Ahmed Houmani … TV production from inside the room

“The mechanisms to produce television dramas in Lebanon are difficult and complicated, given the lack of infrastructure for this sector and the lack of interest of the state in it. There are no cities of artistic production as in Egypt and Syria, and there is no support or coverage from the state. to help them move on and on. ” From here, Ahmed Houmani begins his book, “The Reference in TV Series Production Management: Practical Steps from Idea to Screen,” recently published by Dar Al-Mahajah Al-Bayda. Homani starts from the wound associated with this sector in Lebanon, which witnessed a presence in the Arab world in the 1970s. But another scene took its place later. A scenario in which we fell into a picture of local weakness. The reconstruction of Lebanon in the 1990s did not coincide with the reconstruction of this sector. Rather, the culture was buried under the maps of that voracious world of money, trade and quotas. After that, the Lebanese productive sector turned to Syria, to rise up and restore a beautiful era: “Some companies turned to the help of some stars from the Arab world, especially the Syrian ones, in the hope that this would be a door to enter. to the Arab and Gulf market, ”Houmani adds in the book’s preamble. Houmani divides his book into six chapters in which he narrates his experience in this world for more than thirty years from within the television “Al-Manar”, then director of the “International Center for Artistic Production of Beirut”, whose productions were in the first record of arrivals to the Arab map, before this map imposed sanctions. Cultural for each other. Houmani, who was a member of the jury of the “Festival of the Union of Arab Radio and Television” in Tunisia (2007) and of the “Festival of Cinema and Series of Al-Ghadeer” in Iraq (2013), aims to make this book a reference for those who want to embark on the path of managing television drama production operations. Especially because “the subject of television production does not exceed one or two subjects of the university curriculum.”

The availability of a compelling and attractive text that opens the door to production and provides financing is the first step in the television production journey, according to Houmani, who adds: “What is required of any topic is to have purpose and thus convey a specific message “. But where do the ideas come from? The production company and the television channels have a bank of ideas, and a writer can present an idea, which must be accompanied by preliminary specifiers, which will be approved or a capable writer is chosen to expand the chosen idea that will be followed by the election of the Writer. In the opinion of the director of production of the series “Al-Galaboun” (2010-2012), here it should be considered, to arrive at the best approach to the subject, its political, cultural and social environment. The scenario will then be subject to scrutiny after writing each episode or completing all episodes, although Houmani prefers to check every three episodes to make sure the level is not weak.
The team selection stage is the most important step. “The production manager will put in their hands the complete budget for the work, and the director will put in their hands the image of the artistic series.” Houmani adds: “The production manager is not an accountant and he is the one who will hold the stick in the middle trying to control the balance between what will be spent on the series and the image of the series. Technical “. Houmani introduces the responsibilities of the production manager, then addresses the director, who is the “creative person in production.” The director has his own vision that may require modifications to the text, “and the golden rule of production is based on three pillars: a good text, a good director and a good production.”
This trio, the producer, the production manager and the director, will assume the task of choosing the production and production team and the actors, as well as the complementary technical teams, “and here the problem can arise of who chooses these teams. It appears in the best possible way without getting out of control on the financial issue and has the last word on it. Houmani will put in our hands the role and responsibility of each person within these teams in detail.
Houmani believes that the directors of the main teams should empty the text from their point of view to determine their needs for the series, so that the production manager has a complete file of every detail of the series, where the greatest load in this stage falls on your shoulders to determine the initial budget. Houmani explains in detail the basic tables to prepare the budget for the series.
The actor selection process is the task of the Actor Selection Manager, who “has a private file for each actor and relates well to most of the actors and knows their psychological states and abilities.” The director, deputy director and CEO will also attend the casting sessions. “The director is the one who has the final say, and the production director is interested in picking some new faces to tell them he’s giving them a chance,” Houmani said. They are theater and acting graduates who graduate, finding themselves in a cramped space where they can barely breathe their talents. “This improves the reputation of the company, because it provides an opportunity for recent graduates and its financial cost is minimal, so the production manager can save some money to spend on other actors that he thinks he needs to satisfy them,” he added Houmani. Houmani does not hide that there is an artistic risk involved and a greater effort that the director will make to give directions and to re-photograph the scenes.

Six seasons in which he tells of his experience in this world for more than thirty years

Production preparations prior to filming operations will include financial agreements, signing of employment contracts and medical insurance. The employment contract with the actor will depend on the number of episodes of the series, the number of days of shooting, the number of scenes or a flat fee. And each contract has its advantages and disadvantages, according to Houmani, who believes that the final form of the contract will benefit everyone. Later, he talks about exploring filming locations and logistical offers of housing, accommodation and transportation without losing a single detail for the reader of the book.
The production director will attend the filming location daily and will sit next to the director during filming. “The presence of the production director gives a moral boost to people to work better and the words of praise that come from him have a great impact on the hearts of the workers, facilitating the filming process and removing any grudges between them. , as well as asking them about any problems they suffer during their work or residence. The production manager goes back to the script and reviews the daily filming schedule and gets daily reports, data, minute tables and scenes made by the actors to address any errors directly and see if you need more minutes or remove scenes to inform the director. Certainly, problems will arise. “Good planning in the pre-production stage doesn’t necessarily mean zero problems,” says Houmani, adding, “But a good production manager can anticipate most day-to-day problems.”
In the last chapter, Houmani talks about the editing stage, graphics, translation, and color correction, then writes the series badge and writes the badge names, and Houmani emphasizes that the daily editing associated with filming is important to take advantage of any gap. The task of writing the epitome of the series will not be easy for the production director with the actors, “each of them is considered more important than the other actors.” Finally, the media campaign will accompany the filming of the series. In each of the stages mentioned in the six chapters, Houmani creates templates for illustrative tables and examples that will play an important role in a deeper understanding of the text.
The writer Ahmed Houmani leaves a recommendation to anyone who wants to go this way. A recommendation he memorized from a production teacher during his college studies: Anyone can produce a good job with a large amount of money or produce a bad job with a small amount of money. Managing production means producing the best work at the lowest possible financial cost. In his book, Ahmed Houmani directs our attention to places that emerge from his experience. He takes us with him beyond the camera to observe the shadows, places and people from the inside, and that he presents him in an important work for the Arab library that lacks this type of reference book.

Subscribe to «News» on YouTube here