SHANI x SAEART

Mona Shani is a photographer, director, and model based in Berlin. Currently, she is studying Cross Media at the SAE Institute Berlin. 

Being creative isn’t something strange to her. She discovered her artistic side at a young age, and in the last few years, she decided to make it her main focus, and start a career dedicated to visual media. 

This page will be followed through her eyes and aesthetic, to show the behind the scenes of the SAE campus in Berlin and her personal work.  We hope you enjoy the ride!  Photo: Cedrik Wette

My job as An Associate Producer - Getting a different perspective on set

A few weeks ago film student and colleague Jan Boroewitsch asked me to help him out as an associate producer on set for is 're-creating a scene' shoot. It's different from what I usually do on sets, but I don't mind it since I enjoy working on sets. Any kind of task on a film set can be a good experience. Trying to take up different tasks on set from time to time helps you to get a bit perspective, and you gain more knowledge how the whole thing works. It can be a great benefit for future production work.

Now on film sets there are often all kinds of different producers. Looking at the numbers of it can be quite overwhelming. So today I'll focus on what is an associate producer anyway?

An associate producer or 'AP' assist another producer to put a film or small episode together. As an AP it is important to be able to keep everything organized and on time. One of the most important skill for an AP is writing and editing, since the work can involve assisting an editor. They can make important decisions or have an input when assisting an editor or director in shot selection. Quite a cool job, right?

For this shoot, I wasn't involved in the writing process but it was may task as the AP to keep track on the time, shots, crew and talents. Make sure everything goes accordingly. It makes the work for the producer/director easier since they can focus on just one aspect. The more the tasks are split on set, the easier it is for everyone to focus and enjoy on their work.

It's a great experience, and I enjoyed it a lot. I can only recommend to try this job out. It gives you a great experience in the creative and organising part. Even though I tend to go into Directing and Producing, I can totally see myself being an AP on different sets as well. Try it out! You might like it too ;)

Prism Lens FX* Test Shoot 

*This is an un-paid post. This little review is based on a personal honest review.

When my photographer called me up on Monday and asked me to try out his new linear filter lens friend with him, I said yes without any hesitation. I’m really crazy about good photography gear. And I honestly doubt there aren’t enough articles or insight about them. Totally under appreciated if you ask me. 

The Linear Prism FX Filter is an impressive 77mm rotating filter, that gives abstract results, as you can see on the photos. Depending on the focal length, the effects can vary. This photos are just a small example, that was produced with simple three-point lighting. The photos were shot digitally, but it can of course be used also for analog photography (which I’m for sure gonna try out next).  Of course this lenses can also be used for Videocameras to gibe your footage an extra unique look, without having to create the effects in After Effects or other softwares. It would sure as hell make my life easier. Prism Lens FX got all kinds of different products, that you can find for your taste and style.  For now we’ve tried simple lighting for portrait photography, and we were super happy with the results. Next, I will definitely try it out with analog photography and shoot something on video or super 8. God, I’m excited. 

A little recap from last week. We had some interesting visitors from a radio station! Radio Jam FM came to our campus to check out the SAE Institute, and interviewed our managers, students and supervisors.

Before we even started with the shoot, we of course did some Coronatest to make sure everyone is safe to take the mask off. Cuz we all know how annoying it is, doing an interview with the mask on. But thankfully everyone was safe and healthy and we could get started.

We showed the guys the campus, project rooms and of course our cool equipment. Some students showed their personal or uni work and talked about the importance of networking, inspiration, and how we stay active and connected during the pandemic.

The last shoot lasted easily the whole day, and it was quite fun to have a small production going on during these times. And with the masks off? It almost felt nostalgic. As crazy as it sounds, it was so relaxing having conversations with people without the mask on. The vibe was easily chilled out and everyone was motivated.

Now, I don't wanna spoil the whole cool project for you, but we all now have to wait til end of January to see the results, and all the things we talked about! Can't wait to see the results.

This Filmsuit has been literally my second home. I spend so many hours working in here. When I'm graduating, I'll definitely have separation anxiety with this room.

I like to think, we're still pretty lucky at SAE Berlin for having the campus open besides the Corona restrictions. It's been quite a challenge to find different locations to work and shoot, but the sae crew works hard to make things happen at the campus. It does feel good to get out of home, and have a different work environment. It gives you a chance to socialize with people, since that has been little bit of a challenge too.