Freelance Documentary Filmmaker & Shooting Assistant Producer
Ismar Badžić - Shooting Assistant Producer
The first production that I helped shoot for Rogan Productions – Can Violent Men Change? has been nominated for an independent journalism award by the Royal Television Society. In particular, huge congratulations to director Katie Hindley. It wasn’t an easy film to make, let alone the fact it was her first film as a director.
A few years ago I made a film about Jake Cornish, a snowboarder who survived an avalanche in Switzerland. At the time we decided to make it, there were some amazing snowboard films out there but they were all style over substance – big tricks instead of character and story. So we decided to make a very different snowboard film, one that focused on one man, his risks and his family – centrally, why a man a whisker from death chose to get back on his board and ride again. I made the film whilst in my second year at…Keep reading >>
‘The Trial of Ratko Mladic’ screened at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam on 18th November 2018. The screening had a profound effect on me. The film was immensely powerful and it allowed me to reflect on what a key phase in my career, and my life, working on the film had been. Not only was it my first documentary job out of film school – working on the film gave me a chance to face the demons I carry each day, confronting the long shadow the Bosnian war has cast upon my life. Every day at work gave me…Keep reading >>
Stephen: The Murder that Changed a Nation won 2 Grierson awards last night – Best Documentary Series and Best Historical Documentary. When I joined Rogan Productions in March, they were finishing the films off ahead of an April air date. Suffice it to say, the three films were tough to watch but sensitively and intelligently crafted. The films made an instant impact – within days, one of the suspects was arrested and it was announced that 2019 would see the inaugural Stephen Lawrence day. Clearly, the police and the country as a whole have deep seated issues with racism which…Keep reading >>
Today, I’m launching a mini-documentary project loosely titled “Persons, Places & Passions” celebrating people Sheffield, past or present and the surrounding areas. Allow me to introduce the first film: It’s 7am on this cold December morning and Ben Cherry is waiting for the sun to rise so he can photograph the famous Curbar edge, in the Peak District. I stand back and observe him as he works. This is my quiet portrait of him as he explores that which he holds dearest; photography and nature and the tools with which he does so. There’s no message or moral to this…Keep reading >>
On a roll is a project I cooked up when I did a quick photoshoot last year on a single roll of film. I was inspired by how much more I could get out of 24 / 36 shots taken on a roll of film than on a memory card in my digital camera. I shoot less and, I think, I shoot better. I’m not going to launch an enquiry into why; Do I think more because there a fewer shots available? Does the look of film simply suit my taste more, leading me to think it somehow better than…Keep reading >>
Step 1 Make a friend who has a room spare in a shop on a street in a prime location. In this case, The Alternative Store on Division Street, Sheffield. Thanks folks! Step 2 Offer them something in return for the spare room they never use, such as, cleaning out said room they never use. Step 3 Box up all the old stock, ready to go to the warehouse and free up space. Step 4 (optional) Go abroad, leaving your co-collaborator to do all the hard work of actually clearing up and taking boxes to the warehouse. Step 5 Hide your delight at…Keep reading >>
Remember 1. I had one piece of hand luggage for the trip so I had to get a low number of lenses with a good range. 2. This is not a technical review, I’m not a lens boffin; it’s all anecdotal. 3. I shot on a Canon 5Dmk2 body with Nikon lenses fitted with an adapter. 4. Only these three lenses were used. Part 1 (24mm review): Click Here. Part 2 (85mm review): Click Here. Nikon 135mm f/2.8 Falling Short The build quality of this lens was excellent. It was chunky, weighty and each time I used it, I knew I was treating my sensor to good…Keep reading >>
Remember 1. I had one piece of hand luggage for the trip so I had to get a low number of lenses with a good range. 2. This is not a technical review, I’m not a lens boffin; it’s all anecdotal. 3. I shot on a Canon 5Dmk2 body with Nikon lenses fitted with an adapter. 4. Only these three lenses were used. Part 1 (24mm review): Click Here. Nikon 85mm f/1.8 Build Quality This was my most used lens on the trip and I chose it because I wanted to leave the oft-used 35mm and 50mm at home. It’s a lovely length that offers…Keep reading >>
Introduction London Camera Exchange kindly supported my camera for my Audio Visual Postcard project and gave me three Nikon lenses to take and test in Berlin. The lenses were Nikon 24mm, 85mm and 135mm, all of which were second hand. The reason I approached LCE is because I love the second hand lenses they offer and the wonderful service they provide. Blogs and reviews are usually centered on new lenses but I want to show that good used lenses are out there and with LCE you can have the peace of mind of going to the shop and talking to an…Keep reading >>