Tuesday, January 22, 2008

The death of Redad Ben Thami Ziani means Cinema live is dead in Morocco


Redad Ben Thami Ziani

By Allal El Alaoui
This is not about Mohammed Ousfour ,the first film-maker in Morocco .But in stead , it is about the first technician of cinema live that the Moroccan public used to follow ever since the days of independence .

His name is Redad Ben Thami Ziani, a lovely sympathetic man whom you would love immediateltly.He is full of sense of humour and he is known of his precise and quick performance when the Machine of cinematography in RTM is out of order.Sadly ,Redad is dead .

Too many RTM managers love and appreciate the work of Redad very well. they know what they are worring about when something happens to national news .Redad,our man is there to help and no problem Redad will handle the situation. Simply Redad saves news reels as we say technically.RTM Ex-Directors like Mehdi benjra ,El Kaitouni, El Idrissi, Nour-eddine Sail ,Maaninou and the Super- Caid of Home office Mohammed El Issari would never forget Redad,although this latter behaved like a big brother and was an unmerciful dictator.

For those directors, Redad was a special thing that happen to them and they continue to respect him until now , unfortunately death has taken the soul of our man and rejects only an image of a werry man,responsible of a big family including his son Mohamed working now in SNRT as a news editor.At cinema service ,his colleagues know that National news and cultural programmes were transcoded cinematographically with care and attention because simply rushes,or cinema dailies were into the hands of men like Redan,Zouini and Essaddik that were diffused successfully via Ezier parabole dish to all parts of Morocco.

Radio Televisions Marocain, a french literary name of SNRT; has produced so many brilliant technicians just like Abdekader Laktae, El Tazi , Ankoud , El Khattabi,Ben shriffa ,Ksaib and many others .Most of them are managing media compagnies,dead or becoming film-directors just Laktae,Ksaib and El Tazi . In the sixtees and seventies, RTM news and programmes were diffused live via 35 mm that means Redad was not allowed to make mistakes in editing or trimming his cinematic cuts , because so many people are watching alive what we know nowadays digital television knowing that there was only one TV channel and that was RTM , technicians like Ismael Zouini , Essaddik and Redad Ben Thami Ziani were the first- aid men and Angel- Guards for the diffused programmes via their great and superb efforts .

Now that Redad Ben Thami Ziani is dead . Cinema live is dead too at least in television,although we hear of HD kinescopage done in SNRT, but it is not like live cinema .However, first thing first as we say, Are we paying hommage to this man,helping his family to face the burden of life or maybe forget this pure soul like we usually do ?. Anyway media responsibles are still alive who can do magical and reconforting things to technicians like simply calling to work or paying attention to jobless and unlucky technicians( Press Union,CDT and Mustapha Ziraoui should move and make suggestions for excamples) , unfortunately there are still too many who are going through very hard times like marginalization and indifference . We must also add that too many brilliant SNRT and CCM technicians ,hidden like birds to die only and die slowly and without dignity under pain and continuous sufference ,knowing that nobody has not yet called their frozen phones . alloo ?


Allal EL Alaoui with Mohamme Ziani,News editor in SNRT and son of Redad


Allal EL Alaoui with Abou Aljoyouch, the news editor in SNRT





Redad paying a visit to SNRT technicians ( Saadia, Youssefi and others )









Monday, January 21, 2008

Kinescopage of 3.4 and 16.9 into cinema via the HDW 750P



The HDW-730/750/750P 1) HD Camcorder combines an HD Color video camera,of which the effective picture elements are 1920 (H) x 1080(V° and which uses 2/3-type Power HAD 2) sendor CCD3) imagers with 2,000,000 picture elements,with an HDCAM portable videocassette recorder.
Is excellent image quality,sensitivity,portability,and dust-and water-proof construction make it ideal as a camcorder for ENG 4) and EFP5) in the same way as the earlier BVW-400A/400AP.
from PDF -electra-tv-


1080 lines resolution x 1920 pixels - 16:9 frame
Dedicated HD cine style T2.1 Canon zoom lenses
25P Progressive or 50i interlaced recording modes (switchable)
Downconverter board for added SD-SDI output and standard definition alongside HD-SDI outputs
Established 1/2" Betacam tape format
3 x 2.2 million pixel FIT CCD’s
Picture cache board records up to 7 seconds loop footage even before the record button is pressed
True time lapse
Menu driven set up with up to 5 parameters of camera look stored on memory stick
(not compatible with HDW F900 camcorder)
Dial in colour temperature control
Incredibly compact and lightweight – only 5.4Kg with viewfinder and battery
Instant playback
Camera rated at 630 asa progressive and interlaced at 1/25th second shutter (360 degrees)
315 asa with shutter set at 1/50th, 180 degree, progressive scan
Latitude around 8 - 10 stops
Tape run 25P = 48 min's, 50i = 46 min's (40 minute tape)

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Cinephilia Between mediocrity and good performance in Morocco



Salem & Souilem by Khalid Ibrahimi , a SNRT production



Abdellah Ferkouss,Allal El Alaoui,Khalid Amrar and Naima ziani ( script-girl )and others working on a TV film called Al Warith produced by SNRT,2005

By Allal EL ALaoui

To judge whether cinema at home has achieved high performance or mediocrity in production making, remains a guestion of controvercy and critiria that is an intellectual phenomenon that must be carry on between cinemagoers, film-directors and namely producers .When we say producers ,we mention CCM and SNRT .Still, people talk of EL Fassi Fihri and El Tazi as independent producers, because they are rich ,but how many films have they produced untill now ?

Ferkous is taking advantage of a fragile,and werry bureacratS either in SNRT and CCM,states a journalist.That is why , actually he is may be the only man who gets money from Television.Some say with black humour that if you are a Marrakshi,just go around national Tv productions , and you will surely get a lot money.No doubt, Abdellah Ferkous is a good actor and can go far away in his performances ,that 's why we see him now on the top of media lists crying out with joy ,because he is simply working and our man has a good influence, says a movie-maker.


However , cinemagoers in Morocco would love to see national producers imposing themselves rather than foreign ones who, some of them backed by Canada and France via french embassy in Rabat .We are facing a cultural clash and that is for sure ,because it is a bout millions and millions of Euros given to film-makers to impose western culture ( see french interests and feench language ) Yes, but what about our culture ?

Sites to visit :
SNRT.MA
CMM.MA

ALLAL-CINEMAGOER

href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBQvaVIquoNaz_l48_-5H0ArecSrkXjwP2ik5QZn3qNRIAsBqfEIrjbKMDmpj0fOGm1bbvg42Nw7b-dxtXRrgVfyujxEk98QJ-POPayKCTB4zBRhM6S4QQDbAI_ExfOIKxb78/s1600-h/Benjallaoun.jpg">
Ou va tu ,Mosh? a movie by Hassan Benjalloun


Abdellah Ferkous making media scoop in media ( Taken from Ahdat al Maghribia)


Few people,on the door of 7eme Art home-theatre cinema to see ,ou va tu Moshé ?

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Mohammed Asli impresses Jugu Abraham ,the blogger man whose movies make you think


Mohammed Asli : A Moroccan film-director
Thursday, August 31, 2006

Posted by Jugu Abraham from moviessansfrontiers.blogspot.com

Mohamed Asli's debut feature from Morocco "Al Malaika la tuhaliq fi al-dar albayda" (2004)

This is one of the finest Arab films, set in the Berber community of Morocco, evoking neo-realist images--a superb debut. The English title: In Casablanca, angels don't fly.

This is a rare gem. A deceptively simple film with uncharacteristically fine production values (for an Arab film) in editing, direction and performances. It evokes memories of de Sica's Bicycle Thief, Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala, Tavianni brothers Padre Padrone and Ermanno Olmi's The Tree of Wooden Clogs. I stumbled on this considerably unsung film at the Dubai international film festival.

At a simplistic level, the film is about the travails of urban migration. Three pipe-dreams of three workers in a busy Casablanca restaurant interweave the screenplay--one dreams of a better, richer family life, one dreams of caring for his steed, and one dreams of wearing an expensive pair of shoes.

But Moroccan director Mohamed Asli presents a debut effort that would put weather-beaten directors to shame. He presents tragi-comedy that comes alive with brilliant sound editing (Raimodo Aeillo and Mauro Lazaro) as he cuts from a suicidal jump in a dream to a neighing, prancing horse; inventive camera-work (director Asli and cameraman Roberto Meddi) utilizing a camera placed on a roof of a bus weaving through Casablanca traffic behind a sack of bread destined as feed for a horse miles away in quick-motion; evocative performances by non-professional actors who slide through heavy road traffic like ballet dancers with a tray full of beverages and snacks; and the quixotic efforts of a simple man to keep his new pair of shoes clean and safe.

These are not unreal dreams. Every urban migrant has similar dreams. But Asli presents a canvas that goes beyond the obvious. Through his characters he rattles the viewer as he contrasts humanism (a stranger's helping hand to someone in shock) against capitalist insensitivity (a restaurant owner who only looks at ways to prosper disregarding the lives of his workers). There is an equally disturbing question: are you more afraid of Allah (God) or of the police? The film presents the joy of birth and pathos of death--the final sequence of dead corpse being hauled against a barren, cold, lonely landscape presents a fascinating counter-point to the opening scene of a pregnant woman surrounded by people climbing stairs to talk to her husband through an intermediary. In life and in death, things remain unattainable (ability to talk to her husband versus a dream to provide a better life for the family).

The film is set in Morocco--the film could have been set anywhere. The aura is Muslim and Arab--but the sensibility is universal. There is tragedy, there is comedy. That is the real stuff of life. Thank you, Mr Asli. I look forward to even better films from you and sincerely hope more people see and enjoy this work.
Posted by Jugu Abraham

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Ministry of Communication's new strategy in Morocco :Digital Training

By Allal EL Alaoui
Minister of communication should take seriously digital training for CCM and SNRT technicians and starts , in stead to call for really evolutionized professionals from the states ( U S A) .
The french, INA, located in Paris, becomes an old-fashioned in training compared with The American institutions .Cinematographers,webdesigners and film editors in Morocco feel frustrated to see so many seminars given via Moroccan and U SA signed conventions, and nobody benifits from these marvellous opportunities apart from wives of Media responsibles and golden boys coming out from influence .Many say that INA ,now responsible to train Moroccan cinema editors either in SNRT and CCM is far away from professionalism and image editing ,states a film-director.

Sites to visit in the net :

http://www.motionscript.com/
http://www.photoshopuser.com/
http://www.designsbydarren.com/#







Steve Homes

Deon Velez


Scot Kelby,Dave Cross and Matt Kloskouvski


Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Studying cinema at Moroccan schools is Possible


Sanae and Siham El Alaoui with Aicha Sajid and El Badawi
kamera.co.uk: Firstly, what difficulties have you encountered as a female director working in Iran?

Samira Makhmalbaf: We have a lot of limitation in terms of written law and unwritten law. It is in the minds of everybody that a woman cannot be a filmmaker. It's a challenge but this situation is now slowly changing in the minds of the people. When you break a cliché the changes can start and so I now very much hope that we can, as we think about freedom and democracy, produce more women directors. I'm optimistic about the future.

from kamera.co.uk

Samira Makhmalbaf


By ALlal EL Alaoui
Now, Studying cinema and theatre Arts at Moroccan schools is inevitable.Too many students find themselves talented at early age ,and this is excactly what happenend to Samira Makhmalbaf when she was too young and of course her father helped her a lot,although they meet up with too many obstacles .

Moroccan students want to study Drama and Theatre Arts at primary schools,but unfortunatly,our Education Minsiter plus now the ovetaking power of an old actress Touria Jabrane,Minsiter of Culture, are doing nothing for this case ,and In stead they might ease up channels and ways so as this educational Strategy might happen.

Drama and cinema become magical tools especially for the 21 century youth who are keen to further their studies in this branch,and one of them is Siham El Alaoui and her mate Lamia Kharbouch who become obsessed with the idea of becoming film directors.Now already a cinemagoer at an early age,Siham wants to go for Drama studies ,but she has to wait up to get her Baccaleaurate to do so .It is a pity to know that, because she thinks she is losing time and talent, and we all feel sorry for this eudcation policy that Morocco is going through .Hello there,Is anybody listening ?






Siham El Alaoui with Habiba

Siham El Alaoui with Naima


Siham El Alaoui with Aziz Mawhoub

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Iman Misbahi Looks at lenzes and discovers redemption in cinema


To alleviate women's distress, Moroccan Film Director Imane Mesbahi Prefers :

Lenses rather than medicine

Men's authority provokes me

Iman Misbahi

To alleviate women's distress, Moroccan Film Director Imane Mesbahi Prefers :

Lenses rather than medicine

Men's authority provokes me

Moroccan Film director Iman Mesbahi has excelled in many fields in spite of being in the midst of her first artistic trail. Born into a film making family and brought up with a love for this art, she has endorsed the film industry as a way to heal other people's sufferings.

In order to try to put an end to others' sufferings, Iman had to choose between medicine and a movie camera. Her love for cinematography convinced her that it is the better tool to use in order to change society. Therefore, she decided on the lens rather than medicine.

Iman prefers film directing to all other film making branches because she feels it can help her cure others' sufferings. "Instead of being in front of the camera, I have chosen to be behind it. From an early age, I detected in myself strong feelings and a powerful ability to observe the world around me. Then I discovered that my role in this life is film making. If I had not chosen this field, I would have chosen medicine," Iman says.

The daughter of a well known Moroccan film producer, Iman soon developed a love for cinematography. Her father was one of Moroccan cinema pioneers and directed many long features films with famous actors from various countries.

"Still," Iman continues, "I can not pretend that my message complements that of my father. His concerns and the issues he is dealing with are totally different from mine. I am a woman and am more interested in the issues pertaining to women because of physiological and psychological reasons and the sociological impact on my personality. As I am living in a male dominated society, men's authority shocks and provokes me to tackle the issues around me. Issues tackled by my father are usually global while those I tackle are special and very simple. They are about human feelings."

Many of her earlier films deal with the situation facing Moroccan women. Regarding the complexity of this situation, Iman said, "I cannot pretend that I have dealt with all the women's issues in Moroccan society. It would take much more than a few films to address the significance of these issues. There need to be many more films made and much more media exposure in order to bring about fundamental, positive changes to the situation facing Moroccan women. I am very committed to and concerned with working towards this goal. I am right now studying a scenario dealing with another aspect of the situation confronting women."

In her latest work, Iman focuses on the immigration issue. She commented on this shift by saying: "This issue is not a new one for me, especially when we know that I myself lived away from my country for more than seventeen years. Living far away from my society, I was lost, struggling to integrate into a foreign culture, while at the same time, searching for my identity and my roots. When I returned to my country Morocco, I tried to maintain a relationship and communicate with my society."

Iman Mesbahi admits that the film industry has expanded her awareness and given her a philosophical and meditative outlook towards life. However, at the same time, she does not hide her ambition for seeing the Moroccan film industry prosper in various film markets inside as well as outside the region. It is her hope that Moroccan films will soon be well received internationally and will win various awards in international film festivals.

Iman believes that the film industry can have a very effective and interactive role in changing society and improving the level of awareness and culture. In order to do so in her own films, Iman uses realism as her style.

According to Iman, realism deals with daily, simple human life and is the most effective style for serving as a catalyst for positive change. "I believe that a movie that can not bring any change for the viewer does not deserve to be shown or seen." Iman Mesbahi concluded.

Again and again, Iman Mesbahi admits that film industry has wide opened her awareness and given her a philosophical and contemplating dimension to life, at the same time, she has not hidden her ambition to see the Moroccan film industry prospering in various film markets inside and outside the region, to be welcomed internationally and to win various awards in international film festivals.

Maryanne Melchior Assistant Editor, Morocco Today


Ismal Saidi,an artist of great taste in imagery and writing in cinema

By Allal EL Alaoui
It is believed that Isamel Saidi is preparing to shoot a movie with an International technical crew.it is about a long feature film dealing with a memory of a Moroccan child who undergo pain of losing his family under the french colonization .Ismael has written the script himself and it has been said the shooting will be around march,2008 .
Isamel Saidi,the Rhimou man, has written many short-films for either Moroccan Productions and his native artists from Belgium .Recently The beloved televized series called Rhimou has marked too many points in watching especially in Ramadan and it is still diffused at 2M tv .He has a very exquisite style in film writing, tuned with marvellous precision and cinematography as well as a very good know how of directing actors. we will surely notice that in his movie that will be shot in the north of Morocco called Ahmed Gassiaux produced by Habiba Belkacem (Bigshot) with the participation of Moroccan and french actors and actresses.

this foto is taken from wafin.net ( Belgium
)


Isamel Saidi


Long-métrage. Mémoires d’outre-tombe

“Pages d’histoire marocaine vécues à travers le déracinement et le périple d’un enfant rescapé de la guerre de Taza”. C’est sous ce titre abrupt qu’Ismaël Saidi a déniché la trame d’Ahmed Gassiaux, son premier long-métrage de cinéma. Le scénario raconte la quête identitaire d’un jeune villageois, recueilli par un lieutenant français après le massacre de sa tribu, mais qui finira par rejoindre la lutte pour l’indépendance. Un film épique en costumes, avec Assâad Bouab et Richard Bohringer dans les premiers rôles, qui devrait coûter quelque 20 millions de dirhams et dont le tournage commencera début janvier. Ahmed Guessous, auteur des mémoires dont est inspiré le scénario du film, n’est autre que le beau-père de sa productrice, Habiba Belkacem (Bigshot). “Un jour, sur le tournage de Rhimou, le fils de Habiba m’a demandé pourquoi je ne faisais pas un film sur son grand-père”, se souvient Ismaël Saidi. “C’était la première histoire que je lisais sur la période du protectorat où il n’y a pas de haine”, ajoute le réalisateur, qui aura tout de même dû romancer (après avoir rencontré Ahmed Guessous) cette autobiographie, à mi-chemin entre répertoire chronologique et thèse scientifique.
FromTel quel : 14-1-2008


Saturday, January 12, 2008

Bloody days shot in cinema in Palestine and North of Irland


By Allal EL Alaoui
Palestine and north of Ireland have shown great resistance in the twentieth century and are still doing so nowadays, to get back their freedom either from Great Britain or from Israel.
Each 30th of January the catholic minority in the north of Ireland commemorates the bloody Sunday dated in 1972 .The people of Ireland manifests by crying out in streets; making films; sound recordings and exposing Tee-Shirts about this event in order to urge the local people and the world to revisit that bloody day in museums.
The same bloody days continues to happen in Palestine making media scoops under the U SA gun machines mastered by Israelis who is hysterically laughing at the Arab political systems rejecting democracy that Israel enjoys fervently thanks to the help of Uncle Sam.Meanwhile, Palestine resists and fights back via throwing stones, cinema by showing to the world that this democracy occurring in Israel is truthful but it is based, unfortunately ,on crime ; massacre and culture of death .




Bloody day- a movie by Paul Greengrass

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Comedy within comedy at 2M TV and Ahmed Snoussi is forgotten


Yassine Regragui known as LAKRAE,The pionner of Moroccan comedy in Morocco with Allal El Alaoui


By Allal El Alaoui
Comedia del'Arte is comedia d'Ahmed Snoussi .This is about a persona non grata comedian in Moroccan media .The gouvernement seems to classify Ahmed as a top secret and a dangerous artist.The fear of Ahmed Snoussi by the state intensifies ,ironicaly, the love of the Moroccan people of this man .

Too many journalists and MP spokesman say that he is an honest man ,trying to reveal the truth via his satirical comedy.The only space where Ahmed expresses himself is at universities and abroad .

Too many free associations are still waiting to see Ahmed Snoussi back again in Media .This man refects the Moroccan Intelligentsia and consciousness , fighting for a proud nation free of corrupted politicians, writes a free journalist.
لا للتهميش في اُلا علام السمعي والبصري






لا للتهميش في الاعلام السمعي والبصري


Moroccan comedians debating Comedy IN Media

No comment picture from soft-best

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Green screen and Photoshop in cinema


Deke McClelland



A lovely Postcard from Louis -Philip Capelle:Director of Photography in Belgium
Happy New year to every one in the world including the people who love cinema


By Allal El Alaoui
Media professional institutions in Morocco happen to sign many media conventions with too many countries including the United States . So, why don't responsible send digital,cinematic technicians and artists to seminars like photoshopworld.com/ to benifit from this high-tech creativities ? we are not surprised to know that simply because there are no true media responsibles who know about these training courses abroad or if they do ,they would send their wives,friends and relatives and you know what would be the bleeding the result .
ALLAL EL ALAOUI



Allal El Alaoui multiplied in a portrait


Allal El Alaoui in Green Screen


The largest Adobe® Photoshop® training event in the world
April 2-4, 2008 Orange County Convention Center - Orlando, FL

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Special Events
Guru Awards Ceremo
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Photoshop World also offers a spectacular Tech Expo (open for all three days of the conference - a Photoshop World first) where you can get a insider's look at the latest products and up-and-coming technologies. Additional conference highlights include several outstanding pre-conference workshops, the Guru Awards, Photoshop Hall of Fame nominations, professional portfolio reviews, specialty classes by conference sponsors, panel discussions, and famous (or, some might say, infamous) after-hours parties. It's the best three days of training, learning, and fun you'll find anywhere.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

David Lean, an epic film director .


By Allal EL ALaoui

David Lean is an epic film-maker who has been successful to depict beautiful scenes and landscapes mingled with plots and stories that reflect humain souls and conditions .He is ,in a way ,a novelist director who keeps looking for books that deal with humain condition trying to find a story to be staged and shot in cinema.
David lean is in love with images and loves to look through camera lenses in order to reveal us something more dramatic and more humain like love,infidility,war and inner conflicting minds .David prefers to film only images without putting too much dialogue ,because he thinks that images can reveal and communicate to tell stories rather dialogues .
We are really amased by his beautiful images either in Laurence of Arabia , Doctor Zhivaco,a passage to India and Ryan's daughter. David Lean is an unforgetable master and epic film-director that Cinema ever knows before.

Allal EL Alaoui






David Lean and his scriptwriter Robert Bolt.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Marocast,a new link to Moroccan artists


A new web in the net called Marocast.com designed only for Moroccan artists dealing with links to national and international films productions.Actors and actresses are called to log in in order to lauch their CV , artistic works in this site that must be online this month ,the 30th 2008.



Marocast.com vous remercie de votre participation et vous informe que
l'administration du site a bien reçu votre inscription.

L'équipe de Marocast va procéder à l'intégration de votre profil sur le
serveur de l'Annuaire Universel des Artistes et des Techniciens du
Maroc.

www.marocast.com

(Lancement Officiel le 30 Janvier 2008)