I got the following email today with a link to the trailer above:
Iām one of the people who are working on a Kuwaiti film, and we would love to post the trailer on your blog so we can get feedback from the viewers before we move to the next step of production. We are a group of Kuwaiti youth who are interested in Film-making and cinema. We are trying to make serious Kuwaiti films, but since we are doing it ourselves and without any form of support, we need all the help that we can get.
I really like the fact that more and more people in Kuwait are getting interested in film and it’s great these guys took the time to work on this movie. But, I am going to give my opinion now on this trailer and I will try not to be too harsh. I just watched the trailer and found it too long and unexciting. There also is a ton of cheap special effects and the whole thing looks like a B-rated Ramadan TV series. Now I know they didn’t have any form of support and I am guessing no budget but why think of an epic movie that would need a budget and cast equal to Lord of the Rings? They should have gone with a movie that focused more on the story and characters instead of the special effects and large battle scenes. The film Sharq for example focused around a handful of characters, no special effects and no expensive hard to shoot locations.
Now that I’m done giving my opinion whats yours? [YouTube]
33 replies on “The Fisherman Trailer”
They should remove the calligraphic English if they want to appeal to a wider audience in the sense of readability.
and as above don’t bore the audience
The story looks interesting, sounds like something out of Arabian Nights. Sure the SFX are not exactly of hollywood quality, but I guess no one is expecting that from an independent let alone a Kuwaiti film with -apperantly- no budget.
In a nutshell, I would watch it š
TONS & TONS of grammar mistakes in Arabic !! Have some one to check that for you guys ,, some professional in Arabic
But overall it is a good try ,, Good luck !!
for a local independent production, i was very impressed…
yea, it’s actually really good for no budget.
lots of green screen and unrealistic effects, but i’m pretty sure all of kuwait would go watch it.
nothing impressive,, a kuwaiti accent would be better for a kuwaiti movie
i’ll not watch it bcoz i already know the story from the trailer
good luck anyway
average trailer .. will not waste my time to watch this movie though.
it Looks Like PS3 Game!
All the Actors Are Men in this Film ?!
Nicely said Mark. I loved the film Sharg and I’m eagerly waiting for another Kuwaiti film from anyone. So go ahead guys, make us something..
“fail” the sequel to 300. no kidding, actually looks good.
I think it looks great!! especially if they did it by them selves!!!
films costs a lot, and needs a lot of resources. if they did it without support imgaine what they can do if they have a budget
good luck
keep it up
kalamek 3adel o 9aa7 elsaneek !!
good production guys.. keep goooing š
am glad to be a part of that movie, and we loved your comments, you guys are giving us good feedbacks, and we really appreciate it THANKS ALL š
and a special thanks to you mark š
Mark, I was thinking exact same thing when I saw it. Why go overboard with no budget and try to create this lord of the rings style movie when u can focus more on character build up and plot like Sharq. It seemed like the creators of the movie were just trying to mimick big Hollywood movies they enjoy watching. Oo def. wayid arabic mistakes, like ‘ila ayna thahib’ i think or they said something like that.. At the end of the day its up to them and they wanted to make a movie like that, BUT ya3ni if they wanted to make a movie that represented kuwait or kuwait history/culture… there’s sooo many other areas they could have covered.. ya3ni history wise, there’s a lot to portray oo i dont think its been done/exposed enough… like ana personally I wish or imagine kuwaiti films might include:
1) when oil was 1st discovered – of course saw that one coming, but it would be interesting to see how ppl’s lives changed
2) like a dramatized biography 3la sheikh abdullah iil salam.. i can imagine the whole majlas oma scene right at the end..
3) ahem .. iiiil ‘3azoo! shkithir ashya sarat …
interesting.. but now a days when you notice is shot on a chroma (green background) it makes the quality of the movie cheaper. i know there are budget and resources issues but still when it goes of out their as a film, people would like to see something entertaining with quality.
these are my thoughts out loud and goodluck
i think the arabic pepole can talk english better than arabic in this film
Alsalam 3alekum
Mark can’t you stop criticizing ?
although there are many mistakes in the trailer , they need support from all of us , we must encourage them !
good job guys
For a movie made locally with almost no budget I think this beats the living crap out of many big budget ramadan shows……..which also is a crappy benchmark to use.
yea, green screen for most of the movie isn’t too appealing.
Totally agree with you Vampires hehe i was going to say the same thing.
Well, let us see what was unprofessional about the trailer:
1. Period : 4:22min that too long for a trailer consider 2012 trailer which only was 2:30min.
2. The trailer did show the mini version of the movie it self. For God sake they did show the whole movie, we only are missing 2 things Who won the war? & Is the father going to be reunion with his son?
3. The font was not up to the standard font usually used in a trailer.
I stopped watching when i saw the Disney Aladdin font ripped off. compare here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEGlJP4X4vc
they should work on the CG , but its a nice try anyway
Good luck
Holla, i did the exact same thing.
i think i remember a film called the lost city, it was accepted in the gulf film festival..it had the same feel, only it was done more professionally..
mark you should check out our films when we screen them..so many kuwaitis are having their films accepted all over the world š
not bad at all guys. I would work on the CG a bit and the bad guys need to look a bit meaner!
great job.
its like 300 / disneys Aladin / finding nemo / lord of the ring
good films but once you mix them together….the result is less desirable
the trailer/story lack originality
isnt the opening an arabized God Father theme ?
Actors weren’t serious enough, and too much CG were used, the good thing is it’s in traditional Arabic, although it wasn’t pronounced clear enough and loud enough same as Syrian historical series, our Arabic differs with the tone and emotions, it’s not just letters to read or say.
The script looks so-so, but the idea of a fisher man becomes a warrior.. hmm..?
Use an old man to narrate the story for a better demonstration.
sorry, I don’t mean to be mean, but I just criticize you to become better.
P.S. the background music have been used too much lately.. I wonder why..? try to create your own.
I don’t mean to discourage you guys, but you did mention ‘honest feedback’, so here goes:
Firstly, to try and make an international standard film in Kuwait is an effort by itself, so congratulations on that.
1) The movie seemed to have decent cinematography in the start of the trailer but the rest of it quickly shattered that illusion.
2) The actors seem stiff – it was more like i was watching theater.
3) Please move away from cliches like the Alladin font for an arabic movie. Also the sound track during the fight sequence belongs to the english movie ‘A Requiem For A Dream’. Hope there are no copyright issues! š
4) I agree that your budget was tiny, but it is possible to make lovely films in tight budgets. For example, Iranian films have really tight budgets but their movies are REALLY beautiful! Concentrate on good acting and a good script- the effects can wait for later.
Better luck next time!
Fully agree with N (comment 30). Saved me the typing š
Good luck on your next attempt.
I agree with Mark 100%. The movie’s plot is a decent one. somewhat cliche, where the father loses child and father finds child in the end.
The fact that this movie was actually undertaken and I’m guessing, completed is impressive and kudos to the people behind it. I have to admit that the movie making “habba” in Kuwait is actually the best “habba” yet.
What I don’t like however, is the fact that they used a ton of special effects. A good movie is when you use the least special effects to create a very realistic and life-like feel. A lot of close to no-budget movies make do with what’s available to everyday people. Like Mark mentioned, Sharq is an excellent movie. Nothing too big and nothing too small; it was a very touching motion picture. This comment ought to have a post of its own. . . sorry mark.
Since when was filmmaking a habba in Kuwait?
The film industry here is dead.
As for the film, it’s impossible to create a low-budget epic. Inevitably, it ends up looking cheap. Good shot, though. Clint Mansell’s copyrighted scores need to go, though.