AFA 2016

I will start my first 2017 blog post with one of best moment during my year of 2016. I have be selected one of the fellow for Asian Film Academy (AFA) , which is hosted by Busan International Film Festival, DONGSEO University and Busan Film Commission.

I major in Directing under guidance of Dean, Tsai Ming Liang, Mentors Vimukthi (directing) & Bogumil. Things happened too sudden to me when I received the news that I have been selected during the time I busy as 2nd Assistant Director for a features film, I didn't prepare well and I just flied to Busan and spent 3 weeks there with a brunch of good fellows.

I assigned to TEAM A along with another 3 directors, Linh from Vietnam, Rahat from Bangladesh, CJ from Taiwan, and we paired up with another 4 DOPs, Ham from Thai (my DP, a crazy funny guy that you will fall in love with),  Khai from Singapore, Che from Philippine & Dohee from Korea. Along with Production Designer Elder from Kazakhstan, Sound master Ankita from India, Editor Chu from Hong Kong, and all of us lead under Producer Mai from Japan. Such a great team that I might able to be together back again in future.  (Of cause there was another TEAM B, and my friend in Malaysia,YING XIAN was that team Producer)

My team fellows with Korean supporting crews and TA!

We spent around 1 month for pre production before we arrived in Busan for one short film, and I remember during that proceed just like a never ending story. We discussed, modified the script, script being rejected, revised again, rejected again, finally approved, got our artists and locations but lost the locations due to some reason. Finally we reached Busan a week before shoot the short film. But yet again our locations destroyed by the typhoon (along with BIFF village T.T ).

We are still lucky that able to get all our locations before the shoot, and we start our principle shoot for only 3 days to complete a 20 minutes feature. Working with another 3 directors is not easy, all of us have different kind of idea and styling, we have to compromised most of the time, our meeting always end up with looping the same questions most of the time (usually need our Producer Mai to gave a decision or conclusion on this). It was a great experience for me, and I didn't expect I can be so open minded to work along with others, as a filmmaker, I kind of stubborn on my own creation. But this time I felt really great, sometime if you try to accept different working style you will felt another type of enjoyment.

Working with people from different countries and supported by a group of Korean professionals are fun and interesting. Especially directing a veteran Korean main actor BONG Tae Gyu (I'm kind of surprise he willing to acted for us when I proposed him as the main role), a talented kids actress CHOI Da In and KIM Mi Seung. They're so professional and talented, we speak in English and they speak in Korean, but I didn't feel that I have much trouble for sending my messages and directing them (of cause with helped from translators).  We spent lot of time and they committed so much into developed the characters with us. One thing that I impressed and respected toward Mr. Bong, during the travelling to Busan before the shoot, Mr. Bong have an accident and injured, but he still insisted completed the shoot before went to the medical checkup, I was worried about him during most of the time. Eventually we completed it without any big problems, I should mentioned that we almost lost one of the location again during the shoot.

The scene that I directed for both actor Mr. BONG and actress Ms. CHOI

Ms. KIM, she did a very well job, unfortunately I never have chance to direct the scenes that involved her, this scene directed by CJ from Taiwan .

My precious photo with Mr.BONG

I thought all the fun will end after the shoot, but we still continue with different masterclasses and sharing sections, watched our mentor and AFA alumni films. And I guess during this time was the busiest time for our Editor CHU and Sound Engineer ANKITA (she did sound recording during the set as well), they have to completed the post production for the short film, A.K.A within a short time. But I was impressed by their outcome as well. Both of them supported by another instructors,  Steve M. CHOE (Editing),  HAN Myung Hwan (Sound Design). Online colour correction by Mr OH Byung-geol and his team, and Scoring by Mr Han Jae-gweon and his team.  

It was glad to met a Producer friend Liang Ying in film festival

Sound Engineer Ankita & Editor CHU

At the same time, we continue enjoys taking classes from our Dean, Mr TSAI Ming Liang, Directors Souleymane CISSE (who also head Jury for BIFF 2016), I have to admit that I envy for all the DPs, they have lot hand on classes and sharing with different peoples. We spent most of the time on these for the second half part of the workshop , but yet I still managed to watch ONE film, by Davy CHOU, before end of the film festival. 

My only photo that captured Mr TSAI

And here come the end if the day before closing ceremony, 2 of our short films (along with Team B) were screened during the film festival. Thing I felt weird was my friends not able to get any ticket for the screening but yet I saw lot empty seats during the screening. Well, of cause we have our graduation ceremony as well, and here another surprise for me that I won the Dongseo Scholarship Fund along with Maaria from TEAM B. Finally I have some fund for my first feature, but I'm thinking if the scholarship is REAL scholarship for me to study in the school, that will be great as well! I have to thanks for all the fellows who support each others during the courses, especially my producer Mai.

The good experiences walking red carpet with Dean, Mentors and fellows

Here end for my tour of AFA with such a great achievement in my lifetime. After all I felt it seem just like a dream when I came back. All the memories start to faded off, but there are something seem still inside my heart. I think the workshop is the place to meet persons, shared with each others, build up a new connections, and experiences something new. I think this is what our Malaysian filmmakers needs, to explorer more.

I still wish to thanks for all the fellows, Korean supporting team members, Technical Assistants team formed by the AFA Alumni, and all the Instructors

p/s: most of the photos I attached above were took by Official AFA photographers, Mr YEO Seung-jin, OCK Su-dong & PARK Min-cheol, thanks for them captured our best memories.

DALANG 2013

DALANG 

(2013)

Dalang was the first short film project I involved with another close friend company, Vfilm (associate with shadow man film), owned by Jye and Steve Long. The story about 14 years unsolved murder case involved with a Malaysia traditional Puppet Master (Tok Dalang), the casts for this short film included our independent film pioneer director, James Lee, also with veteran actress Koe Yeet, and Stephen Chua (he is industry famous DOP). 

Basically we all have been flied to Kelantan and completed most of the main scenes there, it was my first time go to shooting locations by plane. But during this short I really impressed by the beauty of Wayang Kulit (Malaysia Puppet Theater), I want to shoot something involved with this in the future as well!

Photos credited to Shadow man, Jye

3 Doors of Horrors 2014

3 Doors of Horrors

(2013)

FLOATING SUN // HORROR MISSION

3 Doors of Horrors consider another big influence for me during my film making days. It was a first big project I worked with our Pioneer Independent filmmaker James Lee (eventually I produced for his 2014 edition later). 

3 Doors of Horrors was omnibus film which James Lee executive produced for 3 different directors with different 3 types of horror film. It was an annual project by Doghouse73 pictures, until 2015 it already reached it 3rd edition.

For the 1st edition (2013) I worked as Production Manager for Edmund Yeo section, Floating Sun. once again I got back our actress friend Andrea Lee for one of the main role. the ghost. As well as new talented actress Daphne, and charming Emily Lim, with another famous actress Candy Ice and actor Steve Yap. I guess the theory for the director concept want to gather all pretty girls inside his short was worked. 

It was fun shot but actress have to stand for sleeping on the water for long period, without any complaint, proud of them! 

And at the end we successfully made the premiere along with another 2 segments, Horror Mission (directed by Ken Kin) and  I Miss You Two (directed by Leroy Low). 

At this point, I have to mention that actually I worked as production assistant for Horror Mission segment!!

For Floating Sun, it continued traveled to European Premiere @ Spectrum Shorts, Rotterdam International Film Festival 2014.

( Project FLOATING SUN shoot during 28 June 2013 -1 July 2013 )

( Project HORROR MISSION shoot during 27 April 2013 - 30 April 2013)

 Last few survived photos but signature one.

Photos credited to Edmund Yeo & James Lee

Group photos by Emily Lim

This is team Horror Mission. photos credited to SOO (Art Director / Editor)

Double

DOUBLE (2012)

This short film opened my first step into independent film, which gradually I felt in love the mentality, spirit and the way people make film just for art and trying to express themselves with their own story. It also my first job worked for Greenlight Pictures, get to knew who was Woo Ming Jin (director of this short film as well) thru Edmund Yeo.

As I remember this short film funded by YOMYOMF network youtube channel for a project called Silent Terror Short Film. And I worked as props assistant and production assistant on set, at the first time. It was also my first time worked with actress that I knew for sometime, Andrea Lee. Beside she, there was another famous actress Carmen Soo and Thien See.

The shot was 2 days but good enough for me to make decision that changed my future and which result as what I am for today. So it consider a very memorable project for myself.

p/s: most of the photos I shared took by Edmund Yeo or the personals on set, mine own photos gone with the corrupted harddisc.

Fourteen to Zero

It has been almost 5 years I working in film industry. That longer that what I expected, I set my target for study aboard within 4 years. but that ain't going to happen in short term. I started in the film industry at a generally mature age of 28, at that time, production companies were reluctant to hire me for production assistant jobs due to my age. Yet I did whatever I could to find a job related to filmmaking. I ended up in a local Chinese production house where I served as a production assistant.
In 2013, I started working as freelancer, I managed to participate in the numerous commercial and independent arthouse works of Greenlight Pictures, a company found and run by Malaysian directors Woo Ming Jin and Edmund Yeo.

I tried to recorded all my works no matter it was small as short film or big scale as feature film. The amount of projects I joined gradually grew year by year, it reached peak record that I worked on 14 projects in 2014. But for the next first half of year 2015, it dramatically reduced to none (I only noticed it when my friend Fikri interviewed me for his online Magazine CQ). And this is how the blog title came from. At the same time four of my hard discs broke down, most of my memorable pictures, artworks and memories gone with them.

Since the changes like riding a roller coaster, I realized that I have make something different on my career path, at the same time, I also realized, function for a blog actually not only write something for share, but also can be as recorder of your memory. There was a Hong Kong comedian said, if people used to wrote for themselves to read called Diary, now days people wrote for others to read we should call biography. And at the ancient time only those great peoples, we so called Legend, able to wrote their own biography, but now days everyone who can write will able to do that. So, am I going to write my biography and become a Legend?

I'm not so great. I'm just want to record the moment of my works, what I think and I don't mind to share some of it with others. It just like my Blogger title, meme (pronounce as MEEM (/'mi:m/) ), all those writing just acts as another idea that spreads around people. Since I didn't wrote anything after I got into filmmaking industry, I plan to write those projects down, choose some of it to share it, it just a reminiscence for myself, of cause it won't be chronically.

I believe most of the local filmmakers will know that most of us have to be multi-tasking. No matter your title is Production Manager, Assistant Director, DOP, Production Assistant etc, you have to able to work in different posts and handle different tasks in order to survive. That happened same for me, I used to worked as Line Producer (or Production Manager) cum with Location Manager, Casts Manager, or Assistant Director. I guess that can train myself become more better, otherwise, it bit hard to focus and master on post. Well that what brought me to become. As I realized myself have to move on after armed myself with my past experiences, I will focus more on own contents, hope there will be another road to the future.

Share

Well it has been a while since I didn't done any short film at all after "Believe". And I did started join for film features film production from 2012. Unfortunately I can't post any of them because those film not even screening at cinema yet (expected will be screening around mid of this year).But during that period I did made a short for a Youth Creative Public Service Awareness (PSA) short film contest. I can't get into finalist. But it did able to do it "premiere" screening at Filemmaker Anonymous 18 at Mindvalley, Bangsar & re screening at Palate Palette. And the feedback is not bad. So now I decide to share it out as one of my profile for free!

Hope you like it

Can view from here as well for Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/52086348

Here is some detail about the film and the credit for all my friends willing to help me FOC!

Title: Shared
Running Time: 5 minutes

Language: Chinese with English Sub
Color/B&W: Color

Synopsis:

A story about people who likes to use Smartphone in their daily life no matter what, where and when. It happens during a tea meeting between a couple. Her boyfriend on his Smartphone busy with his own work. The Girl, She is trying to get attention from him but he didn’t giving her any response. Until a beggar caught her attention. They both tried to establish a communication while the beggar try to cheer her up in some ways. But the lack of communication between Her and Her Boyfriend still remain. Until she break the chain by her own.

Produced by: Luther Cheah & TK Cheng 

Directed, Screenplay & Edited by: TK Cheng

Director of Photography: Maz Irwan

Starring: Cass Chen, Andrew Tiew, Luther Cheah, Yap Wai Seng, Guan Yen Ching, Maz Irwan, 

              See Hea Yong, Ron Toh

Assistant Director: Ron Toh

Assistant DOP: See Hea Yong

Make-Up Artist: Cass Chen

BG Music: Angelina Ho

Here is the link for my review for FA18 in their official blog.
And here is the link for chinese version.

Character Sketch - The One

At the last character, and the main character. Nothing special more since created her for long time ago. But consider character set up and story set up for her are the highest.