Gulf | Bahrain
Bahrainis discover thrill of producing own personal movies
Sitting in the living room with soft lighting and music, Ali Zamni was cobbling together the 'fragments' of his married life, like a jigsaw puzzle with dozens of pieces.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 23:47 March 21, 2008
- Schoolchildren use technology to enhance their learning skills. Both teaching and learning can be much more fun with the use of new softwares like Photoshop and PowerPoint.
- Image Credit: Supplied Picture
Manama: Sitting in the living room with soft lighting and music, Ali Zamni was cobbling together the 'fragments' of his married life, like a jigsaw puzzle with dozens of pieces.
Here is the women's henna party two days before the grand marriage ceremony and there are the men of the family, grinning as they sipped green tea with mint together.
"It is quite challenging as there are many pictures, some digital, but also some in print that were taken by relatives and friends. I first scanned and worked on all the pictures, and then categorised them," said the 40-year-old teacher as he pointed to the several folders he had created on his computer desktop.
Ali got married three years ago and has a daughter, Ala. He and his wife, Suad, often look at the pictures celebrating seminal moments of their lives, but never before felt the need to organise them or to make copies and share them with relatives or friends.
They expect their second baby next month and Ali thought that he should put together the pictures celebrating his marriage and the early months of his first daughter before the new milestone in his life.
More and more people are like Ali. Looking for something more sophisticated than the traditional family album of photographs and something more thrilling than a traditional home video, they use computer technology and advanced softwares to edit personal films that can be easily preserved and offered to friends and families.
'Challenging but fun'
"When you make your own film, you make it very personal, particularly if you are good at using computer technology. You put the pictures together and then add all sorts of visual effects as well as your favourite sound bytes. It is challenging but great fun," said Ali whose computer skills have already enabled him to sculpt a short clip about a family gathering.
"The demanding test with the family film is to know how to produce the final video in the correct chronological order and without missing the memorable moments that your relatives want to view time and again," he said.
For Samira Danouni, a French teacher, her first use of a digital camera to craft a learning clip was part of an assignment for a Master's degree on the use of technology to develop a school curriculum.
"We needed to improve our technological skills to keep up with the pupils' impressive advances in the use of computers. It was a do-or-die situation for us teachers and we eventually got rid of our apprehensions about using PowerPoint and Photoshop. When I applied my newly acquired skills with the pupils, we were all amazed how much more fun the learning and teaching experience could be," Samira said.
For the Bahrain school teacher, making compelling montages has become the most successful method to share information and acquire knowledge in a motivating environment.
"Today, montages of pictures taken during a field trip or of a subject that we are studying are staples of our class. I am not saying that books have become obsolete but they are no longer the stars, having been reduced to the role of supporting actors," she said.
Several teachers have emulated her example, eventually sparking a collective interest in liaising through video conferences and e-mails with schools in the United States to allow pupils to share experience and gain new insights into technology-based learning.
Rasool Al Hajiri, a photographer with Al Ayam newspaper and who has vast experience in using pictures to craft short films, said his services are increasingly required by families celebrating weddings or parties.
"The families usually look for something that is really personal and goes beyond the still pictures that lack life and cannot really highlight the joy of the moment. The new films are a combination of digital pictures and short films with sound bytes taken from favourite songs," Al Hajiri said.
Making the film is not difficult for the professional photographer but he insisted that details have to be planned and worked out carefully.
"I usually sit with the family to agree on what they want to record on their DVD. I always take many pictures and then they select the ones they want. There is no problem with the clips taken during the ceremony, either. The real challenge is when you ask the family to record an introduction so that the DVD has a live message that makes it more appealing," Al Hajiri said.
People who are not used to talking in front of a camera find it difficult to make the introduction, especially when the family insists that the grandfather or grandmother should do it, he said.
"Recording the decisive moment that lasts fleeting seconds on the DVD often takes me a couple of hours, but I do not mind. It can be fun and it is a lucrative business," Al Hajiri said.
Sharing clips
Desire to make a short movie about his graduation prompted Maher Yousuf to ask his friends to take pictures and turn the memorable moments into a film with speeches and music that he could treasure and share with friends.
"I got the idea from watching clips on YouTube and Facebook. I thought that I could have something similar for my graduation, and I am glad that I had friends who could help me. They took several pictures and some clips and then worked on the film. It came out really fine and I was able to send personalised copies to my extended family and to the friends who could not [attend the event]," he said.
Do you make personal movies? Is it better than photographs?
Share this article
Popular in News
News Editor's choice
-
Mohammad launches H1N1 campaign
Shaikh Mohammad was the first one to receive the H1N1 vaccine.
-
Focus on best methods of crime investigation
International conference to also focus on anti-corruption measures
-
Muslims happy to live in the US
Warm welcome awaits visitors of any nationality despite political differences
