This page details the complete journey of our film project, from the initial shoot to the final editing, encompassing every step along the way.

SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE

Poster Shoot 

Our production began with the creation of the poster, inspired by the powerful imagery of the 2022 Sindh Aurat March. The march's display of clothing to symbolize victims of harassment and rape, effectively challenging the 'victim-blaming' narrative, deeply resonated with our film's core message. We aimed for a similarly impactful poster – simple yet powerful – that would visually convey the film's social commentary. 

To enhance the poster's aesthetic, I adjusted the photo in Photoshop. I decreased exposure for a darker tone, increased contrast for greater depth, and boosted saturation to make the clothing stand out while slightly desaturating the overall image to create a more serious mood.

To match the film's color palette, I warmed the temperature and added a green tint. Finally, I applied subtle fade and vignette effects to further darken the image and emphasize the film's serious genre.

Film Shoot Day 

After coordinating with our actors' schedules, we determined that January 5th was the most suitable date for filming. Given that the second half of the film involved location shooting, we decided to prioritize filming the scenes that could be completed within a controlled environment on that day. 

We anticipated a quicker shoot for the initial scenes, given their simplicity. However, filming took approximately four hours, exceeding our initial expectations. We utilized natural daylight whenever possible to maintain a realistic atmosphere and supplemented it with existing room lights when necessary.

Directing the kitchen scene proved particularly challenging. Guiding the actors to convey the intended emotional intensity, including inappropriate gestures and expressions of fear, required multiple takes. Furthermore, maintaining focus throughout the shoot presented difficulties, particularly during the scene where Noor exits the kitchen. Despite these challenges, we successfully completed filming all the planned scenes.

Montage Shoot

The montage scenes were filmed over several weeks due to the addition of new scenes to enhance the film's representation and duration. To expedite the process, Khansa and I divided the simpler scenes amongst ourselves, while collaborating on the more complex ones. This approach was necessary as scheduling filming sessions with both of us and the actors, who had limited availability due to school and work commitments, proved challenging.

Post Card Shoot

Details on the Social Media Page

For the promotion of this film, I decided to use the same social media account that we had used for our previous film. This was a strategic choice, as the account already had a substantial following, which allowed us to leverage an established audience base. Drawing inspiration from Khoosat Films’ social media strategy, I adopted the concept of posting in grids. This approach not only enhances the visual appeal of the profile but also makes it easier to maintain a cohesive and organized feed. To create these grids, I used PhotoFlix, ensuring that the layout was both aesthetically pleasing and aligned with our branding.

In addition to sharing the official posters, I posted a variety of behind-the-scenes (BTS) photos and videos to keep the audience engaged and build anticipation for the film. These BTS glimpses provided a personal touch, allowing followers to feel more connected to the project and the creative process behind it. To further amplify engagement, we launched interactive challenges on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. These challenges were designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences, catering to different age groups and interests. By diversifying our content and encouraging user participation, we were able to generate buzz across multiple platforms, fostering a sense of community and excitement around the film’s release. This multi-faceted approach not only maintained the interest of our existing followers but also attracted new audiences, helping to maximize the film’s reach and impact.

Editing

After each filming session, Khansa and I would gather all the footage—including both the final takes and behind-the-scenes (BTS) clips—and add them to a shared album. Once everything was compiled, we would review the clips together, carefully selecting the ones we liked best. Khansa would then begin the initial editing process, making light adjustments to the chosen clips.

Once she had put together a rough draft of the edit, we would go over it together during school, refining the sequence by trimming, replacing, or further editing certain clips as needed. Since Khansa and I had a very clear vision of what we wanted for the project—and because I had previously collaborated with her on another project I had complete trust in her editing skills and judgment. 

Since Khansa handled the technical aspects of editing, I wasn’t deeply involved in that process. Instead, I focused on conveying the creative direction and specific elements I wanted in our film. For example, I requested warm color grading to enhance the mood and asked Khansa to incorporate a superimposition effect to smoothly transition between the main film and the montage sequence, then back again.

Originally, we had planned to use "Nothing’s New" by Rio Romeo as the soundtrack, but after reviewing the footage, we realized it didn’t match the tone we were aiming for. We then tried "Kaari Kaari" by Quratulain Baloch, but its fast tempo didn’t suit the pacing of our clips. After a lot of brainstorming, I suggested overlaying different news clips in the background to create a more intense and unsettling atmosphere. This adjustment helped reinforce the realism and tension we wanted in the final cut. Khansa executed these ideas seamlessly, bringing our vision to life while handling all the technical details.

Khansa and I continued refining our film up until the night before the screening and audience testing, making small tweaks to perfect the final cut. However, after all the adjustments, we encountered a major problem—the runtime. Our film was only 3 minutes and 20 seconds long, falling short of the required minimum of 4 minutes.

Despite our efforts, we couldn’t extend it further without compromising the flow or forcing unnecessary additions. Hoping for leniency, we submitted it as it was, praying that our ma’am would overlook the slight discrepancy in duration and approve it. 

First Draft 

Audience Testing

The response to our film was overwhelmingly positive, with most of the feedback praising its execution and creativity. However, we did receive some constructive criticism—a few viewers pointed out that the audio levels were too loud in certain scenes, which occasionally overshadowed the dialogue or ambient elements.

Our ma’am also addressed the runtime issue, explaining that the shorter duration would naturally limit our film’s impact in the evaluation. She advised us to extend it by adding a few more scenes to meet the four-minute minimum, ensuring it felt more complete. Additionally, she suggested enhancing the sound design by incorporating foley effects—like subtle background noises—and refining the ambient audio to create a more immersive experience.

Despite these minor adjustments, she expressed genuine appreciation for our film, particularly its storytelling and visual style, and commended the effort we put into the project. Her feedback was encouraging, reinforcing that with a few refinements, our film could reach its full potential.

Additional Shoot

Since our film didn’t meet the required runtime, Khansa and I decided to organize an impromptu shoot the following day. Coincidentally, we were already spending time with a group of friends, which worked out perfectly as we had willing actors available on short notice. One of the scenes we filmed was the bike sequence, which was originally part of our screenplay but had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. We took this opportunity to shoot it with our friend Gulalai.

Additionally, inspired by the dramatic dupatta scene from the Pakistani drama Taan Maan Neelo Neel, I came up with a spontaneous idea to incorporate a similar moment into our film. Though we weren’t entirely sure how it would fit into the final edit, the powerful symbolism behind the scene convinced us to film it anyway.

Later that same day, Khansa had pre-existing plans for sehri (the pre-dawn meal during Ramadan) with her cousins. She used this gathering as a chance to shoot the bench scene, featuring her sister and cousin, adding another layer of authenticity to our project.

Editing Round 2

For the second round of edits, Khansa took care of most of the small fixes—I didn’t have to do much since it was just adjusting the volume, adding a few new clips, and making the trigger warning and stats section longer because they were way too quick before. We also threw in a clip from our preliminaries to stretch the film’s runtime a bit.

One annoying thing we ran into was the news clip playing in the background when Mustafa and Adeel walk into the dining room. At first, it wasn’t playing the whole way through, and since we couldn’t find the original clip on YouTube again, we just muted it. But then our teacher said it looked weird without any sound, so Khansa and I had to spend forever searching for a decent replacement. It took way longer than we expected, but we finally found something that worked and didn’t make the scene look awkward.

Sound Design

Our film's atmosphere was largely shaped by its sound design, as the audio played a crucial role in immersing the audience in the story. For ambient sounds, we primarily relied on the natural audio captured in the original clips. However, in the opening scene, we enhanced the environment by layering additional sound effects—such as a humming fan, chirping birds to signify morning, and deliberate footsteps—since the original audio wasn’t usable for that segment.

To further reinforce the film’s tone and realism, we incorporated authentic news clips throughout, adding depth and context to the narrative. For the final segment, we intentionally omitted background music or ambient noise, opting instead for silence. This deliberate choice was made to ensure the audience could fully absorb and reflect on the impactful statistics presented, allowing the weight of the information to resonate without distraction.

Reviews

Khansa and I were overwhelmed by the immense appreciation and praise we received from our friends and family for our project. Since so many people had contributed their support and encouragement throughout the process, everyone was eagerly anticipating the final outcome. Thankfully, we were able to meet—and even exceed—their expectations, which made the entire journey incredibly rewarding. The positive feedback and heartfelt love we received were beyond anything we could have imagined, leaving us with an indescribable sense of fulfillment and gratitude. It was truly heartwarming to see how our hard work resonated with so many people, making all the effort worthwhile.