Umar Agha hopes to make Saladin reach same standard as Game of Thrones
Agha reveals his vision for Saladin and how he plans to bring the film to life
PHOTO: PUBLICITY
Earlier this week, a teaser of a film based on iconic Muslim ruler Salahuddin Ayyubi went viral. Columbia film graduate Umar Agha shot the video for Saladin with his friends in Lahore, giving us a glimpse of his vast potential as a film-maker.
Speaking with The Express Tribune, Agha revealed his vision for Saladin and how he plans to bring the film to life. “I always wanted to make a historical epic about a legendary figure but it was never possible,” he said.
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Fortunately for him, crowd-funding and other finance options are opening up for aspiring film-makers now. Agha clarifies that with the teaser, he wanted to create some buzz and raise enough money to create an actual, proof-of-concept trailer. “We want to create killer proof-of-concept trailers and pitch them to investors and producers (especially in the Middle East and Hollywood) to get the actual feature film a green light,” he shared.
This approach has worked for many film-makers whose projects were picked up by Hollywood. But the catch is that the proof-of-concept needs to be “mind-blowing” and for that, Agha has left no stone unturned. Even with a minimal budget, he had to work for months to create the teaser. “Every single piece of the armor and clothing you see was custom-made, usually by hand, by skilled craftsmen that I found in Wazirabad!”
Agha worked with the craftsmen for months to get the right look, fit and finish, obsessing over miniscule details such as the calligraphic etching on two of the main swords. Shooting in and around Lahore – Agha’s own house, Lahore Polo Club, Badshahi Mosque and the Lahore Fort – the ambitious film-maker finished his teaser.
Ironically, Agha claims the video is not even close to what he had wanted. But with the help of the concept art, storyboards and this teaser, he now aims to raise $200,000 to create a proof-of-concept trailer (or short film) “at a scale and quality that will beat Game of Thrones.”
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For the story, concept art and overall development of the video, Agha researched for over a year, wherein he reached out to many artists working in Hollywood, including those who have worked on the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy, World War Z, Game of Thrones and X-Men. Considering the global team that Agha has gathered for the project, he thinks Saladin is no longer just a Pakistani project. “It was conceived, developed and promoted by a Pakistani in Pakistan but it has been and will be a global effort. If Pakistan was our only target audience, we would have failed before even starting. Our goal is to make this film no different than Kingdom of Heaven.”
The emerging director promises his team has an innovative approach which will allow them to deliver a stunning production at only half the cost of going through the regular studio route. “This is the secret sauce!” he exclaimed.
When we talk about Pakistani cinema, we often compare it with Bollywood because of the similarities in culture and society. While Indian cinema is, undoubtedly, much ahead of us, not all of their big scale productions succeed. A historical epic is always a risk.
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Agha believes that Pakistani film-makers’ belief that commercial Bollywood is the epitome of good quality cinema will spark the downfall of local productions. To his fellow emerging film-makers, he said, “Put your own savings on the line, spend the time to really ensure you have a story worth telling, develop its look with care and hopefully, you'll have something people are willing to invest in!”
Watch the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2udKjt98zY
Have something to add in the story? Share it in the comments below.
Speaking with The Express Tribune, Agha revealed his vision for Saladin and how he plans to bring the film to life. “I always wanted to make a historical epic about a legendary figure but it was never possible,” he said.
Game of Thrones named most pirated series of 2016
Fortunately for him, crowd-funding and other finance options are opening up for aspiring film-makers now. Agha clarifies that with the teaser, he wanted to create some buzz and raise enough money to create an actual, proof-of-concept trailer. “We want to create killer proof-of-concept trailers and pitch them to investors and producers (especially in the Middle East and Hollywood) to get the actual feature film a green light,” he shared.
This approach has worked for many film-makers whose projects were picked up by Hollywood. But the catch is that the proof-of-concept needs to be “mind-blowing” and for that, Agha has left no stone unturned. Even with a minimal budget, he had to work for months to create the teaser. “Every single piece of the armor and clothing you see was custom-made, usually by hand, by skilled craftsmen that I found in Wazirabad!”
Agha worked with the craftsmen for months to get the right look, fit and finish, obsessing over miniscule details such as the calligraphic etching on two of the main swords. Shooting in and around Lahore – Agha’s own house, Lahore Polo Club, Badshahi Mosque and the Lahore Fort – the ambitious film-maker finished his teaser.
Ironically, Agha claims the video is not even close to what he had wanted. But with the help of the concept art, storyboards and this teaser, he now aims to raise $200,000 to create a proof-of-concept trailer (or short film) “at a scale and quality that will beat Game of Thrones.”
Peter Dinklage set to join Avengers: Infinity War?
For the story, concept art and overall development of the video, Agha researched for over a year, wherein he reached out to many artists working in Hollywood, including those who have worked on the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy, World War Z, Game of Thrones and X-Men. Considering the global team that Agha has gathered for the project, he thinks Saladin is no longer just a Pakistani project. “It was conceived, developed and promoted by a Pakistani in Pakistan but it has been and will be a global effort. If Pakistan was our only target audience, we would have failed before even starting. Our goal is to make this film no different than Kingdom of Heaven.”
The emerging director promises his team has an innovative approach which will allow them to deliver a stunning production at only half the cost of going through the regular studio route. “This is the secret sauce!” he exclaimed.
When we talk about Pakistani cinema, we often compare it with Bollywood because of the similarities in culture and society. While Indian cinema is, undoubtedly, much ahead of us, not all of their big scale productions succeed. A historical epic is always a risk.
Game of Thrones makes history at Emmys
Agha believes that Pakistani film-makers’ belief that commercial Bollywood is the epitome of good quality cinema will spark the downfall of local productions. To his fellow emerging film-makers, he said, “Put your own savings on the line, spend the time to really ensure you have a story worth telling, develop its look with care and hopefully, you'll have something people are willing to invest in!”
Watch the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2udKjt98zY
Have something to add in the story? Share it in the comments below.