Scriptwriting Meetings

While attending the independent filmmaking workshop in Jesuits Cultural Center we worked a lot together and we always had that dream of making a feature film together. We tried writing another film but we found out that it needed a big budget and it would be risky to have as a first project so we postponed it for later. Then we discussed the possibility of writing together another project and even organizing a scriptwriting workshop for all the people interested in Alexandria even if they had never written a film script before. We didn't have a clear idea what that project might be about and we suggested that one of us could direct it but then we thought that still needed more experience and it would be more useful for each one to write and direct a part of the total film.

We started writing the script on Friday May 1st, 2010 and set up a schedule for the rest of the steps. Each one of us was free to write what he/she wants. We agreed on fear as a main theme for the 7 films. It was the one of the restriction besides other restrictions like other sub themes and some motifs. We used to meet once or twice every week to talk about the different ideas of each one and how he/she sees fear from his/her point of view and to have a brainstorming to come up with better ideas.

Hend Bakr explaining her idea in one of the scriptwriting meetings

Mohamed Zidan reading his script in one of the scriptwriting meetings

By the end of May each one of us was supposed to finish writing his own short script or segment as planned in the schedule and to start in June writing together the connection between the segments and each other, to have a strong structure as one feature film and not 7 separated short films but we needed more time so the whole process was shifted and each one finished his part at the end of June.

Mohamad El Hadidi writing the ideas in one of the scriptwriting meetings

In July we started discussing all the 7 segments separately and had a brainstorming for the possible connections between these segments and each other. By the end of July we had the final version of the script with all the segments connected with each other in different ways. Unfortunately Mohamed Zidan broke his leg and Nermeen Salem was preparing to travel to USA so we had to start shooting Nermeen's segment right away before she left.

Nermeen Salem, Ahmed Magdy and Mohamad El Hadidi in one of the scriptwriting meetings

We can't think yet of a better name other than "Seven" and we decided to name each segment by the name of the main character in that segment so we can say that "Seven" is divided into: Amr, Hassan, Dalia, Mousa, Maha, Ashraf's mother and the girl.