The shoot is over but the work isn’t. The post-production process of Silver Cord has started. 

It has been a month since the program ended. I have technically not graduated, because I would have needed to screen my thesis film in order to walk last May. I and my producer, Urwa Zubair, decided to spend more time on our thesis. So, now it’s post-production time! We knew we needed even more time for our post-production than an average thesis film, because ours has a lot of special effects. We are trying to use our time as efficiently as possible because we are both aware that a lot of films are neglected after being shot. We do not want this to happen to our baby, to our film, Silver Cord.

The total time you spend making a film from start to finish is quite long. Even though we are making a short film, it is really hard to stay focused throughout the whole time. Since we successfully managed to shoot our film without any major issues, we want the momentum to continue. We had about a two-week break after shooting ended, and then we were back with the film.

Since we had enough time, we needed to decide on some deadlines. Without deadlines, it is quite possible to find yourself not doing enough at any time. My producer and good friend Urwa made sure the dates we chose matched up with festival submission deadlines.

After working on editing our film for about a month, we now have a base cut that my producer and I can use: a cut we are both relatively happy with, so the rest of the process can go faster. This week, I will start working on a director’s cut with our editor. When I feel good about my cut, my producer will start working on the film.

I was so nervous and excited at the same time when we were watching the dailies. Since it’s not easy to go back and get pickups in our case, what we had was whatever we were able to shoot. Thankfully, I am so happy with the results! It’s still crazy we attempted to do a production this big, with high risks, but we did it. I am just so proud of the team that made it happen. My thanks to Columbia College Chicago for providing us all these passionate and talented people to work with.

Other than the post-production of our thesis film, I have been looking for jobs. After I graduate, I plan to stay in the US for a year to work in the OPT program. I have been looking for jobs in different cities, not just Chicago. I’m hoping to get some experience in the field. I would like to move to LA or New York since the industry is bigger in those cities. I also have been applying for jobs in Chicago too. This process is a little stressful since you have to apply for OPT before you graduate and the uncertainty of my job situation makes me think a lot about my future. Hopefully, I can find a job until my EAD card arrives. If not, I will have 60 more days after I receive my card.

Let’s see what happens! Keep checking our website to get the latest updates: www.silvercordmovie.com. Stay tuned for more!