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Wednesday, July 25, 2007
+ The older we get, we become more attached to our toys +
went LAN gaming with joash. Haven't sat in a LAN shop for ages. Totally unused to the dim lighting and the blindingly good graphics of Quake 4 and Command and Conquer 3. Now i know what i've been missing in the gaming sphere. I wonder if i'll ever go back to hardcore gaming. My first-player shooter skills haven't depreciated that badly, but i could only do 2 hours straight before my brain started twitching. So yeah, been wondering, since its my last year (probably) in student life, what will things be like once I'm working? Thus far, all I'm certain of is how I'm gonna spend that money! hahaha! bachelors pad with home theater system, xbox 360, and whatever imba desktop the industry has to offer by then... but... in the near future... my next toy/tool will be the Sony Ericsson k850i  i knew Sony Ericsson wouldn't let me down. When the Nokia N95 came out, i wondered: when will Sony Ericsson gimme a 5 megapixel camera phone? i don't really need a web-surfing phone, just a more muscular version of my trusty k700i. The k800i didn't really fascinate me with the 3.2 megapixel cam. The photo-blogging function raised my eyebrows tho... but hey, with the k850i, hell, it was well worth the wait. My K700i is still surviving at 2 years and 3-4months old. In a couple o months i'll have the perfect replacement! Plus the photo-bloggin function! video-bloggin function! With 5 megapixel Cybershot cam, with this phone i'll also solve my need for a good camera, AND probably solves my need for an MP3 player. With the video-cam mode, guerrilla filming here i come! the great thing about technology is, the longer you wait, the better it becomes. then just get somethin tailored to your needs. ---------------------------- other stuff i got recently: 160 Gb external hard-drive Cardbus with multiple ports: 2 x USB, 1 x firewire, 1 x DV ---------------------------- now video editing the Synthesis youth month events. i was arrowed remarkably fast after the Parable Project. haha. As Ps Fu-Man says, if one's toys become used for the wider community and glory of God, they are no longer toys, they become TOOLS! cheers! *raises wine glass*
Friday, July 20, 2007
+ Parablers best pics for... +
5 best pics for a CD cover... I swear... some of these shots are really good lor!  some rock band with an over-enthusiastic female member  J-pop/K-pop album... or CD back cover...  if this CD fails... it'll make a great dating ad...  new age  like some... teen pop group... sial 6 best pics for a horror movie...  if Dan wasn't a such spoiler at the back... this would be truly horrifying  the rabid bane of chinese desserts everywhere  man... this is just plain freaky  join the blind rappers society  Robo-Cyclops-Gaither is gonna hunt u down and terminate you... so you wont get a contract for the sequel  kids... dont ever play in plutonium...
Thursday, July 19, 2007
+ you won't be afraid of Fear +
events of the week: back from SWOC, KR seniors' pre-camp b4 orientation. im burnt to a crisp due to 1 day worth of games at sentosa. i signed up to be a ghost for fright nite. fear me. also watched Transformers (for a second time) with Parable Project peeps. It was just as enjoyable as the first time watching. And the feeling u get from seeing fellow film appreciators, awed, laughing, inspired, that feeling is just indescribable. will be pulling an all-nighter again tonite to make sure the freshman-edition of the FASS magazine (Insomniac) is complete before matric fair. The current draft looks to be wrecking havoc on the lives of the Insom editing team. Never in my whole NUS life has the freshman-edition ever been completed without an all-nighter by the editors. We hypothesize that our predecessors of 6 years ago cursed all following generations by naming the FASS magazine "Insomniac". to all prospective parents, please name your children well. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- that nite out with the Parablers, i received a call from JCRC (hall excomm). They wanted me to direct the next hall stage production. It'll be at the massive University Cultural Centre (UCC) hall. my first reaction was fear. I stalled for time, told him i'll think about it. This is gonna be my last year in uni... did i really wanna spend it on a hot-potato of a job? i had acted in the previous production. we remember it's grandeur. The previous director's shoes will be tough to fill. I knew the jobs in management were ever more killer than my acting job. But at the same time, i loved my time in production, and i knew i may never get a chance like this... ever again. that nite on the train back, i wondered why i was so scared. Ever since i made a commitment to myself in the army, i had swore-off a normal life. i began to become increasingly self-critical in order to improve myself. I was terrified of becoming just another brick in the wall. I turned my fear into a force to propel myself to greater heights. I threw myself into dreams and projects just to prove to myself i could do them. 2004: wrote songs, saved to buy a good guitar, practiced guitar 2005: wrote songs, played guitar in gigs, joined church youth comm, joined FASS Rag, writer with FASS Insomniac Magazine, wrote to soccer forum page of New Paper. 2006: wrote plays, backstage manager at "Storm in a Fishbowl", editor with Insomniac n kicked-off 1st ever FASS Insomniac online magazine, joined FASS Orientation-week comm. Elected as History Society Publications Director. wormed my way into Kent Rigde Hall, joined KRX drama team, joined KR sports writers, joined KR original music writers, fought towards getting a youth service for church, attended META camp 2007: youth service successfully started, joined Campus Crusade, sports writing during Inter-Hall Games, acted in hall production, wrote song n played it in hall AIX, recorded 1st-ever podcast for Insom Online, producer for 1st ever inter-hall dramafest.... then... BURNOUT I realized the Fear that drove me forward was insatiable. Nothing i did was ever enough. Nothing gave me peace of mind. The worst fear of all was that someone would expose me for the fraud i really am. That i was driven by nightmares instead of dreams. the most haunting question: will doing all this get people to love me? There. I've said it. I've exposed myself. I beat anyone else to it. heh. suck on that, Fear. holidays: joined The Parable Project (TPP). I guess i too was searching for God, wondering if there was any meaning in the way i had lived since the day the fucked-up army released me. After God spoke to me in (TPP), i prayed that i'll conquer the Fear that had become such a close partner in my life. I wanted Jesus to take the wheel and steer. Fear has had it for too long. God answered my prayer in style. My insecurities burnt to ashes. I never ever had such a restful holiday. Then the call came. Suddenly i didn't have the driving force to say "yes". I wrestled with the question. I wanted to slack in my new-found assurance. I prayed all the way on the train. I poured myself out to God. To which His simple reply was "What are you afraid of?" Every time i argued why it'll be a bad idea, i got the same reply. "What are you afraid of?" Every time my arguments were rebuffed, i felt more courageous. By the time my prayer ended, i was dead certain i wanted to do it. If Jesus is in charge, why should i be afraid? There was nothing there that could scare me anymore. I called back to say i wanted to be Director. Perhaps... it was God's plan that i had expanded my skills... to prepare me for a time such as this... But now, He wants me to be powered by dreams instead of nightmares. Thank God. How will i ever express it better? *raises wine glass*
Friday, July 13, 2007
+ The Parable Project +
prepare yourselves for the longest post of all time. So long, i had to split it into 5 posts. i've been late in writing and recollecting the events of the last month, primarily becos i wanted to ingest all the memories and look at things from hindsight, secondarily becos i knew it'll be killer tough to pen down absolutely everythin at one shot, so my lazy side usually had the final say. May 28-June 15... arguably the biggest thing to hit me all year. The Parable Project (TPP). Gen12ii mission trip of Campus Crusade for Christ. A crash-course in film-making. First time ever attempted by them. First time ever attempted by me. This post deserves to be long. I don't meet God that often, but He spoke to me during those 3 weeks. I had signed up for TPP some months before, not really knowing what to expect, thus i didn't expect much. I just thought that I could put my acting skills to use for God. I was fresh and still bleeding from a major major emotional setback.Timing was perfect. May 27. To all TPP peeps who might be reading this, if i looked ok on Monday May 28, then lets just say my acting had already started. I wanted to come into God's service with a professional heart, to do my absolute best, even if i had to bluff myself into being ok. At that stage i was using work to distract myself. I wondered if God really wanted me here. Lessons started, then one lecture really hit me. The gist goes that Jesus told stories to encourage people to question themselves. He didn't go around forcing the truth down people's throats. Today our modern means of story-telling is thru film and media. And our stories can reach millions. I knew then that i really wanted to be a part of this. due to some photo-crazy frens, the rest of the story can be told in pictures (better that than a thousand words right?)  Gabriel, Hui Hui, Rajan. Tryin hard to absorb a particularly technically-inclined lecture.  (from left to right) our pro (Harry), and semi-pros *heh heh*( josel, drew, john, carl) wow, someone managed to get a candid shot of all of em'!  apparently, some friendships forged were... er... chummier than others  amidst all the busy-ness, we had a welcome break with Joann's surprise birthday celebration! She didn't suspect a thing, already expecting to forsake a b'day in God's service. But we couldn't let her, could we?  aww... look at that happy face! priceless.  barney and her bro made a surprise entrance   and we finally had our first ever group photo before long, we were split into 4 groups, each tasked to come up with a killer script. From these, 2 will become the Chosen Ones.  i teamed up with Terri, Li Ling, and Daniel (left to right). seeking inspiration at the roof of Vivo City, we bumped into another team. Marcus, Marilyn and... Jocelyn (not in frame) . little did we know that we would meet once again and combine our forces as Chosen Ones. (ok, maybe Chosen Ones sounds cheesy... any better suggestions?)  ...perhaps it was a match made in heaven. (ah... Jocelyn's in frame now) but for now, we went our separate ways. The next day, my team proceeded to Starbuck's. Hoping to find inspiration in overdoses of coffee. While the other team fried brain cells at Jocelyn's house. We relentlessly bugged her on MSN. Whenever we were bored in fact, which occurred quite often. The creative process is a long and arduous road. The following photos are proof of the toll it takes on mental health.    7-11 man to the rescue! 24hours a day!  marcus developed a fetish for sticking his head in weird places.  only later he discovered that ppl warm their feet in that fluffy pink thing. he wasn't laughing then.
+ +
turns out, a script titled "Shoes Anonymous" was born from amidst this madness. i was quite proud of it... it started from Daniel's idea to use the theme of suicide, and my idea to shoot shoe shots to tell the story. Marcus, Marilyn and Jocelyn were tasked to join our group. Thus team "shoes anonymous" was born, a crazy combination of talents only God could have thought of. We immediately got to work on storyboarding and location scouting.  they elected me to be director. They took awhile to convince me. I was scared. It was a huge task. And the scariest part was, it was going to be work for God Almighty, Big Man himself. The job demanded me to be a perfectionist, something i really had too little practice in being.  Rookie through and through. I frequently wondered if God really chose me for this.  The other team's script was titled "Showhand". Jiet Sie(director) and Rajan (editor), consulting Harry (pro man to the rescue) The following shots came from the location scouts. The places are really cool. Maybe locations for a future shoot?      Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. -Psalms 36:5   Joce is stoning again! Quick! throw something at her!   whoa... super emo shot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After a hard day's scouting, they needed refreshments.  Marcus reports: Coming to aid Dan by her superhuman strength, She Hulk Liling uncontrollably rips the chair to shreds. Unable to control her powers, SHL has become a super menace to public property...  Marcus reports: Thank goodness for her super heroic social resposibilities! She Hulk Liling attempts to put the chair back to its original form for the sake of the greater public, but alas... to no avail... the chair was long accepted in furniture heaven. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ +
Then came the trial by fire. Our pros pointed out some weaknesses in our script. We took the criticism with a pinch of salt at first, but after much debate, WE decided to SCRAP THE SCRIPT. Time was running out. It was two days before shooting of another script, "A Sticky Affair", conceived by our pros. This was the most trying part of TPP. To overhaul the script and improve it. To balance off the conflicting points of view and the conflicting styles of working. All the while trying to get into the head of a suicidal girl for the script. Things looked dire. We felt like shit. There were fears the team would fall apart. There were fears the main character's depression was rubbing off on us. I took the team out of the building to trash out our issues. We poured out our feelings to each other. We prayed desperately. We emerged with a new determination to finish what we started. What God started. and thankfully... we emerged with friendships not merely intact, but strengthened.  so began the first shoot, where i learnt the ropes as an assistant director. That box of colourful thing-ies are gels for lighting. I learnt to hate dragging that around. Cos you'll never know which you'll need, so just bring all. At this point, the "shoes anonymous" script and storyboard was still not out *sweats*.  "A Sticky Affair" was a comedy about chewing gum addiction. Unfortunately it rubbed off on more than a few of us. The spare props were soon eaten. We were given 48hours shooting time for our flicks. Our scripting ate into shooting time. We had 30hours shooting time left. Let the shooting begin!  You know how everything looks perfect on screen? well, off-screen... looks like an illegal sweat shop. smells like one too...  Terri our sound.. woman! looks like she's reporting from some disaster area.  was so engrossed i didnt know sum1 was gg ard snappin pics  fortunately, it makes me look vaguely glam... hahahha!  It was 8pm at nite. We needed a day shot. So we tweaked the lighting with a lil movie magic, making a warm morning-ish effect. By the time we were done with lights, it was 12am! Time for action already! Slept 3 hours that nite.  rise and shine. All set for the soccer shot. But we needed mud! Miraculously, Dan's fren lived in the shooting location, providing a bucket of water on extremely short notice. He came and disappeared mysteriously like the wind.  imagine trying to film a running soccer player with this crew attached to you.  all the while, Josel hovers around, hoping to catch a blooper on film.  next stop: rooftop scene  a view to die for  dark foreboding clouds drift in  josel(staff) and Li Ling(producer)  Joce(star) and Dan(gaffer) mucking about  it was hot, i was on a concrete roof and on a tight schedule, thus visibly exasperated.  But it was a real joy cos God provided the PERFECT WEATHER to shoot! Dan looks like he's posing for a Ministry of Education poster. "I can do anything, if you TEACH me how!" inspirational wallpaper anyone?  Back for the room shots. Marcus mopes about his uneven tan.  everyone is dying. 4 hrs shooting time left. final sprint.  some of us are dying in weirder ways than others  Looks like joce is picking for ticks. at 0015hrs... we declared "ITS A WRAP!". truly orgasmic moment. Next stop: EDITING!!! *scary dramatic music fills the air* I see dead people. I was one of them.  Josel editing the behind-the-scenes shots.  Hui Hui, Production Assistant from "Showhand"  Marilyn, our diligent editor.  Joann composed music for "Showhand" ALL BY HERSELF!! i wish i was so skilled.  Dan and Marcus, my dedicated cinematographers, in intense discussion.  then they notice the camera, and reverted to their true selves.  andrew, star of "A Sticky Affair", playing around on drums  John n Pam Gaither. They came over from USA, and hope to do a "Parable Project" back home too  new and innovative ways to snooze with all the gloom around the office, I attempted to liven things up by showing the youtube video "Indian Thriller with lyrics". It drove everyone's fragile sanity over the edge. Marilyn is still traumatized. Rajan laughed to tears. I have officially introduced Indian Thriller to the Campus Crusade for Christ. I am such a positive influence. Even this late into production, i struggled, wondering if i was really the right guy God chose. I felt extremely unworthy. All through the thing, i had to make big decisions and stick to them or risk wasting time. I was called a dictator for the first time in my life. Finally my decision to audition a narrator for "Shoes Anonymous" would make or break the whole thing, and i was terrified of making it. I wanted God to make the decision. I wanted to flip a coin. But God said... he trusted my decision. It was like, a huge weight on my shoulders just disappeared. I chose Jiet Sie to narrate, poaching her from her directing duties at "Showhand" , for awhile. Finally the pieces came together, after cutting and chopping, we took 6mins and 45sec from our entire shoot of 2hrs worth of film. Check out our films under the "Music and Movies" section of my blog!(includes "Indian Thriller with lyrics") or visit http://www.wideangleproductions.blogspot.com/ (includes a short write-up on what is WideAngleProductions) |
