Tention Free : Please introduce yourself to the readers and Who or what inspired you to get into this profession?
Well I have been into various creative endeavors in most the years of my life. I used to paint at an early age, I picked piano when I was 12 years old- I was fascinated playing Airwolf and Knight Rider on my organ Yamaha PT-10. And then the fever kept increasing, I used to sing too. I attended a filmmaking workshop at Alliance Francaise. Same year I was hired as Creative Executive at McCann Erikson. Later I did courses in Graphic Design, 3D Animation and Special FX. In the meantime I started climbing the corporate ladder in ad industry while I got my doctorate in Image Marketing. Finally, my love for films came to life when I did my filmmaking at New York Film Academy’s LA Campus in Universal Studios. There I saw a century of film history and shot at places where all landmark movies were shot. In 2010 after the death of Michael Jackson I made a rock tribute album of his all time hits, which today has mass following around the globe. I also released an album with Universal Music India which did pretty good in that region.
Tention Free : We been hearing a lot about you and Automation vs. Autocracy, so we notice your starting to gain a lot of attention how does it feel?
Yes so I am a compulsive writer, I write when I am in loo in the morning- noting on my iPhone till I sleep while writing in my bed again my Notes. During the day I like to do my intellectual vomiting on Facebook- which mostly people don’t understand.
So over the years as a commercial writer I had written for almost all product categories under the sun. Most international brands and a variety of books as ghostwriter- ranging from tech to politics and from humanism to society and culture.
I thought it was high-time to reach out and become self-inflicted author by putting out my idealistic notion in a composed book form. It has been a learning journey for me too. The topic is hot and I had lot to say. I had observed a lot with transcending tech forms especially with internet invasion. With shortcomings and improvements required- Net Neutrality controversy gave life to my notion and endorsed it as a real issue needed to be addressed.
Tention Free : Please tell us more about The Disowned?
Disowned is a psychological thriller that will tear through genres and boundaries of the way we see films. Right not most films are made in safe genres like super hero or conspiracy theory or murder or national security and the standard horror stereo types where the house is haunted or some child that is possessed.
The Disowned will shock the audience in terms of how reality treats the metaphysical and chemical changes in our brains/bodies. How we interpret hallucinations and define our values while relating people in different terms of endearment.
Tention Free : What motivates you to do your best work as a Film-maker?
I like to tell stories that are not found anywhere at last in terms of their categories. They are not told for a reason because the best learning cannot be found in books, as it cannot be taught and has to be consumed and interpreted based upon chosen narratives. I like to pick untouched version of things, the alternate possibilities, something that may be few people might have thought but would have been generally considered outlandish. The disconnect from reality may be based in terms of fantasy in drama but reality is stranger when it is based on facts looking through folklore.
This disruption and confusion is the reason I create chaos on screen. The quick digital technology has provided tools for those who have craft and passion to tell the tale their own way. Then actors like Gil Gilead and Kay Gamaldi provide me the spontaneous the real essence that goes beyond the orchestration, deliberation, arrangement and rehearsal of screen. They come from opposite backgrounds but I direct them as a writer and they perform to mesmerize the viewers- much like in theater. Gil is fully trained with years of exercise, practice and mastering the art of acting through theory, practical and portfolio that truly outshines any dedicated artist or craftsman.
Kay on the other hand is totally raw- no on-screen experience but a burning desire to do it. And to me that is the real talent- having skills but nowhere to use is because you’re not looking properly. 90% of actors end up unemployed after studying several years in acting institutes, theater grounds, universities and drama societies. The ability to comprehend the scenario and channel it through her is really remarkable in Kay. I tell her and she doesn’t know who the great Marlon Brando is- and that his reference memory technique has been so revered in the acting world. But like Brando once said we all are actors, we all are pretending to look normal. Kay understands it and narrate it through her volatile screen presence.
So actors like these provide vehicles to writers and directors to accurately translate the scenarios that glorify the filmmaking phenomenon.
Tention Free : Any new project do you have coming up ?
Yes I am working on a documentary Need 4 Greed, after I complete The Disowned. It is about wastage of resources and how the surplus of many can influence the overall living conditions across the globe.
Tention Free : Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to be a professional Musician?
Well perform. Music is about the live experience, it is the most gripping entertainment as you get captivated while you are unaware of its existence. You are in a mall, you hear songs, you are driving you hear the radio without conscious choice at most times. So it is the most effortless form of entertainment.
But to be a good musician you must have a knack for live music. To perform in a way that you enjoy it so much that everyone else do too. I am glad artists are now independent and beyond tours- everyone is free to share their magic on Amazon Music and iTunes across social media like Facebook and Twitter. And yes the studios have suddenly become affordable. What used to cost thousands of dollars is now available below a thousand dollar with full scale controls and possibilities to change anything.
So if you have good ideas and you have charming performance- you have it, now all you have to do is go get it. Put it out there, let people decide, adapt to their response. At the end if you are just an artist you can share all that you have in your heart, if you are an entertainer you can sell anything if it’s good enough to pass the listener’s litmus test.
Tention Free : What are your future plans ? Your vision for the coming years.
I am very excited about the future. I am about to launch my own beauty brand in near future. Which I am keeping hush hush right now. But it will be as creative as my other entertainment products. My future plans include another movie Hard Cash about the digital money and a online heist with an offline methodology. It has cultural roots in East and West and how scams across the world work. It will be much fun.
I hope to direct a big budget project for which I may be hired. It will be fun if I could direct Gary Oldman or Chris Walken- I like actors with poker faces and abrupt personalities.
Tention Free : What has been one of the most exciting achievements of your career so far ?
I think my documentary ED vs IT: SOS that is available on Amazon Prime has been a remarkable experience for me. It has been a culmination a long awaited and deserved journey. To be able to put out ideas and work with people around the world has been so much fun. The book Automation vs. Autocracy: Robogeddon En Route has been a mesmerizing experience- in the sense that all my learnings from double masters, doctorate and Wikipedia has come together in a package form. Now I am expediting on this unbelievable film project as one man team. This definitely will be a remarkable feat as I complete it- I have never heard anyone making a film single handedly.
Tention Free : Everybody needs time out. What do you do in your free time?
Fortunately, I have been able to get paid for my hobbies. All these things that I do were my hobbies. Writing, film, photography, designing film posters and music. So that’s what I do in my spare time because that is my hobby. My passion is my profession and that’s why my life has become a paid vacation.
Tention Free : Are you active on social media? whatís the best way to follow you ?
Yes you can connect on Twitter handle @theatifism and FB @dratif. And if you want to collaborate or avail my services my URL is atifak.com
