A video by the Egyptian artist Ahmed Mado about the right to say things that matter. It touches on censorship and politics.
- Format
- Music video
- Year
- 2022
- Running time
- 3:26
- Role
- Director and cinematographer
- Camera
- Sony FX3VHS cameraInsta360 One X2
- Shoot
- 4 to 5 months, unhurried schedule
- Crew
- Around 20 people
- On screen
- The artist's fellow students, the sound engineer, airsoft players and other participants
Idea
In Garah, Ahmed Mado talks about what it is like to say words out loud when everyone expects you to stay quiet. Censorship and politics are the plot here, not the background: a man with a microphone stands up to the power that determines which words are acceptable. I wanted to steer clear of slogans, so it is all told in images.
Visual language
Three different textures are mixed in the video:
- Sony FX3: a neat, cinematic image
- An old VHS camera: grainy "archive" footage, as if nobody was ever meant to see it
- Insta360 One X2: a distorted spherical view in which the world tightens around the hero
It is all brought into black and white with rare red accents, so the different cameras do not drift apart in tone.
Production
About 20 people worked on the video. Filming took 4 to 5 months at an unhurried pace. Special forces fighters were played by airsoft enthusiasts with accurate weapon replicas and full gear, which is why the scenes look convincing.
The remaining roles were given to people from the artist's own surroundings. His fellow students act in it, along with the sound engineer who recorded and mixed the track. The video ended up being about Ahmed Mado's actual circle of people.
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