Self help seminars are all the rage nowadays with big names speakers like Anthony Robbins of ‘Awakening the Giant Within’ fame making it to our shores so it is hardly surprising that the local filmmaking industry with the initiative of one man in particular, Mr. M.P. Nathan, is looking to import Hollywood expertise to our shores. Self help for moviemakers anyone? Welcome to the Action Cut Seminar.

This seminar is returning after an initial bout in 2002, yup…they did it once before, all the way out in the now down trodden dessert that is cyberjaya but to their credit they have manage to arouse enough interest and collaborations even then (yours truly was there in attendance) to lure Mr. Guy Magar back for a second round. It is hardly surprising that the seminar is now within much reachable venue, that of Sunway University Campus.

Anyway, seated at my desk upfront here in Sunway, my arsenals of stationary primed, I feel so much like a schoolboy once more waiting in anticipation of a teacher who’s flying in from that mystical place of filmmaking Hollywood. Yes folks it is Hollywood Comes To Malaysia right here today! A quick glance around, I see some familiar faces…Actors - Aflin Shauki, Animator -Syed Hassan, Film Critic -Hassan Muthalib, Infamously Vocal Producer David Teo of Metrowealth, Commercial Director - Virginia, K.L. menjerit’s Director of Photography - Mukriz, Film Exhibitor Yvonne of GSC, Film Distributor Patrick Wee of Audio One and even Dave, the Camera Department personnel of film equipment rental house F.E.G. Among them, sits an army from Finas and other companies, all geared to up their game I suppose… in this seminar.

The compulsory speeches and thank you starts the day leading up to the launch gambit where the James Bond theme screams out from the speakers with confetti cannons blasting left right corners effectively awaking those still sleepy in this cold Friday morning.

blah blah blah blah.....FULL VERSION IN CINEMAONLINE...blah blah blah

After a day, everyone looked tired but appropriately enlightened with a wealth of information. Pacing for the seminar was good and the information relayed made you felt satisfied, an ‘Ooomph’ if you will. Audiences earned a quite through understanding of the process. Though its not what I don’t already know having been in a feature film, producing commercials under my company and also having sat through Action Cut 3 years back, I personally gives the thumb up for Guy. It’s nice to have what basic essentials of filmmaking you know sorted out for you, re-looked and reinforced. In the words of an Akademi Filem Malaysia graduate, it’s equivalent to an entire semester of pengarahan ( direction ) and penerbitan (producing classes).

Self Help for Filmmakers

the need to do… very small words...

How come we can go to school and study when we cannot do so at home? Or so it seem so to me it's because we hapless beings become stingy when it comes to giving a measly donation but willingly fork out huge sums of money to pay for tuition whether it be an after school tuition or in the context of college. Remember that line from Good Will Hunting? Something about books and how one can choose to actively better oneself through books at the library? There're so many books out there...if you are armed with a basic workings of how to read (you'd be surprised at our literacy rate)... technically you can bring yourself to the ranks of any scholar if you just work at it and consume information like how we say consume food when we are hungry...Given, it is not an easy nor fun task...hence the meaning of the word DISIPLINE hence why we have to have tuition so we can be whipped and forced to do so by our tutors...

I am provoked to writing this because today (July 10th) I was talking to a friend about when he will start shooting his own film. Correction, I wasn't talking but sneering him as to when he will start. Rewind a little...this friend of mine is a hardworking crew member of a huge production entity but that's all he does...he's a crew. He doesn't get any say whatsoever and he doesn't get much real satisfaction from what he does...he always whines about how he admires independent filmmakers who have day job and yet prolifically makes films. He longs to tell his story like them but never seem to start despite me offering as a friend to give him the support both technically and morally. Duties as a friend and as a filmmaker who craves tales, I want to see his stories told too and wish I could kick his skinny but lazy ass to work on it. He tells me a good premise. I say work it into a story and write it down. Foward one month...we meet up, he has yet to write anything saying he wrote it already in his head...I say fine...next week...a week pass he says he cannot write it out in English. I say fine...write it in chinese...a week later I am to repeat my frustration again due to another excuse...The world can be filled with excuses...I don't have my homework...my dog/cat/hamster/turtle ate it...the wind blew it out of my hand...it got soaked as my mum spilled her drink...I used it to wipe my smelly ass as the public toilet has no toilet paper...yeah right....an excuse is an excuse...you didn't do IT! Hence the work is undone, unfulfilled and uncreated…human kind didn’t progress….end of story.

In a world where lock stock and barrel half hearted merely money making shop-lot colleges proliferate and where we are all too consumed by the word intelligence, degree and graduation, I think we missed the point entirely…its all a matter of discipline and taking an initiative…I would say. The world’s smartest can be beaten if by mere means of overpowering and overthrowing his need to do.This article will be continued... I need to watch a movie.

Urgency and the Need to do.

Just moments before writing this, I received an sms from a lady excitedly exclaiming that SEPET is HMV no.1 best selling Asean film in Singapore. That lady has every right to be happy, her baby, SEPET has touched hearts, is loved by many and has claimed a number of firsts for a Malaysian film. To add to it’s mantle, it has become the first Malaysian film to play in Nokia Starlight Cinema. Ahh…the starlight cinema, though there is always the risk of rain, the presence of the occasional irritable insects, no soft seats to cushion your butt; there is a certain wonder of watching a film in starlight cinema, of watching a film under the stars amidst open skies and friends sharing a mat laid out in a field. Take off your footwear and short grass gently brushes your toes that curl in bliss. In addition, tonight there was also SEPET.

In the field there was a mix; hardcore SEPET fans whom seen the film before and has come for another serving, new crowds who have come to see what all the news about, as well as their unknowing friends who are about to discover a little movie about a chinese boy, a malay girl and an unforgettable love story. Just before the movie, the making of it was screened as to share with the crowd the joys and friendship that was born in making this film a year and a half ago in the land where pomelos are aplenty Ipoh. After the short video my two friends Sharifah Amani (ORKED), Ng Choo Seong (AH LOONG) and I presented a few gifts consisting of sepet T-shirts and posters to the crowd. It’s then that I have an odd feeling that a few of the collectables have been nicked, as there were fewer that I brought to the site. I should frisk all the staff of starlight. hahaha.

Then it came time, the lights dimmed and the movie starts…me, Choo Seong, Sharifah Amani and another cast member Alan Yun (Jason’s brother who answers the phone, one of Malaysia’s top models) sat and it bated breath just hope that they loved the film. Throughout the film we reminisce, we made fun (Alan jokingly stood and clapped momentarily for his short bat an eyelid and miss it moment in the film) and we changed dialogue (take for example … add lib dirty dialogue to Ida and Harith’s not naughty enough bed scene) Then, the film ended. It started with some starlight staff asking for autographs on their crew tags and lead to a whole queue of people with this funny grin asking for autographed and photo opportunity. After quite a number of John Hancocks, smile and flashes, the crowd cleared…as we walked out of the field, I just thought how fortunate it was for me to have this experience of being in this film…and also how surreal it was for me to have once watched a film here to be now on screen and making people laugh teasing Jason about cutting of his little brother. I was snapped out of the trance when I received a text message, “Thanks for the invite, enjoyed the movie and looking forward to the sequel ” I am a tad sad that my character will not make it to the sequel but you’ll have the sweet Orked and the King of Puteri Gunung Ledang who has a controversial LRT ad... Adlin Aman Ramlie. Your goose bumps up yet?

SEPET amongst the stars

A FEVER, A QUARELL...HAPPINESS
I shouldn't be all too happy as I just quarrelled with a friend and I have a hint of a fever... with a sore throat and a heavy forehead...allright...maybe I do have a fever...but I am happy...no I am not some sadist machoist to love pain... but I am happy as I view all this difficulty as part of my journey towards my goal...you see the fever was brought upon by nights awake finishing off my workload to earn my keep and the quarrell is over silly interpersonal stuff brought upon by you guessed it...a conflict of ideals in a shared dream to make films.

IN ANOTHER LIGHT
Talking about films, in a movie called Ask Me If I am Happy, the opening scene was of a dying man asking the audience to ask him is he happy? after he illustrates that happiness can indeed come in some funny ways...the diver who wanted to explore the depths of the ocean dying after he reached the sea bed... the climber who died at the peak he conquered...are they happy? Well happiness comes in funny ways...

WHAT SADNESS BRINGS
...some of my more morbid friends tend to look at life through a looking glass that's obviously tainted with sadness because I think life's wonderful with all it's dilemma being a sprinkle of pepper...what is a story's peaks without its lows? Being at a lowest point just mean there's only one way to go...up.Tragedy is often comedy it is said...you just have to know where to look...even in the Tsunami there was a silver lining...it watered down an acheh gearing for a civil war.True enough there are losses and sympathy to be had...we should grief for those at loss or lost but its a collateral of sort...we get more united in helping a nation rebuild, we again see that we are mere mortals at the wrath of nature and we learn to appreciate how fortunate we are.... rather cruelly, we also get gossip worthy news material...

EMBRACE
I see our lives as a journey...much as frodo has his trials to the mountain which made Lord of the Rings a thrill for some of us...our lives too need variety and that sometimes call for salt which as much as it stings also sterilize a wound...if you watched the pilot episode of desperate housewifes yesterday, you'll see in that an idealic life can often be less desirable than one with a flavour. and it was the flavour that made as well as attracted us to the show.

SEE
I am not born into a wealthy family but I was never left wanting aside from my crazy dreams which I chased hungrily even as a kid. At times, I wondered what it is like to be born a rich kid but also I really appreciate my upbringing that enriched me...but I had to see it...I know of friends in similiar consequences being unhappy...

GET UP
Why do we fall...the elder Wayne ask a young Bruce. So we can learn to get up. Always...always get up...things are never as bad as it looks when we are up and ready again after a fall...when I was young, I would be playing and running...when I fall, I'll just get up and tell myself it's not that bad so I can continue playing...had I gone to mother...I will be grounded and miss out on all the fun running and catching...but it is often neccesary to remember to get up...casualties who survive are often those with the will to recover and it is a known fact in business that most companies go belly up at the turning point from loss to profit.

RELATIVITY
when we are down...the floor provides an interesting angle of view but it often portray things in intimidating and horrific bigger than it is light...often, when presented or burdened with a problem...I take a cold shower, a big glass of honey and I seem to get pass the titanical hurdle with relative ease...

ROMANTIC MUSINGS
As a whole my musings today is merely about looking at disasters with a bright rose tinted eye...this last point is I think further emphasize how when romanticized a problem could be a pleasure.I don't know if this turns away girls or attract them...I very much like to be caught in a fix with my girlfriend cause in fear you will suddenly feel more protective and drawn closer to another as the common sense that there's safety in numbers dictates...I may remain single forever saying that it'd be romantic to be caught in a dire situation where you both know you will perish and have but moments to share. Relistic everyday view...I find that making up, shaking hand after a quarrel gives a great comfort...make better couples and better friends....

MORNING AFTER MIDNIGHT DARKNESS
So there is always happiness to be found even if it's in the romantic musings after...to all of you struggling with something...don't give up...and always get up.Happiness in a decision...In a storm... Leap for the rainbow...reebit!

Leap for the rainbow