Independent filmmaker Faisal Hashmi, documentary filmmaker Hasan Aslan and Ahmad Nokari, Head Of Production at NAS News Arabia shared insights and trends at an exclusive panel discussion.
Canon Middle East (CME) recently hosted a panel discussion as well as two specialised workshops in Dubai as part of its awareness to create greater awareness about filmmaking and new products in the market from the brand.
The first workshop was dedicated to exploring different lighting techniques with cinema EOS cameras, as well as a practical demonstration of using cinema EOS cameras to achieve the best lighting results. The second workshop underscored how Canon’s ENG camera & PTZ Streaming solutions can be utilised in many industries including education, broadcast, corporate, and much more and demonstrated the real-life benefits, advantages and versatility of the technology.
Both sessions offered deep insights into Professional Video Solutions, spanning filmmaking, broadcasting, streaming, and documenting. The capabilities of Canon’s professional cameras and lenses were discussed. The panel discussion entitled “How the Content Creation Landscape Is Changing” brought together three of the region’s celebrated content creators, to discuss the changing landscape of content creation.
Independent filmmaker Faisal Hashmi, documentary filmmaker and DoP Hasan Aslan, and social media expert and Head Of Production at NAS News Arabia Ahmad Nokari shared their personal experiences, perspectives and predictions for the future of content creation with a special focus on monetisation and the ability to turn passion projects into commercially successful documentaries and how to customise content for different platforms.
The session was attended by aspiring content creators and filmmakers who were on the same journey. A common theme was the need for more people to join social media and share their craft on social media, as a tool to promote a product, develop a brand or raise a personal profile to gain more exposure.
Ahmad Nokari, Head of Production at NAS News Arabia urged everyone to get onto social media stating that it offered great returns for those who utilised it well.
“People do not always remember who shot a video or who made the edit, but they always remember who was in front of the screen.”
Faisal Hashmi captured the journey of an independent filmmaker, citing some of the challenges and the need to stick to the path to reap the harvest. He stated that while shooting commercials helped pay his bills, he continued to make short films and features to feed his passion.
Hasan Aslan commented that, unlike independent filmmakers who liked to don several hats, he focused on honing his skills as a DoP stating that this strategy worked for him.
Nokari urged content creators in the audience to make the most of the power of social media to make their content relevant and also commercially viable.
The panel concluded with a confirmation from Canon that it remains committed to reimagining the future or imaging and supporting content creators in their journey of visual storytelling.
