The Balancing Act
Doing it Right
“Laser Films? They’re among the best, but they’re too expensive and we don’t need such good quality for our film…” has been a response I have been hearing for as long as I can remember that I eventually started believing it to be true!
As the years went by, I understood why we had this reputation.
My father always had this moto “do it well or don’t do it at all”. He always struggled to achieve, especially when it came to the production value, as it relates to every detail and pixel of every frame. For years, he declined projects and storyboards because they lacked creativity, or because they didn’t procure him any mental challenge. He used to argue with clients trying to convince them that this take, that shot, or this edit was much better for their film, for them, despite the fact that they never realised this or just did not really care.
This reputation saw us losing valuable assignments as clients were sometimes “afraid” of sending us their projects. Nevertheless, my father’s mind was at peace and his conscience of trying to deliver the best and honouring the trust that was put in him by his clients, was very clear.
With time, more and more ‘production houses’ started to flourish as the competition grew while market share shrank. Today, we can’t even count the number of so called ‘production houses’ in Lebanon, which I estimate to be more than 50. One reason is due to the new technologies introduced making the process more affordable and much easier for anyone to break into.
Tarek Sikias,