Production Talk - 'Perfect Rivals' by Fly Entertainment

Perfect Rivals 美好冤家 trailer

Based on the urban legend of 2 rival bak kwa stores, the movie is a heart-warming story about two feuding families and how their relationships become funnily complicated because of an event that happened 28 years ago...

We speak to director Han Yew Kwang for a scoop behind the scenes

*****

Hi Yew Kwang, what was the inspiration behind Perfect Rivals?
Perfect Rivals is actually Irene’s concept. She wanted to do a comedy about bak kwa with a strong family theme, so she got me to write the story and direct the film.

What can we anticipate from this film?
The chemistry between veteran actor Xiayu and Irene is very good. Irene’s role is very different from her previous ones. In fact, she is the serious one in this film. Mindee’s role is very unique and I really hope she leaves a strong impression on the audience. All her previous roles often left a mark. In this film, Pamelyn’s role uttered some really nasty and sarcastic words. I’m eager to find out how the audience will react to this!

Bak Kwa is the main ingredient in Perfect Rivals but chinese new year is over. How are you marketing or positioning it so that it does not feel like it's off season?
Actually, we did not emphasize Chinese new year in the film. When we originally wanted to release it during it CNY, we build on the feel good factor that will bring happiness to the audience. Now that CNY is over, I think the film still works as a stand-alone comedy.


Why the decision to shoot the entire film in Penang instead of Singapore?
We wanted to build in a strong sense of 怀旧风味 into the film. The sceneries and buildings in Penang fit the film very well.

Do share some interesting experiences you had doing this in Penang?
I look forward to having good food in Penang. Everyone has been telling me about Penang laksa. Ironically, I didn’t have a chance to eat or even think of Penang laksa when I was there. I was so busy that I basically stuff food into my mouth without really caring about what I was eating.

If there was a Yew Kwang 'brand of comedy', what would it be? And how is it expressed in Perfect Rivals?
In fact, the comedy style in Perfect Rivals is very different from my previous films. I would say it is a family comedy more than a quirky comedy. But of course there are still a few scenes which are quirkily funny, especially the shower scene which involves Mindee and the rat scene which involves Irene and Xiayu. I should not reveal too much ;)

I am curious. Irene Ang cast as a big-haired, rather glam looking towkay? Was this role made for her? What can the audience expect from her?
Well, we wanted to bring her age up so that she matches the veteran Xiayu better. The big hair helps. Yes, I wanted to create a quiet role for her. She used to play loud roles like PCK’s Rosie. So for a change, I thought the audience will be surprised to see a quiet and “pretentious” Irene.

Perfect Rivals features a stellar cast of international actors. How was it working with this very experienced cast as compared to your previous films?
Well, the international cast are very professional. They are very serious even during rehearsals. During rehearsals, it is basically about trying new things with them, getting the right “choices”.
Whereas when I shoot “When Hainan Meets Teochew”, I focus on getting the right and comfortable performance from the 2 non-actors, communicating and explaining to them the scene and why and how their characters should react.

Can we expect veteran Hong Kong actor, Ha Yu, to speak Singlish?
Haha, he can’t but he tried. He said one line “I don’t know what the you say!” It is not exactly Singlish but it has the comic effect of Singlish. I laughed on set when he said this and also while editing the scene.

What were the biggest challenges making this film?
Time constraint. The script is a little long and we needed to shoot a lot of stuff within 21 days. Due to the cast’s tight schedule, we only had 1 off day and we had to spend that off day doing recce! Phew, it was extremely tiring.

What is the total budget for the film? And was it difficult raising the funds for this film?
I think it is between 700-800K. SFC funded half the film and the rest of the funding came from Fly entertainment and a few Malaysian distribution and production companies. Basically, Fly entertainment did all the fund raising.

Any last words you'd like to share on Perfect Rivals?
Well, I’m eager to see how the mainstream audiences and followers of my previous films would react to this film. I think I’ve made a different film and it is important for my journey as a filmmaker. Finally, I hope that lots of people would buy a ticket to catch this film! ☺


Perfect Rivals is now showing in theaters

More tidbits on their facebook!

Images courtesy of Fly Entertainment

Production Talk - 'Homecoming' by Lee Thean-jeen

HOMECOMING is a series of intertwining stories about an ensemble of people on both sides of the Causeway as they head home to celebrate their Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner with their families.

A road-trip movie, comedy and heartwarming family drama all rolled into one, the movie takes place over the course of one day – Chinese New Year's Eve.

*****

Hi Thean-Jeen, we understand this is your feature film directorial debut, how did you feel when you started this and what was your approach?

I didn't think that when I made a first feature film, it would be a Chinese New Year comedy! For getting that off the ground, I have Daniel (Yun), Phillip (Lim) and (Chan) Pui Yin, the producers of the movie, to thank. My main worry was doing comedy: as the saying goes, "dying is easy, comedy is hard"! Although I've done several comedy series on television, I've never been in the same room as my audience when they're watching it!

The stylistic approach to shooting the film came about through discussions with my DOP, Joel San Juan, whom I've worked with on many projects over the last few years. We like to try and see how long we can hold a shot and keep it interesting, and also, Joel is a Steadicam operator. So we decided to shoot as much as possible in long continuous takes that wouldn't interrupt the actors' momentum. Our opening shot is a single five-minute Steadicam shot that introduces most of the main characters and sets up the premise of the movie. By Hollywood standards, it probably isn't a big deal, but some of the cast did a double-take when we told them they'd have to perform 8 pages of script in one go!

Did you come up with the idea for Homecoming? Why this premise?

The idea for what became Homecoming actually originated with Adrian Tan and Phillip. They were interested in doing a road movie about people rushing back for Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner. When they told me about the premise, I was immediately attracted to it because of my own experience - I've been making the journey back from Singapore to Penang for Chinese New Year for the last 17 years. So what started as a series of casual conversations eventually became a script, and then a film.

How is it switching from TV directing to film directing? What were the things you had to get used to?
The one thing you have to get used to is the size of the canvas - a close-up on a movie screen is HUGE! I love extreme close-ups when directing TV, but for the movie, I had to keep reminding myself that my actors' faces would be two stories high on the screen. So I had to be really selective about when to go in close to an actor. I think there's actually only one extreme close-up in the entire film, and it comes at an emotional turning point in the story. Other than that, the same principles of telling a story apply.


How Homecoming, differ from the rest of the comedies produced by J Team?

I think that's a question you're more qualified to answer than me! I didn't set out to make a J Team comedy, nor did I set out to make one that was not. What I wanted to do, if this qualifies as an answer to the question, was to make sure that the comedy was a function of the story and characters. I personally dislike movies which are just laughs for laughs' sake - it was my hope that, after the laughter has subsided on this one, the characters and the stories still stay with you.

How was it like directing Jack Neo? Was it your idea to have Jack Neo cross-dressing after his many successfully entertaining personalities, e.g. Liang Po Po, Liang Si Mei etc.?

The idea to have Jack Neo play a woman came from one of the discussions we had with the producers of the movie, among them Daniel, Phillip and Pui Yin.

As for directing Jack Neo ... Jack came in as an actor on this film, and he was completely focused on his character - he was always concerned that the voice was the right pitch and the mannerisms were funny but not too large. He really wanted to create a comical character that was not a cariacature, and he put a lot of work into it. His performance as Karen Neo seems so effortless on screen, you tend to overlook the amount of detail - and Jack's talent as a comedian and observer - that went into it.

Are you someone who sticks with the original screenplay or you prefer your cast members to improvise on shoot? I understand you direct in English, how did you deal with the Chinese-speaking cast?

Even when I write my own scripts for TV, the actors are free to improvise ... provided they can come up with better lines! In Homecoming, there was great chemistry among the leads - Jack and A Niu especially - and when they got together, they would come up with interesting ideas for their characters or the scene. So we just went with it. As a director, sometimes the best thing you can do for the film is NOT try to direct, but just give your actors some space and then stand back and watch the sparks fly.

As for directing in English, my Mandarin isn't completely useless ... just near-useless! I could still direct in a combination of English and extremely basic Mandarin. Since I was born and raised in Penang, I could direct Mark Lee in Hokkien and the Malaysians in Malay. So it was really a multi-lingual set. I also had a great team of Assistant Directors who helped me watch over the language.

Absolutely loving the accents performed on the trailer! How did the cast acquire those accents? (Apart from Mark Lee whom we suspect was relying on his sheer talent!)

I can't take any credit for the accents, and you're right - Mark came up with the accent on his own, during the very first meeting we had to discuss his character. He just looked at the script and did it on the spot! In fact, his Cantonese-accent was so thick, we had to pull it back because some of my Chinese producers couldn't understand him! When we were in Hong Kong mixing the film, we asked the post-production people there if he was taking us for a ride with the accent, and they all said no - it was very authentic. So that was a great relief!

What were the bumps you and your team encountered during production? How did you overcome them?

The biggest production bump, in my opinion, was not being able to shoot with the actors on the actual North-South Highway, where the story took place. You simply couldn't close off the main expressway linking Singapore to North Malaysia, and shooting on a fully-operational four-lane expressway with actors and crew threw up a myriad of safety issues. So we had to find different sections of expressway both around KL and in Singapore (yes, Singapore!) that when cleverly edited together, would look like the same road.

Has the film turned out the manner you have envisioned it to be? If not, what would you have done though?

To me, making a film is an organic process. I don't go in saying, the film must turn out this way and this way only. You're closing yourself off to a lot of possibilities if you believe that there is only one way to make a film. So by that token, I don't reflect and make that comparison between what I started out to do and what I ended up with. I imagine every director believes they could have done better with more money and more time, but it's a self-defeating process for me to go down that path. Far better to look ahead, to the next story you're going to tell.

What are your upcoming projects? Any future collaboration with J Team or Homerun?

After working so hard to bring Karen Neo to life, I don't think Jack's going to hang up his D-cups so soon! But no, nothing has been seriously discussed as yet.

At the moment, I'm developing another project for Homerun Asia, a script for a film revolving around the events of 1965, when Singapore separated from Malaysia.

Catch Homecoming in theaters now!

Or join them on facebook

Production Talk - 'V1k1' by Tzang Merwyn Tong

V1k1 is A Techno Fairytale is an indie Sci Fi Thriller set in a modern-day alternate universe. It tells the story of Gabriel, a human scientist and his obsession to prove the existence of fairies. By accident, he captures one of them in his laboratory, and gets invited into a dimension beyond his dreams.

*****

Hi Merwyn, what was the inspiration behind this film?

I have this idea that fairies could still be living among us. They existed in the time of Shakespeare, existed in folklore and in the minds of writers, why not in this modern world? If so, in what space, and what shape could they take the form of? And then I thought about the old Sci Fi films that I love.

In the 70s, Sci Fi films are made with a fraction of today’s Hollywood budget, but they are just as powerful and immersive. As a storyteller, I choose to believe that it is not the budget, but the IMAGINATION, that counts. So there, I did it, a lo-budget Sci Fi Thriller. I'm curious to see if it'll work.

What did you go about casting? Was there a particular look you were looking for?

I was looking for actors who could add that special something that I cannot think of to make V1k1 work. Actors with an imagination of their own to go crazy with mine. My choice to play the title character is Leanna Tan, an actress which I met during an audition for a different project. She has that Alien auality about her.

Did you managed to get any help? In terms of financial and crew support?

We owe it to the management of ITE College West who gave V1K1 their full support to realize this hard-to-imagine project. The crew is made up mostly of ITE students, aka The Dreammakers, touching lights and camera on a real film set for the first time. Guided by their lecturers and some of my friends in the profession, we manage to get this Sci Fi film prepared, shot, and later edited, with visual effects support from ITE staff.

Any interesting anecdotes to share about the production?

The shooting of this was surreal. We knew the odds were against us. Many thought that a film like that is not going to work. But amazing things happen, when you have faith. We band together, staff, crew, students, and called ourselves The Dreammakers. The sense of responsibility entrusted to my crew of 16 year olds, gave them the motivation to do their very best, so as to make it work. We're all afraid to screw it up, and it is not my intention to go cheesy, just because we don't have the mega-budgets to work with. So we did what we can.

At the end of the day, not only did everybody (myself included) learn something, we all got a product which we dare say we're proud of.

What were your biggest challenges in making this film?

This biggest challenge is brought out by me, myself, and that is to chose, from the very beginning, to work on a Sci Fi film in spite of the budget and my student crew. I like to take risks, to try the impossible, to risk failure, for a chance for everyone to learn. I'm glad that we were all brave enough to dream together.

I've one thing to say about the students of ITE. Whatever they lack in experience, they make it up in spirit!

Any future plans?

I am planning my magnum opus, The FRVL Project - a Fight Club meets Romeo + Juliet type film. And I'm working hard to get it off the ground. Any investors out there keen to support?

Check out their blog and website!

Production Talk - 'Twisted' by Chai Yee Wei

Twisted revolves around a soft-drugs dealer who banged up a young girl, a pair of con men who wants to turn over a new leaf, and 4 cabin crews whose lives were turned upside down over a fateful night of drugs and booze. This is a story of individuals whose fates intertwine and paths clash due to a series of twisted events. A funny and twisted tale of fate and coincidence is shaped based on the cause and effect of their actions.

Starring an interesting ensemble cast from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, with the best comedic and acting talents from the region which includes Mark Lee李国煌 (Singapore), Zhu Mi Mi朱咪咪(Hong Kong), Calvin Soh苏智诚(Singapore), Randall Tan (Singapore), Linda Liao廖佩伶(Taiwan), Candy Lim林冰冰(Malaysia), and Joey Leong 梁祖仪 (Malaysia).

*****

Hi Yee Wei, please tell us a bit more about your upcoming film 'Twisted'
Twisted is a horror action comedy which consists of 3 different short stories strung together by a drug dealer character that is played by Mark Lee.


When did you start developing this?
Twisted was conceptualized a few months after Blood Ties was released. I was looking for an opportunity to do something other than just a another horror film, and was trying to see what has never been done before. That's when the idea of putting my experience of doing short films to good use. I've always been a fan of series like "Twilight Zone", "The Outer Limits", "Amazing Stories" and "Tales from the Crypt", and I sought to create a version consisting of twisted southeast asian tales.

Was the film shot in Singapore?
The entire film was shot in Malaysia.

The film has a cast of veteran actors, was it difficult to saw these talents to this project? How much did yr experience of doing blood ties help?
I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with these very talented actors and actresses. I typically only seek actors whom I have tailored the script for, for instance Mark Lee's character and Chu Mimi's characters were specifically written to fit their personas. Perhaps it is because of this, they were able to see something they could relate to and thus took up the project. Similarly, after I get to know my other actors better, I changed the script accordingly to make them more comfortable in their roles.

Experience from handling cast from different countries, helped tremendously in my 2nd feature. As usual I like to use new faces alongside very experienced ones, and so I have learnt to handle talents very differently based on their own experience level and they way they relate to situations and characters.

How was it like working with these veteran actors?
It can be liberating and also very challenging at the same time. Veteran actors have a lot of very good ideas when they come onto set, and some of these sparks are priceless as they are very spontaneous and you need to harness that. You need to create an atmosphere to allow them to experiment. The challenge for me is how do I channel their energy towards the direction I want and also to top their ideas with an even better one which would in turn generate more ideas ... but eventually contain them within the constraints that we have when working within a team.


Your first feature 'Blood Ties', was a serious horror film. How did it lead to this comedy-horror film?
I have always had an affinity for comedies. For those who has followed my career of doing short films, they would know that I have done only 1 horror short amongst my many comedic ones. So doing a horror comedy is a very natural progression for me. "Blood Ties" was a serious film and on set, everyone was very serious and tensed. For my 2nd project, doing a comedy horror helped to loosen me up as the atmosphere was much more jovial. It helps to keep my sanity in balance. :)


With the slight change of genre, what can fans of 'Blood Ties' anticipate?
It is quite a different beast from "Blood Ties", because I am aiming for a lower rating than M18 this time and targeting a much a wider audience.
So there will be less blood, but in turn, you get a lot more scares, more action, more surprises and much more laughters. Fans of 'Blood Ties' would also be happy to know that Joey Leong and Vincent Tee will have roles in this new film as well.

Style-wise, how would 'Twisted' differ from previous comedy films made by other local directors?
"Twisted"'s kind of comedy is much darker than any local films that has come before. I hope to reach both the heartlanders and the general audience with my brand of humor.

How would you define a 'Singaporean-humour'?
Comedies by local directors typically fall into the "Jack Neo styled" comedies or "the others". Recently, many comedies not directed by Jack Neo exhibit similar styles too like "Old Cow vs Tender Grass", "PCK the Movie" etc. Would I say that is the definitive "Singaporean-styled humor" - I would say YES to a certain extent. The way these movies are shot are very distinctively "Singapore styled" and you can't deny Jack was the pioneer of it.

However, "Jack Neo styled comedies" and (to a large extent) their jokes can only be understood by Singaporeans only and non-locals might not be able to fully comprehend or accept it. "Jack Neo styled comedies" are also proven commercially to be the more successful ones compared to "the others". But I believe many "other" local filmmakers (including myself) are trying to find a comedic formula that will allow our content to stay true to our own culture, while still be made accessible to non-local audience.


While planning for the film, did Mark Lee come to your mind as a first choice for casting?
When writing any story, I always use an existing actor as a reference, so that when I flesh the story out in my head, I can better visualize the emotions and situations. When I wrote the drug peddler character Ah- Guan, I had Mark Lee in mind playing it. To actually have him participate in the project when we head towards production was a miracle. It was like seeing your imagination come to life.


Any upcoming acting talents to watch out for in Twisted?
Definitely! Look out for Malaysian actors like Alvin Wong and Brandon Yuen in their first leading roles and Singaporean Cavin Soh as well as Tracy Lee in their first feature performances. I can't say how much I was impressed by their performance!


Share with us any interesting anecdotes that took place during production
The story writing process was the most tedious. But it could be due to my insistence on re-writing any characters for whom I didn't get my ideal cast for. I am in the business of creating illusion. I have to make sure the actor look and act in a way that is as close to the character that he is playing so as for it to be convincing or else, the magic of the movie will fall apart. So you either get very good actors who can fit themselves into any role or you make the role fit the actor.

As in any situation, you will always never get 100% of what you want. For instance in one of the segment of the movie, the main actor whom I wrote a part for dropped out a few weeks before production, and I was forced to rewrite the entire story (almost 50% of the whole movie) while doing my preproduction work and looking for new cast. It was extremely stressful. But in the end, I believe the result was a better film and story and I can't wait for the rest of the world to see it.


What is the budget like in producing 'Twisted'? How did you seek funding?
The budget for Twisted was about 700-800K. I was very lucky to have my producer do the fund seeking for me while I provide him with the ammunition (script, story, pitch) that he needs. This time, unlike 'Blood Ties', I could focus more on direction and story rather than just budget, which is a great thing.

You work pretty fast. Some of the NFFF films are not even out yet and you are on to your second. How do you achieve that?
To never stop pitching and coming up with new ideas. I am constantly working on a few stories at any one time because you never know which idea is the one that will hit the jackpot! You need the combination of a right story, matched with the right producer and the right investors in order for a project to get green lighted, and your ideas and stories are your ammunition! The more ideas you have the more chance you have at hitting the goal! Don't put all your eggs in one basket!

Keep a look out for Twisted's scheduled release in mid 2011!

Production Talk - 'Hello Goodbye' by Tay Li Cheng

Synopsis

Wen is a housewife disenchanted with her marriage. Taking on a job as a chambermaid, she seeks to find the human connection she so desires. When a new guest Bryan checks into the hotel, he brings with him the baggage of his recent divorce. Slowly, a bond begins to form between the two characters as they take turns to inhabit Bryan's hotel room -- Bryan dealing with the loss at night by watching his own motivational videos, and Wen finding out more about Bryan as she cleans up after him in the day. An exchange of notes sparks off a mutual attraction, leading to a moral dilemma as their relationship threatens Wen's marriage.


What is your inspiration behind 'Hello Goodbye'? It seems a little surreal that the woman would be taking up that in our context.

The idea came from my stay in a Vancouver hotel while traveling. Every day, the chambermaid would leave a card with her name on the vanity. This struck me as odd, and I could only surmise it allowed guests to leave a tip for the right person. At the same time, this name added a personality to the otherwise nameless room cleaning service. A series of what-ifs began to surface; what if I met the chambermaid with that nametag in the corridor? What if something went missing from my room? Would I be able to trace it down to the named chambermaid?

Soon, a story about exchanges in the hotel room started forming in my head. Add that on to my interest in the deterioration of interpersonal relationships and effective communication due to the use of technology in our society today, you get ‘Hello, Goodbye’.

The premise of the female character has been exaggerated. Her longing for the human connection (which she is unable to receive in her marriage) leads her to look for a job dealing with people. Yet there is a shy side to her character which prevents her from directly interacting with the hotel guests. The domestic nature of the job was my externalization of the role she plays in the marriage (docile, always enduring).


The film's got traces of some foreign/Hollywood films I have watched. Are there any influences in this film?

Definitely. I was heavily influenced by films like Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003), In The Mood For Love (Wong Kar Wai, 2000), Last Life In The Universe (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, 2003) and the Italian film The Consequences of Love (Paolo Sorrentino, 2004). The common thread running through these films is the anomie of the human spirit.

In fact, I secretly wished for my film to be a homage and side-story of the unexplained interaction between the chambermaid and the hotel guest in The Consequences of Love, which was never developed in that film. My initial development of the characters actually referenced the film quite a bit, but my story took on a whole new dimension of its own later on in the development process, thanks to my co-writer Kun Lei. We initially planned for four characters but very quickly narrowed it down to two key players, resulting in a tighter plot. We also referenced Lost in Translation and Last Life in The Universe for building up the tension between the two characters, keeping a strong amount of attraction but not crossing the line into intimacy.

My director of photography, Jonathan, was also heavily influenced by the camerawork in Tony Takitani (Jun Ichikawa, 2004), where the wide shots enhanced the loneliness of the protagonist. Space was a key element in the framing of the shots in order to externalize the emotions of the characters without much dialogue. Influenced by works of Taiwanese directors like Tsai Ming-Liang and Hou Hsiao-Hsein, Jonathan seeked to sculpt the locations into a third character.

Who are your favourite directors? What are your favourite genres?

I have no favourites at this point in time. I believe each director has his or her own style that deserves a look into. But I do like a good, clever movie with a solid storyline and acute camerawork that serves the story. That being said, my current occupation is with music videos since they are a fairly duration-sensitive medium that relies on a poignant story told within a very short span of time, running either parallel to or subverting the lyrics of the song -- Visual storytelling at its finest.



Take us through some of the challenges in making this film

It was my first time directing and coordinating a production with this much production value. Besides handling the stress of managing a crew of 12-15, this was my first time working with two professional actors who each brought with them their own styles and habits. That being said it was a incredibly enriching and humbling experience working with all the professionals on set.

Finding the initial budget was also a problem, since we had decided to shoot on 16mm film. We also had to secure the locations for the shoot like the hotel rooms and corridors. The original shoot had to be postponed from December to January to accommodate for the peak tourist season, where the hotel loaning us the locations would be heavily packed with guests.

After some technical problems with the camera midway through the shoot, we had to organize a reshoot. With limited time and budget on our hands, we had to exercise prudence and economy with the pick-ups, besides coordinating the (by then horribly packed) schedules of cast, crew and locations.



Any interesting things happened during the shoot?

We realized after the initial reconnaissance trips that there was never going to be a hotel room that fit the bill (and offer us enough space to execute the long shots we required). After discussion with the producer, director of photographer, and production designer, we came up with a plan to build a whole hotel room in our school’s sound stage, complete with a mobile fourth wall.

The fun part was getting the hotel furniture for the set in order to maintain continuity between the corridor and the interior décor. We scouted around Singapore looking for places which sold second-hand hotel furniture, trying to find the exact look (and period pieces) reminiscent of a 80’s hotel in Singapore. Arguments about how the phone and guestbook should look, how the teacups and hot water dispensers should be styled came about, but in the end they were hardly featured. I guess that spoke a lot about the dedication of our crew in caring for details and making it picture-perfect.

We also took pains to modify some of the furniture we found and bought to give them extra realism and credibility. Goodness knows how long the crew spent polishing the brass handles on the wardrobes and bedside tables in order to give them that extra shine, after the initial base coat of paint and lacquer we gave the furniture. It really felt like we were preparing for an IKEA product shoot! I am really glad the hotel room turned out fabulous in the film, our hard work really paid off.

Read more about the film here

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.

*****

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.