Wednesday 27 / November / 2024
Muscat: A filmmaking camp has been launched as part of the activities accompanying the second Al Batinah Film Festival.
The filmmaking camp was launched on Monday, September 4, 2023 in the Wilayat of Musanna, in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of South Al Batinah, and with the support of the Training and Development Committee, as well as the Support and Production Fund of the Omani Film Society.
The film camp aims to develop the skills of the participants in making short films, by guiding and teaching them about the secrets of this field by experienced experts, providing them with new skills, and building confidence that enable them to shine and excel in the world of filmmaking.
28 participants interested in the field of short filmmaking participated in the camp, including six participants interested in directing, eight participants interested in cinematography, five in screenwriting, three participants interested in production management in the film industry, and six participants interested in cinematic acting.
The programme began yesterday, Tuesday, with a creative thinking workshop, presented by Fatima Al Hinai, Director of Media and Marketing at Al Batinah Film Festival, and director Anwar Al Ruzaiqi, Director of the Support and Production Fund at the Omani Cinema Society.
This workshop aims to empower and develop the skills of participants in brainstorming to create creative and innovative ideas for short films. The camp will continue today, Wednesday, over the course of two days, with a distinctive screenwriting workshop presented by screenwriter Qaisar Al-Hinai, which aims to enable participants to transform a potential creative idea into a scenario ready for a short film in an effective and attractive way.
Then, a workshop on learning the arts of photography and cinematography will be presented by Bahraini director Jan Al Balushi during the period of 17-18 September, to give participants comprehensive artistic skills in the arts of photography and cinematography through practical work sessions and the production of short scenes.
The camp will then continue with a film editing workshop using the latest technologies presented by Mohammed Al-Ruqaishi during the period 20-21 September, which aims to teach participants creative and effective video editing skills using software to achieve amazing visual effects.
Regarding this, director Mohammed Al-Ajmi, founder and director of the Al Batinah Film Festival, said: ”The Al Batinah Film Festival and all the festivals organised by the Omani Cinema Society represent a vital part of the cinematic scene in Oman, and one of the main goals of these festivals is to provide incubators and the appropriate environment for the discovery and development of diverse cinematic talents in all governorates.
He pointed out that the Sultanate also aims to empower these talents and prepare them to work in the film industry, to enhance their participation in local and international festivals and to spread cinematic culture.
Al-Ajmi confirmed that to achieve this noble goal, the management of the Al-Batinah Festival took the initiative to establish an integrated camp that includes all stages of filmmaking, starting from generating ideas and brainstorming, all the way to writing and developing the script, then focusing on the basics of film directing and the arts of photography and montage.
“This camp seeks to direct participants towards achieving the highest level of cinematic quality in their works,” he added.
Fatima Al-Hinai, presenter of the Exploding Creativity workshop, said also that the “Creative Thinking” workshop comes to stimulate and develop creativity in the field of short film making. "We are here to stimulate the passion for cinema and inspire creativity. Our workshop is an exceptional opportunity for those who aspire to enter the world of short film making, and for creatives who seek to explore their ideas and turn them into innovative cinematic works."
She concluded: ”We will all work together to develop writing and directing skills, and direct ideas to the big screen in a unique and attractive way, because we believe that every unique story deserves to be told on the huge screen.”
It is worth noting that films produced from the camp will participate in the Al Batinah Film Festival, which is scheduled to be held during the period from November 12-15, 2023.
