In a rainy city, a talented young man attempts to show the world what he sees through his gifted perspective. But he find his way through a different means.

I learned the importance of embracing imperfection, valuing self-worth, and trusting in one another to expedite the creative process.

The creation of Tonic was a journey of discovery and growth, filled with ups and downs, moments of inspiration and moments of desperation. As a filmmaker, I have always been drawn to stories that are not only visually stunning but emotionally engaging as well. With Tonic, I wanted to create a film that would resonate with audiences on a deeper level and leave a lasting impression.

My first attempt at Tonic was more of a rehearsal, a chance for me to explore the project and identify its flaws. I quickly realized that I needed more direction for the plot than I initially thought. Despite experiencing a creative block and feeling discouraged at times, my passion for filmmaking kept me going.

Tonic was inspired by my environment, specifically my two talented musician friends who were a constant presence in my life at the time.

I was inspired by their musical abilities and saw an opportunity to incorporate them into my passion for filmmaking. This realization sparked the idea for Tonic, and I knew that their sound would be the backbone of the film.

To ensure that the music played a central role in the film, I had to use my filmmaking skills to create a visual experience that mirrored the emotional depth of the character’s music.

I wanted to create an emotive experience that would leave a lasting impression on audiences. With the help of a rainy city setting and a character journeying to find his home through his music, I was able to create a beautiful and powerful experience that resonated with audiences.

As I worked on my second attempt at Tonic, I faced many obstacles that made me feel uneasy. Despite spending a lot of time developing the plot it seemed that the setting was taking the story in a different direction than we had planned. If it weren’t for the grace of my collaborators, who helped me more than a few times, I wouldn’t have been able to steer my vision back in the right direction.

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This project could have reached an even larger audience if I had more resources to invest in film festivals.

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The third attempt (yep, you read that right) at Tonic went great, and I felt like we had nailed every angle of it in production. However, the project heavily relied on what sound design in post-production could bring, which was challenging for me since I did not have the skills to express what was in my head. After aligning with Nyx Jesmani, I was able to explain to her what was in my head, and together we worked on creating the sound texture that I was going for. Nyx was able to fully understand my vision and use her skills to bring the sound design to life, and ultimately did a great job in creating the mood for this short.

Through Tonic, I learned what it takes to do a project from start to finish (& again from start to finish-& then just once AGAIN from start to finish),

and the importance of embracing imperfection, valuing self-worth, and trusting in one another to expedite the creative process. 

More than half a decade later, I still long for another project like Tonic, something that lets me pour my passions into and lets creativity take over. It was a valuable experience that shaped my growth as a filmmaker and as a person.

This project could have reached an even larger audience if I had more resources to invest in film festivals. Despite the financial limitations, Tonic still managed to garner recognition and acclaim. It received multiple nominations at the San Diego Film Festival and won two awards, one for Best Music Score, which was created by my talented friend Vafa Samiei, and one for Best Sound Design, which was crafted by Nyx Jesmani, These awards were particularly meaningful to me as they were won by the friends who played critical roles in inspiring and shaping Tonic into the finished product it became.

Cheers!

Shahrooz

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