Production Talk - 'Traces' by Ong Zheng Kai

TRACES follows Ken, a printmaking teacher, who is suddenly faced with the difficult decision of choosing between his past and his future when an ex-student returns after a lengthy absence. Memories begin to emerge from the cracks of their fractured relationship, with shared histories reaching into present.

TRACES was produced as part of the LASALLE - The Puttnam School of Film, Degree Films. Conceived in late '09, TRACES was shot early in '10 over five days. Director Ong Zheng Kai has recently graduated from LASALLE College of the Arts, The Puttnam School of Film and TRACES is his second directorial effort.

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Why printmaking?

An art patron of LASALLE who has always been contributing to the college, was looking to commission a film project about the fine art of printmaking. Although printmaking has been well established as an art form in many other countries, he felt that awareness of the art was still premature in Singapore and he wanted to do something about it. I was then recommended by the Head Lecturer of my school, to pitch him my idea. The commissioner was generous and open enough to let me use the form of a narrative short film as a vehicle for this purpose.



How long did you take to shoot this film?
5 days.



What was your main aim in creating this film?

The portrayal of an authoritative figure trapped in moral conflict fascinates me. Traversing boundaries such as status, position or influence, this persistent truth endures: no one is infallible, because everyone eventually misses the mark. Similarly, we find ourselves making decisions that result in regret, the consequences returning to haunt us. Inspired by genuine stories, TRACES is a film about memories, and the myriad ways they can move or torment us.



Any interesting anecdotes to share about the production?

I have come to learn that every event or hitch that happened to the production, worked together for my good and for the good of the production.

I was scheduled to shoot first among my peers in the final semester (January), which left me with very little pre-production time as the script was not completely developed even when in December. The actors were casted late in December and we had barely a month to rehearse. The script was revised repeatedly and a draft locked by my writer and I two weeks before the shoot. However, it was also interesting that the characters' development ran parallel, to some extent, with the crews' own lives. Fiction imitating reality, perhaps?

The shortened amount of time for pre-production was compensated by the lengthy post-production that I enjoyed, as compared to my peers' production schedules. This gave my editor and I time to edit the film in a less-stressed and restful manner. Eventually, things really worked out well for my team and I.


Any future plans after graduating from Lasalle's Puttam School of Film?

I hope to direct more short films whilst coping with work. I think it's imperative that I have to keep making films to hone my craft. Perhaps one short film a year? I'm currently looking to work within the media industry, but not limiting myself to only production positions.

Production Talk - 'Labour Day' by He Shuming

Synopsis

Cik visits her old flat to collect rent from her two foreign worker tenants who are on their way to work – Zoe, a frumpy 30-year old Malaysian Chinese whose second application to be a Singapore citizen has just been rejected, and Purple, a study-mama from China, who is hiding a secret from her 12 year-old son.
LABOUR DAY is a quirky and quiet observation of how one goes to great lengths to pursue a better life in a city obsessed with progress and change.

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What inspired you to create this film?

It was initially an idea of making a Singaporean film with non-Singaporean characters. Most of the time when I try to write something, I turn to my mother who's always provided me with much inspirations unknowingly. This is very much a story about women who are mothers, daughters, sisters and wannabe actresses.


How did you go about casting?

We sent out casting calls online, scour through drama groups, etc. Jasmine Koh (Zoe) is a theatre actress from Young & W!ld. Xiang Ling auditioned for Traces (another graduating short film) and we invited her to audition for the role of Purple. Zaliha (Cik) is a veteran TV actress known for her roles in Malay dramas, she was the Chinese opera singing macik in Chicken Rice War. I found the little boy from my alma mater, Maris Stella High School - there are plenty of Mainland Chinese students in the school's table tennis team.




Any interesting anecdotes to share about the production?

One of the other characters of the film was the spaces these characters occupied. The film was mainly set in Hougang New Town, where I grew up. The rainbow flat's been there for ages and in fact, the neighbourhood hasn't changed much. Well, it is an opposition ward but I think that's the nice thing about a neighbourhood that doesn't get upgraded much. There's something tranquil about it and you get a mix of foreign workers from Malaysia and China, new immigrants from India as well as your usual Singaporeans. There is something less 'plastic' about this suburbs than most HDB neighbourhoods.

When we were shooting at People's Park, we had to devise a plan to make sure people aren't going to stare into the cameras. The scene was when Purple solicited at People's Park, known to be a popular area where old retirees and women from Mainland China, well, hang out and be friends. It was a small crew that day - just me, my DP, his CA, and the AD with the actress Xiang Ling (who was dressed quite provocatively). The camera would be placed far away from Xiang Ling while she's instructed by the AD (who's on the phone with me) as she walked around, watched hawkers selling their wares, etc. She was approached by a few men, some whom were pimps, asking her if she had an 'agent' and how much her rates were. Xiang Ling was such a trooper, playing along and being in character.


What were your biggest challenges in making this film?

Hmmm, to bring out the realism out of the actors and make these characters believable. The very fact that these characters who are very real people, and portrayed by professional actors was a challenge.

For Jasmine especially, it was hard for her because she doesn't speak Malay and had to learn her line phonetically before progressing further in rehearsals. That was initially a problem for me, to have a Singaporean Chinese actress portray a Malaysian Chinese. But I realized it could be interesting to see if those differences between a Singaporean and a Malaysian. I guess in a way, not everyone were convinced. Well, the audience can decide for themselves I guess.


Any future plans after graduating from The Puttam School of Film, LASALLE?

I'm currently working on my reel for TVCs, looking at other types of collaborations and writing my next short film.

I need to get out of Singapore for awhile, I think. There are plenty of stories to be told here but sometimes we need to look at it from the outside. But realistically I will need to work for awhile first. We will see. :)

Director's Film Blog

LaSalle AVANT Showcase - '7th July' by Kimberly Leng

The use of a handicapped character as a plot device has its detractors, but still works an effective emotive magic to an audience, as seen from the film 7th July.

A deaf mother runs a noodle stall with the help of her hearing daughter, who feels socially stifled by her familial obligations.

The situation reaches a climax as her daughter wishes to go on a diving trip, no less to fulfil a curiosity her late dad’s love for the deep sea ignited in her, but that would mean leaving her mum to her own devices.

Probably the most sentimentally-engaging film of the showcase, the premise of 7th July comes across well due to a stellar cast – all of which engage the sympathies of the audience, as well as the aforementioned plot device which effectively tugs at the heartstrings without feeling contrived or over-the-top.

LaSalle AVANT Showcase - 'Traces' by Ong Zheng Kai

What does the art of printmaking and a moral dilemma of fidelity or love have in common?

Not much at first glance, but that’s the question Traces seek to answer with metaphorical and ethic conflict-laden aplomb.

A printmaking teacher goes about his routine as an ex-student walks in, asking for help to rekindle lessons past for a new project.

The audience sees from both countenances and mannerisms that this isn’t any ordinary exchange, and the repercussions of an entangled love/ethics dilemma plays out.

Much like the elements required in creating a worthy artwork, the film fuses different but inter-connected layers of our protagonist’s conundrum to create an almost-esoteric look at how the tenets of love, relationships, and family are put to the test.

From well thought-out metaphors in a printmaking lesson to a climatic scene revealing the student’s motivations for returning, the end-artwork certainly impresses.

LaSalle AVANT Showcase - 'Waiting by Jow Zhi Wei

Continuing in the vein of collectives finding a way out of the nadir is Waiting.

Waiting tells the story of a widowed father who tries to hold the fabric of his relationship with his son intact while dealing with the challenges of being in the financial doldrums.

From a poignant opening scene (Father and son share a miserly breakfast in silence as an electric fan suddenly stops, presumably due to a power cut) to the closing scenes, the film offers a raw glimpse of a family at the cliff-edge of modern society when all financial resources are exhausted.

A sentimental plot premise, coupled with heartfelt, raw acting makes Waiting a modest triumph at tugging the heartstrings, even if some disjointed dry story-filler scenes threaten to dilute the audience’s takeaways.

LaSalle AVANT Showcase - 'Caveman and Zebragirl by Shirin Chawla & Russell Morton

If its title comes across somewhat abstract, it probably works as a good foretaste of the film.

Perhaps its synopsis offers the best description: “… the story of the relationship between a man who works as a caveman in a museum exhibit and his long-term girlfriend who works in a bar as an exotic dancer (ed: read Zebragirl).”

In between dealing with the pittance their unconventional jobs provide and their relationship struggles, the cohabiting couple experience cryptic dreams which serve as implicit expressions of their inward feelings toward each other.

The plot structure alternates between the couple’s waking and sleeping (or dreaming) hours, as bizarre but vivid dreams on a nightly basis offer an optimism their increasingly dire situations lack before the alarm's drone wakes them up to reality.

A contemplative film told through metaphors of a relationship held together despite the strain of outside forces, Caveman & Zebragirl does demand a fair dose of patience and ruminating to digest and get through.

LaSalle AVANT Showcase - 'Labour Day' by He Shuming

Coming in as the longest film of the showcase at 25 minutes, Labour Day captures the collision of idealistic dreams and harsh realities through the eyes of its two protagonists – Zoe, who dreams of a better future for her family back home while escaping from the clutches of a failed relationship; and Purple, the oft-stereotyped study-mama with the unfavoured but sole route of providence for her child.

If pensive stares into space epitomise the dead-end conundrum the duo are resigned to, the desperate measures and untenable dreams they seek add some light-hearted,

albeit pitiable situations to the mix.

The scenes between the two and their landlady Cik – who serves as a smart plot device to intertwine the three – flesh out their personas well, but if there was any criticism, the dialogue comes across as somewhat awkward and contrived – made worse by the attempts in using a bilingual Zoe to bridge the language barrier between Cik and Purple.

What one takes away though is merited by an inventive ending and the poignant plot premise of those seeking the notion of “a better life” on our shores and the aged left by the wayside.