(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Mohammad al-Sharif and Ali al-Tayeb rose to fame in Qatar recently after releasing their first musical video entitled Summer Cloud. The video demonstrates the unity and solidarity of Qatar, its vibrant nation, and how traditions and heritage are rooted deeply in its fabric.
Released on Qatar's National Day, the video has gone viral on social media and has earned recognition and respect. Tayeb has studied filmmaking and Sharif information technology; they have produced the video to show their love and respect for their country, especially during the current siege.
Community interviewed the young producers to know more about them and their project at length. Excerpts:
Please tell us about yourselves briefly.
Sharif: I studied IT which is not related to filmmaking (smiles) but I have an interest in photography. From photography, I developed an interest in filmmaking five years ago. I have worked on different kinds of filmmaking projects. I participated in Qatar television challenge that was in 2015. We had to make a short film every week. I secured second prize at the competition. Then, I joined a small group called Innovation Films. The group consists of Qatari people and they started doing short and feature films. I got experience from the group and from some of the advertising companies as I worked with in Qatar. I recently got married and I work with an IT company.
Tayeb: I studied media in the Qatar University. From there I got interest in filmmaking. I got a video camera and started shooting short films. Then, I started working on my own short films. I have been an editor and a director. When I came to know about the project of Summer Cloud, I realised that I am in the right line.
I studied media and how to make documentary films. I work as a production assistant with Al Jazeera TV.
When and how was the idea of Summer Cloud conceived?
Sharif: At the beginning of the blockade. As we saw how the media was being manipulated against our country, we decided to express our feelings for our country. Artistes in Qatar began using their expertise to express themselves in favour of their country. We also wanted to do something. As we are filmmakers, we met and discussed how we can express our feelings in a short video. We studied and researched before starting our video.
We started meeting for the project in Ramadan last year. We started building our team with help from Doha Film Institute. The institute provided us all equipment to do this film and they also helped us in building a team. We are very thankful to the people who liked our idea and funded the film.
The name of the singer is Saleh al-Manaa. We composed the music in the US. The music composition and mixing was done by Greg Johnson. He was interested in our project to mix Arabic and English music. We released our short film one week before Qatar National Day. We waited for an occasion to launch our video.
How would you best explain your short film? What is the message in the video?
Sharif: It focuses on how people are standing behind Qatar. We all are together. The film is self-explanatory.
The message is from the title Summer Cloud. It has an explanation that why we chose it. There is an old Arabic phrase translated as summer cloud in English. Old people will always use this phrase whenever something bad is happening. During summer, we do not have clouds and rains. Even though there are clouds, it is like nothing. If something bad happens to somebody, they will say do not worry, it is summer cloud and it will go away. It is absolutely going to move away.
Tayeb: We have translated the cloud in the film into people who want to harm us. But we are still there and we are strong. We are together like a mountain. We are strong. All the people living here are not Qatari, but they come forward voluntarily and support Qatar and they love Qatar.
Do different characters and symbols used in the video signify something?
Tayeb: An old woman in the video signifies basic teachings as mothers are first teachers in our culture. The woman carries Qur'an showing that we are Muslims. Her teachings all come from Islam. The message of Qur'an is to stay strong together and not spread out.
Sharif: Most of the characters and objects in the video show different signs of our religion and culture. An old man (grandfather) and a boy signify our old and new generation and passing of our culture from old generation to the new generation. We do not change our culture and no-one can make us change our culture. The grandfather gives a falcon to the boy. Falcon is a symbol of power and freedom. The sword dance shows that we are preparing to defend our country. A non-Qatari man is shown wearing army uniform shows that everyone in Qatar is ready to defend the country. The presence of the old woman also alludes to a blessing. She gives her blessing to men going to defend their country.
What has been the response to your short film?
Sharif: We might be a little bit late in releasing our video because many other people (artistes) showcased their works on the National Day. However, the good thing about our video is that it was shown on all television channels.
The biggest response was from Her Highness Sheikha al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani when she shared our video on twitter. A lot of people have been watching the video. It has gone viral. I am happy with the result.
How is your short film different from other such videos?
Sharif: Our style is new. Nobody has done like this before. All television channels were surprised to see our work. Our short film is an independent work. It was not produced under the umbrella of any television channel.
Tayeb: Further, our idea in the video is not just focused on the siege. The video can be related to the country any time. It is kind of a national song and can be used in future also.
What are your future plans? How would you want to use your skills?
Sharif: For me, I am not thinking about something new right now. What I see is that it is not related to my professional work. Whenever I have time, I will like to join any production work for filmmaking. I think that Qatari people need to continue using their skills and producing creative works. I will also love to work with Ali al-Tayeb again in the future.
Tayeb: I see this video as my first step. My goal is to be a filmmaker not only in Qatar or in the Arab world. I really want to work in other countries, too. I want to start doing feature films.
Video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57K39vjVfOk
MENAFN0701201800670000ID1096320499
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.