Meet Amir Aftab

We recently connected with Amir Aftab and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amir, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I find my purpose in old movies and TV shows that make you feel something. I was watching this film called Los Olvidados. And I found myself transported to the streets of Mexico City in the 1950s. Following around a group of children as they endured the pains of their lives and laughed and fought and lived. I found myself in awe of the directing, getting these kids to act just so naturally as themselves and not try to force it for the camera.. I looked up the Wikipedia and realized, Luis Bunuel, the director, is no longer with us. He was from a different generation. Yet he’s making me laugh. Making me feel something. Making me think. Inspiring me. Changing my mind. He and all involved in the film, they are like apparitions. Speaking from beyond the grave through film. That’s what I want to do with my life, make people feel and think and inspire them from beyond the grave.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
A long time ago, I went to culinary school and worked as a cook in restaurants. Seems random but I promise, this will come full circle! After not loving the conditions of the restaurant industry, I had a dark night of the soul. I quit my restaurant job and with ample time on my hands, stumbled upon the documentary 6 Days to Air. In the documentary, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of South Park, are followed around while they make an episode of south park from start to finish in 6 days. It looked painful, insane, obsessive, but SO rewarding. I didn’t understand exactly what they were doing, but I knew whatever the hell it was, that’s what I wanted to do with my life.

I put their picture up on my wall and got an entry level job doing Quality Control for a studio that created children’s educational content. Eventually, after years of persistence and talking in the break room to the audio engineers, then training with them on my lunch break and taking classes outside of work, staying after work to shadow them some more. I somehow managed to make my way into the audio department. I was, ecstatic. I was in. Post Production. Working on shows. Making creative decisions.

But I always wanted to work on my own ideas. I wanted to make content that I wanted to watch. Eventually I built up the courage to join some Facebook filmmaking groups in Los Angeles, where I would, after work and on the weekends, go on set and volunteer.

The first set I showed up to I didn’t have any idea what I was doing. I was totally lost but, I was just friendly and tried to be as helpful and useful as possible. I ended up PAing, and eventually started doing Production Sound.

I liked Production Sound because I was right by all the action, next to the camera crew, the actors, and directors during the shots. I observed how the pieces of a film set fit together, how the camera crew would approach lighting and framing a scene, how the director would go over blocking with the actors, and anything else I could soak up.

I also struck up conversations with as many people on set as I could. Exchanging information, socials, and offering up help wherever I could.

Every day after work I would stay late and write. I didn’t really know what the hell I was doing. But I knew I had ideas, and they were exciting to me at least.

I took this knowledge, experience, little network of friends, and piles of scripts to help make my debut film, Shy Guy. Wow! What a blur. Being a director is a blur. Everyone department is looking to you for answers and energy. You’re juggling 10 things at once. What this film taught me was, always be prepared! The more prepared you are, the more comfortable you are to provide answers.

I loved working with actors from the perspective of a writer/director, being able to shed light into the intent of the script but also being open to them adding depth to the characters with their questions and input. A synthesis. Collaboration. How exciting to see the seeds you planted grow. But there were certain beats in the film I felt I wish had been more intentional. I wanted to learn how to make the audience not confused with what I was trying to portray. And I believed this stemmed mostly from the writing. After shooting the film, I realized I wanted to get my writing chops up to carry into my next film.

While working my day job as a sound mixer, I attended writing and film making classes at Studio Arts in LA. I continued networking in these classes and wrote wrote wrote until I came up with the script for Hungry, my second short film.

With Hungry, my love of food came back out of the depths of my subconscious and synthesized itself into these characters and world. And I had the idea, watching my lead actor scarf down a giant chocolate cake with her hands, how cool it would be to eat along with her.

From there, I knew I wanted to do something unique for the film screenings. Instead of just the ordinary film screening, I wanted to make it a dinner party. I began serving the food we made in the films to the audience while they were watching the characters eat. Interactive! How fun.

So goes my current obsessions. I throw monthly dinner parties with movies. Sometimes they’re originals, sometimes they’re existing movies. But it’s always a blast, and a whole lot of work! 🙂

My upcoming projects are: my first feature film, called the Doll Keeper, written with my brother Justin under our production company, Brothers Aftab Productions. And to grow the film dinner parties in size and regularity, which I host with the help of my beautiful girlfriend and producer Nicolle. Follow me on social media and please join us sometime!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Persistence – Fail, which you inevitably will. Ask yourself what can you learn from the experience. Then move forward.

Don’t listen to anyone in regard to your core goal – Don’t let people talk you out of your dream. Especially if it’s convincing.

Embrace boredom – This is where you’ll discover your true self. Don’t push it away with vices. Sit with the feeling. Boredom is uncomfortable, which is exactly the point. The discomfort will inspire you to find something better to do with your time.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
Me and my brother are on the 4th draft of our debut feature film. We are learning how to work with each other! What our process is like, how to not step onto each others toes, how to listen, be supportive, and open to input and criticism.

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