Abdullah AbuMahfouz

Hey guys! I am a director and here is my reel. https://vimeo.com/99440509 I think it's important for director's reels to showcase emotion and storytelling over stellar visuals. That's a DP's job, but that's my opinion. Let me know what you guys think and if there is anything that can be fixed. Thanks!

You definitely have a knack for lighting! I think what would be nice is if you added more moving shots. Moving shots cut together literally adds movement to your reel, making it more interesting. Good job!

The link doesnt work :/

I think it would be awesome if you trimmed it down to just 2 minutes. I know some guys who will literally watch reels on the fast forward button if they're longer.

Hello fellow filmmakers! This is the final project I made to graduate Full Sail University. The story is about a struggling father, Colin, clinging onto the last precious moments with his daughter, Lola, before he must hand her over to her mother. I already see a lot of mistakes with the piece but I want to hear what people who don't know the film in and out have to say. https://vimeo.com/98195134

I ran across this workshop that is touring the good ol' USofA. It's called "Directing Motion". It claims that, "You will step away from this experience with a solid foundation in camera movement, blocking, lensing, and sequencing, and be able to direct any crew precisely and effectively to execute your vision. By understanding these principles thoroughly, you will add impact to your projects, be they commercials, webisodes, features, shorts, events, or documentaries." What are your opinions about this workshop? It looks beneficial for younger or newer directors! Here is the link to the website. http://directingmotion.mzed.com/dates-cities-and-register And a demo on what he will go over here. The full thing is around $300 not including a hotel that you would have to book for traveling and what not. Do you think it's worth it? I am newer when it comes to these workshops, but I know that there are many of them around.

I took my brothers and we'd reenact battles from our favorite movies and shoot them on an old crappy camcorder. We'd edit it together on the first version of windows movie maker. I wish I could return to those times... But that was the moment I called myself a filmmaker/director. It wasn't out of arrogance or self indulgence, but out of truth. What else would I be?

You have some beautiful images here accompanied by great lighting. Good job, Mark.

I just finished an edit of a short film, and I want to test screen it live over the internet to a selected audience. Does anyone know a good/well known website for this purpose? Thanks!

You have to be able to understand and sympathize with people. The main reason for this is for your communication with talent. You also have to be a leader, a charismatic person. The entire cast and crew looks at you for direction and leadership, hence the title director. Personality wise, I think director's can range from out going to introverted and having all kinds of clicks. In fact, most of history's greatest leaders sought solitude and kept to themselves most of the time.

Well to kind of answer my original questions: I found a good strategy to help spread the word of the kickstarter and to get it popular on the website. What we did was take our crew and have them tagged (on facebook) in a video we made, that includes the majority of them. What this does is that it allows the video to be seen by thousands of friends and family of the crew. In the video, we only ask for one dollar, and a share. Eventually, the small amount does build up and people who are inclined to donate more end up doing it anyway once the word is spread. Check it out, and let me know what you think of the plan. The Power of a Dollar Video: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=661023527241829

That's very very interesting! Thank you so much for the advice, this helps a lot. A "thinking machine" with strange bugs and hiccups on its own is an idea I haven't really thought about. When I was analyzing the character, I wanted to build him around loyalty. But now, I think I will go with an approach where that this is a learning machine, and though it can not conflict with its hard-programming (loyalty), it still learns and develops emotions from the events happening through out the story; the events in the story give good motivation for this. At this point, it seems less of a machine to me, and more of an actual character. Thank you!

I applaud you for managing without the internet back then. I am truly grateful for it, and I intend to use it to my full advantage. It is a very valuable new tool. Now, we are running other fundraisng other than kickstarter, such as: door to door campaigns, card tournaments, garage sales, and things that don't require internet. Why are we doing these? Because it is all we know. We are learning. If you believe there are better ways to find money to fund a film, please feel free to suggest them; I need all the help I can get. If anyone also knows how to better fund with Kickstarter, I am open for any tips! Thank You!

I am obsessed with books, I can read all day. I am looking to improve my directing in terms of: directing talent, shot composition, etiquette with major crew members, and script analyzation. I know most of these are picked up by doing, but are there any books that you recommend that cover any of these topics? I've already read : The Filmmaker's intuition, directing shot by shot, and The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Thank you!

I am a student attending a film school right now. I have not yet reached the producing classes, and I will not for another year; right now we are doing the best we can with what we know. Now, I think it is unfair to label all of us "young guys" as unwilling to learn Facts are that I am asking for assistance from more experienced filmmakers for a film my entire class will be working on. If there are more traditional producing means that you think will do better for me, please suggest them. I'm not trying to spam anyone or rule that you have to give me your money, I am only trying to improve myself, and my peers. My intentions are to not start arguments about kickstarter and forum things. Perhaps I should rephrase my original post to: What are ways that you all know that can help me successfully reach a kickstarter goal? and also: What is my page missing? How should I reach out to people who will provide funding? How can I get ahold of these people? (I am a student, I have little connections in the working industry).

Well then please enlighten me on how to better get funding for the film. We Well then please enlighten me on how to better send this film across to people? We have been going around locally and succeeding in getting funds, but I'm posting on a cinematographer off-topic forum for help on the kickstarter, which I think is appropriate. Then again, I'm young and nieve, I could be wrong, but I'm confident this is how forums work (atleast the ones I've been on.) I've worked on gigs before and I've had my share of the cut-throat attitude that people unfortunately have in this industry. I hope to try my chances to reach a compassionate filmmaker who remembers the feeling of being in my position way back in the beginning. We all start somewhere. With all this being said, thank you for your input. I will keep trying on other websites aswell. My intentions were never to annoy any of you "working stiffs". You all humble me with your input, and I am greatful. My sincere apologies.

Dead ED - Hundreds of years after a nuclear world war, Khan and his companion, a service-droid, ED set out to purge the nuclear wasteland free of radiation. Friendship is tested and temperance is stretched when the two are pushed to their limits in the deadly country. Hello fellow filmmakers! We are film students who are creating our first independent movie titled DEAD ED. But we need help. We launched a Kickstarter to help secure funds for the project, and we need an extra push. Please help us out by donating or sharing the page. Every little bit helps. www.kickstarter.com/projects/634010533/dead-ed Thank you!

Hey guys! Lookin for some advice on conducting reharsals for talent for my short film , Dead ED. You can check details on it on the Facebook fan page here: https://www.facebook.com/DEADEDMOVIE I have two main characters: Khan - The protagonist, a man from the other side of the planet forced to work in the desert wastleands ED - Khan's only companion, ED is a service droid designed to protect and clean the wasteland. The relationship between these two characters is similar to a master and a loyal pet. Khan sees ED as something less than a best friend, and will learn ED's true value by the end of the story. My dilemma here is that I have never worked with a character like ED's before. The script is well written with great opportunities for subtext, but the fact that the character is a robot conflicts with the idea of exploring these opportunities (in my mind at the moment) I haven't gone through rehearsals yet, and I figured that I would explore this further with talent, but I would like to hear other input as well. I have gone through my analyzation, but this seems to be the only hiccup for me. What kind of exercises do you suggest for this situation?

You have to remember that film is an art. Film is the visual (combined with audio) medium of storytelling. Any form of art can tell a story whether it is painting, music, dance, etc. The list goes on. To be a director, I feel like you have a basic understanding on all technicalities of film and visual art. You have to really understand film: analyze, critique, and research. One of the most important roles of a director is directing talent (actors). Once you have the understanding and the mastery of the art, you can tell your stories effectively. The way I started was making home videos and then entering film school. Also took acting classes to understand how to communicate effectively with talent. Now I am directing a short film and a narrative. if you have the passion for it, there is nothing to it but to do it!