Feng Xiaogang - John Woo Masterclass

12th of June. Second day in Shanghai. I attended half of the John Woo - Feng Xiaogang Masterclass where both filmmaking heavyweights dissect and analyze the 8 projects of the CFPC (China Film Pitch and Catch) of the Shanghai Market.



What I remember most was something John Woo said. He commented how most young filmmakers and arthouse ones are very into casting amateurs and non-professionals in their films to preserve some authenticity and purity of their story, since some things are really hard to be replicated. It also helps to minimize budget.

However, he asked these filmmakers to consider the possibility of casting name cast members for their projects if opportunity arises. After all, why not try to allow your own works to reach a wider audience? Why not aim higher? Aim bigger? Great actors all around the world are waiting for a good script anyway...

Location:Zunyi Rd,Shanghai,China

My first day at the Shanghai International Film Festival 2011

So, here I am. Having spent two nights in Shanghai. I'm deprived of Facebook and Twitter and also Blogger. I'm now using the BlogPress app on iPhone to post, not sure whether it will work properly amidst the Great Firewall.

11th of June. I arrived at Shanghai just in time for the opening ceremony of the film festival. It was raining heavily and people walked through the red carpet holding umbrellas.

The ceremony was held in this nice hall.

Heading off to the Shanghai International Film Festival 2011

I'm now at the Starbucks in KL International Airport, waiting for another half an hour to board the flight to Shanghai.

Film shoot of a Danish-Malaysian co-production 2

After going through the first three days of the shoot from the 3rd to the 5th of June (chronicled yesterday). We all knew that the worst was over. It was an exhausting shoot, insanely high temperature, merciless mosquitoes, seasickness, unpredictable conditions and the like. Filmmaking, some should remember, is a high-stress job that involves a lot of dealing with people, especially if you are shooting under circumstances where you need the cooperation from the locals at the locations of your shoot.

6th of June came. This was scheduled to be the last day of the shoot.

Fern the lead actress drew a caricature of me.

It's not everyday you have the lead actress of a film you're doing drawing a caricature of yourself.

Film shoot of a Danish-Malaysian co-production

I was at Cherating in the past week for the film shoot of the tentatively-titled GIRL X (or GIRL IN THE WATER), a Danish-Malaysian co-production co-directed by my regular collaborator, Malaysian filmmaker Woo Ming Jin, and the Danish filmmaker Jeppe Ronde. (you might remember from here and here that I was doing some location scouting two weeks ago)

We even imported the Thai actress Sajee "FERN" Apiwong (last seen in Aditya Assarat's HI-SO) to do the main role. It was a short film, but it was a short film with sky-high ambition. After all, I wouldn't involve myself in anything less than awesome anyway.

Tuesday. 1st of June. Jeppe arrived in Malaysia at night.

Wednesday. 2nd of June. Ming Jin, Jeppe and I picked up Fern and her friend So from the airport before heading straight to Cherating.

After a looooong 4-hour car ride, we reached the location, and immediately we headed off to check out the spots.

My late uncle's record collection

My father's youngest brother, my uncle whom I called 'Zeg Zeg', passed away last September. Last Sunday, my father went to his house to go through his large record collection. My iPhone, alas, was unable to capture the collection in its entirety.

My uncle, just like my dad, was a music lover and connoisseur. When my father and he were both young, they used to collect music albums together, sharing them. From their childhood to their teens to becoming adults.

And then decades went by, Zeg Zeg continued collecting, but he never regarded each album to be his alone.

They belonged as much to him as they were to dad.

Now that he is gone, his wife believed that my dad is the one and only person who should inherit the collection.

So my dad was there, looking through my late uncle's record collection that belonged not only to my uncle but also to my dad. Just to remember.

Letting Go

He and She had a wistful conversation. They came to a conclusion.

"Pain is inevitable in life. Ups and downs. All of it." She said.

"Uh huh, that's why life is an adventure." He said.

"Yup, just enjoy it." She said.

"I do. I never let the pain cripple me, I merely embrace it, letting it linger, just so I can create." He said.

"I agree. But don't you feel like letting it go though? Perhaps it's easier said than done." She said.

"I've already let go of the person, long ago. Just not memories of her." He said.

"Yeah, well said." She said.

"Of course!" He said.

"Sometimes, I still remember a lot of things I've spent time doing with my ex-boyfriend. Like jogging, a mundane. Then I ask myself why I still think of him. But some things can't be helped, rather that than to repress them." She said.

"It's not him you were thinking, but just memories of what it was like to be in love." He said.

There was a pause, then he added:

"Perhaps that is what I myself am also clinging on to."

Remember Dial-Up Internet?

I first started using the Internet back in 1997. I was 13. It was a miraculous experience, to be able to exchange emails with people, chat to people from all around the world in chatrooms, visiting websites of things that I am interested in. Those early pleasures of the Internet, like ICQ, Geocities websites, IRC chatrooms... they were so fresh to me back then.

I miss this sound.

The EPIC location scouting day 2

The second day of the location scouting began with sheer epic magnificence. We went through an area to seek some photogenic wilderness.

The EPIC location scouting day 1

The day began with an epic breakfast at Ming Jin's house.

"Can I make a living as filmmaker?"

I get these questions a lot from aspiring filmmakers of my own country.

"Can I make a living as a filmmaker?"

"How do YOU make a living as a filmmaker?"

"How much do you earn a month?"