Cramming a lot of lives in one lifetime is exciting as long as one's expectations are well managed. Overall, I am good with two out of three items turning out successfully, with the remaining one flagged as 'work-in-progress'.
In all, 2018 was splendid and sobering. Here are some of my milestones worth sharing:
Hentak Kaki Fan Club was formed on Facebook after an encouragng response from a Facebook re-post of the short film of the same name.
Hentak Kaki is a Puttnam School of Film, Lasalle College of the Arts award winning production, directed by James Khoo, for his final year thesis project towards his BA (Hons) Film in 2010.
It is about a career warrant officer who is too afraid to leave the army, after he injured his knee and is deployed into a desk-bound vocation.
The story demonstrates that in life we must all adapt to the myriad of persistent changes around us and continue to grow. This I think, is what resonates with the audience and the reason why the film is successful enough for this fan club to be formed.
The response came as a pleasant surprise as it has been 6 years since the story was conceived. As Lord David Puttnam once puts it, "Film is a very influential medium, as they tend to hang around for a long time, unlike books which once read, would spend most of their time sitting on shelves."
Once the Club was formed, the membership quickly swelled to over 3,000 members. Some of them suggested that we should make Hentak Kaki into a feature film.
Encouraged by that, a feature film length script surrounding Warrant Officer Lee Teck Hong was written and peer reviewed; and subsequently, a trailer was shot.
Army films have a good track record in the box offices in Singapore and so there are already interested investors wanting to talk.
McBeth
Yes, it is "McBeth", we didn't misspell it. It is rightfully "McBeth", to borrow a prefix from McDonalds, as our story revolves around fast food business rivalry. We played to a full-house at the Projector in Singapore.
McBeth, written and directed by Phil Gruber, is my first improv performance and a satirical take on MacBeth as King of Fast Foods, with the Delta Force Group. Amid the rehearsals, we were fortunate to have veteran Jeff Michalski, flown in at great expense from the United States, to teach us about the finer points of improv. There, I learned that it is very important to observe my co-actors and the peripheral area, and learn to mirror and support them - essentially, the core of improv.
I wonder if the number of divorces will go down should every couple were to go through improv courses as part of their compulsory marriage counselling. At the end of the training, they will have had gone through a host of exercises to learn to support and listen to each other. :)
Trump-Kim Summit - 12 June 2018
Incidentally, one of the improv actor's brother is the Kim Jong Un look-alike. He came to Singapore during that the Trump-Kim Summit - much fanfare to the masses, but a nightmare for the security people.
All in the name of good fun and world peace.
Writers' Lab
I was selected as one of the twelve candidates out of many (so I was told) for the Lasalle Writerslab 2018. We have an interesting mix in the group comprising people from different age groups, walks of life and profession. This is a list of our profiles and script loglines.
I wanted to write a story that involves intrigue and action and so I ended up with an action-thriller.
It is about:
"A retired warrant officer turned private eye stumbles into an arms dealing racket while investigating his old friends. As he uncovers more, they expose his shady past to frame and eliminate him."
Towards the end of the lab, my mind was twisted into a chaos of plot revelations, pacing, false climaxes and reversals. I became obsessed and immersed into the plots and characters 24x7, till my head started to hurt.
Tech Assignment
Halfway through the Writerslab, I got a job as a technologist to help businesses go-digital. This includes helping media companies transform and enter the digital eco-system to become data driven, taking the guesswork out of decision making.
As for myself, I have been in front of the camera, behind the camera and now beside the camera injecting technology into the production processes.
These days a lot of data analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are used to identify content production, distribution, post-production scheduling and talent casting. As a small nation of many small production houses with very small budgets, we must punch above our weight by leveraging on technology.
Thus far, it has made film production more efficient without hinderance. The creative process (thankfully) is still very much derived from human inspiration. Likewise, I think the acting profession is safe from automation. Or at least the good ones are, those whom have the factor-X and charisma - attributes that essentially require human consciousness. Much as computers can beat us in chess games, they are mathematically finite machines, and are not conscious and incapable of wisdom.
Bloodline Blues is a 23-minute action film that I wrote and directed and collaborated with Elliot Chan, David and a happy bunch I gathered along the way.
It is about a young heir to an English noble family who escapes from his obligations to reconcile with his lover in Singapore.
We were ready to screen Bloodline Blues in January, but didn't get around to do it till November, as we wanted to find a suitable venue. We eventually did, thanks to the Art House at the Old Parliament and we had a full-house screening.
RIP
Five of my friends died suddenly from heart failure in the month of August 2018. They were quite young, at ages 49, 53, 54, 56 and 65.
The one who was 49 years old, was writing a stage play on his laptop, when suddenly his artery burst and he collapsed head down on his laptop onto the floor.
Another, a very health conscious 54 year old, collapsed after his morning exercise with his group of friends.
Yet another one of them, 53 years old, was the one that gave me the technologist job. We were chatting away less than 36 hours before his death. He was jolly and was telling us that he had his retirement plan all worked out to live in Perth, Australia. Then he didn't wake up two mornings later, on the 9th August 2018, Singapore's National Day.
A bigger surprise is that most of them are outlived by their elderly parents, which makes me wonder what had gone wrong. Is it their lifestyle, their diet or their thoughts that had gone wrong? I know that we manifest through our thoughts. Thoughts become things and if we are not careful, negative thoughts can eat us up gradually from inside.
At their funeral by their coffin, my heart was screaming out, "Wake up! Talk to me!" Though I know it was futile,it was my last attempt to say goodbye properly. How could they leave without a hint or warning?!!!
Their death is a sober reminder of how fragile life can be. Touch wood, but every night when we go to bed, there is no guarantee that we will wake up the next day. Therefore, every day lived is a leap of faith. Being more aware of that now, has made me more conscious of how I spend my time.
I also meditate more regularly to clear my mental debris and distance the mind from the soul. When that happens, the soul takes charge. The soul is always peaceful. It is the mind that flutters every time emotions are shaken.
I now choose to live life truthfully. Of course, common sense applies as to how we can do that optimally. But basically, there is nothing to fear for living truthfully or speaking truthfully, as more likely than not, we are merely relating to another mortal, or groups of mortals. No matter how big and intimidating they are now, they too will have to go one day.
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In summary,
My 2018 is both splendid and sobering. Through hard work and collaboration, I managed to partake in creative projects that I hope will serve people in the bigger scheme of things in the long run. I think I have spent my time quite wisely, bar some silly moments. We always have those silly moments don't we?
Thanks for visiting my blog and have a happy and joyous 2019 ahead.
You may like to read,
A Rather Morbid Year to Cheer.
