Interview with Filmmaker/Animator Amr Kamel (PROMETHEUS INDUSTRIES)

Amr’ short film played to rave reviews at the October 2017 STUDENT FEEDBACK Film Festival.

Matthew Toffolo:. What motivated you to make this film?

Amr Kamel: We wanted to emulate a small 3D studio environment to get a feel for how things might work for us later on after graduation. Our group was called Project: Animate! and our mission was to go from concept to finished film, and to see what it was like to work with a team on a project of this scale. We were all also interested in the learn by doing approach, and for us, the opportunity to learn and experiment with both story telling and the technical aspects of 3D animation is what drove us the most.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this short?

It took us about 8-9 months from our very first meeting till we put out the final cut.

How would you describe your short film in two words!?

Delightfully Dark.

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

The biggest problem was working over the summer break, after the semester was done and everyone wanted to go on vacation, and no one was around, it was hard to stay motivated and keep the ball rolling. Making the switch between in-person and online collaboration meant that it was much more difficult to keep the communication lines open and people motivated to pull through, but we were somehow able to manage.

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I felt elated and relieved, it’s easy when working on a project to be hyper aware of all the flaws and all the things that could’ve gone better. It somehow always surprises me to get positive reactions, because as artists we have these perfectionist tendencies.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

How did you come up with the idea for this short film?

At the very beginning of our project, we wanted to make a 3D short, and we had everyone in our group come up with an idea and present it to the rest of us, we picked the best 3 and developed them a little more, then we pitched them again, and we stuck with what we all liked the best.

What film have you seen the most in your life?

Conan the Barbarian (1982)

You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway, what are you feelings of the new(ish) submission platform from a filmmaker’s perspective?

FilmFreeway is alright and convenient. But I guess it’s always nice to have alternatives and competition.

What song have you listened to the most times in your life?

Probably Fairies Wear Boots by Black Sabbath

What is next for you? A new film?

I’m currently working with a couple of my teammates from this film on a new project. 3D animated teaser trailers for a post apocalyptic sci-fi webseries I wrote as my bachelor project, which we then hope to use to pitch the concept and crowdfund the first season.