Film Review: Laskar Pelangi

I’ve been wanting to watch this film since forever, but unfortunately, our local cinemas decided not to screen it over a longer period of time. So when I was shopping at Geylang (Joo Chiat) two weeks ago, I was quite surprised to see the VCD at Muzika Records! I grabbed one copy, took out a 10 dollar note and immediately paid without any second thoughts.

Synopsis:

A small school in the countryside is on the verge of being shut down when enrollment falls due to the emergence of a rival school in the area. Without a complete class of ten students, the school would have to face its fate. Fortunately, the last student arrives at the eleventh hour, hence allowing the school to continue operations.

Nevertheless, the school faces all sorts of problems as time goes on. The students live in poverty, making use of whatever nature allows them to study. When the school faces a shortage of funds and students insist on participating in the local carnival, the class puts up a  performance in a way arts critics would applaud.

What I like about Laskar Pelangi is the subtlties and impactful dialogues that will forever be etched in your mind. When asked why she does not want to accept a marriage proposal from a rich businessman, Ibu Muslimah simply said, “Mimpiku bukan untuk menjadi isteri saudagar, mimpiku ialah untuk menjadi guru!” The English translation would simply mean “My dream is not to be a businessman’s wife, my dream is to be an educator!”

Apart from that, the class has a plethora of characters just like any class would have. I couldn’t quite catch the character’s names though. One boy has a superb ability of mental calculations and knows a lot about world events because he saves his daily pocket money to purchase newspapers to read. Another goes around the neighbourhood with a broken down radio that needs to be shaken up before used. He loves singing and dancing and anything related to the arts. And of course, there’s the misfit – a boy who’s stuck in the middle and just goes with the flow of his peers.

This is a truly inspiring film – because it has made think about my current status of being a substitute teacher. Perhaps, when I’ve gotten bored of filmmaking in the future, I’d probably come back to teaching. As for now, I’m happy where I am.

Hijabi goes Punk!

It’s Friday night and I thought of something I would love to wear. I do not own anything featured above but lust is indeed beautiful.

Black skinny jeans from anywhere – the cheapest would be from Peninsula Plaza for about $20 if you’re great at bargaining; Turqoise jersey dress from Bugis Street – thought those are not from Bugis Street, I know they have a lot of that kind of dresses there; Black leather jacket – I’M STILL LOOKING FOR THIS! Blue printed scarf from Gap/Old Navy.com and lasat but not least, Black Doc Martens boots. I just found out you can get them at Le Meridian Hotel at Orchard. Thou shalt be mine soon, oh Dr Martens!

I would recommend wearing this to a night out in town. I know Singaporeans are not the savviest dresses as a lot of us fear dressing up too much. But I reckon this outfit will suit our lifestyle just fine.

PS: I’ll be searching for the leather jacket when I head North to KL next month! Hee hee!

Hardware Store Bradder

I dropped by the hardware store in my neighbourhood earlier in the day to get something for the leaking bathroom flush at home. It has been a long time since I went there to get supplies. The thing about my family is that everywhere we went, people know us. We meet new people and say hi, meet old people and say hi, we meet strangers and say hi – SO YOU GET MY POINT.

So the hardware store is managed by this really old Chinese uncle who I call Apek – actually I call all Chinese old men apek – and his two sons. I haven’t been seeing he older son but the younger son is supposedly the hotter one albeit being an Ah Beng. And I usually call him Bradder. Yes, how minah can I get, calling a random Chinese guy Bradder. This was our conversation:

Me: Bradder, you got the thing for the toilet not?

Bradder: What thing?

Me: Uhh.. to connect the water pipe to the flush ahh.. silver colour one..

Bradder: Aiya you ahh.. elbow joint or cross?

Me: Huh? Uhh I think elbow ahh..

Bradder: Takes something from the back Nah.. This one right? Hands to me something bronze-y

Me: Eh no! I say silver colour what.. This one bronze. smiles cheekily

Bradder: Stares at me, then proceeds to the back of the shop again. Comes back with the correct thing.

Me: AHH! That one that one! Heh. Sorry ahh.. I don’t know the name and I scared if I take out water burst out.

Bradder: Ya laa ya laa. Anyhow lah you. Eh your father got come back not?

Me: Puzzled No lah. Why he owe you money meh? Hahaha

Bradder: Aiyah you ahh.. That one your father what. You got see him?

Me: Of course lah. A father is still a father.

Bradder: Good good. Ok go fix your toilet.

Oh and my toilet is still leaking, dammit. $2.50 for the pipe thingy only reduced the leakage.

From School to Cool

Reading the various fashion blogs for Hijabis has made me want to start inspiring fashion for similar hijabis. I’m sure you’re all going ‘yeah right.. you’re already doing so many things on your blog!’ which is precisely why I have a blog! This is my space, and I thought I want to share with you readers what I’ll be wearing some time this week for work and then head out for a night of fun.

I got the plaid shirt (in a lighter colour) from Topshop for $49 – they’re having their mid-seasonal sale now! The pants are from Dorothy Perkins for $43 and the Vans are from Miz29 at Century Square. You can substitute the hijab for any red hijab or scarf, and same goes for the accesories. Oh by the way, Diva was having a Nothing-Over-$9 sale on Saturday so I got myself a similar looking bracelet for $6 and a black ring for $3. As for the bag, I don’t think Dorothy Perkins have them in store any more. It was from last season, I think.

I’ll be doing more of these whenever I’m free. It’s time I share the secrets of looking good and presentable as a Muslimah.

SMFS: Interview with SIFF Short Film Finalist – Hafidz Senor

Last Sunday, I managed to catch the re-run of the Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF)  Short Film Finalists at the Substation. Remember when I said I’d catch a few films from April’s SIFF? They ran out of tickets. So I was fortunate to be informed by BK from the Substation about the re-run!

I caught up with one of the finalists, Hafidz Senor, 23 years old, the director of SHINGAPORU MONOGATARI. He enjoys water sports, hanging out with family and friends, as well as going to rock concerts.

1. When your film was screened, there was an eerie air of silence. Why did you decide on a silent film?

When I was editing my film I felt that it would be better for my film to be silent. If I added my grandfather’s voice and ambient sounds I felt it would be too overbearing for the audience. As the black and white images are already strong itself, I guess the less-is-more approach would be better. When the film is silent, I believe people will be more focused reading the subtitles.

Yeah you’re right about this eerie air of silence. It’s kinda strange too for me watching it. War means terror and suffering, to think about past wars I guess its eerie and sad.

2. The visuals you portrayed are a stark contrast to the story. From I can see, it was done in a way such that the modernity of Singapore contradicts the narrative of the story. Why?

The film was for a school assignment. I only had to three weeks to finish it. And I did not have access to archive war footage of Singapore during the war. So I planned the visuals in a way that it would parallel what my grandfather mentioned. Some of the images are the exact locations of where this events happened. Places like City Hall, Fort Siloso, Changi Beach and YMCA.

Its a different effect when you juxtapose an old narrative to images of present day Singapore. You feel the transformation, the nostalgia of how fast things change, things improve. I would say that my film falls under the genre of documentary/film essay technique. In the similar vein like Werner Herzog’s documentaries or Godfrey Reggio’s Koyaanisqatsi.

3. Did you face any difficulty while making the montage of visuals?

Not really. I had planned the visuals/locations before I went out shooting. I guess the difficulty comes when I walked around City Hall.
And climbing Fort Siloso in Sentosa. I’m very happy with the film I made. Being selected for the Singapore International Film Festival itself is an honour and a beautiful surprise.

4. I understand the subject of SHINGAPORU MONOGATARI was your grandfather. How was it for him, recalling stories of the war?

It was exciting hearing his stories. he remembers so much. Maybe everything he experienced. He was 14 when the occupation began – I think its an important age in any human being’s life. He had big dreams of being an ustaz (religious teacher) as a student at Madrasah Al-Arabiah.

He said it was somewhere near the present day Masjid Haji Yusoff at Kovan. There was nothing he could do. So he worked for the Japanese doing labour work and cleaning machinery. If he went against the Japanese, he wouldn’t be here today.

The film is for me to remember my grandfather. And to remember our Singaporean ancestors who fought and build our country to what it is today. When I see the changes to Singapore’s natural and urban landscapes, I begin to realize that suffering brings out the best in us. Out of darkness and despair, comes new hopes and new dreams. The film fills a hole in my heart. Partially answers the questions I sometimes ask myself about our heritage and history. If you look at Singapore’s history or the history we study at school.

It starts with Stamford Raffles in 1819. It is based alot on the colonial or the authorities’ point of view. What happened before 1819, history about Malay civilisation has been conveniently left out. The film is very much a personal narrative, from the viewpoint of a survivor. Its important for us to document war survivors, people who went through it all. I don’t know, I guess the film is part of my life journey, my life’s questions. It’s hard to explain why I like art or why I create art but I hope this quote helps.

There’s a lot of searching in life. Just as John Berger says, “Art is the provocation for talking about enigma and the search for sense in human life.”

5. Any advice for aspiring filmmakers?

Hmm. I don’t make a lot of films either. My advice would be to make a film that you feel strongly about. For me, I want the audience to remember my film. So its important I make a good one. Take your time to write a script. Watch a lot of films of different genres. Everyone is inspired by different things so we got to go out and enjoy. Experience different forms of art like theatre, painting or music, it helps. I like the collaborative aspect of filmmaking. I hope to make more films in the future with Singapore filmmakers.

SMFS: 48 Hour Film Project

Over the May Day weekend two weeks ago, the Singapore Malay Film Society (SMFS) took part in the second 48 Hour Film Project held in our sunny island Singapore. We sent in two teams, Al-Bajet led by Suffian and MatD led by Isnor. Prior to the competition, we had a hard time splitting the already scarce manpower into two teams, but we had to. So here I am, blogging to you about my experience being part of Al-Bajet.

DAY 1

1900 hours

Tisch Asia School of the Arts – Kick Off Event

Shahril was kind enough to drive Suffian, Linda and myself to Tisch, which to my surprise, located at some isolated part of Singapore. Looking back, Tisch is far more inaccessible than NTU. I wonder why the organisers decided to make Tisch their headquarters. So upon reaching Tisch, we registered, paid the registration fee and waited anxiously for the organisers to release the competition details. Each team was required to draw the genre for their short film, and all teams are to use the given character, prop and line of dialogue in the most creative manner possible.

The team insisted I picked the genre though Linda is the one with the magic fingers. I picked a piece of paper from Mike’s (the organiser) cap and read the genre written. You can imagine how surprised I was when it read ‘Detective/Cop’. I was expecting a simpler genre like drama or comedy.

So basically, we were given the following details to craft our short film:

Genre: Detective/Cop

Prop: Scissors

Character: Amy/Andy Yeo, Journalist

Line of Dialogue: Is it supposed to look like that?

Then came the journey to look for an inspiration…

These, my friends, are the faces of thinkers like Leonardo Da Vinci.

2100 hours

Golden Landmark Hotel and Shopping Centre, ModKebaya

We proceeded to Rezza’s dad’s office to discuss our film at Golden Landmark Hotel. It was getting late and we were sort of stuck when it came to finding an inspiration. Then out of the blue, Linda said that till today, life’s greatest mystery has yet to be solved…

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

We are all familiar with this nursery rhyme, especially those who grew up with Barney. And thus, we decided to let our story evolve around cookies. More on that later.

Discussing the plot and story.

DAY 2

0130 hours

The Comfort of My Bedroom

Upon reaching home, I did the script. After a can of Redbull and a cup of Vietnamese coffee, I finished the script at 4.30 am.  I went to bed just when my mum woke up for Subuh. Nice.

0900 hours

My House

The cast and crew dropped by my lovely home for rehearsal as well as to survey the location for filming later at night. We met some new faces; Dayang, Kelly, Ilyas and Jas who made up our cast. Shaffira made a cameo appearance in our film as well.

After a few rehearsals and a brief briefing by our Director, Suffian, we headed to a multi storey carpark to shoot our first scene.

Rehearsing at my house.

Feeling-feeling make up artist!

1200 hours

Tampines Street 72 Carpark

So we shot the first scene, and I must say this is the first time I was working with other people for a film. My previous projects have been pretty much individual ones so working with others was quite an experience. Rezza and Suffian may not have the same style as myself, but when we combine ideas, it works perfectly.

Rezza playing around with the angles that work best.

DIY dolly track courtesy of Suffian’s brother in law!

Dayang’s piercing scream!

Ignore the minah sitting like an apek, the focus is on the sound man!

Linda and I having fun with the dolly track. Heh.

1700 hours

Badoque Restaurant, Simpang Bedok

We spent a tad too much time at the carpark, but we still managed to shoot at the coolest hang out place ever, Badoque! It was not packed and the staff were really helpful and friendly. They made sure we had everything we need so that shooting would on smoothly.

Bird’s eye view of how the place was set up.

Rezza doing his thing – being the Director of Photography!

Rehearsing before the first take.

Suffian as director!

2130 hours

Back at my place

Finally, we went back to my place, or HQ, for the final scene – probably the scariest and most suspenseful scene ever. We had fun shooting till 3am on Sunday morning, as well as the rain that made my house sound haunted according to Linda. Oh and the dolly track came for a visit as well!

This is what happens when your talents have too much talent and too little sleep – Ponyo Ponyo dance.

DOLLY DOLLY DOLLY!!!! I’m in love with that track!

FULL FORCE! From left – Me, Keynah, Kelly, Linda, Lina, Shaffira, Rezza, Ilyas, Jas and Suffian!

DAY 3

2033 hours

Tisch Asia School of the Arts

Yups, we submitted the film 3 minutes late. But fret not, there’s always a silver lining somewhere. Hence, I present to you, the trailer of ALIAS | ILYAS.

Things to do Before Leaving Meridian Junior College

1.    Bring your guitar to school everyday and initiate mass sing-a-long sessions in the canteen. (make sure the songs are not played by MATS or BENGS underneath the void decks)

2.    If you hate you GP tutor, choose one of the following options to avoid listening to her monotonous droning voice:

a.    The Sarah
i.    Raise your hand to be excused to the toilet
ii.    Enter toilet cubicle and lock the door
iii.    Put down the seat cover
iv.    Proceed to take your daily afternoon NAP
v.    Return to class 5 minutes before the end of GP lesson looking revitalized and sparkling

b.    The Charlotte
i.    Keep a VERY VERY VERY long fringe
ii.    Let you fringe down during GP (or other lessons you hate)
iii.    Use as a protective coverage to avoid detection from your tutor that you are actually asleep

c.    The Joseph
i.    Find a strategic seat at the back of the class
ii.    Listen to your tutor for a nice lullaby
iii.    Lean your head backwards, open your mouth
iv.    SLEEP

d.    The Sham (recommended for uncreative people who cannot be bothered with TRYING to look awake)
i.    Put head on table
ii.    Sprawl arms on table
iii.    Continue to remain in comatose state until lesson is over

e.    The Rox and Grace
i.    Proceed to have a party in the Sick Bay

f.    The Zahrah
i.    “Where is Zahrah?” GP tutor asked?
ii.    Class goes silent

3.    When in doubt of where omnipresent weird humming noise is coming from, get Miss Sarina to say to Joseph “Eh Joseph, shut up!” Noise ceases.

4.    On BE YOURSELF DAY, dress up as Siamese (conjoined) twins wearing Batman costumes and walk around the whole day with great difficulty, banging into things and people.

5.    In Maths lessons, think of flying unicorns and rainbows. Then realize in JC2 that you didn’t know the existence of 100000000 topics went through last year.

6. When asked to take on the role of a nationalist during History lesson, create a country called Magicarp where people are divided not into races but their favourite ice-cream flavour.

7. When in doubt, even if you are a teacher, ask the class genius, also known as Ezra Ho for further clarification.

8. Use a big pencil case for everyday use – not just as a public stationery shop, but also to hide food items to sneak into the library.

9. When confronted by the evil librarian about the packets of food next to your jacket on the table, deny all allegations and insist those do not belong to you.

10. After the graduation party your school hosted, steal the entire tumbler full of drink and bring it up to your class while being chased by the crew of school councillors.

A Date with A Visual Effects Artist: Effandi Mohamed

When I was asked to interview a visual effects artist, I was more than glad to do it.

When I was asked to interview a visual effects artist who does effects for Hollywood movies, I was thrilled.

But when I was asked to interview a visual effects artist who did effects for The Dark Knight, my hands were shaking in excitement.

Everyone, meet Effandi Mohamed, a visual effects artist at Double Negatives (Dneg for short).

As I crafted my questions for the interview, my head started to go blank. I certainly could interview an actor, writer, musician, or even a director. Yet, I had no idea what to ask a visual effects artist! This is a sign that Singapore needs more people in the visual effects industry so journalists can interview. Thankfully, Effandi was able to understand that.

Our interview took place at Starbucks Tampines (they had a major makeover and I AM THRILLED!), even though I was reluctant fearing that it was too casual an atmosphere for an interview. Effandi assured me that Starbucks was a good venue, “Chill ahh… We’re in the creative industry! We have to be relaxed and casual!” That being said, I dumped my bag on the sofa and immediately queued for a Caramel Macchiato.

The 29-year-old visual effects artist who enjoys football, traveling and photography is someone whom we can call a role model. Despite having worked on mega Hollywood blockbusters, Effandi stayed calm and humble through out the interview session. I asked Effandi on the prospects of Singapore’s role in the visual effects industry as well as the future of local films incorporating visual effects.

How did you land a job in the visual effects industry?

I was studying at CG Protégé and Dneg staffs dropped by to visit the school and informing us they are recruiting talents from Singapore for their London office. They like what they see from our works and requested us to submit our showreels if we’re keen on working with them. Back in 2004-2006, the 3D industry was slowly picking up its pace in Singapore, considering it is a multi billion dollar industry. It was a very competitive market in Singapore at that time and therefore I decided to try my luck with Dneg.  Few weeks later I was interviewed by Dneg’s HR Manager and 2D VFX Supervisor and I was very nervous during the interview. A week later, I got an email from the HR Manager that I was accepted and they are flying me off to London soon.

Have you always considered a career in the media industry specializing in visual effects? What were some of the difficulty faced?

It has been a dream of mine since I watched Armageddon, Matrix and some other VFX movies and to have my name in the credits of a Hollywood blockbuster. When I graduated from LaSalle in 2001 majoring in multi-media art, there was not much demand for 3D works in Singapore and therefore jobs in the 3D industry were limited to those lucky few. Nevertheless, I still took the risk of studying what I love, not knowing much about where my future was headed, really.

Without hardship, there is no success. It took me ten years to get to where I am now. I had to make do with a job as a videographer and video editor at the Singapore Police Force for five years while I waited patiently for the 3D industry to boom. Perhaps if I didn’t get an F9 for English during my O Levels, I would probably have had a better job upon graduation. I guess everything happens for a reason – I’m happy where I am now.

What do you like most about doing visual effects in Hollywood movies?

A visual effects artist has to be meticulous and really pay attention to detail. Mistakes can be seen obviously and the precise technicalities challenge me to do my best and that’s what I like about doing visual effects. Of course, end of the day our name will be credit and been seen around the globe which I find it really cool.

What were some of the movies you have worked on?

Angels & Demons, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Quantum of Solace, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Hellboy II: The Golden Army and The Dark Knight.

How did you feel when you found out you were working on the Dark Knight – the biggest Hollywood blockbuster since Titanic?

Actually, I had no idea it would turn out to be a box office hit. In fact, I belief neither did any of us at Dneg when we’re working on it! We knew we had to be very precise with out work since it’s in IMAX format. It be nice if The Dark Knight could smash Titanic all time record.

So do you think Singapore is ready for post-production work like visual effects?

Seriously speaking, the visual effects industry in Singapore is still an infant industry. Give it a few more years; coupled with government support, trainings in schools and public awareness, the industry will certainly grow. Singapore government needs to give all the support it can give to the industry because a lot of things are involved to create stunning visual effects like special effects, building miniatures sets, props etc.

Comparing Singapore and Hollywood, how different are the two film industries?

Huge differences, man! Hollywood uses loads of big trucks full of actors, camera crew, make up crew artists and whole lots of equipments etc just to shoot one scene! Imagine the scale of production compared to Singapore! Besides, they are able to have bigger budgets and therefore they can use it for visual and special effects. They have proper filming studios when we ourselves do not.

What do you hope to see in the filming industry in Singapore?

We need more filmmakers who are willing to take the risk and integrate visual effects in their films. This is the only way for this industry to succeed in Singapore.

What do you hope to see in Singapore’s visual effects industry?

Strong government backing with financial support – in large amounts, of course! *wink * This financial backing will of coz help to improve in all aspects to build this industry from education, luring companies and creating more jobs for fellow Singaporeans.
Hopefully we’ll see more established CG companies setting up studios here in our little island, and perhaps more Malays will get involved in this industry. We can’t be sitting at our office desks being contented with whatever we have. We need to be chasing our dreams; even if takes us a long time to achieve it.

And yes, we need more ladies in the industry (chuckles).

What is your advice for potential visual artists and wannabes?

Work hard – it’s not just the creativity but also the technical know-hows and artistic value of your work. With both elements, you can be the best visual artist if you really want to.

Is It Really Worth It?

People ask me why I am doing things the way I am now. They ask if I understand fully the consequences and risks I might encounter while achieving certain things. And I always tell them there’s no harm trying because I will never regret what I did. After all, never regret anything because at some point of time in your life, it was something you really wanted.

What about the things you never wanted? Or the things in life where you had no control over like your roots and origins? Or perhaps your ability to make a choice although there never was one? What if doing something right meant sacrificing your dreams and aspirations?

Will you regret these things?

I’m reading Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper, and it brought me thinking – can we decide to make a choice about something that we don’t really have a say in?

I know what I want in life, and it is my right not to tell anyone. Just so you know, you’re not the only one with dreams.

It’s A Wrap!

It’s 2.40 in the morning. I am blogging because Al-Bajet has just wrapped up production for 48 Hour Film Project! I’ll be updating pretty soon with pictures to share what making a film in 48 hours feels like.

Till then, I’ll be sleeping in till noon today.