Brightside

Yea! Brightside has been submitted to a number of major film festivals in the last couple of weeks. Presently, we are sending out the 15mins version to film festivals. Our (30mins) is close to being completed and will be sent out soon. Gosh! I can’t believe this is really happening! I used to dream of such stuff but didn’t think it was possible for someone like me! When Clair and I received an e-mail the other week that Brightside had been accepted by a major film festival, I knew then our journey had begun.

The first time I saw my film on DVD ...  there are no words to describe it. Before I continue talking about the making of Brightside, I need to go back to the beginning. How it all started?

It all began when I went on Chris Jones’ filmmaking course. I remember sitting through the entire course, hardly saying a word to anyone, scared of being found out for my lack of knowledge. Chris on the other hand was encouraging and positive toward us all. He gave us lots of useful information and tips in how to break into the film industry. It was back then I got introduced to Ross Mcminn, our Editor, who would later work with us on Brightside. So you never know who you may meet on a course!

Filmmaking started out as a hobby. Using my hand flip camera, I would film the kids, practice to zoom in and out of focus and interview friends and family to polish up on existing skills. I attended quite a few film courses, but it was on my last course, Filmdirecting4Women, when it was still running, where I would meet Clair Haynes my Co-Producer and Co- Director to Brightside. Clair and I hit it off immediately and the rest of course is history. Ruth Torjussen who ran the course back then ( is now setting up other Business Ventures) was a real inspiration to us both! Her course was practical and in depth with details on camera techniques.

The turning point for me was when I spoke to Farhana Shaikh. She is the fantastic Editor for the Asian Writer Magazine who told me about “Women’s Voices Now" the film festival based in New York & L.A. Seeing some of the films on this website made me realise my dreams could be a reality!  All the films were produced and directed by Muslim women from around the world, including countries such as, Afghanistan, Yemen and Palestine. To see these women in action was the push and motivation I needed. What excuse did I have? I was living in England!

 The idea for Brightside sprung to mind while I was still on Ruth’s Course. After meeting with Clair, I decided to work on the storyboard and questionnaires and the poem. All the time, I kept thinking how could we take the project to the next level? It is important to point out that at this stage Clair and I were meeting every fortnight. A lot of planning went on before our shooting dates. Our main worries were ...   cost? Hiring Equipment? ... Location? All the normal .. big... big... questions that need to be thought through properly before filming happens.

We hired the lovely Doreen Fonju from London to be our camerawoman. We felt it was important to have a woman interviewing the five Muslim women and our actress. All the women were very happy to work with her. We had no problem getting the best out of each lady. We were shooting on a Canon 7D Digital SLR Camera using different lenses whenever necessary.

Farid El- Jazouli our Sound Engineer has been with us throughout the whole project. A pretty easy going guy, but sometimes I got the impression he felt a bit out numbered by us women! lol! He is cool and a total professional! We look forward to his last bit of contribution to Brightside.

Again, have to repeat a big ...huge thank you to Ross, our Editor who was very patient and understanding with both Clair and I. I’m sure we tested his patience to the limit but he never lost his cool. There were times when we had to make last minute changes and he would do it without kicking up a fuss. A good tip is to find a good Editor who you can work with. You will be working very closely with them during the post production stage and you need someone who gets your vision. We were fortunate to have found Ross. You may decide to edit the film yourself which is great if you know what you are doing? Otherwise invest in a good Editor, it will save you a lot of agro, money and heartache!
Oops...need to mention the other team members who I owe a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart. They are: Kristian from Keyestudio, Carl Harris, Shaun Taylor, Manike Music and all the volunteers who took part. Without their effort and contribution Brightside could not have been completed. Clair has been working closely with them while I work on other stuff to do with Brightside. Have to say...they are the best at what they do!

A little tip, if you decide to do a joint film project. Do make sure it's a person you can rely on, honest and makes you comfortable. Don’t worry about feeling inadequate or making a fool of yourself. You will make many mistakes along the way but its how you will learn. If you are going to go into filmmaking with the attitude you know everything... you may cause yourself a lot of problems.

In my experience to get advice from your crew can be helpful in getting your vision across.  You need to be 100% behind your project if you want it to happen. Don’t panic if things start to go wrong, learn from your mistakes and move on. When things go right, feel happy, enjoy the moment, you made it happen!  Finally, this is your story and you are bringing it too life. Be happy and enjoy the ride!