SPOTLIGHT: THE BIG BOYS OF THE BACKROOM.

Who would imagine that a quiet, unassuming house at the turn of the bend in Clifton would singlehandedly hold the fate of Pakistan's film business inside it?

Shaped into a cutting edge, one-stop, post-production outlet by co-founders Tahir Moosa and Amyn Farooqi, SharpImage, despite its pin-drop silence, is a busy place indeed.

Inside the rooms connected to small winding corridors, people assemble edits, piece together visual effects and, in Tahir's own case, colour-grade films.

Tahir runs SharpImage's film division, and is an established colourist of more than 30 films and way too many commercials to count. Suffice to say his resume - which includes Chakkar, Dum Mastam, Quaid-i-Azam Zindabad, London Nahin Jaunga (LNJ), Punjab Nahin Jaungi, Jawani Phir Nahin Ani (JPNA), Rehbra, Superstar, Parey Hut Love, Khel Khel Mein, Baaji, Laal Kabootar, Load Wedding, Na Maloom Afraad and NMA 2, Actor in Law, Sherdil, Moor, O21, Heer Maan Jaa, Lahore Say Aagay, Wrong No., Manto - is exhausting to read.

When it comes to pushing the technical boundaries of the post-production pipeline in Pakistan, very few can claim to be pros at the game... except for the boys at SharpImage's film division

Together, Tahir and Amyn are known to have hands-on involvement on projects (Amyn, primarily a VFX guy, knows a little of everything, he tells me later).

When not overseeing work, Tahir and Amyn are often found sitting at a roundtable in their own pocket of seclusion - a room with glass doors that opens to natural daylight and the greenery of their backyard garden.

This room is a boy's hideaway. Amidst the books and posters, stands a poseable mannequin, a premium statue of the Transformer Bumblebee, a pint-sized Iron Man, a Tie-Fighter, an X-Wing, and an Imperial Star Destroyer from Star Wars.

Seeing this, one realises that, for all the serious work they do, they're still little boys playing with toys (technical, big boy toys, that is) while dreaming big things. That is why, perhaps, they're pushing the technical boundaries of the post-production pipeline in Pakistan.

'It is our kink,' Amyn accepts, as I am told about one of their cutting-edge toys: the Smart Video Assist.

The solution provides real-time previews, playback and metadata logging (details about the shot, and whether it is an okay take or not), to an iPad that the director carries on set, Tahir explains.

'Without delving into intricate details, let's just say that the convenience it gives the director is...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT