Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 09:33PM Next Level Pictures shoots Arba’een in Karbala, Iraq
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Executive Producer- Sayed Mahdi Modarresi, Client- Ahlul Bayt tv, Producer(s)- Khalid Mohtaseb & Susan Modaress, Director of Photography- Khalid Mohtaseb, Photographer- Timur Civan, Camera assistants- Ramie Faris & Ahmed Mohtaseb
Blog updated by- Khalid Mohtaseb
A few months ago I was contacted by Ahlul Bayt tv to shoot footage of Arbaeen in Karbala, Iraq. Arbaeen is the one of the largest pilgrimage gatherings on earth in which over 10 million people go to the city of Karbala in Iraq. Arba'een is a Shia Muslim religious observation that occurs 40 days after the Day of Ashura. It commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad which falls on the 20th day of the month of Safar.
Im going to lie, I was extremely hesitant about accepting the offer because of the obvious current political situation. It also didn't help that everyone I knew tried convincing me out of it. However as pessimistic as I had become, I was already convinced as a pilgriage in which 10-15 million people participate is worth observing no matter what your religion or beliefs are. I brought on my good friends and colleagues; Susan Modaress as co-producer, Timur Civan as photographer, and Ramie Faris & Ahmed Mohtaseb as camera assistants.
After months of pre planning and coordinating with Sayed Mahdi and his team, we finally felt prepared to start our trip. Getting to Iraq wasn’t easy. Our trip started at JFK then connected in Amsterdam & Kuwait before reaching Bahrain for a 15 hour layover. Below is a photo of myself and the crew in front of our hotel in Bahrain.
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We flew into Nagaf airport the following morning and boarded a 15 passenger bus with another group of filmmakers from Bahrain that took us to Karbala. What normally would’ve taken no more than an hour ended up being roughly 16 hours from door to door. The long, exhausting, and claustrophobic bus ride was well worth it as we got to observe the millions of pilgrims that walk hundreds of miles to get to Karbala. It was an unbelievable feeling to experience this first hand.
Our 72 hour commute ended with a very warm and hospitable welcome from our local crew in a small hotel in Karbala. Our crew shared a room with 5 other guys from Bahrain that we ended up making great friends with. Below is a photo of us, our fixers, and our wonderful roommates in our hotel room.
Karbala was much like other Middle Eastern countries I’ve visited only much more undeveloped and obviously much more crowded. It reminded me of the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp I shot in Lebanon. Check out the photos below of an awesome street right outside of our hotel.
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The network has been covering this event for years using primarily ENG cameras, and this year they wanted to take a more cinematic approach. We shot everything with 5d & 7D and a similar kit to the one used for my Haiti Montage. Giving the fact that there were millions of pilgrims on the ground, it was very difficult to move gear around from location to location. For the week of Arbaeen cars were not allowed in Karbala so this meant that all the gear had to be transported on foot. On the day of Arbaeen it took us more than an hour to walk a quarter mile. Check out a few behind the scenes photos below.
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In most situations we wouldn’t be able to shoot for more than 20 minutes before hundreds of pilgrims surround us. Luckily enough our local team were top notch and were very good in getting people away from the cameras. One really useful tip I recommend to anyone shooting in a similar situation is to have an assistant holding another camera taking shots of the locals. Most people just want their pictures taken and this helps in distracting the locals and drive their attention away from the main camera. Unfortunately I cannot release too many photos & screenshots as the client is potentially selling them as stock images. Below are a few screenshots & photos I took that I can share with you guys. You can also check out Timur’s Jaw dropping images by clicking on this link.
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One of the most challenging obstacles, besides getting around on foot, was maintaining a healthy & organized lifestyle when sharing a small room with 10 other people. I also have to mention how mentally exhausting it was shooting when all I thought about is a bomb going off at any second. Not only did I have to worry about myself, but I was responsible for the 4 other crew which I brought on to the project. Words literally cannot explain how difficult this was for me. Its unbelievable to me that the locals have to live under these circumstances.
Below is a photo of Timur sleeping at Ahlul Bayt Tv’s rooftop studio as we wait for a timelapse. This is one of my favorite photos of the trip btw as it illustrates how long and mentally exhausting our trip was. And yes the network does have beds in their studios. I thought we worked hard until I learned that many of the employees are so dedicated to this event that they don’t go home and sleep at the studio for the week.
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Overall this was one of the most amazing work experiences I've ever had. The client couldn’t have been more hospitable and I look forward to working with them again in the near future. Jon and I are currently involved in a few projects and will definitely have some amazing updates so be sure to check back soon.
-Khalid
Reader Comments (11)
Was an honor sir. Look forward to the next project!
Great post!
I still can't believe we were there! Thanks for taking me on the trip. Keep me updated with the final product.
Hello guys, you have done a fantastic job back in Karbala, May Allah (swt) bless you.
The photos you've taken have so much to say, it feels like they are alive!
Look forward to see the video clips insha allah.
regards
This is amazing...Wow. You are very brave Khalid...I'm proud of you! Also, great photos...Your lighting is magnificent!
Nickolet.
Timur & Cable Man, It was a pleasure having the both of you on this. Its an experience we'll all remember for years to come. Glad you guys had a good time!
Ahmad Alkazemi, Thanks very much for posting on here. So glad you enjoyed our work, It wouldn't have been possible without you! Looking fwd to working together again next year.
Nickolet, Long time no talk! Thanks for the kind words about my work. really appreciate it! Hope all is well with you.
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