding. Directing a film written by Waheed Hamed is a dream for any director, and I was lucky it came true. So you moved from being a documentary filmmaker into the mainstream. Did you feel you had to compromise on your original dream? Not at all. Contrary to what people think, making documentaries was not my original dream. When I shifted from documentaries to drama and film, I was going back to my original dream. Making documentaries was a phase but cinema has always been my dream. You latest project — Haza Al Masaa — told a stunning story, or rather posed a simple yet chafing question – ‘Is knowing the truth a blessing or a curse?’ What was your inspiration behind this project? Let me tell you something about fi lmmaking and how ideas come to fruition: the life of a fi lmmaker can be compared to that of a receiving machine. We tend to observe and pick up things with an attention to detail and emphasis on feelings and emotions — in a bid to form an opinion about something. All this ‘receiving’ fi lls my subconscious with diff erent feelings and emotions. Thereafter something simple triggers and a realisation comes to fore. In a way all the worlds of Haza Al Masaa were inside of me already. I’ve been receiving and accumulating feelings and information. But the main idea hadn’t become crystal clear yet. In the case of Haza Al Masaa a friend of mine told me about an incident where a husband was spying on his wife by tracking her phone and came across something that happened in the past but his curiosity eventually opened the gates to hell. This little incident suddenly created a sparkle in my eyes and I had a eureka moment. Worlds and characters were suddenly created in my imagination. This is how it usually works. You spend a lot of time receiving, saturating, and building up things inside and you wait for that spark. What are you currently working on for the Ramadan 2020 season? It’s social drama about a miscalculated adventure that turns a married couple’s life upside down. Some of the events take place in the USA, we’re heading there next month to shoot. I’ve not only written the story but I will be directing and co-producing it as well. I’ve had the idea for about four years and now is the right time to follow through on it. The same thing happened in this case I was just talking about earlier in the previous “THERE ARE MANY LIMITATIONS AND CONTROLS IN THE ARAB WORLD WITH ISSUES SURROUNDING TRADITIONS, CUSTOMS, RELIGION, POLITICS, AND MUCH MORE. I DON’T THINK YOU CAN COMPARE AN ARTIST WORKING IN THE ARAB WORLD WITH AN ARTIST WORKING ELSEWHERE WITH ALL THE FREEDOM THEY DESIRE..” Experimenting with the process and going against the norm hasn’t been something Moshen has feared in his career. Moshen is known as a director who gets heavily involved in all aspects of telling a story. COVER FEATURE www.digitalstudiome.com22 / MARCH 2020question happened. I was just making conversation with someone and the spark happened. Just a simple sentence out of thousands of sentences you hear every day but it triggers something in your mind, time stops, and you feel like it resonates with you. And everything becomes much clearer. 2019 was the right time for this idea to come to light and so we started working on it. The controversy that surrounded Netflix series Jinn threw up an interesting conversation about cultural appropriation in the Arab world — being controversial for the sake of it. Do we have the freedom to tell the kind of stories we want to in the Arab region? There are many limitations and controls in the Arab world with issues surrounding traditions, customs, religion, politics, and much more. I don’t think you can compare an artist working in the Arab world with an artist working elsewhere with all the freedom they desire. They say whatever they want in whatever way they desire. While we face a more difficult situation here. We’re trying to express ourselves but at the same time be considerate to highly sensitive matters in the society. It’s a sensitive situation that limits the artist. I wish people understood more about art, its value, and its role. For this to happen, children in school have to learn about art and how it affects us. There is a huge push from other Arab countries to establish a fi lm production culture in their own markets — UAE is a great example with Image Nation Abu Dhabi, and Saudi has opened up too. Does this impetus pose a challenge to traditional fi lm hubs such as Egypt? When it comes to ‘fair play’ in the Arab film industry, at first glance it might look like competition will affect the industry in Egypt, and this might be true. In my view, owever, it’s a limited approach of things. The industry in Egypt flourishes whenever there is strong competition. Any industry with no competition eventually falls apart. You have to have competition to thrive and move forward. Egypt has always been a pioneer in this industry across the Arab world. It’s safe to say that it’s the strongest and most influential [regionally]. The curve might have ups and downs but a bounce back is imminent. Prosperity across the region will benefit the industry, no doubt. In a year or two industry professionals will feel like they have less to do but I believe competition is the only way to ensure strong production. Any competition whether from the Gulf, Jordan, Lebanon, or North Africa will be good for the Egyptian film industry. Is ‘visually compelling’ taking over the art of a good story and the manner in which it is told in the Arab world? Sometimes perhaps… A few people tend to do so. But it shouldn’t be that way. To be honest it shouldn’t be this way or another. You’re supposed to have a complete work of art — visuals, colours, music, actors, and the story itself. Every aspect should work together for the impact we’re aiming for when it comes to the viewers’ feelings. Sometimes good visuals do that, sometimes bad visuals do that too. So we’re basically looking for an impact and how to best achieve it. If a viewer is impacted, and feels something, the film will find favour with the audiences. If they watch something that has good visuals but feel nothing, the film will not succeed. A good filmmaker will be successful in creating that impact, in making people feel things. It’s been an absolute education talking to you, in closing tell us what trends you would like to see change in the Arab film industry? I’d like to see many things change to be honest. What matters the most to me right now is that I’d like everyone to be reminded that we’re creating a product of art which is also a product of intellect, meaning we have to put our minds to work, which means we have to take our time doing so. You’re not supposed to rush someone into thinking. This affects the final result you see on screen. And this doesn’t make sense to me. One can make an arguement that we need to reduce expenses, for instance. But I don’t accept we need to reduce the time for someone to think or be creative. You cannot tell a painter to finish an illustration in two days when he wants 10 days to complete it. This is insane and it bothers me to say the least. So I’d like to see that change for sure. “ANY INDUSTRY WITH NO COMPETITION AT ALL FALLS APART. YOU HAVE TO HAVE COMPETITION TO THRIVE AND MOVE FORWARD.“ COVER FEATURE www.digitalstudiome.comMARCH 2020 / 23 www.digitalstudiome.com New York University Abu Dhabi students have an excursion of a lifetime in an immersive fi lmmaking course by Anthony Geffen n January 2020, the students of the New York University in Abu Dhabi were taken on an excursion to Anthony Geff en’s Atlantic Production studios in the UK. Geff en is renowned as one of the world’s leading documentary fi lmmakers and a pioneer in immersive storytelling. The three week gruelling course, designed by Geff en in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi-based University, is an exploration of how immersive technologies (virtual, augmented and mixed reality) are transforming storytelling and how it is evolving into a fast paced and disruptive industry. “Although J-Term courses span just three intensive weeks, the experience is timeless,” says NYUAD vice provost and associate vice chancellor, global education and outreach Carol Brandt. Speaking more about the J-Term Brandt says that the course is a jewel in NYU Abu Dhabi’s off erings. She adds: “It enables our students to put theory into practice through extensive fi eldwork experiences within and beyond the UAE. Students have seminars in 24 countries this year. Many of the courses also have a special focus on the UAE as a case study. And J-Term continues to grow — this year, more than I 24 / MARCH 2020 IN FOCUSwww.digitalstudiome.com Students from New York University Abu Dhabi particiapted in a specially cureated course by Anthony Geffen. MARCH 2020 / 25 IN FOCUS Anthony Geffen is a stalwart in immersive storytelling. 1,300 students will participate in 90 courses, compared to just 145 students in 15 courses when the programme began a decade ago. This would have not been possible without our own exceptionally qualifi ed faculty and the wide range of other extraordinary scholars, artists, and professionals with whom NYU Abu Dhabi has developed strong ties.” Geff en developed the inaugural version of the course in January 2019 as part of a curriculum development initiative with NYUAD’s programmes in Film and New Media and Interactive Media. NYUAD students have also interned at his Atlantic Productions facility. “The aim of this course is to enable students to utilise new immersive technologies for storytelling and how it’s evolving a fast paced and disruptive industry,” Geff en tells Digital Studio ME. “The visit to the Atlantic studios showed the students how these technologies are being used on the cutting edge of fi lmmaking and storytelling in the real world. The students also got a chance to see the cutting edge technology and experiences which aren’t available anywhere else in the world and is right on the forefront of what’s happening in the immersive industry.” Moving forward the students will use this knowledge to create their own immersive fi lms. Geff en predicts immersive storytelling is set to become one of the most important forms of fi lmmaking in coming years, as the industry continues to make huge leaps in VR, AR and other immersive technologies. “[Acquiring] these skills are going to be vital for all fi lmmakers in the near future, so I think it’s incredibly important to teach the students all about immersive fi lmmaking at this early stage in their careers.” Does more technology mean we are about to lose the art of telling a story in its purest form? “2D television and fi lm are always going to have an important place in storytelling,” Geff en says. “But new immersive techniques such as VR and AR and the techniques that surround them are going to enable us to tell stories in a very diff erent way. In fact, it’s important that VR and AR tell the stories that are relevant for their medium, because are so many stories that are better told in 2D.” The students who visited the Geff en’s London-based Atlantic Studios were exposed to a mixture of classwork, workshops, fi eld trips and guest lectures from industry leaders and world class storytellers to teach the students new THREE WEEKS OF REALITY WEEK 1: Go back to the foundations of storytelling with industry insights and feedback from experts across cinematic, interactive, and web VR WEEK 2: Study the practical elements of immersive production to prepare the students to produce their own short piece of immersive content at the end of the week. WEEK 3: Look at the opportuni- ties around the corner for immersive storytelling and how the disciplines can apply to various sectors. The students will use the knowledge gained to create their own immersive fi lms. www.digitalstudiome.com26 / MARCH 2020 IN FOCUS4th Edition ORGANISED BY Book your place now | www.dgcgames.com For more information Mr Habib Chams Dubai +971588152161 Beirut +961 76 704 978 habib.chams@itp.com www.dgcgames.com Connecting the Global Game Industry FOUR SHOWS IN ONE 500+ Companies 100+ Speakers C Level Delegates 35 Countries 1-2 APRIL 2020 Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE The MENA Region’s #1 Business Event for the Digital Games Industry NEW SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED DGC Ads 2020 Press Ad 205x275 V6.indd 1DGC Ads 2020 Press Ad 205x275 V6.indd 124/02/2020 13:5624/02/2020 13:56of user interface and web design, I want to move beyond screens. As an amateur practitioner of several movement disciplines, I fi nd the interactions with screens limiting. I want to be able to build a digital 3D model with a team in three dimensional space using my hands; or toss an idea across the room without feeling as if I’ve just wasted a piece of paper; or make my computer password a cartwheel. These immersive technologies off er the opportunity to integrate the full movement capacity of each human body through interactions with their applications, instead of forcing people into awkward postures. I want to be part of shaping those opportunities.” Jyothish predicts that the fundamental medium in question itself is going to change. “In what we talked about in the classes, and experienced, that was kind of the biggest thing; that the change of medium, than in the technical phrases such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, is really a refl ection of the loss, or rather the moving beyond the need of physical constraints / media. Transitioning, albeit slowly, where the real physical world becomes the canvas / medium to all that information and technology can bring to us. Jyothish’s ambition is to work for a production house that works on creative and commercial content experimenting on ways of expressing stories, facts, and fi ction in aim of disrupting existing ways of doing the same. storytelling structures and how these can be used across multiple platforms to create immersive content. Geff en says the new generation of fi lmmaker coming through universities from around the world are better understanding the nuances of immersive story telling. He notes: “In many ways, new age fi lmmakers come with a very relevant set of skills which were not around previously, from social media interactivity, gaming and graphics. These are really useful skills in terms of immersive storytelling and give up-and- coming fi lmmakers a big advantage. One thing that is really important is that in all mediums, the storytelling is the most important thing.” A recent example is Geff en’s work the History of the Emirates — a series produced by Image Nation Abu Dhabi that spectacularly uncovers the historic past of the UAE stretching back 125,000 years culminating in 1971. The fi ve-part series used CGI to recreate ancient sites and the original landscape of the region. New forms of LiDar and ground penetrating radar were used to bring ancient sites to life. It’s safe to say that the contingent of travelling students have a whole new perspective to fi lmmaking. Two students — William Mlekush and Sreerag Jyothish — spoke to Digital Studio and shared their fi rst-hand experience of the excursion upon their return. “My greatest takeaway from this course was the demystifi cation of virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality,” Mlekush says. “By demonstrating the current accessibility and maturity of the technologies through innumerable case studies, the class drove home how important this decade will be for the development of these immersive technologies. I came to understand that what ought to be showcased on these platforms is not technical prowess or cheap advertisements, but well-crafted stories. After all, it’s not the processing power or the fi eld of view or the motion tracking that determines the value of these technologies, but how they enable and shape the ideas of the people who create and communicate with them. For US-born Mlekush interests lie in interactive design. “While interaction design typically is thought of in terms NYUAD students have also interned at his Atlantic Productions facility. Xxx xxx xx xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxxx xx Geffen hands-on with the students of NYUAD during the excursion. www.digitalstudiome.com28 / MARCH 2020 IN FOCUSWhy you must attend ? 31 M A R - 2 A PR 2020 DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTRE BE INSPIRED by new methods to improve production quality, speed to market, distribution channels and profitability UNDERSTAND consumption trends in audience demand in the MENA region DISCOVER latest innovations in this dynamic and creative industry With content consumption patterns changing faster than ever, embrace all the disruptions across the content journey as we bring you up-to-speed with the rapidly evolving content, broadcast, satellite and media ecosystem at CABSAT 2020 the of Content Creation Satellite & Distribution Production & Broadcast Middle East & Africa’s leading event for Follow us on@cabsatofficial # CABSAT #CABSAT2020 Organised by Priceless opportunities with FREE-TO-ATTEND exhibition pass! 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