Fantastic. Enjoyable. Fun.
Those were the words that were flying about after the end of the production.
Before I started this production I remembered what Kang Sheng said about "doing things like you used to do". I recalled the times i ran my own production, controlling 30 over people and telling them to run across the field with wooden dummy rifles. The story was in my head. The angles were in my head and I saw the film play in my mind.
I told myself i needed this kind of procedure back again. Too many times i go for productions doing well technically but lack of heart. I told Kang Sheng that of all the film i've made... i still like the Battle of the Field i did before i came into FSV. Rahman saw what I've done. What I could do save the pressure of protocols and doughnuts and "pleasing someone else." This film became my baby, so to say. I once promised myself that i will not leave FSV without at least a single action film with me at the driver's seat.
I was stuck with a nyeh-nyeh-nyeh DOP so I took up everything in this film from art direction to producing to gaffering to planning to camera shots. I went out to source for the two best Art Directors in my class, Michelle and Joanne, and asked around from good producers like Sammy boy on how to do producing.
I worked closely with Jimmy Low for the past four weeks. I planned the shots with him... the timing... the duration... the locations (we went to six locations) and followed his advice all the way to the very end.
After a bit of thinking I realised that this was going to be a nightmare if something went wrong. So i chose a location closer to home: school.
My dad sponsered the entire budget for the film - SGD$1,500. It's quite a bit... but I did so because the other person started whining about how poor she was. And doing so I had the last say in most everything. I didnt want another person's money in the production for fear that the usual barriers appear again. I wanted to show people that its good to be daring (though in a smart way) and it's better. We're in school.. you did a mistake, so what?
I had a wire stunt in place. Uncle Jimmy quoted me a thousand dollars. It's not much. He said he'll normally charge someone SGD5000 for a stunt like this. People can say he's over-charging. But I was there from the start till the end - I took the things from the storeroom. I loaded it into the van. I helped in fixing the wires up. Uncle Jimmy and I planned the fight. I tore the wires down. I packed it into the van and finally, packed it all back up into the storeroom. This is where I see why the price is set at that. I realised that the stunt is not the main thing - it's the preparation and planning.
I was quite unhappy with the initial part of the day. If Uncle Jimmy can set up his wires in three hours why cant my DOP set up four lights in half an hour?
Like i told our good friend Jason Goh... the moment someone says "Dolly" or "hand-held", everyone's balls start to shrink. But for what? All my cameraman life I've been shooting hand held on my XM2 and I've more often than not gotten some very nice shots. There are times i have to go through huge arguments with my DOP about this and it almost always ends up with a tear in her eye.
Michelle and Joanne's art direction was fantastic. Everything sort of came into place on the day. The shoes from Adidas came in. I initially chose a black and white shoe but then Wei Min came in and adviced me to take the green one. Green? so ugly? but he assured me it'll look good on film. I thought about it for a while and took it anyways.
I dont blame the low-turn out on set on anyone but myself. After AFP1 it still stuck on many people's minds. Trust is one thing. My frequent push-backs were another. It seemed as if the planning was atrocious. I agree it was on that part. But I'm glad that those who came had brains. They had the kind of viewpoint in productions that made me want them. I've heard of some who would show some kind of sour face when they get duties like "Gaffer" or "Wire puller". Everything they wanted was big big big. If one thing with the hours i spend with Uncle Jimmy is that it has made me realise small things carry a lot of weight. Nowadays i dont see the word "Carry" as something simple. Carrying is a technique, too.
I guess everyone had their fun that day. Uncle Jimmy was a big morale boost once it came to the action sequence. Before that I felt like throwing my fist at my DOP. I wondered why I was getting the cold shoulder from people. But come Uncle Jimmy everybody started waking up.
And did things faster.
I liked the wire stunt. We ran into a bit of an accident in the trial pulling - we pulled too fast and too long that the actor, for fear of himself, held on to the wire which the pulley then ate his hand up. It was a pretty big cut on his fingers. Kang Sheng ran for the first aid kit and plastered Chin's fingers. Looking back at it I thought it was funny. Funny because when i saw Chin's close up, his arms infront of the camera, the plasters and iodine-stained fingers gave some kind of character to him.
Kwang Wei had some ball-tightening fun on the wire.
To be honest when i saw it i tried to keep my laughter in because he looked like a duck hanging on the coffeeshop displays.
Then they did some funny funny thing.
What a lovely couple.
That's not the only couple I saw on set.
Well.. at least it's love that's happening and not someone crying on set...
The film's title is Wu Xie Ke Qi. I'm not sure what it means but Joanne, who came up with it, said it had something to do with being invincible. Exactly like the theme i had for the story - Nothing is impossible. I had a bit of problem with my DOP as well with the theme. I dont get what it is... but it's probably gotta do with intelligence... but she cannot understand that "Impossible is Nothing" is a pretty big theme with many possibilities.
I like this shot a lot. Probably because of the subtext behind it.
See? Subtext.
Uncle Jimmy had his cameo appearance in the film as well. He's like that. Everytime he goes for a shoot there will be some cameo appearance by him whether its his leg, or hands, or his entire behind. This time it was behind his neck.
I got one of my old friend Jason Goh to come on set with me. I liked it. Much better than the other one i brought in for AFP1. I dunno why but I can never work with women. Always ends up in a fight.
We started two hours late.. thanks to a slow cow.. and that cow was the one who planned the call time but came late still. But we managed to finish 22 shots with 72feet of film left of our 300 feet. Quite a feat, really. I'm not sure how it'll turn out since telecine is this Monday or Tuesday. I only hope that Uncle Jimmy has proven to people or showed to people that it is possible. But only with planning way before hand.
I noticed i get a bit blur on set after a while. I was shouting another person's name when i called someone. I asked where was this this this guy when I just spoke to him a few moments earlier and I was also wondering why must a director be a gaffer at the same time.
And I noticed I look damn old and tired too. Kai Xiang said I look "weathered"... like I've been in the sun for too long doing dirty work.
"You mean i look like a coolie?"
"Yeah... you do."
Thanks so much. lol.
I asked Kai Xiang how well did he think my production this time went.
He said,"Well... the number of my shots shows how well the production ran."
He took 91 pictures, compared to AFP1's 33 picture wonder. I'd say it went okay.
After the shoot... or rather.. after the cow ran off for another person's shoot leaving her things all messy and out in the open... the guys packed up the things.. cleaned the floor... etc etc. I'm thankful for that. I was afraid they would run off. Rahman thanked me for the fun he had. My villian actor (the guy in black), which was a last minute decision since the original stuntman disappeared, came to me and profusely said thanks to me. He shook my hands and said in a very lethargic and almost I-cant-thank-you-enuf manner,"Audi.. really... thanks for the shoot. I've learned so much today. I've really learned so many invaluable things today. I cant thank you enough for what you have shown me today."
I passed Uncle Jimmy his thousand dollars. Then he started taking out some of the fifty dollar notes and passed them to me.
"This fifty is for Kelvin... because he did the stunt. This fifty.. give it to Singwei. And this fifty... is for you."
This is my first allowance from Uncle Jimmy. And i have never ever felt the joy of earning money in this manner before. It was so sweet. Now I understand the meaning of "treasuring money". The thousands of dollars I've earned from DW Group selling matresses means nothing compared to the fifty dollars that was in my hand.
I learned quite a lot of things that day from Uncle jimmy. Things like giving and taking. Being kind to people. Keep to schedule. Planning... it's like everything goes around in a circle. Uncle Jimmy then gave SGD300 to Chin, the hero, for the stunt job. I calculated everything and it seems like Uncle Jimmy kept only SGD550 for himself. Guess for yourself about what i just realised.
That night Rahman and I stayed in school and rewarded ourselves by watching the National Day Fireworks from the 9th floor. Even though the fireworks were about only a finger big from where we were, it felt as if we were on the shoulders of giants. The distant booms felt like artillery fires... as if meant for us guys... a shadow of everyone else.
The next day I passed my sister the fifty dollars i earned. Finally, I returned her money.
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Jimmy Low
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