ABOUT

"In this realm you will get a lot of naysayers, but you should never give up."

Hello, I'm Mehedi.

I came into the realm of ad films to explore the nuances of filmmaking. For me, filmmaking is much more than blocking and composition, playing with light and shadow, or developing a character arc in a screenplay. From a specific motif to the shape of a jar to the hue of a color, every detail contributes to telling a filmmaker’s story. Writing treatments gives me the freedom to explore these nuances of filmmaking. While I draw this inspiration from vlogs, Pinterest, ad films, web series, movies, and, most importantly, my personal observations of the real world.

Coming from an engineering background, writing treatments was never something that came naturally to me. I had also never assisted any director in that capacity; I merely worked on one or two ads as a DA. So, what you're seeing here is the result of burning the midnight oil. I still recall going through Syd Field and thermodynamics at the same time during my first year of college. Since then, I’ve been pursuing filmmaking predominantly through Google, as Tarantino says, he "went to films" instead of film school.

I started by creating a few dummy treatments and sharing them with producers and directors, which eventually helped me land my first treatment gig. Coming from a non–film school background, it wasn’t always an easy journey, but it taught me a lot along the way. Over time, I’ve had the opportunity to create treatments for some of India’s most respected ad film directors, including Mr. Abhijeet Choudhury (Dadu) and Mr. Shoojit Sircar. I’ve also collaborated with top US production houses under NYC-based director Mr. Evan Eri Kelman, where my responsibility was visual research only. Additionally, I’ve created numerous treatments for several African production houses.

I am an admirer of BBC and HBO shows and World Cinema. I have a certain detest for mainstream Bollywood potboilers. I prefer content-driven films; they stay rooted in authenticity and culture, something I deeply value and learn from.

No, my all-time favorite series isn’t Breaking Bad. It’s The Sopranos. My second favorite is the Italian crime series Gomorrah.

Contact: to.mhsarif@gmail.com

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