We promised to bring you a one of a kind photo-shoot by “Dot the I’s” and here it is! Charm Ever After is the first of its kind in the Middle East; telling the story of two young individuals that destiny brought together, for good and for bad, and showing how their wedding day is inspired by a fantasy vintage world. We got up-close with some of the amazing people behind this project and here’s what they had to say about it…
Nivine and Yasmine AlBanna – Dot the I’s
What inspired you to do this photo-shoot?
Since we have started “Dot the I’s” we have been looking for all what’s new and different in the world of events. We wanted to do a one of a kind, out of this world and the first time in the Middle East shoot, to inspire new thoughts and ideas into all our clientele in this part of the world.
Why did you decide on the vintage theme?
We are the vintage type, we like everything in lace, blush, and vintage wood and mostly vintage furniture is our admiration. Nevertheless, also thought it would go pretty well with the big green horse field and the white fence surrounding it.
How was the vintage theme visualized throughout the different elements involved in Charm Ever After?
We have worked on the storyline before shooting, and all what we had in mind is to reflect how a Bride and Groom would feel on their wedding day. This includes the carousel of feelings they experience on the day, who is really involved in their lives and small little elements that would matter on the day but not really shown in real life weddings.
You’ve used two unconventional dresses during the photo-shoot, how did you pick each one of them?
We had two thoughts in mind (and none of them were white dresses); one was an extraordinary dress, something puffy but in distinctive way and who is better than Reemami to create one. The second dress was the more comfy dress that a bride would wear after her ceremony to dance her night away with. Short dresses on the other hand are so IN for the year 2012, so we wanted to encourage brides to go for that option as well.
Tell us more about the shooting day…
OH MY, it started off with a big wet field at 7am when we were ready for setting up. Have to admit, it is refreshing somehow to have a wet/cold field while working on a long awaited shoot that is finally coming true (fun times!). Horses are our passion since we were 6 years old, one of our favorite things in life, we were experts at riding horses back then but not anymore and we couldn’t wait for our brown beautiful horse to make an appearance. The vibe on the day was unbelievable, everyone was excited and everyone was getting to know each other. We were all working with a great passion to come up with something extravagant. And you can judge by yourself!
What’s your favorite thing about this photo-shoot?
A lot of things really, but if we have to limit them for this interview then I would say the team that made our dream shoot come true, thanks to each and everyone of them. Special thanks to my dear friend and actor Ashraf Hamdi, who flew all the way from Cairo just for us. His advice throughout the shoot made a lot of difference. My favorite niece in the world, Layan, who insisted on helping her mum (Nivine) and her aunt (Yasmine) with this photo-shoot. Well obviously she was more excited about the horse, but she also loves helping “Dot the I’s” with all their events. She made this photo-shoot such a playful and joyful piece of work. Love her!
Ashraf Hamdi – Actor & Writer
How did “Dot the I’s” convince you to be part of this photo-shoot?
Well, Yasmine and I go way back as close friends since 8 years, and when she told me she's opening this project before coming up with "Dot the I's", I always thought of wanting to help and support her in a way. So when she came up to me after the success of "Classified" and "Behind the Oscars"and asked me that she needs a breaking through young celebrity to model for her shoot, and she asked me as her first option since we are friends, I accepted right away to support her as a friend and also because I always support independent young entrepreneurs who try to get into a big market with new ideas.
You were dressed with an interesting combination of colors, what did you think of your outfit?
Well, I think my outfit was amazing because I came up with it (kidding!). I used my own stuff because I mainly like to go with my own style and cut as it makes me more comfortable, and some additional pieces which I asked Yasmine to choose, since we've been texting all the time and discussing the style we want to go with.
What’s your most favorite thing about this photo-shoot?
The most interesting part for me is that it was done in a guerrilla style of shoot, as we just had a theme in mind and one location and we had to go creative on spot and come up with different ideas. It worked well because each person applied his expertise and was an added value.... I also liked the vibe around everyone during the shoot.
Reema AlBanna - Reemami
The dress used in the photo-shoot was the first Reemami bridal design, how did that feel?
Yes, that was my first bridal dress, I wanted to make sure the bride will truly feel special on her day, and wanted to create something completely out of this world!
Where did you draw your inspiration from to create the first Reemami bridal dress?
Well the inspiration was a process, I always had that dress as an idea, ever since university, I’ve also done a mini version on my graduation project, then now I worked on a more advanced version of that dress.
What’s your most favorite thing about this photo-shoot?
Planning this shoot was a lot of fun! The ambience, the team was very creative and open to new ideas! My favorite thing was the location, the decorations, the dress and that big tree!
Tasneem AlSultan – Tasneem Photography
With daylight shooting, how did you decide on the style of the photos?
My essential goal was to shoot using the natural sunlight only. With daylight, and outdoors, we can use so many styles. We wanted fun, spring, and whimsical style. The horses and location portrayed how romance can come from those beautiful natural settings. Day light would affect the colors, so we had to be wise in choosing a color scheme that would be vintage, and not washed out or faded.
How did you achieve such natural poses during the photo-shoot?
I was lucky to work with such a professional group. Everyone had already met before, so we all felt at ease. To achieve natural poses, you sometimes give simple directions to the bride and groom. In this occasion, I only needed to make sure the sun light wasn't casting any shadows. As for the remainder of the photo-shoot, this pretty couple knew what they were doing.
What’s your most favorite thing about this photo-shoot?
Yasmine and I have been dreaming about a project like this for the past year. Every time we met with the group, we were more determined to make this perfect. So as a team of perfection ists, we were all extremely excited on the day of the photo-shoot. I think the favorite thing is that I have made wonderful friends!
Saad Rabia – Photographer and Filmmaker
What kind of artistic vision did you have for Charm Ever After?
My vision was to combine and balance out a level of creative and commercial output without losing the essence of the story itself. I wanted the film to showcase a hint of Neorealism to deliver a slice of social state in a documentary style that many people would love to relate to in their special days and lives as well. Put all of this in a wrap of the French New Wave flavor that involves fast cuts and un-matching scenes and we get what Charm Ever After is all about: a short film that documents a surreal event in a coat of timeless vintage look and feel.
How different was it to film Charm Ever After compared to a real wedding?
Real weddings come with much more drama, which is manageable but totally unexpected. We tried to keep everything under control while producing Charm Ever After, and again, you have to keep in mind that our intention was artistic as well as commercial, where we came up with a story first then proceeded to production and then post-production, on the contrary, in real weddings I tend to come up with the a story after I document the whole event. I live with the couple and their friends and family throughout the whole day then put in all what I can feel from my experience with them as an observer, affecting my choice of music, color grading, image style and everything else to the smallest details like fonts as well. The making of Charm Ever After was a great experience that was planned from day one which makes it a different experience all over, but the outcome is comparable in terms of the overall feel and emotions.
What's your most favorite thing about this photo-shoot?
I would say the collaboration between all the talented people without a doubt. Every little thing we do in the creative world adds many valuable lessons to our overall experience in the field we work in. For me as a filmmaker, the making of this shoot taught me new techniques in stylizing the video to mimic the format and look we needed, and this alone is a huge plus I can add to my portfolio of skills. I loved the meetings, emails and all the communication with everyone I worked with. For me, a film is like a mini company: it starts with an idea, a target, then we organize, plan, produce and when we finally have the product we are in joy again, ready to share it with the world and to start a new project with a new bunch of people and talents all over again. Can't wait for more!
To check out the full Charm Ever After Photoshoot, click here >>
