Jack Neo related to us his acting and film making experiences in the last twenty years. Here are some points that I remember:
This post is written in the first person for readability. It is not an ad-verbatim of Jack's talk.
The Experience getting funding for Money No Enough
Questions asked by investors:
- Do you have car chases?
- Do you have fights?
- Do you have sexy girls?
The script doesn't, so the investors are not interested. Besides, they said that we (the artistes) appear on TV twice a week, so nobody will be motivated to buy a ticket to see us.
Eventually, we met up with an ad company that was trying to get into the film industry. That meant there were mutual benefits and therefore likelier to work. Besides, the company even have the necessary equipment to shoot a film. To entice them into the investment, we were willing to accept a smaller fee for the production.
When the production started, we realised that this old camera gave an irritating grinding noise. It was unbearable. We were in distress! The producer suggested adding music and so we did. Still the noise was evident. When the day for the press conference drew near, we were scratching their heads as how we could hide the noise. Stuck in a dilemma, the producer suggested that the film be played on a TV and not big screen, since the noise on TV would be less obvious. Still I was nervous and didn't even dare to be present during the press conference.
Then during the conference, the journalists loved it. They said that it is humourous, uses dialects and even dare criticise the government. They feel very connected with the film as it is truly a Singaporean film. They can feel for the characters in the film.
And this was happening in the midst of the Speak Mandarin Campaign, where films must not have more thane 20% of dialects. We thought we are doomed to be censored left, right and centre, and the artistic integrity will be severely compromised.
However, when the time came, the chief censor felt that the film was fine, as it depicts the Singaporean life accurately and that indeed older folks speak more dialects than Mandarin; and so it was fine.
It was a new milestone for Singapore, breaking many rules using Hokkien, criticized the government and illustrated the typical mentality of the common man Singaporeans.
So the trick is to write something that touches the people's heart. In Singapore, it is commonly about Money and Love.
I also felt that my films are all happy films, in contrast to, and especially student films, that are mostly very dark - about killing, blood, ghosts,...etc. Perhaps it is easier to write about dark stories than happy ones.
There is social responsibility as a director, especially to children. Children micmics film and bring them to their lives.
Ah Boyz to Men
It was too long a film, so we broke it into two parts. Then we felt that we ought to show a war scenario to catch the people's attention. But whenever a war scenario is thought of, the question is always about who the enemy is. So to circumvent the problem, we made the war scenario into a computer game. Some Singaporeans cry watching the physical destruction of our city state when they watch the film.
The other picture we wanted to impress upon the audience is the recruits' passing out parade march to the city. The display of the accomplished city skyline to remind the audience that there is much to protect in Singapore.
Question from the Audience:
How do your films fare in the film reviews? Do you make much of them?
My films always very jialat (dire) in film reviews. But in the end, the box office is a main measurement. Some of my films like "I Not Stupid 1 & 2:" travelled to China and Taiwan. Some of the students who watched the films in these countries cried and asked why the film understands them more than the schools or parents! These are useful feedback. When people can feel what I am going to express to them, that is very heart warming.
I also like to show positive attitudes in my films.
Question from the Audience:
How do you get your actors into character?
We give them training and time to practise.
Sometimes, it happens quite unexpectedly during audition. For instance, the little girl in the film "Home Run". We didn't think she performed well during the audition and rejected her. Then before going out, she said that she could cry, and so we asked her to cry (on demand), and she did. And so she was selected. Eventually, that little girl, Megan Zheng, then 10 years old, won the prestigious Golden Horse Award for Best New Comer.
Question from Audience:
How do you think budding film makers can start?
Do a short film first.
To make a film, it would take S$1m to S$1.5m to target for the Singapore and Malaysian market. That figure is quite tolerable. However, it is still quite some way to go if you are to target for the China and Taiwanese markets. Even if you have more money to hire some of the big stars from Chna or Taiwan, they may not be interested to come on board, as they may not be certain of the success of the film proposed.
Question from the Audience:
Now that you are successful and could possibly raise more money for your films, how do you think your film will change in nature?
What will not change for sure would be the comedy element and to write script that is close to the hearts of the people - about their daily lives. And to offer hope and a positive attitude.
Question from the Audience:
How long does it take for you to finish a script?
It varies. For "I Not Stupid", about two years. Usually about 6 months.
For "Ah Boyz to Men", it is a miracle. We started on December 2011 and finished it on March 2012.
We research everyday for our content. Also there are new technologies that enable us to make more impressive shots, like the recent use of remote control helicopters to capture the aerial view of the Singapore city skyline. If we were to use real aircrafts, it would be near impossible to get the approvals from the authorities.
"Hentak Kaki" has brought me places. After it won the SIFF Best Film Award and subsequently the SSFA Best Performance Award, I have been invited to radio interviews, film screening Q&A panels and now the Singapore Chinese tabloid Lianhe Wanbao's interview about the film, James (the director) and me.
In brief, it covers:
the story in the film, the introduction of James and me; the positive remarks made
by netizens (including one that says that "Hentak Kaki" is better than
"Ah Boyz to Men". They also interviewed Mr Jack Neo the director of "Ah Boyz to Men" about Hentak Kaki and he
remarked that it (Hentak Kaki) is a film well made.
Hentak Kaki has gone viral in Cyberspace. Here are the sites and some interesting remarks:
cute_togepi : Yah agree, this should be Ah Boys to Men 3.
Kronuslee: thanks for the sic, really meaningful short film. (I'd) rather they shoot it into a movie......than keep coming out with (other) crap army films
kampong boi: so good and funny, that I watch it a 2nd time...
makan007: Well done. Great short film
Reddit derektrex: who's in the prison? the counsellor or detainee?
simbunchPuff: Such a heart wrenching film - the "counselor" turns out to be the one being counseled. I hope it gives pause to the locals who doubt the dedication of our regular personnel. A shame they used a kaki beret ;)
lozo: pretty interesting film, I think it would strike a chord in most regulars currently in the corp. Other audience outside Singapore or the SAF may not appreciate it as much.
Richie gan: Life is a reality lah. If really injured and can no longer take a combat role, there are other non-combat roles that you can serve. You still got a job and it is not the end of your career. Cheer up lah !!
Ah Bui: That's e real life..... I'm a very good example..... Had I stayed.... I could easily be a WO... Or a what they called Weapon Expert III or IV... But with a damaged knee.... There's nothing much for me.... So my advice to most is... If u are feeling stagnant.... It's time to move on.... Like Raj says.... Outside I got family... House... Car and freedom..... Inside.... Only respect... And nothing else.....
My Car Forum Rncw: "good short film....this is what you get straight in the face kind of reality....either be contended and hentak kaki or get out to the real world "
Sammy Boy Blondi : Almost every WO will have to face this decision. He is not the only one.
I have started converting an idea for a story into a script. After drafting the character bible and scenes, it was time for visual verification to check that those words can be told in pictures.
I am not formally trained beyond those basic art lessons in school, which was decades ago; and I haven't been sketching for a long time too.
My first difficulty and probably the toughest one, was to determine the perspective - that is, the position of observation. Inherently, this corresponds to camera positions and angles during production, though this is early days yet to dwell on them.
After fixing the perspective, the next struggle was to find enough space to represent what I want within the frame - objects that are symbolic of what I want to tell in the story!
I am terrible at drawing human bodies. A consistent trouble to draw them in the correct proportions and perspective. Sigh!
The next challenge would be to put the facial and body expressions in the characters - very much like directing the characters to perform on paper.
After that, the shading and details are easier.
Through sketch, I get to understand the characters better. Some characteristics previously left nebulous, became evident once the picture was drawn. This in turn inspired new ideas and plots to the script.
In this particular picture, I am depicting an Indian family where the father and the son are often busy watching football on TV. The young and attractive daughter, though educated to be an engineer chooses to be a fashion model. She also spends too much time hanging out with friends and clubbing till late nights, to the dismay of the mother. The mother spends most of the time cleaning the house and taking care of the husband and two kids and lets her frustration off through her persistent nags.
Sketching is fun! It is quite therepeutic, letting the logical mind rest for a while, while the visuals take over. However, it is time consuming, so I may resort to getting some friends to role play and test out some of the scenes instead. That is, if I can gather enough friends. :)
Stay tune for more sketches in this blog.
This is the 40th post in this blog, which was started 1 year and 10 days ago. Which approximates to about 1 post every 9 days. They have taken quite of lot of my time during my off-days and time in between takes on set.
At the time of writing, there are about 11,472 hits: which approximates to about 1,000 hits a month or 30 a day or 1 an hour.
I have also noticed that the popular posts are those that are longer and are richer and deeper in content. The online statistics probably explains, as it shows that about one-third of readers are production professionals; one-third are actors, aspiring actors or people who aspires to act; and one-third just movie buffs or laypeople.
Finally, thank you for visiting the blog and keep your comments and suggestions coming. You may also like to subscribe to this blog at the bottom right hand side of the page.
The following is an extract from Dov Simens Newsletter. I found it useful and so am sharing it here:
Own something…Write a 3-Page Treatment! …First, always remember “Nothing is written, it’s re-written” so stop putting pressure on yourself that the first attempt or first draft of your Treatment must be great… That is an impossible task and you have just succeeded in creating Writers Block when you start off with too much pressure.
Now, let’s start moving your fingers. First a little structure.
Everyone in Hollywood states that storytelling or screenwriting or movies are a “3-ACT STRUCTURE”… Huh? I go to a lot of movies. I’ve read 1,000s of scripts and on the Opening Page I never see ACT I (Beginning)… Then about 25-40 minutes into the movie or script I see ACT II (Middle)… Then about 30-45 minutes later or pages later I see ACT III (End)…
So what the f*ck are these alleged pros talking about?
Their response to me would be “Dov, everything has to have a Beginning (aka: Act I), a Middle (aka: Act II) and an Ending (aka: Act III)…and my response would be after I say, “Duh”…I’d pause and say, “You know you’re right”. Everything needs to (A) Start, (B) End and (C) have a Middle.
So start off writing a Treatment by taking out 3 pieces (8.5 x 11) of white paper and we are going to think of Page-1, as the Beginning (Act I) and Page 2, as the Middle (Act II) and the Ending (Act III).
Next, the Beginning and the End do not take as much time (pages typed) as the Middle. Therefore, we are going to allocate only the Top Half of Page-1 for the BEGINNING and the Bottom Half of Page-3 for the ENDING, with the Bottom Half of Page-1, all of Page-2, and the Top Half of Page-3 for the Middle.
By-the-By: while writing this 3-Page Treatment if it becomes 4-pages that’s fine, 5-pages that’s fine, 10-pages that’s fine…but don’t just bulk it up for bulking purposes alone. Don’t be excited to be able say you have written a 60-page Treatment for a Development Executive when reading it is he/she is ever bored (more chance in 60-pages than in 3-pages) then he/she will literally and figuratively “Throw It away”… Thus, let’s try to keep it to 3-5 Pages.
ACT I: Take the Top Half of Page-1 and in 3-4 long, run-on, grammatically incorrect sentences type the “5 Ws & H”… WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY & HOW.
EXAMPLE: Los Angeles, 1986, South Central, a ghetto area where hubcaps have a 3-day life, JOEY GARRAGIOLA, 15, an anchor child of an illegal family with dreams of riches, …
For ACT I, Type the 5 Ws & H and each time you type a new character, type him/her in all UPPERCASE letters (this helps the reader to identify that a new character just came into story), thereafter, if you type his/her name again type it in Upper-Lower case letters. Then after you type the new character in all UPPER CASE LETTERS, type (A) his/her age and (B) a 10-15 word physical or emotional description of the character.
Type ACT I: 3-4 lines, double spaced typing and introduce the 5 Ws & H, with each new character having (1) UPPER CASE LETTERS, (2) Age and (3) Description-Visualization.
Now, let’s go to ACT III; the Bottom Half of Page-3 and in 3-4 sentences describe the 3 B-Stories and how they resolved themselves in a way that they come together and make the primary A-Story resolve itself.
Write ACT I (Beginning). Write ACT II (Ending).
Now, let’s write ACT II (The Middle).
Remember, if you ever write a piece-of-crap and send it to someone in the industry who actually reads it and you can then (I doubt it) get the reader to tell you why they didn’t like it their answer will always be some variation of “ACT II… Was A Little Weak” ACT II is the key, combined with great dialogue, to great writing and having a Great script.
Again: The key to the Great Script and, its first step, the Great Treatment is writing a Great ACT II. The Beginning (Act I) and the Ending (Act III) are easy to write. Its’ the Middle (Act II) which is tough and, in essence, Act II…is the story.
More than likely you have a Great Idea but no real story.. Therefore, it is imperative to flesh out Act II (The Story, sometimes called Structure)…
Tomorrow’s Hot Tip will be how to (A) Create a Great Story and (B) how to Write a Great Story (aka: Act II) within your Treatment.
"From Dov Simens, founder of The Movie Cloud, and creator of the "2-DAY FILM SCHOOL" (www.DovSimensfilmSchool.com)
The director ChongYun Lun called me a day before the production and it was shot in super quick time on his Lumix camera. The film won the Best National Education Presentation in his camp.
Just got to know that this training video which I acted in last year was awarded the Silver award at the Australian Cinematographers Society Queensland 2012.
Shooting took place in from sunset to sunrise by waters off Tuas, the West side of Singapore.
This is the third short film that I have acted in a main role in that has won an award. For more, click here
Until
November, 2010, I had never dreamed that I would be an actor. Now, I have had lead roles in three short films
that won awards, and have also won an individual award for Best Performance in the 3rd Singapore Short Film Awards (2012).
I have done 100 gigs in two years, with the 100th gig just completed in in Guangzhou, China – my first overseas. I have also been in the
main casts of three feature films. To date, I have been very lucky to
have worked with many award winning directors, brilliant actors and
even a cinematographer who shot a film that won an Oscar.
I sometimes
watch myself in disbelief and ask if I am in a dream. I have been lucky!
My life
before acting included being a trained civil engineer and information
security specialist, whose daily work grinds were far removed from
the fantasies of the art world. I have no formal training as an
actor. My foray into acting began by chance when I was called upon by a director to act in her film out of the blue. She had spotted my
photograph online but not from an actors' database, since I wasn't
one then.
I often
tell friends that, at my age, I should be learning from the mistakes
of OTHERS … not by making my own mistakes! However, in the world of
infinite possibilities, mistakes are inevitable. I make this list
below, as a reminder for myself and also for others, especially
budding artistes so they might learn faster and less painfully. These
ideas come from my experiences and my perspective as an actor. This
list does not claim to know-it-all or know-it-best, but just a
sharing of the good, the bad, the ugly, warts and all. I hope that
readers find some value for themselves out of my mistakes and
observations!
Be
The Good Actor You Want to Be
I am
lucky to have worked with some brilliant and inspiring actors and
have discovered that they are all easy-going, polite, humble and
often very candid. Unsurprising, since most top players in their profession would need to get along with people and be part of a team. When
an actor is honest and candid in his real life, it takes less effort
for him to get into his script character. Logical isn't it? So I
would rather be that candid personality that flows and go places,
rather than the star-diva that is difficult and constipated. Wouldn't
you?
Getting
into Character
Getting
into character is key. Once in character, performance follows with
ease to bring the script to life. Unfortunately, many producers want
to make films fast and so getting into character becomes a hurried
process. I think there is only so much we can hurry a character up.
In supporting casts, it is even tougher as there will be less script revealed and less time given to the actor to get into character. I have
been in both main casts and supporting casts and it is a lot harder
to get into character in the latter. Supporting actors are usually
thrown into the deep end and expected to deliver quickly. They have
to work harder to deliver a smaller and less impressionable
role than the main actors, for shorter screen appearances and exposures!
Life isn't fair on set. We know that! :)
As it is
important to get into character, it is also just as important to get
out of character. For one, the script
character may not be a desirable one and also it is necessary to clear all previous script characters before going into the next script character, otherwise, the result will be a
compounded confused character.
I had
this problem when I couldn't perform a jubilant scene after acting in
six depressed characters in a row, back-to-back. Having no breaks in
between and being exhausted made it easier for the script characters
to sink further into my subconscious.
In
another production, “Hentak Kaki”, where I played the frustrated
Warrant Officer who is downgraded from combat duties to a desk job
due to a collapsed right knee, I managed to do it so realistically
that I developed a right knee pain that lasted for two days after
the shoot.
So
remember to get out of character! Once aware of the
old characters lurking inside, they can be mentally erased. Try
meditation. It works!
The
Master
For
something as subjective as acting, it is important to learn from a
good master, to avoid having to unlearn all the mistakes later.
Check the credentials of the teacher. If he is an actor, watch his films and see if you like his work. If he is not an actor, then check his students out. Ask if you would like to be how the students are.
There are also many good videos on Youtube. Check them out and take your pick of what resonates with you best. It is said that when the student is ready, the master will appear. :)
Dialogues
I have
been told that if the lines don't sound right, don't utter them. But
being a confused and stressed out newbie on set in the beginning, I
spoke them out anyway! The lines turned out incongruent. So now,
whenever I find lines that do not flow, I will check them out with
the director and have them modified.
Some
script writers are too academic when they craft dialogues. They
forget that people don't speak the way books are written: in long
sentences with many multi-syllable words. So now when I have time, I
hang out at cafes and public places and listen to the way people
talk. There is so much to learn from simple and even mundane
conversations.
Realism
In the
world of movies, exaggerated facial expressions, overly excited body
movements and unnatural dialogues look very ugly, especially when
magnified on a large screen where the facial muscle movements can be
critically examined. Good directors want realistic acting, but how
real do we want to get?
I once
experimented with getting myself drunk at home, and then capturing it
on camera. I felt very relaxed during the intoxication, and
words and ideas flowed uninhibited. I thought that was a good candid
clip of what a drunk act should be. However, when I reviewed the
video a few days later, it looked awful. It was no where near the
cool and fun impression I had of myself. My speech slurred,
movements were erratic and weird, and I was physically incapacitated. I
don't think any director will want a drunk character to look like
this on film, as it is just too ugly for the audience,
even if it were only for a few seconds.
On a
scale of 1-10, if an exaggerated (poor) act is '1' and real world
behaviour being '10', we may only want to hit 8.5 most of the time. So how far do we want to slide on the realism scale is an artistic debate. How much blood? How much skin to bare? How much sex?
I was once asked by a director how far I would be willing to go with my act. What he meant was if I would be willing to bare my butts. Though a little shocked at the outset, I later thought it was quite a compliment to know that at my age, my butts is still worthy of attention. *lol* In the end, I think it will boil down to the trust between the director and the actor. Why does the director want the actor to bare his body? Is it art or is it for commerce or the box office?
As films are fantasies, it is fair chance are that there won't be real sex, real poison or real
death.
Choosing
the Script
Directors tend to cast me as strong personalities with authority. After the success of “Hentak Kaki”, I got casted as gangster chiefs, draconian police sergeants, abusive fathers, corporate chairmen, or such like. Getting into such nasty characters got easier and better over time and practice. However, after a while, I would rather do something else.
So, I was delighted when I was casted in “In Sunrise”, as the widower of a famous pianist who falls in love with his late wife's nurse. Then, I had to take on a different persona: as one struggling to get out of depression upon encountering the young nurse up close. It was hard to express myself as a man in love, as the bearded haggard look masked the subtle facial expressions. Also, after a preceding scene expressing sorrow over the wife's demise, it was hard to shift to an emotion of passion and hope. Expressing too little interest on the face looks as if the character is still depressed. Expressing too much of it and I look like a sex maniac. I realised that there was only a narrow and precise window to hit. We tried many variations and finally got it By then, I was exhausted.
New roles and challenging scripts stretches one's abilities. The broader the variety, the better. Of course not all roles come handsome and clean, as the haggard and unwieldy too have their stories. Breaking through one barrier of acting into another is an act of self-realisation.
Conversely, I have noticed that some actors have allowed themselves to be typecasted into the same kind of roles. This is usually due to the actor's fear of not getting enough paid work to make ends meet. Life can be hard as an actor and it takes great strength to choose to not make decisions out of fear.
Choose scripts that entertain and inspire. When the audience is inspired, he remembers the film and the actors. Choose roles that gives you the opportunity to impress the audience, even if they may make you look you ugly on the surface.
7. Action
There is every need to keep fit as an actor, as we don't know what
our next role will be. Action films are physically demanding,
particularly so when the stunts are not well thought out and that
there is no stunt director around to get it right in a few rounds.
The result is a lot of trials and errors and possibly injuries, especially when warming up before the take was skipped.
8. Children
and Animals
For lack of a better heading I have put 'children' and 'animals'
together. It doesn't mean that we should treat them the same way or that they are any easier or more difficult
to manage or work with.
Kids have to be comfortable with the adult co-actor if you want them
to perform. So I always spend time with them prior to the act to
break the ice. However for some kids, you cannot get too close with
them either, otherwise they will develop a diva attitude very quickly
and refuse to cooperate. So play it by ear, there are times to be lax
with them and time to be firm, depending on the personality of the
kid. A delicate balance is required.
Some kids are natural actors. They understand that they are playing
out a character that is fictitious and have to make it real. Others
can be challenging.
In one production, there was this kid who couldn't act sad, so I
suggested to him to imagine that his favourite toy is lost.
“No
it didn't. I still have the teddy bear. It is at home,” he replied.
“Yes,
but just imagine that it is,” I suggested.
“No,
I didn't lose my teddy bear..., “ he repeated.
Evidently, he has no concept of hypothesis. Short of giving him a
slap to make him sad, we couldn't get him to act sad. There was
nothing else we could do. I think it was a mistake in the casting
process.
Kids also have a short span of attention. When they tire out, they
will go on strike. So give some time in the schedule when there are
kids.
We once had a pig in a production without a professional animal
handler and had a hard time handling it as it screamed and struggled
when we brought him out from his cage. It probably thought that we
were bringing him to the abattoir. It took us some time to appease
it, but after that, it was just happy to lay down and idle, as
if saying, “Just leave me alone!”
9. Sleep
As more
assignments came, I got busier. Soon, I found myself doing eight to
ten gigs a month, taking about fifteen to twenty days on set; and the
remaining days of the month in auditions and rehearsals. I was
exhausted. It is said that an actor is an athlete, so whether it is
sleep deprivation, flu, fever, or what not, the show must go on. The
actor must endure and perform till he crosses the finishing line.
Then, in
one of my shoots in a feature film, my mind ground to a halt and I
couldn't deliver my lines. I did all my homework right –
deliberately learning my lines while doing mundane tasks to get them
into my subconscious, internalising them and practising them over and
over again. But no, the body had enough and went on strike. The moral
of the story is that no matter how prepared the actor is, or how good
he thinks he is, everything stops when the body goes on strike.
So now, I
sleep early every night and I catch a wink whenever I can in between
takes. On top of that, I go for my run, workout and meditation every
morning. Meditation works wonders in clearing the mind of mental
debris and clutter. It also prepares the mind to get into character
easily, since it is frequently emptied.
If all
else fails and I am trapped in a quagmire of fatigue then I will keep
myself awake by running up and down the stairs, and then popping a
small piece of chocolate before each take. It works, but only for a
short while and as a stop-gap measure.
10. Rehearsals
I would rehearse in
environments as close as possible to the real situation. Lines
perfected sitting down at home can meet with many surprises when
bounced off with your co-actors and dealing with current emotions,
actions and environmental conditions.
In one
instance, as a taxi driver in “Fairytales”, I was required to
start at the back of the taxi, close the booth, plug my head phones
to my ears when the phone rings while walking to the front, open the
door and timed it correctly to slam it close so that the slamming
noise will not drown my dialogue, start the engine, buckle up, look
at the back mirror while speaking to my passengers, switch on the 'On
Hire' lights, down the hand brakes and move off making sure that I am
not too stressed out by then to drive into a pole.
From
that experience, I learned that it is important to integrate words
with actions and emotions. Every little bit corrected during
rehearsals helps to save a lot of time during production.
I have
also learned from a director that I should practise my lines till I
can hear myself saying it in my mind, like “hearing voices”.
Try that, it works! ;)
Practise, practise and practise. I don't think it gets any easier. Some actors/actresses are blessed with good looks, but in the end a nice pair of legs can only walk us this far, after that, we will have to deliver.
11. Auditions
I have
learned not to go for more than two auditions within a day. For a
push, may be three auditions max. And definitely I will not go for an
audition after a production shoot, as I will be physically and
emotionally drained. In the competitive world of acting, every ounce
of energy counts.
I prefer
auditions to be the first thing in the morning, as both the casting
person and I will be fresh. When I cannot get a morning appointment,
then I will choose the late afternoon just before the other part-time
actors turn up after their day job. I would avoid mid-days to avoid
the tropical heat. This is because when I go from the sweltering heat
into an air-conditioned studio, my mind will automatically shutdown
(extreme shifts in temperature stress the body) and I will have to
struggle to remember my lines and act the part.
That is
also why I turn up fifteen minutes earlier to give myself time to
settle-in.
Sometimes, you do not have the luxury of having an actor
to feed you lines with the appropriate emotions during the audition,
so you will have to calibrate your response accordingly and make
sure they are delivered with the correct emotions.
Actors get casted for a myriad of reasons. Some get casted for their good looks. I think that actors should look good and keep themselves so, but there are times when good looks are not what directors look for; especially when you look better than the lead actor. So for all you know, you may not have been casted because you look too good! :)
Jack Neo, a successful producer/director in Singapore said that he never choose actors merely out of good looks, but for their X-factor to draw audience. Evidently, some that he casted and subsequently groomed (whom many will agree are not high in the good looks department) are now stars in their own right.
Finally, there is nothing personal about not being
selected and I wouldn't waste energy speculating the reasons. Energy
spent doing so can be spent preparing for the next audition.
12. Directors
Directors
are visual people. They see their scripts play in their mind's eye
and then translate it to the cast and crew. A director tell stories on film and is a conjuror of visuals. Properly done, it can even tell a good story with the sound switched off.
Communicating it well to
the actors is the tricky bit. As they are usually visually dominant,
they can have problems articulating what they want in words. Then as
if to compensate, some of them become too chatty. This takes time
away for the actor to execute. Then, when all else fails, some
directors, in frustration, act out the part and asks the actor to
copy – something perhaps more prevalent among
actor-turned-directors - transforming the actor from a vehicle to the
script to a tool of the director. So sad.
The good
directors are amazingly detailed. They pick up minute mistakes on set
that many people overlook. Then they will fine tune the actor, coach
him and relate the scene to the actor's life experience. It is like
neurological linguistic programming (NLP). Splendid!
Another
of my favourite type of director are those that want the actors to
take their time to express their emotions. “Do not hurry”, they
would say, “...for we can always edit the excessive parts out
later.” Not surprisingly, this category of directors usually comes
from a video editing background and grew up in digital videography.
:)
Once, I
had a confusing experience with assistant directors, who persistently
gave me the wrong directions and contradicted the script and the
director. So now when in doubt and confusion with the assistants, I
will always consult the director proper.
The bond
and trust between the director and the actor must be strong for the
film to work. The actor cannot see himself in action and therefore
relies on the director to shape his performance.
My pet
peeve of directors is when they appeal to actors to perform by calling
out, “Energy! Energy!”. I can't figure out what they mean by that
exactly and I am not sure if they know either.
13. Cinematography
I am not
a cinematographer, so what I learn about cinematography is from my
observations and particularly from working with Mr Bobby Webster, the
cinematographer for “God of Love” winner of the Academy
Award for Live Action Short Film at the 83rd
Academy Awards in 2011.
As I have
observed, there are many films shot with hand-held cameras recently and
it seems to be a trend. This in part from cinematographers who used to
make home videos using consumer electronics cameras when they were
still amateurs; and now when they want to deliver a dynamic and realistic
feel. Sometimes, it is also faster and easier to shoot a whole scene
in one-go with freestyle hand-held movements.
Hand-held
camera footages mimics news reportage, where videos are captured on the
fly by journalists in the field. This is ironical, as while more
movies are made with hand-held cameras, the news agencies began to
make more newsreels with more sophisticated equipment and tripod
mounted cameras. In other words, movies are becoming more like news
and news becoming more like movies.
But
whichever way the cinematographer wants it, the reason for every
camera angle and shot must be clear. It would be senseless to execute
a camera angle or operate the camera in a certain manner just because
it is trendy, or that it is the way that it has always been done.The same can be said of acting - that every movement must have a purpose within the scope of the script and not executed out of vanity.
It is
said that an actor goes through a few stages with cameras. First,
when he got started, he is camera conscious. Then, he will ignore the
camera. Then finally, he can no longer ignore the camera totally, as
he learns to favour the camera.
Once, I
was working with a cinematographer who did most of the scenes holding
the camera and moving around the actors. After the first take, he
quietly came to me and asked me not to worry about where he is and
whether I will run over him. On the second take, I ignored his
presence and we managed to move around without crashing on each
other.
14. The
reason to perform
As a
performing artiste, sometimes I wonder why I am doing what I am
doing. Is it just for vanity or self promotion? Does what we do make
a difference to the society at all? Some of my friends think I am
crazy for taking the plunge into acting. Sometimes even I think that
I am crazy. So, when my musician friend Tze sent me his newsletter,
suddenly the coin dropped. It says:
“...that
if an artist/musician chooses to sincerely tell the stories he knows
through his art, not performing to show off/impress, not playing to
win applause, then his creation is like a mirror, a reflection of not
just himself, but of the world around him and of each person in the
audience who's intently listening.”
So this
is it. If we as artiste can be a mirror to help others reflect on
themselves, society and the world around them, then it would be all
worth it. Amid the world of commercialised movies, this is such a
breath of fresh air.
15. Opportunities
There are
many people out there who wants to act but are not taking action.
Some would ask me for audition opportunities but when given to them,
they would not respond. Yet others try but didn't get casted. The way
to go is to keep trying. Nowadays, one can even broadcast themselves
on Youtube. The advent of digital cameras, LED lights and the Internet and their affordable access have made
collaboration with like-minded people who are passionate about making
films together easily.
Nowadays, films can be made with phone cameras, still cameras with video functions and even spy cameras which have now decent video resolutions. The rough edges of such videography may show, but cleverly plotted, they can also give a geek feeling to your film. Who knows, you may even start a new trend.
Even fund raising has taken on new routes with the Internet with Crowdsourcing, such as kickstarter.com .
An example of a community interest group that gathers like minded people to make film is Reel Frenz.
Clearly,
the barriers to entry to make films are coming down with each day.
This heralds a new era in film making and demystifies what goes on in
a production. Perhaps we will get to see more dogmatic scripts about
everyday life from the eyes of the lay person in the community. Maybe
some of them will even teach the mainstream productions a thing or
two, as the latter get too commercialised and mired in big budget
productions with camera cranes, helicopters and special effects.
I am an
accidental actor. I got into professional acting by chance, without
any prior training and went on to win awards, to be in the main casts
of feature films and acting overseas, within two years. I know I do
work hard for it and that there are the many who had helped and supported me, but I think a good part of it is also luck.
If you
ask a professional gambler, he will tell you that there is such a
luck as a 'winning streak'. In a 'winning streak' the gambler will increase his stake. To the layperson, this winning streak is usually referred to as the 'flow'.
The opportunity to act came to me
out of the blue and then, I find myself flowing with it. It is easier
to swim with the 'flow', than against the 'flow'. The trick is
to recognise the 'flow', and go along with it.
Similarly,
I have learned to stick around with energetic people and avoid energy
vampires. People who tells you that you are not going to make it are
saying so because they couldn't make it themselves. There are also
con-artists who would want you to part with your money first so that
they can bring you from where you are now to become a Hollywood star
in some feature films that never happen and never will. We just
have to watch out for these people and run the opposite direction
quickly.
Places
also differ in energy levels. If you intuitively know of certain
places that mysteriously energises you without your trying, then that
place is for you. Frequent that place to charge up. And those
energetic people and places need not necessarily be in the form of
spiritual gurus, expensive life coaches, luxurious holiday resorts or
grand churches. Sometimes, these humble saviors can appear as
children, animals, a cozy corner in your house, or just your ordinary
looking walkways by your neighbourhood.
The same
goes for scripts, directors, co-actors, casting agents, managers and
camera crews. Recognise that affinity, that empathy with the script
and the trust with the director, then flow along with them and I
believe there will be many a splendour thing waiting to happen.
Last but not least, I would like to thank the 100 casting directors that have put their faith in me and casted me for the 100 gigs. Thank you so much!
"Those who don't believe in Magic will never find it." - Roald Dahl.
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