Bramble Jelly 0101: Qais Sarhan - Accountability and Making Short Films

Summary of the Video

The episode features an interview with Qais Sarhan about their shared journey making animated short films together, centered on accountability, showing work publicly, and process-focused motivation.

Qais and Casey met at Pictoplasma (Berlin, 2023), where they realized they had the skills and ambition to make the short stories they wanted. They decided to meet weekly to hold each other accountable. This routine helped them finish their films and keep moving forward through frustrations, because they committed to bringing visible progress to each meeting.

Their first shared screening experience happened at The Dreamers of Dreams Festival in London. Seeing audience reactions to both films validated their work. Although Pictoplasma didn’t select them, they later received an invitation to share the stage and give a talk about their collaboration—framed as an arguably “better ending,” since it let them present the work and explain how they made it.

The conversation then shifts into advice for aspiring short filmmakers: finding an accountability partner, keeping timelines and expectations manageable, and focusing on emotional/audience experience that can be achieved even in very short runtimes.

They also discuss creative setbacks and creative thinking, including the importance of fleshing out the story from beginning to end rather than rushing into design/animation too early. They cover imposter syndrome strategies—especially treating it as a mental pattern rather than reality—and reframing the film’s purpose as something created for personal authenticity, including for their younger selves (influenced by queer childhood perspectives and imagination).

Finally, Qais plugs a project: a series of animated loops called “Little Dreams,” intended to explore different styles and include behind-the-scenes process content.

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Artistic Techniques, Concepts, and Creative Processes Shown

• Collaborative accountability workflow

  • Weekly check-ins focused on producing and showing progress.
  • Mutual pressure to avoid showing up empty-handed.

• Story-to-animation production approach (lesson learned)

  • Initial mistake: jumping into designing and animating before the full story exists.
  • Fix: outline/flesh out the story beginning-to-end before committing heavily to later production stages.

• Audience-connection mindset

  • Designing the film to deliver an audience experience, even if very short (30 seconds to a few minutes).
  • Using public screenings and talks as part of the creative cycle for feedback and validation.

• Imposter syndrome creative coping strategy

  • Identifying the thoughts as “imposter syndrome,” separating identity from mental noise.
  • Reducing perfection pressure by reframing “success” as authenticity and pride in the work.

• Thematic framing

  • Making work for younger selves, rooted in imagination and queer childhood experiences, to increase authenticity.

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Advice / Steps Mentioned (“Top Tips”)

• Find an accountability partner

  • Share the journey to combat isolation.
  • The partner doesn’t need to be making short films themselves.

• Keep expectations manageable

  • Recognize that projects take longer than you think.
  • A short film doesn’t have to be long—3 minutes is enough; even ~2 minutes can be deeply emotional.

• Aim for an experience, not a length

  • Even 30 seconds to 2 minutes can “succeed” if it represents you and gives viewers something meaningful.

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Creators or Contributors Featured (Mentioned)

• Qais Sarhan (guest/interviewee)
• Casey (interviewer; name not fully specified in the subtitles)
• Pictoplasma (event organization; referenced)
• The Dreamers of Dreams Festival (festival; referenced)