The projected drizzles of rain that arrived later in the evening of last Thursday could not dampen the spirits of the first day of the second edition of the popular urban arts event Dhaka Makers. 

Held at Aloki in the capital's Gulshan-Tejgaon link road, Dhaka Makers 2 saw a significant focus on the skill development of the attendees, with various workshops including crafting, drawing, filmmaking, and much more – scheduled over the four-day long event. 

Among the workshops, "Guerrilla Filmmaking 101" was conducted by Monzur Anik, a veteran in the amateur urban film and documentary space. The workshop aimed to provide insights into the behind-the-scenes aspects and intricacies of independent projects, while coping with budget and equipment constraints that frequently plague amateur artistes. 

Apart from independent filmmaking, Anik's versatile portfolio includes his work for brands and many international organisations.

Of the twenty or so participants, some were students, others were newcomers to the entertainment industry, and quite a few were amateurs looking to make professional-grade narrative-based content and documentaries on a budget. 

The workshop commenced with a screening of "The Shell", a a horror short film that stands as one of Anik's earlier works as a filmmaker. Despite having no budget and limited experience at that time, "The Shell" served as a prime example of creatively bootstrapping a project to share with the audience.

Can the budget change the story? How does Anik (as a director) set framing? Is location choice important in a short film? Questions like these from participants kept the whole session flowing while also lending a touch of interactivity to a complex topic that most spend years learning in classrooms or honing through low-budget projects. 

Participants in the workshop got the chance to learn how to utilise limited access to equipment and bring out the best in spheres of photography, audio, background music, visual storytelling, cutting-crafting, and more. 

Alongside Anik, two more film buffs were present in the workshop to lend their knowledge to the floor. Ummid Ashraf, widely regarded as a talented colourist and a skilled photographer, and Sajeed Sarwar, an experienced director-editor with years of experience.

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Emphasising the aspect of photography, Ummid said, "I try to capture many stories in one single photo. And I think there are a lot of stories in Dhaka which are yet to be told."

As the session concluded, Sajeed Sarwar took the floor to bid farewell to the participants with a piece of parting advice, "Start from photography if you want to get to making films. Do your research and build your library."

In a conversation with one of the participants, Shadwan, an audio artiste who had previously taken part in an arts and crafts workshop at last year's Dhaka Makers event, shared his thoughts on the filmmaking workshop, stating, "It was very enlightening for me. Workshops like these are great for anyone who wishes to be associated with work relating to videography or filmmaking."

The workshop ended with a screening of the short film "In Your Mind", where Anik explained the key facts behind the production. From beginning to end, the workshop spanned various elements, including movie screenings, discussions, brainstorming sessions, and a Q&A segment.