Takeover Tuesday with Hend and Lamiaa
Q&A with Hend Esmat and Lamiaa Diab, a design & animation directing duo.
Q&A with Hend & Lamiaa.
Read time: 10min
Madison Caprara:
Hey guys! Why don’t you take a second to give us a bit of background on yourselves and your work?
Hend & Lamiaa:
Hello! We are Hend & Lamiaa, a design and animation directing duo. We are two friends who share a great passion for telling stories through colorful visuals and quirky characters, with a strong focus on projects with a social impact. We enjoy the vast range and power of animation in tackling diverse genres, from lighthearted topics to more serious ones, and are always up for the challenge with every project we embark on! We have directed and animated short films, explainers, and TV commercials as well as designed for children’s books and TV series.
Madison Caprara:
You both are originally from Egypt, correct? What is the animation scene like there? How radically does it differ from that in Bristol?
Hend & Lamiaa:
The animation scene in Egypt has been significantly growing in the past years. More specialized studios are forming, like Samaka and Giraffics, and some educational courses are being offered too. Something relatively new to our generation. The market is more driven towards advertising and post-production work though which can be quite limiting and competitive.
The biggest and most significant difference for us is the networking aspect, and being able to easily access a wider network of studios and potential clients. So consequently, we felt that being based in Bristol opened up more opportunities and diverse projects.
However, we have worked with clients from Egypt too while being based in Bristol and are still keen to continue doing so. We really hope to bridge the gap between the animation industry in Egypt with the international market and to help in linking talents across countries. It’s a milestone that we really hope to accomplish in our future plans.
Madison Caprara:
With how new the animation industry is in Egypt, how exactly did the two of you go about getting into the business together?
Hend & Lamiaa:
Back in 2009, we went to the same university in Cairo where we both were studying Media Design and Filmmaking. At some point, we realized that we had been going to the same school but did not know each other! There was only one animation course offered during the five-year BA program and we were both immediately drawn to animation from that point. We realized we shared the same passion in terms of style and interest, so we started working together on uni projects. Eventually, we began to take up freelancing jobs together.
It first started with small gigs from friends and family. Slowly we began to grow our network. In 2016 we both wanted to apply for Masters in Animation. We applied to several universities at the same time and luckily both received full scholarships to the same uni in Bristol, which immensely helped us in continuing to pave our path together! After our graduation in 2018, we applied for Launch Space, which provided us with support in growing our business and setting up a company in Bristol.
Madison Caprara:
It seems almost fated!
How do you go about allocating project tasks between the two of you?
Hend & Lamiaa:
We usually brainstorm together whenever there’s a brief or pitch. We like juggling ideas back and forth and scribbling down rough thumbnails. Once that part is set, we start dividing the work according to the schedule we have. Our roles usually cross over each other, and only recently have we tried to divide them a bit more to make sure we are more efficient and develop as a “business”.
So after brainstorming, usually Hend handles more of the scheduling, emailing, and production side, while Lamiaa takes care of the designs and pre-production work. Once production is ready, we either divide the animation shots between us or hire more people if the project needs it. What is really nice about working together though is that we can easily shift roles! If someone feels stuck with a certain task or feels that they got bored, we change roles to break the rhythm and get the project moving.
Madison Caprara:
So, divide and conquer, I like it.
When it comes to the types of projects or work you take on, is there always a dual, “yes”? If not, what’s usually the deciding factor?
Hend & Lamiaa:
We usually discuss together before we take on any new project. We both have to agree at the end on the decision. So, it is either we both have the same opinion from the beginning or if we don’t, we discuss together until someone convinces the other. The deciding factor is almost always budget and time. We get excited about most projects very easily, and are always enthusiastic to create more!
Unfortunately being our own bosses obliges us to try to be pragmatic and make sure we make enough income. So we try to find a balance between both passion and commercial work as much as possible. We still don’t have the optimum resolution but would highly recommend the book The Freelance Manifesto by Joey Korenman for anyone struggling with that.
Madison Caprara:
For a self-ascribed indecisive, that sounds like a nightmare, to be honest.
Do you ever see yourselves expanding your staff to more than just the two of you?
Hend & Lamiaa:
We are in desperate need of growing our team. The issue is always with the budget available. So we only hire freelancers whenever it allows us to, but are looking into hiring a full-time producer as a start and then hopefully have more people joining us!
Madison Caprara:
I truly don’t know where dash would be without our Producer, Meryn Hayes. She’s a rockstar.
Congrats on your Vimeo Staff Pick Badge for Flipped, by the way! Could you give us a little rundown on where the idea stemmed from and what the creative process was like?
Hend & Lamiaa:
Thank you so much! We were so happy to receive a staff pick for this film! We made it during our MA course in Bristol, where we were asked to pitch three different ideas for a short film. One of the concepts we came up with was “What if kids and adults switched roles?” After our presentation, we found ourselves very intrigued to keep thinking about that; imagining different situations and flipping roles from daily actions that take place in almost every house around the world! Whether it be eating, going to bed, taking a shower, etc.
We spent a few months working on the storyboard and animatic, puzzling around different situations until the whole structure was formed. After that, we worked on the designs and the technical process. This was the first time we ever got to animate this amount of characters, so we wanted to make sure our technical abilities allowed us to do so as we are not traditional frame-by-frame animators. After, we spent some time testing rigs with DUIK on after effects until we reached a look we were satisfied with. You can find more information about the process here and here.
Madison Caprara:
Well, it’s such a fun piece. I love the hand-drawn animation style. It really adds to the idea of children being the main target audience.
Pivoting from there, how integral do you believe social media is to be successful in this industry? Being that I’ve managed to make a career out of it, I’m a little bias. I love hearing others’ thoughts!
Hend & Lamiaa:
Being present on social media is very crucial, especially if you are not employed full-time at a studio or company. You have to keep posting, even if it’s just a work-in-progress. It makes it easier for potential recruiters to find you. However, we are both very bad at this job! Neither one of us is used to sharing quite often, even on our personal accounts. So, we do disappear from time to time, unfortunately.
Madison Caprara:
What would be your dream project or collaboration?
Hend & Lamiaa:
We have several dream projects we would love to work on. Basically, we’re just trying to divide them as milestones and focus on them step by step. For closer milestones, we would love to keep growing our network and eventually collaborate with different studios. We learn so much from working with different people. We especially love the thrill of meeting new people and exchanging knowledge.
Another milestone is working with more film and television show departments. We would love to work on title sequences to be more specific. Saul Bass’ title sequences were one of the main reasons we got into this whole industry, so we would love to work on such a project. A bigger dream is more educationally driven. We would love to contribute in linking communities worldwide as mentioned before by making animation more accessible, whether through work, opportunities, or sharing knowledge.
Madison Caprara:
And where do you go for inspiration?
Hend & Lamiaa:
Book stores to flip through different children’s books, we’ll go outside with a notebook and just observe the world around us, of course, Pinterest, Vimeo, and Instagram are amazing sources of inspiration as well. Also, before COVID, attending networking events and screenings.
Madison Caprara:
As the world begins to feel a little closer to “normal.” Maybe normal’s not the right word, closer to how it was before the COVID pandemic struck. That being said, what does the rest of 2021 look like for you? Is there anything special we can look forward to seeing from you?
Hend & Lamiaa:
This year is all about collaboration and exploring new opportunities for us. It was a bit hard to keep up with our initial plans with all that’s happening in the world, so we are trying to focus on more remote opportunities and whatever we can accomplish with more limited budgets.
A few months back, we collaborated with different animators from around the world in creating one film - in an exquisite corpse style - where each animator created a 15-second clip playing off of the previous clip from another creator. The film should be done by the end of the summer and we are very excited to see the outcome. Now, we are working on a commissioned project until the end of August where we are also collaborating with other extremely talented animators. So we’re really looking forward to releasing the films soon!
Madison Caprara:
Well, we’re reaching the end of this Q&A session. Do you have any closing points or statements you would like to end on?
Hend & Lamiaa:
Networking is very important in our industry. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people and ask any questions you have in mind. You’d be surprised! Everyone understands the struggle of trying to make it as a freelancer in this industry, so everyone is willing to help and share their experiences very openly.
Not sure if that’s relevant, but from what we went through in the past years, we realized how important it is to keep yourself motivated to keep going. It’s very normal to have some low points during the process, it’s ok to allow yourself to feel down for a few days, but make sure to remind yourself of your passions, to stay in focus, and to keep going!