Jubaer Talukder, an aspiring filmmaker, content creator & mentor by choice who’s also an engineer by education. The humble individual is also an entrepreneur running a video production company called ‘Monochrome’ where they work with different brands making videos and contents for them. During an exclusive conversation with TINDS, Jubaer shares his story of not knowing anything about cameras to becoming one of the country’s most sought after content creators of the era.
What did you study in?
Jubaer: Technically I am an engineer. I studied in Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and graduated in 2019 in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Simply speaking, it’s involved with the mechanism of building ships. However, I am currently not involved with the engineering sector and focusing entirely on making videos and contents.
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Why the transition from engineering to video making?
Jubaer: During my university days, I was already making videos, editing them and uploading them but it was nothing more than a hobby or something that I enjoyed doing. Subconsciously it went up to a level where I was doing this regularly and fortunately enough I got hold of a few paid gigs and earned a little on the side too. When I figured I was able to generate revenue through my hobby I decided to dive into it more seriously. So I started working very seriously from my fourth year onwards. Also, during university days majority students earn their pocket money through tuitions but I on the other hand started earning from my hobby. It is not that I did not enjoy engineering, it’s just that I enjoy filmmaking more in comparison. When I am making videos, I think I have a voice and I can convey a message reflecting my point of view.
Do you plan on pursuing a career as an engineer in the future?
Jubaer: Honestly speaking, it is not possible for us to predict what’s going to happen in the future. I am a firm believer that it’s not mandatory for an individual to pursue just one profession throughout their entire life. People might get to experience different roles and different points in their lives which I think is rather exciting. I still do not have any plans to make another career transition, however if given the opportunity I may then like to explore engineering a little as well.
How did it all start?
Jubaer: It all began when I persuaded my parents to buy me a DSLR camera if I got into a decent engineering school. Fortunately, I did, and they surprised me with a camera. But, like most others, I didn’t put it to good use immediately. We filmed a short film six months after I started classes at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). I thought to myself that I have a DSLR that I rarely use, so it was time to put it to use. I also knew how to combine two videos into one. So, despite my lack of video editing experience, I volunteered to film and edit that short film. That was the first time I put together a whole video with my friends. It wasn’t great, but it got us into the 9th international children’s film festival. Then I just kept making videos because I like the process so much.
COVID hit right after you graduated, how did you cope then?
Jubaer: When lockdown started, none of us literally had anything to do and since we were stuck at home I decided to utilize the time. So, I started exploring social media sites like Facebook and YouTube more. I started making tutorials about how somebody could easily start making videos with minimum cost, what to do when making a travel vlog, how to set up the lighting and basically lessons for beginners. I realized people had a very positive attitude towards what I was trying to do because not many people are making tutorial contents if we are talking from the context of our country.
When did you start uploading videos on YouTube?
Jubaer: I created my YouTube channel back in 2016 when I knew literally nothing about making videos. It was just a random thought and I uploaded videos that I shot with my phone and maybe edited a little with my phone as well. The other motive was to keep all my videos at one place, because often people would want to see a certain video and having them uploaded to facebook was not organized enough so I uploaded them on YouTube. I never thought back then that I would ever be involved in video making of some sort.
You’re now instructing people on how to make good videos, where did you learn from?
Jubaer: I started getting interested in videos back in 2015. Whatever that I know till date, I learned it from watching YouTube videos and tutorials. My first project was the short film I did during my first year. YouTube has always been a good resource for tutorials and whatever that I needed to learn was there, it was just a matter of researching and finding the right video to learn from and practice. As a matter of fact, even today if I have to know about something new regarding editing it would be YouTube to the rescue.
Do you think it is important to seek help from a professional in order to learn about video making or a self trial and error method suffices?
Jubaer: To be very honest, it depends on the motive. For example when I started I did not necessarily have a target or deadline that I needed to be able to do this or that within a year or so or that I had to be able to earn through making videos. Thus I was rather relaxed and took my time learning and it was due to my curiosity that I took interest in learning different techniques and methods to be able to do it better. If time isn’t an issue, I believe that self learning is a very effective way by watching tutorials. However, it may seem very tiresome to learn something with a long span of two to three years to be good at it and people might lose motivation that way. In that case, I think getting into a course to learn the basics and essentials of video making from a professional is a good idea. Also, most tutorials available online are in English, needless to say not everybody has the same understanding of the English language. Often this becomes a point of struggle for people as well.
How did you start working with brands?
Jubaer: I am a very big fan of Daniel Schiffer, who excels at making product videos. I challenged myself to create an exact copy of a video he made but not with expensive gears instead with my phone. The output that I got was very amazing and I started getting discovered on social media as the guy who makes tutorial videos I think. I worked with an international brand, Artlist, who approached me first and was my first sponsor. I worked with a few Chinese companies as well during the initial times. Later I had the opportunity to work with several brands like Samsung, Asus, Grameenphone, GoZayan etc.
What would you say your struggles were coming this far?
Jubaer: I would say I was very fortunate regarding a lot of factors that often many people have had to struggle with. My parents were very supportive of me when I wanted to do this professionally instead of being mad at me for studying engineering and doing something so different. They believed in the decisions I made. However, there were a few moments of self doubt because I had to think of the opportunity cost of doing this other than something else. Also, given this age of social media it is often hard to distinguish which content is actually of some quality and which is not. It is often seen that certain videos have so many likes, comments and shares whereas on the other hand a rather good content with something to convey isn’t even getting close which saddens me at times for sure. It’s frustrating almost at times because we put in a lot of effort and thoughts into making a video and when it doesn’t receive as much appreciation as it deserves, it’s definitely a struggle.
What would you advise younger people who are interested in building a career in filmmaking?
Jubaer: People often tend to open up a page and start uploading their videos right away, but it is rather more important to learn a certain set of skills before doing so. When it happens the other way around, they mostly do not end up getting the expected results and demotivation starts taking over. When it comes to social media, I think it’s not hard to start but it’s harder to continue.
| Find Him
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FilmsByJubaer/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FilmsByJubaer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/films.by.jubaer/ |
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