Echoes of Persistent

 “All good ideas start out as bad ideas; that's why it takes so long," a famous quote from Steven Spielberg, with which I can relate after working six years as an indie filmmaker. The journey of an artist isn’t easy; it takes a lot of time and dedication to bring something from an idea to fruition.

"Monkey On Back," a short film, is incredibly close to my heart. It's not the first short film I've almost made, but it's important to me because it has shaped me as an artist. I almost completed it but couldn't finish it.

 "Monkey On Back" originated from an idea that came to mind in mid-April 2020, when the pandemic began, and the world was suffering from Covid-19. I was in my hometown, unable to go out due to the pandemic. My smartphone had died even before the pandemic, so I passed the time by reading books. One day, there was an issue with the electric lines, causing a two-day power outage. I called my best friend, who lived in the same area, to inquire about the situation. He told me he felt numb and depressed because, as a tech enthusiast, he couldn't survive without gadgets for even a few hours. Suddenly, an idea struck me: what if I wrote about a tech enthusiast trapped somewhere without gadgets? I began researching and discovered tech addiction. I wrote my first draft about how a tech-addicted person would survive without gadgets and electricity. I went through five more drafts before finalizing the sixth one for the short film. I chose the title "Monkey On Back" because it symbolizes addiction, the central theme of the film.

In January 2021, the pandemic ended, and my best friend, who also served as the cinematographer, and I began pre-production. I held auditions for my friends for the role, ultimately selecting my friend Shajid. In February 2021, we began shooting with a small crew of five people due to our low budget. The crew included Tahmid (cinematographer), Tonmoy (Assistant Director), Saiba (Art director), and Chomok (a friend helping with lighting). 

We decided to make it a silent film, so there was no sound controller. We successfully shot the film for three days, but on the fourth day, my camera suddenly stopped working. Despite our efforts to fix it and even taking it for repair, it couldn't be salvaged. 

Since then, I've been unable to finish the film. I've made several attempts but haven't succeeded yet. I'm currently working on another draft of the script to improve it and have already begun planning for reshooting. Now,with renewed energy and a refined vision, the journey continues, and one day, "Monkey On Back" will finally reach its completion, a testament to the belief that good things indeed take time.