Book Review: El Khachab, Chihab. Making Film in Egypt: How Labor, Technology, and Mediation Shape the Industry (New York: The American University in Cairo Press, 2021.)

Abstract

In a chapter of Making Film in Egypt Chihab El Khachab describes a film set under construction at Studio Misr one week before the shooting of the film Décor is supposed to begin. El Khachab followed the production of Décor during the 18 months of fieldwork he conducted in Cairo, scrutinizing the everyday activities that the film makers anticipated would ultimately culminate in the final film product. On this particular day, carpenters work on what is to be the interior of the protagonist’s apartment, sawing and sand-ing planks that will later be painted yellow. As this happens, the assistant art director asks the location manager when the ceramic tiles that he requested for the set would be purchased. The line producer grows upset upon hearing that the tiles have not yet been acquired, and a runner is immediately sent to get them. Meanwhile, mem-bers of the production team distribute and look over the first call sheets in the shooting sched -ule, preparing to advance to the next phase in the film’s production. As the day closes, the chief builder approaches the location manager