Young children were drawn into the powerful and magical world of cinema at a highly inspiring workshop titled ‘How to make a film’ presented by Emirati director Yasser bin Mohammed at the seventh edition of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFF), yesterday.

The children were introduced to the various filmmaking techniques in an easy-to-understand manner as Yasser bin Mohammed explained the variety of ways to frame scenes, pick the right shooting angles, and use the various options in lighting to bring their imaginative narrative into reality.

“It all starts with a story,” he said. “And you need to set the stage, have your props in place, get the right script, develop your characters, choose your shots, and finally, skillfully edit to make it interesting to the audience.”

He urged the children to think creatively and give wings to their imagination. “Filmmaking can then become a lifelong passion or even be your choice of profession,” he told them.

Hand Drawn Anaglyphs (3D drawing)

UAE artist Aisha Alhamrani led a group of young children on a fun-filled, interactive session as she merged art and technology in a creative workshop titled ‘Hand Drawn Anaglyphs (3D drawing)’ at SIFF 2019.

“An anaglyph is a picture formed by the integration of two or more images,” she explained as she helped the children work with different shades of blue and red on two different images which were then superimposed and viewed with special 3D glasses.

The children were excited to draw their favourite characters that produced a stereo effect when viewed with the 3D glasses.

Aisha, who believes in making art accessible, instant and personal for everyone, said, “Allowing children to use everyday tools to produce content and create projects will stimulate their creativity and imaginative skills.”

SIFF 2019 is organised by FUNN – Sharjah Media Arts for Youth & Children, and concludes today (Friday) at the Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre (JRCC) in Sharjah.