For completeness, read "200 gigs, 200 lessons" and
"100 gigs, 100 lessons" first, click here.
This post is about what I have learnt in my recent 300 gigs. It is long but I
believe it will be worthy of your time, as you may in the process avoid some mistakes I had made. I did say that there would be no post for "300
gigs, 300 lessons" two years ago, but decided to write one anyway, as there is so much to share. So here
it is.
Have I done three hundred of them in six years? Honestly, I have lost count,
but at rate of roughly one gig a week, it averages out to be 300 in six years.
Again a big "thank you" to all the 300 casting directors who have
placed their faith on me. In the last year, I have been more selective of the
gigs I accept, going for quality more than quantity. As someone once told me, "first go for the volume, then go for the
value".
Since my previous post "200 gigs, 200 lessons", I have
also gone more behind the camera, into screen writing, producing and directing. I
have also been learning about film distribution and how the Internet is
changing the game very quickly. For more, click here.
Meanwhile, "Certified Dead", the feature film that I played
the lead character in, has gone places, namely:
- The official screening
at the 4th Hanoi International Film Festival (2016);
- The official selection
at the UK Screen One International Film Festival (21017);
- The Best International
Film at the 14th Royal Bali International Film Festival (2016);
- An official nominee at
the Best Feature Film award at the Utah Film Awards 2017;
- An official nominee at
the Best Film Award at the ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards (AIFFA)
2017; and
- An official selection at
the Brazil International Film Festival 2017.
This includes the galas, the red carpet events, the cameras , screaming fans and their totting cameras,...etc. It is flattering to feel like a VIP. :)
Life behind the camera is laborious. The crew comes in first and
leaves last. So the next time you are on set, be nice to them. Usually on set, I am pampered as an actor, but behind the camera, it was my turn to pamper the actors.
This post is to share my experiences as they are - the good, the
bad, the ugly, warts and all. Take what you agree, or believe in, and leave
those that do not resonate with you. There is no compulsion. Some of you who
are more experienced may already know much of what is written here, others may
know it subconsciously, but were unable to put a finger on them and bring them
to forth.
Feedback, comments, criticisms and suggestions are most welcome. The objective
is to learn and grow together. Some of the lessons are also universally applicable
- such as those pertaining to the need for stillness and concentration to
achieve our goals.
And thank you all those who have taught me so much, both in front and behind
the camera.
1. Be The Good Actor You Want to Be
It is easier to have a reference. So pick two actors, one who is a
local actor that you may have a chance to meet, chat with and learn from; and
another who has an international exposure.
For the latter, watch his movies, read about him (or her) in magazines
and books and find out about how he got to where he is today.
2.Getting into Character
Stay in character in
between takes, don't monkey around. There are actors who make monkey faces at their
co-actor as a prank, when the camera is behind them, but pointing at his
co-actor. That is naughty and stressing
out the co-actor unnecessarily. I heard in Hollywood, you will be fired if caught
playing that prank.
Besides staying in
character, it is important to help your co-actor get into character by staying
in character yourself. Don't worry for the co-actor, as somehow, thoughts
travel and they affects your co-actor's confidence.
In one such instance, my
co-actor could not tear, and I was consciously doing a lot to make her cry on
camera which stressed her out and made it even more difficult. This despite her tearing with no problems during
rehearsals.
So in the end, we took a
break, chilled and just told her to think of a sad incident and try again, and that if she really couldn't cry, it would still be alright. That worked! She cried on camera. So team work is important.
3.The Master
I have learnt a lot about scriptwriting, producing, directing and
distribution through master classes conducted by very experienced film makers
and actors at the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF). They are free
and of such good value.
In the 27th SGIFF 2016, we had master classes conducted by: Darren
Aronofsky, Tran Anh Hung, Naomi Kawase, Herman Yau, Anurag Kashyap and Fruit
Chan.
If you are based in Singapore, the Singapore Film Society and the
Singapore Screenwriters' Association are also good places to mingle and learn.
4.Dialogues
 |
| Add caption |
As a rule of thumb in
film, 'show, don't tell'. In other words, use visuals, and less voice-overs and dialogues.
However, there is no fixed rule. Generally, stage
plays have longer dialogues as the capability for visuals is more limited. TV
has less dialogues than stage plays, but more dialogues than feature films and
short films. This is because TV viewers are more likely to be distracted and
not have their eyes fixated on the screen, or that they may be doing something else like wandering off
to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. So, while they are away,
they can continue to keep track of the story by listening.
Also as a rule of thumb,
dialogue lines should be as short as possible, but there are exceptions when
portraying a very chatty or eccentric person (who talks a lot). When it is so, it is
important to rehearse the lines together with the actors' movements on set, so
that movements and speeches are synchronised to start and end without having to rush the lines.
Straight forward lines
are boring, so add sarcasm, cynicism and subtexts to make them alive, such that
the audience are compelled to stay engaged in the thought process as the story
unfolds.
5.Realism
How much realism do you want? This is the question I asked myself a lot while directing the action film "Bloodline Blues". See section "Action" below.
Sometimes we achieve 'realism' by 'faking' it, so that it will look real on camera. The is because we are 'squeezing' a multi-dimensional world into a 2D or even 3D camera. Besides the visuals, there is this inexplicable emotional delivery that must turn out right. This constitutes the language of cinema.
This language will evolve with new technologies available and trends, like miniature cameras, 360 cameras, virtual reality viewing pods, change in audience culture and sophistication, ...etc.
In a multi-racial and multi-lingual country like Singapore,
choosing the language for your film to suit your audience is complicated. While
everyone is educated in English, the Chinese (which is 75% of the
population) prefers Mandarin. English language films have a hard time getting
screened at cinemas as theatre owners prejudged them that they won't sell. Audiences also instinctively compare them with big budget Hollywood movies to the detriment of local films. I beg to
differ, as I think there is room for change here. That is changing the audiences' and distributors' perception with strong scripts that are very local and honest.
Boo Jun-Feng, a Singaporean film maker and director of the feature film
"Apprentice", adopts a different tack. In "Apprentice", he first looked for actors that fits the story and
have chemistry with each other, independent of the language. Then the language came as a consequence - and in this case, happens to be Malay.
Ultimately, the language used needs to be real to the story. For
instance, it will be out of place to use polished Queen's English to portray a commonly Singlish speaking Singaporean heartland.
6. The Script
I have directed and produced the first three scenes of my feature
film script as a six-minute short film, called "The Next Plot". It is
about a grieving old man struggling against religious stigma to have the right
to be buried next to his late wife. For more, click here.
I have learnt that it is difficult to make three scenes extracted
from a longer script to be a standalone
short film. This is because generally a feature film tells a story with a
relatively slower pace, while a short film is tighter, with a lot of details and depth.
In my view, "The Next Plot" fails to visually allow the
viewers time to sink into the climax of the story. For this reason, I did not
send it to festivals. It was hard work producing this 6 minute film, as it required three locations, with one of them
requiring some set design.
I am currently in post-production with another short film, an action genre called "Bloodline Blues", which is also an extract from the same feature film script and blended with newly
created scenes.
Making both films have made
me a better script writer, more aware of the technical
practicalities (like locations, budget, casting, ability to capture the visuals,...etc); and how I can leverage on actors to make scripts come to live.
For more about script
writing, click here.
7.Action
If it
is an action movie, I would rather be the actor than the director.
While
directing "Bloodline Blues", I
often have to decide the level of fantasy I want to allow in the film. Remember
real fights are never what you see in a
movie. Real fights are ugly,
gory, bloody and over in a few minutes. Very few people, if at all, would want
to watch that. Real fighters won't be fighting from a few storeys up, fall down
a few stories down smashing through floor boards and still literally hitting the ground running. Audience that buys a ticket to an action film, isn't going to the
theatres to watch real life, they probably have enough 'real life' everyday,
24x7. They buy a ticket to watch fantasy. You provide them this fantasy, this
escapism, to relieve themselves of the cut-and-thrust in their daily grinds.
Whereas,
as an actor, it is fun to act in an action film. It is like a workout with lots
of weapon props to play with, sets to smash through and lots of makeup to mock up the punch ups - the ultimate alpha-male escapism!
Action
scenes takes a lot longer to shoot as you need a high coverage from many different perspectives. I think it takes three times as long to shoot. So, a one and a half minute action scene is estimated to take about a 10 hour day to shoot.
Your fighters don't need to be
martial art exponents or street fighters, but they definitely need to be fit.
Most importantly, they need to be cinematic with their movements. If your
actors can fight, then you may use longer takes of mid and wide shots. They look better. Do
not interrupt these long shots with too many closeups and cut-offs.
8.Children and Animals
When shooting films with some content not suitable for children,
the production must remember to keep all minors out of set during those scenes.
When foul language is used during scenes when the minor is
present, remember to seek the parents agreement. Let them know early during
audition, so that we won't waste anyone's time.
9.Sleep
There are actors that
have very bad sleep cycles. That can't be good for their performance and
definitely not good for their health in the long run. Our bodies are tuned to
sleep when the sunset, however this is upset with electricity lighting up our
nights and providing us night life entertainment.
If you have the bad
habit of sleeping past midnight, it is time to shift your sleep cycles. It is
hard with late night shoots, but it is either making the necessary shift back
to normal sleep hours or see yourself aging rapidly and losing your short term
memory and your good looks. Consequently, faltering your lines on set.
10. Rehearsals
Rehearsals are absolutely necessary. Apart from getting the actors
ready, it solves many practical issues on set. It is best if rehearsals can be
executed in the actual locations, granted that having the accessibility to
locations is often a problem.
I get some of my best acts because of the many rehearsals we had. "Hentak Kaki" dialogues were rehearsed many times, until they all turn out smooth - such that an audience told me that it could not possibly have been scripted. Unwittingly, that is a real compliment and music to my ears.
Likewise, stand-up comedians rehearse their lines over and over again, until they appear spontaneous.
Wrestlers too rehearse their fights until they appear real.
Some actors do not like rehearsals. I read that Anthony Hopkins, a Hollywood great, does not do rehearsals. However, he delivers great performances.
There is also such thing as an over-rehearsed act, such that all the spontaneity is gone.
11. Auditions
In the last 12 months, more and more productions are asking for self audition reels. This saves a lot of time for everyone and I foresee
this to be an emerging trend. So get your own cameras and tripods ready.
Take advantage this by capturing your performance with a
relevant background. For instance, if it is about food, shoot it in the kitchen; or if it is about basketball, shoot it in a basketball court.
Make them as close to the real deal as possible. The director will love it as
you are helping him to visualise many possible backgrounds. I have got a gig
once because the client loves my kitchen (the subject was food).
12. Directors
To date, I have directed the following short films:
·
A forty second video
that won a merit award in a competition. Click here.
·
"The Next
Plot", click here.
·
"Bloodline
Blues".
It has been a steep learning curve, as I am very much a rookie.
The role of the director is to guide and coach the cast and crew
to flesh out his visualisation and capture it on camera. So, he has to
communicate well.
Directors who fail to stay in-charged lose control over the cast and crew. That's
when some other persons on set start to think they know better. So directors
must work hard to know their stuff very well.
But do allow creative input, albeit in an orderly way.
13. Cinematography
Cinematography contributes a lot to the storytelling and so cinematographers ought to
consciously establish their own style guide. Such a guide is based on the
seven fundamental elements of art, namely: line, shape, form, value, space,
texture and colour. For more details, click here.
These seven fundamentals
manipulate the viewers' emotions subliminally, so that the result will turn out right.
For instance, the
cinematographer may choose the colour red to represent danger, so he may have
the frame in low colour saturation (apart for red) and have the red colour
entering the frame and gradually dominating the frame before (say) an explosion
happens.
He may also use shapes,
like triangles to represent obstacles or breakdowns. While the adoption of art
forms are arbitrary and subjective to the cinematographer, consistency of style is
necessary.
Some more sophisticated
practitioners will develop their own symbols, that are composites of
fundamental art elements, to express
certain emotions.
In "The Next
Plot", I developed a fictional religious symbol that appears in several
places in the film. Click here.
14. The reason to
perform
Why am I an actor? I
question myself every now and then, to check if my reasons change over time.
I have enjoyed most of the 300 productions over the last 6 years. There were a few that I
hated.
One had a director that
was very rude to everyone, as he could not cope up with the pressure. He was
even rude to a passing car and was at the brink of getting into a fight with the
driver.
Yet another director was
also not coping up well and was belittling his actors. He
ought to know that hurting the actors hurts delivery and therefore the overall
quality of the film. Any caustic words that do not contribute to enlightening the
actor, should not be uttered. The director must try more
effective ways to communicate. That is his job.
In one production, there
was a bullying producer who did nothing but bark at the director persistently
for responsibilities that rightfully belongs to him. He would lose his
temper and publicly shame the director for cooked up reasons, in front of his team. Was he trying to
make the team members lose respect for
the director so that he can take over? It was definitely uncomfortable and negative.
And yes, he wats trying to take over. He shutdown the production and tried to continue it behind the director's back, by installing himself as the director. But the cast and crew remained loyal to the original director and continued their work with him and completed the production. It was shocking experience - probably one-in-a- million, and hopefully the only such unethical one I will ever have to face.
In yet another
production, the director uses shots that are super short. Actors hate micro-shots, because they are too short to carry the emotions effectively and
ensure smooth continuity. Directors of micro-shots usually have
storyboards drawn like a comic strip and they shoot them one comic strip
frame at a time. This drives the actors mad.
Thankfully these are but
a small drop among the many gigs I have done. So all is good.
15. Opportunities
At some point, somebody is going to sell you some opportunities in
return for something. Common sense dictates
that you should weigh the cost vs benefits. Be careful not to trade many things
precious to you for mere hot air.
Networking is important, but is often overrated. I wouldn't spend
a disproportionate amount of time networking, as fundamentally, it is still
about the craft. I believe that if you deliver good
work, good producers will engage you.
Social network is an effective way to extend our reach, but it can
be a double edged sword. Bad stuff travels as fast as good stuff on the
Internet. Personally, I do not subscribe to the saying that 'any publicity is
good publicity'. So build and maintain a consistent online persona and brand that
works for you.
16. Luck
Some people appear to be more lucky than others in progressing up the ladder of getting more gigs, better roles, better scripts, better directors to work with and smashing box-office successes.
But really luck is but opportunities meeting preparation. So prepare a lot. The Chinese saying goes, "One minute on stage is ten years of off-stage preparation (台上一分钟，台下十年工). This rings very true.
17. Fame
After
some years, you may be recognised in the streets for the roles you have played
on screen. This is fame in small ways. It is an invasion of privacy, but fame
is also an actors' currency.
Fame
implies that the production you will be in will sell better and so you will be
accorded with bigger roles. When you reach a certain level of your craft, the
rest of it is fame, reputation, who you know and what horses you trade.
So
reach out for the stardom you seek, but remember to be in this world, but not of
this world.
At some
point, you will also learn that there will be gossips and rumours surrounding
you. Do not be upset, as this is a natural progression. Do not let
it affect your life. Most importantly, insulate your family from the rumour
mills. Think of it on the upside, that is, if nobody knows of you, there would not be any gossips to start off with. I think as long as there are more good words about you than bad ones, then you are on the right track to fame, :)
In short...
We can accelerate our learning if we have mentors or models to follow. So pick two actors, one local and another international.
Do question yourself every now and then, why you want to act. The reasons do change over time. It can be quite revealing. Maintain your beauty sleep - early to bed, early to rise. Doing otherwise will hurt your performance and your health in the long run.
In the last 12 months, more and more productions are asking for audition reels done by yourself and sent to them, rather than asking the actors to cast in their premises. I predict that this will happen more frequently. It is an emerging trend. Use it to your advantage.
As a rule of thumb in film making, 'show and don't tell', but the extent of it varies with the medium. Also, unless you are making dogmatic films, aesthetics is important - even when you are representing ugly stuff.
My experience behind the camera as a scriptwriter, producer and director have helped me to be a better actor, and vice-versa. Having a broader knowledge and experience of film making helps a lot.
Action genres take longer to shoot due to the need for intensive coverage. However if you have capable fighters, you can rely more on longer mid to wide shots, and less cuts.
Directors who fail to stay in-charged lose control over the cast and crew. That's when some other persons on set start to think they know better. So directors must work hard to know their stuff very well. But do allow creative input, albeit in an orderly way.
Cinematography contribute a lot to the storytelling and so it is important to consciously establish your own style guide.
Networking is important, but is often overrated. Fundamentally, it is still about the craft that is the most important.
With fame, comes the rumour mills. Don't pay attention to them and shield your family from them. As long as there are more good words about you than bad ones, then you are on the right track to fame. :)
IF
YOU LIKE THIS BLOG, TELL A FRIEND, OR SUBSCRIBE. (SEE TOP OF PAGE).
"Ola Bola" (2015) directed by Chiu Keng Guan, depicts a time during the 1970s when religion, language and race needn't matter in the game of soccer. Everyone united to play for the country. The movie culminates in the match between Malaysia and South Korea, to qualify to play at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow in the Soviet Union. While they did not explicitly mention the players' names, I could identify some of them based on their character traits and positions in the team, namely: Soh Chin Aun, Arumugum (the goalkeeper) and James Wong (from Sabah). 
"Adiwiraku" (2015) directed by Eric Ong, is based on a true story of Cheryl Ann Fernando an English language teacher and her struggles and successes in a rural school in Kedah, Malaysia. It brings to life the story of SMK Pinang Tunggal and how its students worked towards a choral speaking competition. While this may not seem much to city dwelling folks, it is an impressive achievement for a rural school where most students had a very poor grasp of the English language.
"The Kid from Big Apple" (2015) directed by Jess Teong, brought me back to my childhood memories in an instance, experiencing the world through the eyes and minds of those lovely children. I love the innocence and the fine details depicted and expressed. As a film maker and actor myself, I know it takes a lot of time and perseverance to bring forth such beautiful nuances and moments. It was so good that I also watched Part 2 of the sequel last month.
.JPG){kind=link}
