We close our eyes because we dowan to see

The budget has been increased to SGD$900 dollars.

And purely for the aesthetics, I’m putting in a hundred more to bring the total budget to a thousand dollars.

Here is the list of names of people working for the project.

• Audi
• Tharik
• Vicky
• Erwin
• Jason Goh
• Thena
• Joyce
• Justin (TBC)
• Charlene
• Sir Latiff
• Iman
• Charles
• Huda
• Aaron
• Jia Wei
• Jia Hui
• Jason Zhang
• Rastus
• Rasmus
• Zulhilmi

Here are the names of people I approached to be the main talent.

• Sean
• Aik Hong
• Donald
• Mark (from St. Pat)
• Tharik
• Vicky
• Rongjun
• Zulhilmi

These are the names of those I approached for other roles

• Henry
• Sze Aik
• Zhen Zhao
• Jia Cong

Here is how many things I destroyed in anger during the entire pre-production stage.

• 5 boxes
• 1 wireless antenna
• 2 cds
• 20-over pieces of paper
• 8 rocks
• And a lot of punching on my Motorola DSL modem cos it didn’t wanna work. Now it is.

The sponsors:

Sir Latiff

Holiday Inn Kuching. (the hotel.. not my dad…)

15 December 2005

Less than a week left to the production stage.

I’m terribly anxious.

Up till now, I’ve threaded upon the heads of many indecisive, irresponsible fools.

What have I learned so far? Ah yes. Think twice when asking kids you know to join in your production.

There is the tendency of some people, which I know of as casual friends (as opposed to close friends), to make a fool out of the deal. They think that since there is a sense of familiarity between him and I, he could find it in himself to try and stick a boner up my ass an expect me to succumb to him. To give in to him. His demands. I believe that they know their own plans and schedules for trips and holidays and stuff more than anybody. Thus I see not why they still accept the offer. I thought holidays were planned weeks ahead?

I have, indeed, become very fussy over the details of this project. I expect every single sentence, every single letter, to be written out, shown, the way I want them to. I want a specific type of person for my main character. A specific action. Specific way of speech. I tend to make no compromises whatsoever, so far. I take advice from a selected few only; people who know what to do. Otherwise, I’m deaf.

I won’t be surprised to be called a “tyrant” on set.

But all the reason to be.

I see not anyone else who is taking any effort on perfecting a certain effect I’m tying to achieve for the shoot, though much discussion has been made over it.

I see not anyone else who is looking for locations. Or talents (except Jia Hui. He managed to get me my main character). Or even basic needs such as a schedule.

I see not anyone else engaging in an active discussion with authorities of the school.

Am I the only one, among other people who are somehow related to North View, which takes some bloody initiative in his position? Or are we all just a bunch of anti-social, “self-sufficient”, proud freeloaders?

And don’t get angry on me. There must be a reason why all three of the main characters ARE NOT from North View, right? Wouldn’t you think silly reason such as,” I’m afraid of girls”, which was, really, the excuse given to me by a 16-year-old kid, be something?

I believe I have done a lot of asking to be able to justify my opinions.

I feel so relieved, now that my friends from Ngee Ann have agreed on helping me out. At least, now, when I speak of mise-en-scene, at least 5 of my crew would understand.

Now I understand Justin when he said I was working with “kids”.

17 December 2005

Once more, the production is crumbling, on the cast side. Our to-be main character has pulled out again, the reason stemming for the lack of forethought or looking at his bloody schedule. This will be the last time I’m working with kids.

The cast list saw more empty slots today. Four roles left to fill up, out of maybe 15.

I knew I should’ve done this earlier; I called up the “Old Birds” of the unit and they are actually more than willing to perform. But of course, I drilled them with many “Have you checked your schedule?” questions.

Still, we have no main talent.

The rifle smoke effect has been perfected. Nothing more than a hose and syringe and a secret ingredient to complete the effect.

Monday will, hopefully, be the day everything related to discussions with Captain May, Mr. Yeo and Sir would be decided.

I feel so bad for having Sir fork out the entire budget of the production (600 bucks, and we’re over-running) so I’m all out to find sponsors for the project. I’m planning to raise another 300 dollars.

God bless.

And Merry Christmas.

*and I would like to publicly thank Jason Goh, the guy who saved my behind from a pack of blood-hungry mainland Chinese last year, for agreeing to be part of the crew.

Update.

I’ve finally found the time to sit down and blog about the current progress of the NCC video.

I had a few unique experiences over the past few days.

I got shot at with a revolver (went momentarily blind and deaf as well)

I got to carry a film camera.

I earned the trust of Sir Latiff in a form of 600 dollars from his own pocket to fund the project.

I learnt about the general unhappiness of “behind the scenes” people on the way Project Pilot turned out to be.

-------------------------------------------

This whole preproduction process has gotten on my nerves.

I am indeed angry at the general incompetence of people who have AGREED WITH ENTHUSIASM to be involved with this project, with the knowledge that they are getting paid for what they do and the fullest support of a very dedicated officer, yet, they make NO EFFORT whatsoever to help IMPROVE the project, either by means of giving opinions of the plot, setting a time and day for the proposed shooting dates or even turning up for production meetings with people from ESTABLISHED production companies to discuss important issues like equipment rental or special effects, which is SERIOUS, and really cant be done with one person only.

Not only do I have to squeeze the juice out of them, I had to explain to them in a way that I am doing now just to emphasize the need for cooperation in a production team.

This has indeed gone too far.

I just got off the phone with our star-to-be.

He has declined to participate in the project with reasoning that it does not fit his schedule (we’re shooting on the 22^nd, night and 23^rd) but suggested the shooting be done on the EVE OF NEW YEAR.

I just cannot allow one man, to halt the entire production team (cast, crew, sponsors) of FIFTY men, just to suit his schedule, on a day which everyone else WOULDN’T come.

Thus, my current “if you can’t make time for it, too bad” approach to people I am sourcing for the project.

This project is not failing, really. It’s just going slow. The logistics side has been settled.

I’ve worked a price for the rental of equipments from Cinegear Pte. Ltd, which includes an entire XL2 package, a tracked dolly, a 2000W and 300W light, reflector, boom microphone and a rain jacket for the XM2, which amounts to a total cost of SGD$280 PER DAY (and we’re shooting for two days), 40 dollars cheaper than the original price.

Today I sat down with the special effects guy. We talked. And he showed me a sample of his expertise; he loaded a revolver, and shot me. There was a loud bang. Smoke. And muzzle flash. Price of that? Momentary blindness and a total numbness in the ears. And a jerky camera shot. No one died. Nothing.

Then he showed me his arsenal of rifles and machineguns and handguns.

Not only is this guy, Jimmy Low from Stunt Productions, very dedicated, he MAKES all his stuff, including gunpowder, and has a license to boot.

Now, I think his 1,500 dollar package is actually dirt cheap for blank firing guns and body hits and explosions.

However, I cannot fit this into the NCC video. This will only result in a rushed job, lousy cinematography and a truckload of arguments between the crew, cast and special effects guy.

Never. I have no intentions on seeing my production turning to be an event of disorganized hopeless bunch of “aspiring” filmmakers trying to make a “movie”. I have a standard to maintain as an FSV student, as a person who has been looking at the world through a viewfinder for more than three years, almost non-stop. (I learnt cinematography and technical works of the camera on my own, from the ground up. It was not easy for a 15 year old. So don’t tell me I’m a loghead. I know I have much more to learn anyways.)

I won’t be surprised to lose more than half of my crew if I were to start another production, even if it has a budget of three thousand dollars and they get a share of that budget (I’m actually working it out soon).

And I should be paid, at least five thousand dollars, for a project like this whereby I am the scriptwriter, the director, the producer, the editor, the cameraman, the cinematographer and the gaffer. And that is not even the industrial price, believe me. I asked.

*storywriters can earn two thousand bucks for their story. That’s for the average type. Let’s not talk about “The Usual Suspects” kind; that’ll blow us away.

Thus I see no reason why I can be considered to be priced way “above (my) standard” when I charge four hundred dollars for a day shoot (this is only as a cameraman. Not editor. Not director.). It is only logical to check industrial prices first, and then compare your findings against freelance videographers. Did you know that they charge a hundred dollars PER TAPE for editing? and don’t hope of getting more than 30 minutes out of a tape. Not even close. We used two tapes for a five minute video. So calculate, people.

*Henry agreed to be my model again. He always saves me from trouble. I’m giving him forty bucks (with extras, naturally) for his service. Sometimes the best people we know are right under our noses. Not those with their heads high up in the clouds.