DIRECTOR: HANI SAQR
BIR AL-ABED PRODUCTION DESIGN LOOKBOOK PRESENTATION BY: XUAN-AN THAI
CONTENT
1. Exterior House Backyard 2. Interior Family Apartment 3. Interior Shoe Repair Shop 4. Exerior Street 5. Interior Clothes Shop 6. Interior Mosque 7. Exterior House Backyard II
EXT. HOUSE BACKYARD DINING AREA Here is where we see the family eating their meals. There are a few rugs overlapping on the floor with various red, gray, brown, and black color and texture. They gather on the ground around a traditional Bedouin dining table.
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Tablyia
EXT. HOUSE BACKYARD DRIVEWAY, TV, AND CLOTHING LINE An old (working) TV is on the wall across the family seating area. A green clothing line hangs between the dining area and where "THE FRIEND" drives his truck in for his visit.
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EXT. HOUSE BACKYARD WASHING AREA Along the wall, there is an old metal basin where the family washes dishes. You see a handmade circular fire pit where there is a stack of mismatched hand-collected firewood and an old kettle. Plates are mostly metal or mismatched colors of plastic.
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BACKYARD PROP LIST
Working LCD TV to play Egyptian film. Older model TV – 2017 but 25 years ago box TV and must work 13� inch very small Red scissors Metal basin and a few large plastic tubs for washing station MISC collected 'firewood' Metal vintage black kettle/teapot Green rope and pins for clothesline 4-6 mismatches rugs Round plastic
Tablyia traditional Bedouin dining table
Copper scouring pad Metal and plastic dishes and metal bowl for tomato sauce Red tomato sauce and meatballs Bread
Egyptian food
INTERIOR FAMILY STUDIO APARTMENT
INT. FAMILY STUDIO ONE ROOM Here is where the entire family lives and sleeps. There are inflated mattresses on the floor where the family sleeps and mismatched sheets with visible patches. The pillows are yellow and without a cover. There are different red and brown rugs overlapping and lining the floor. Colorful fabric lines a wall like wallpaper where Aisha sleeps.
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INT. STUDIO PROP LIST
4-6 pillows no cover
2-3 sets patched up simple designed or polka dot sheets 2-3 twin air mattresses 4-6 mismatched overlapping red, brown, green, black, and gray rugs Worn floral sheet to hang on wall for 'wallpaper' on one side Short side table for scissors MISC stacks of plates, dishes, and unmatching cutlery Minimal furniture, maybe a small worn down dresser for the Old brown jewelry box Copper locket with Photo of mother (early thirties woman) Wall – onions, garlic, no balcony, drying and hung up Long mirror with crack in it
Overall: not boring, but clearly living in poverty, and worn, but clean
INT. SHOE REPAIR SHOP ALL TOOLS WILL BE ON SITE The family shoe shop business is visited by "THE CUSTOMER' and his son, Malek. Here we see Abed playing with a coloring book and erase a green shirt from his pre-drawn boy. We are introduced to the symbol of clean white as innocence and privilege. There are traditional Egyptian signs on the walls.
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INT. CLOTHING SHOP ALL TOOLS WILL BE ON SITE The broken mirror from there bedroom is propped up against the wall. A few tools are needed for this scene, but should be at the location already.
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INT. SHOE SHOP PROP LIST
Broken mirror propped up on wall Green colored pencil and small pencil set Eraser Coloring book Pre-made kid drawn picture of a boy Simple black shoes (Malek) Shoe hammer
Egyptian Pounds or Bills for "THE CUSTOMER" to pay for the shoes (Can later be used for the friend interaction as well)
EXTERIOR STREET LOCATION ACQUIRED The boys and their father share a few tender moments. The only things needed here are the coloring book. We also use this location to show the boys and their father walking to the Mosque (will need a large scene for Abed to trip over.
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rock in this
INT. CLOTHING STORE ABED'S DISNEYLAND Nothing to buy here, but we will need to rearrange so that there is a very visible wall of plastic wrapped
white shirts. We will want this scene to be very colorful. This will also serve as the
counter where Aisha sells her mother's locket in desperation.
*To the shirts, we can add 65 pound sticker price to each. Ahmad hands the man 65 pounds
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THE MOSQUE
THE MOSQUE THE ABLUTION ROOM - LAMENTATION Abed washed alone in the bathroom. We are zoomed in on Ahmad and Zein's footsteps as we see drops of blood on the plastic floor mats. We see Abed's dead body covered in blood. Zein takes off his white shirt and covers his brother's face.
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THE MOSQUE PROP LIST
2-3 Plastic mats to line the floor A ton of fake blood Extra white shirts (they are the tiniest bit off-white and not as clean as Maleks') Several extra shoes and flip flops for outside of the Mosque
HOUSE BACKYARD II PROP LIST "AISHA'S HAIR FALLS ON THE FLOOR AS IF THE SKY IS FALLING." Scissors to cut Aisha's hair Lock of hair
Abed's blood and tomato stained light blue shirt flutters in the wind Same broken mirror from store and studio Clothesline close up
ADDITIONAL PROPS MISC Radio (for backyard scene 16)
2 cheap teacups
Cigarettes
Sword: dream sequence
Cigarettes
Red cellophane
Brass vintage teapot stand
Bag of egyptian candy
Maybe: extra plastic wrap
3 light blue T-shirts
Maybe: floor cushions
for the white shirts
5 white button up shirts
Black mask
Shoe rack for Mosque
"On November 24th, 2017, Al Rawda mosque in the village of Al Rawda, east of the town of Bir Al-Abed in Egypt’s North Sinai governorate, was attacked during the Friday prayer by 40 gunmen. The attack has killed 311 people and injured at least another 122, making it the deadliest attack in Egyptian history."
IN THE MEMORY OF BIR AL ABED MARTYRS
CHARACTER LIST IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
AISHA
"MAN"
ABED
AHMAD
16 year old girl, only daughter, and sister
Appears in Aisha's nightmares
8 year old boy, youngest son, and brother
Mid 40s, slim father to Aisha, Abed,
dressed in all black
and Zein; 3 day old bread
ZEIN
"CUSTOMER"
MALEK
"THE FRIEND"
11 year old boy, middle brother, and son
Customer of family shoe repair shop
12 year old boy with shiny new white shirt
Nameless friend of the
and father of Malek
and new pants; son of "CUSTOMER"
patriarch father with a truck;
wardrobe suggests wealth.
AISHA 16 year old girl, only daughter, and sister in the main family. Her clothing is traditional and modest accented with hues of maroon, burgundy, and camel texture.
DREAM SEQUENCE
"THE MAN" The man from Aisha's nightmare pulls her hair and each time he is shown, he gets closer to murdering her. He is dressed in a black mask, black shirt, black pants, and black boots. He represents evil.
ABED 8 year old boy, youngest son, and brother. He is about to turn 9, foreshadowing that he might not make it. He is a symbol of purity and innocence. He wears mostly worn pants and a light blue shirt with varying stains of blood and tomato sauce. He is desires a clean white shirt seen in various translations.
The light blue shirt represents hope and wear mismatched blue pattern pajamas to bed.
WARDROBE INSPIRATION
AHMAD Main patriarch figure. Ahmad is a common Egyptian man in his 40s with a 3-day beard. He wears muted grays, browns, and blacks and is a single father raising 3 children. His clothes and face are worn, but not dirty. He loves and provides for his family the best he can.
ZEIN 11 year old Egyptian boy, middle son, and older brother to Abed. He wears worn pants and an off-white shirt.
"THE CUSTOMER" The nameless customer is the father of Malek and dressed nicely. I imagine him much more plump and healthy than Ahmad. He represents the upper class wealth and ignorance. He is dressed in navy blue and plaid to represent a working blue collar class.
MALEK 12 year old boy and son of "THE CUSTOMER". He wears brand new pants and a new button up, crisp and, shiny white shirt and clean jeans.
THE FRIEND "THE FRIEND" is around the same age as Ahmad and enters in a pickup truck. He has a little red pouch of opium and drops a bit into his and Ahmad's tea. He is a much more colorful character and wears jewelry. You can tell he is wealthy and doing well for himself.
FIN.