Mahdi Ahmed

Scripting waves of imagination from the sunny side of the Maldives.

Posts tagged ‘Baiskoafu’

LIGHTS, CAMERA… AI? DIRECTING MY FIRST DHIVEHI MUSIC VIDEO WITH SORA!

Somewhere in the depths of my curious mind (which, according to some, runs on expired Wi-Fi signals), I decided to put AI to the ultimate test: directing a Dhivehi music video. Because why not?

First, a huge Shukuriyyaa! to singer Theyravaa for selecting this song for my experiment. His trust in my AI-driven madness is truly appreciated.

And an even bigger, heartfelt thank you to Baiskoafu for giving me the official approval to use this song, which is under their copyright. Without their support, this experiment wouldn’t have been possible.

Now, let’s be clear—I never had a screenplay. No shot list, no scene breakdowns, nothing. I just listened to the song and rendered the shots as I went, trusting my instincts (and Sora’s AI magic) to make something out of thin air. Basically, I directed this like a rogue filmmaker who forgot to hire a crew.

Since I’m running ChatGPT Plus (and not some elite, unlimited AI overlord version), I quickly realized that my credits had the lifespan of a plate of short eats at a Maldivian tea shop— gone before I could blink. This meant I had to wait, sip some tea, contemplate life, and then wait some more while Sora took its sweet time rendering the videos.

Despite these delays, I must admit—I was thoroughly impressed with the results. The AI-generated visuals matched the mood of the song quite well, and the whole thing had a certain vibe. But (and it’s a big but, like those seen in oddly-proportioned AI renders), keeping consistency in characters was nearly impossible. One second, my main character had wavy hair, and the next, she looked like she had just returned from a wind tunnel. If Sora could introduce a character consistency feature, it would be an absolute game-changer.

Since this was a test, I rushed through it with the urgency of me sprinting to catch the last ferry to Vilimale’. Naturally, there were some odd occurrences here and there (like characters suddenly morphing into entirely new people), but overall, I’m thrilled with how it turned out, my first-ever AI-directed Dhivehi music video.

So, thank you, Sora, for the AI wizardry. Thank you, Theyrvaa, for the music. And thank you, Baiskoafu, for allowing me to bring this experiment to life. Now, dear Sora, please—for the love of continuity—fix the character consistency issue before I start directing a full-length AI film. Because I just might.

WRITING SEASON 3 OF KARUHAKURU

A day ago, I wrapped up writing season 3 of Karuhakuru, the first Dhivehi sitcom series. In short, I had a blast writing all the 12 episodes.

In season 3, best of all, I weathered all the pressure that I faced while writing some of the episodes. However, unlike the previous seasons, they were few and far between. But most importantly, I was able to resolve them with show creator Munko and producer Saaji with ease. Thus, I delivered each episode right on time to fit the shooting schedule, including a day for table-reads. Shooting getting delayed, postponed, or canceled due to unforeseen reasons was beyond me.

The season 3 revolves around the funny yet the lovable family of Rasheed coping with the impending COVID 19 and the ultimate lockdown doom. It will be easier for everyone to relate to this situation since we are still living with it. But for this family, staying home for too long has comical side effects. Some characters find a new love for unusual things, and Liu and Liz, an infatuation for Mabrouk. For him, who didn’t?

One of the biggest challenges in writing season 3 was the newest addition to the family. Wish I could reveal this character and the actor portraying the role, but I can already see Saaji eyeballing and breathing fire at me. Worry not, Saaji, I am not going to spoil anything here. But I can peel this much, the new addition is no small feet, but yes, I consider the character a baby, but a very live wire baby. This actor inspired me to shift my writing into fourth gear and pedal to the metal.

However, the greatest challenge was to keep Nai, the leading man of the series, in a face mask throughout the entire season. But actor Raufath, playing Naai with OCD gusto, has given an outstanding performance in all the scenes he appeared with only his eyes exposed. I haven’t heard any other actor doing that for an entire season in a sitcom. Awesome!

Lamha, the heart, and soul of this series, has shown how quickly she has grown into her character as Liu. Her comic timing is spot on, and her acting sublime.

When I heard from the set that Aysha, who plays Liz, has improved so much, I was tempted to make her role very demanding. With each episode, I tested her acting chops. And I must say that she has come out with flying colors. Her bitterness over Kuday’s mishap is a testament that she could rip the screen even with her screams.

Rasheed remains the firm foundation of the family holding everyone together. Actor Nazim does justice to his character as he did with the previous two seasons, but this time with a coolness that would make even cucumbers green with envy. Wait, they are already green, no?

The always out of element Zack, played by National award-winning Ayya, shows why he is such a versatile actor. He can fit himself into any glove. But the character of Zack is a snug fit for him. In this season, he discovers a way to stand with neither of his feet touching the ground.

Finally, I can’t imagine anyone else but Afrah taking the role of eccentric Kuday. He is lucky enough to return home from Bangkok. He recommences his misadventures with the Rasheed family. This time he has more stories to tell about Joan. Or is it John? John or Joan, ingeynu?

Karuhakuru will always remain my sweetest writing experience ever. I am looking forward to spend few more seasons with Rasheed and his family. I also feel that I have grown with each and every one of them—my sincere thanks to the entire cast and crew, especially Orkeyz Inc. Yes, that did the trick. I no longer feel the fiery breath of Saaji anymore.

Cheers!