Zarina Abdullah

2009-05-14T23:53:00.002+08:00

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN......

It seems that when blogging is more passe I have more of a vested interest in it. There's facebook, twitter...I can't keep up.....how I long for the days of simple pen and paper, it was so much more romantic. Anyway, I've watched this film recently - ok I had to wait for the dvd release because I highly doubt a local release in Malaysia and it'll probably be cut to pieces knowing them censors. If you're lost, the film is called LET THE RIGHT ONE IN which is based on a bestselling book by Swedish writer John Ajvide Lindqvist and beautifully directed by Tomas Alfredson. I'll say its the film that Twilight should have been. I'm too lazy to explain it all, you can wiki it at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_the_Right_One_In_(film)

As for myself, I'm taking a breather from filming and concentrating on writing. Films are made too fast these days, everyone seems to be in a rush (including myself at one point) but I believe it takes time to make anything good. And it all begins with the script....ergo the STORY. Something, I myself have struggled with. But as they say, you have to write many words of crap before anything brilliant can come out. Might consider changing this blog, once I can be bothered to hahaha.......Again thank you to those who have actually bothered to read my blog, and apologies for the lack of updates.

Take care all....till next time....I'll leave you with the first verse of the Morrissey song that inspired the author of Let the right one in.

Let the right one in
Let the old dreams die
Let the wrong ones go
They cannot
They cannot
They cannot do what you want them to do.

2008-10-16T18:44:00.003+08:00

BACK TO THE BLOGGING

A big thanks to Mikhail for inspiring me to write on this blog again. At least someone enjoys my ramblings :) I've decided to branch out from rather just writing about film to write about other stuff that just pops in my head. Unfortunately although I've figured out how to put pics on these things, I'm just too damn lazy to do so. I think I've been struck by a disease called Virtual Insanity.....remember that song by Jamiroquai (who I think is amazing). Its like information overload that you become so overwhelmed by all these amazing things you can do on the information superhighway that you become numb and useless. I can't even handle a simple mobile phone. Besides I've never liked phones, of course they are a very convenient form of communication, but the ringing (despite now you can get new pop songs as a ring tone, even my Mum is more up to date than I am) just drives me crazy. Ergo the phone is on silent as much as possible, not much use for work but good for my sanity. Apologies to all.

I've been reading up on 'Shadow People,' quite a bit lately -well mainly for work purposes. For those who think Shadow people are those Milli Vanilli background singers heres a simple definition for you from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_people Creepy eh? I've never had a personal experience with these things, and neither would I want to but its strange that so many have. I remember seeing a pair of red eyes peering out from the bushes when I was 8 but it was probably the cat.

Speaking of shadows, I saw this interesting Korean film called Shadows in the Palace. Heres the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcM4jxxfQSQ It was released last year but I never got a chance to watch it. Its interesting in the way that it mixes a costume drama/murder mystery with supernatural elements.

Quarantine is no 2 on the US Box office http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1082868/ Haven't seen it of course, but I loved the original Spanish film REC http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1038988/. Its The Blair Witch style of film-making, or shaky cam as most audiences will be familiar with.

Thats all for now...........

2008-05-20T14:00:00.002+08:00

IS THERE LIFE AFTER FILM SCHOOL?

Greetings, it seems I have seriously neglected this blog for a while. Just never seem to find the time or even know what to say. However I've been asked this question quite often, I think I've even read the book so I thought maybe I should blog about it. Actually the question should be Is there life after school? I think most 20 somethings get stuck in a rut after university/college/school, some have high hopes, some are just blur, some get disappointed.

The problem is to transition from the rather structured life of university to the hectic world of adulthood. As for life after film school, I think the problem is always to find that excitement you had in making those cheap, crazy student films. You didn't have to worry about production costs because everything was basically free and you didn't have to answer to anyone except the critique of your peers and lecturers, and you didn't have to worry about offending anyone - its excused as artistic license. You made films for yourself. Well thats what I did anyway. The struggle is to find that passion for filmmaking again with the projects where you do have to worry about money, marketing etc. I think the one thing I remember from film school that my wonderful mentors always said was make sure you have something to say in your films and I hope to keep on doing that!!

As for news on the me front, I'm working on something that I'm extremely excited with. Will let y'all know in due time. Mystery keeps it exciting, no?

2007-12-02T14:59:00.000+08:00

MISSING IN ACTION

For those who actually visit my blog, I'd just like to apologize for the ridiculously long hiatus. Never been good with this blog thing. Thank you though for taking the time to visit and posting your comments. Appreciate it tremendously......Its been so long I forgot my password!!!

Well a lot of things have been happening since April....my last blog entry. The film has been screened at PIFAN (Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival) in Korea which is the largest genre film fest in Asia. It was an amazing experience, unfortunately I didn't have much time to watch many films. After that we were screened at the first Australian Malaysian Film Festival in Melbourne in August and we got nominated and won a coupla awards at the Festival Filem Malaysia.

Next up will be Fantasporto in Portugal (another very cool genre film festival- this time I'm adamant to watch more films!!!) Well that's the latest buzz.

As for my next project, which is a common question I get asked often these days....well we shall see hehehe ;). I'm focusing on writing & developing a couple of projects......since I'm kinda superstitious will only announce anything once I get it complete and running. I know, oh so mysterious.

I'm quite a big fan of Princess Bride so was deliriously happy when Stardust (which happens to be one of fav books by my fav author Neil THE AMAZING Gaiman!!) and Enchanted pranced upon the big screen. A sucker for fairytale romance so if you haven't yet, please go watch!!! Beowulf was interesting in its interpretation but being a traditionalist as I am I thought it would have been better if it was live action (can't beat real human emotion).

Waiting to see ACROSS THE UNIVERSE since I'm a fan of Julie Taymor's work, so hope to see that soon. Thats all for now.

2007-04-05T23:17:00.000+08:00

LIFE AFTER, DURING CHERMIN

Allo all, just wanted to shout out a big thanks for your support of Chermin. Its been out in the cinemas for about 2 weeks now and thanx all for the positive feedback. We had our premiere/press conference on 15th March, will discuss that in next blog since I'm still getting the pics for that!!! Life has been pretty crazy for the past coupla weeks and I've been a bit lazy with the writing. Apologies.

Since I'm supposed to be honest in this blog, to tell ya the truth - all these cameras flashing in my face and questions targeted at me is very disconcerting. I love life behind the camera, but in front is a whole different matter!!! Oh well, that's the way it is. . . . should have one of those milli vanilli frontperson to do all the talking ;)

If you happen to read the papers, Chermin is heading off to Udine Far East Film Festival in Italy, which is the biggest mainstream Asian film festival in Europe - so that's really exciting!!! Plus we're gonna be featured on Horror Day. Actually I read that Japanese pic Dororo which is based on the comic will be screening there so will definitely catch that - I saw the trailer and loved it. Check it out: www.dororo.jp I think they are already in the works of Dororo 2 and Dororo 3. Wah, so quick!!!

So life after Chermin......moving on to next project which I've been working on for a while now (will tell ya all more when I'm done with it - very superstitious about these things ;) This summer is gonna be hell, a big pocket burner. . . just look at all the blockbusters coming our way. . . . and local cinema woah - there'll be a film every 2 weeks and thats damn cool!!!

Oh yeah, to those who actually visit this blog and drop comments, would really love to know what you want to see/hear on the big screen!!! I remember someone asking for a more rock heavy soundtrack, which sounds actually quite cool (will definitely take note ;)

Sorilah no cool pics in this blog, you just have to wait for the next one. Take care all and if I forget to respond to any posts please keep posting, I will definitely respond to it.

2007-01-08T01:10:00.000+08:00

RELEASE DATE!!

Happy New Year alls, yes realize I'm a week late but well better late than never! Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that Chermin will be released on March 22nd 2007!! So check it out.

Apologies for being MIA for well eons, I don't actually remember the last time I wrote in this blog. This year looks like an amazing year for movies, so I guess I will be permanently seated in a cinema. Speaking of cinema, I would just like to rave on about the cinemas in Thailand, lets just say the Thais take movie-going very seriously. Went to see Death Note 2 (which is brilliant btw) in one of them 'gold class' type cinema at Siam Paragon and was treated to a massage prior to the film and I even got tucked in with a blanket! And plus the audience actually watched the movie rather than chatting, playing with their mobile phones or worse answering them (that really gets to me!!!).

Also saw Babel recently, which I seriously recommend you all go see on March 1st, one of the most powerful emotional experiences. If I'm not wrong it completes the Trilogy collaboration between director Alejandro Inarritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga. Its visually stunning (happen to be fan of DOP Rodrigo Prieto who also worked on one of my fav films Frida); the music was beautiful and poetic and the performances (especially newcomer Rinko Kikuchi) were captivating and eloquent. Beautiful.

I am still dying to see Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinthe and I'm not sure if it will be released here in Malaysia- its one of those films you just have to see on the big screen. So please please please show it in Malaysia!!!

Gonna sign off now. Take care alls and to those who were kind enough to leave me comments, I will answer them soon, sorry for the delay! Again check out Chermin at a cinema near you in March!!

2006-10-10T10:54:00.000+08:00

FULL WEB TRAILER NOW ON WEBSITE!

Just to let you know the full length web trailer is now up on the website www.chermin.com.my This is not the theatrical film trailer with the full visual effects, that will be coming soon.

Since you are checking out trailers, which I hope you are! Check out Scorcese's remake of great Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs, The Departed! Scorcese, you rock! Its probably the best remake of an Asian film (ok besides The Magnificent Seven and the Original Star Wars, and ok The Ring). Another film to look out in future is Stranger Than Fiction with Will Ferrell- bizarre premise reminiscent of Charlie Kaufman flicks.

Thats all for now.

2006-09-10T20:36:00.000+08:00

ANG LEE THE MAESTRO IN MALAYSIA!!

Sorry, I always seem to be behind with the news but I'm sure you've all read that (in my opinion) one of the greatest filmmakers alive is right here in Malaysia filming his latest spy thriller, 'Lust, caution.' Gonna detract a little from my usual ramblings on horror film, and specifically my own film-making journey on making Chermin and just have a short gushing session on one of my fav directors.

I fell in love with Ang Lee's films when I first watched 'Eat drink man woman,' which is one of the most beautiful lyrical films about family, food, love, tradition and since then have had a hunger (xcuse the pun) for more. Its actually one of the films that actually got me interested in pursueing film-making. I loved 'The Wedding Banquet,' and of course Sense & Sensibility(big Jane Austen fan, hey which gal isn't? and really one of the best adaptations of a classic -still cry my eyes out when Emma Thompson(Elinor Dashwood) finally expresses her feelings to her sister Marianne!!) I've watched every single film he has done, and been moved by each one (and I don't care about the criticism of The Hulk!!) and was lucky enough to get a copy of his first feature Pushing Hands(Tui Shou) starring Sihung Lung (the father from Eat Drink Man Woman) another warm hearted gem about the conflict of juggling cultural traditions and modern American lifestyle. He is one of the filmmakers who has dared to try different genre's but still have his signature touch. Brokeback Mountain truly deserved its Oscar wins, this blog will never end if I go into that.

Film for me has always been about the story-telling and emotion and characters and that's what you always get with an Ang Lee film - its hard not to cry, laugh, feel. Its life through moving pictures!! Ok ok, when I said gush I meant GUSH!

Looking forward to seeing his upcoming film, 'Lust,caution,' and of course to seeing images of Ipoh and Penang onscreen. For more info on the maestro go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ang_Lee
and filming in Malaysia:
http://goldsea.com/Asiagate/609/07ang.html

2006-08-07T22:15:00.000+08:00

SOUND EFFECTS

Allo allo. I had a listen to the sound design, which is being done at Addaudio, and I'm not just saying this cos its my film but the sound really does help gel everything together and its sounding GREAT. Its strange in the filmmaking process that you see a film in so many stages but every step of the way its like watching something new - its like I'm making a new film each time. Sound design is probably one of the most least understood art - it is just as complex as visual effects and especially in a horror film just as important as the visuals. I won't even begin to explain it [yes i hear the sigh of relief]!!! - but for those interested check out anything written by Walter Murch(famous sound designer/editor who has worked with the likes of Coppola, Minghella) - he's the genius who did the sound design for Apocalypse Now, or check out this website: http://www.filmsound.org/

I'd just like to shout out a big thank you to Daniel Tang, who has been there from day 1, Sean and his cool sound design team Joe & Wai Onn, Rais our music engineer & producer Melisa - all from the cool sound studio Addaudio [yes it really is cool].

Next week I'll tell ya all more about the complexities of post-production, the editing etc which is also done at Addaudio. Ok more about that later. Oh yeah if you haven't watched it already, go watch Dorm (new Thai horror flick). Thai cinema really is very innovative and exciting, been watching the works of Apichatpong Weerasethakul,Wisit Sasanatieng, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang & of course the infamous Pang Bros - wish we had more access to their films here!!

2006-07-12T23:13:00.000+08:00

Ah music. A magic beyond all we do here! (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

The music score for Chermin was composed by the wonderfully talented Ms Adeline Wong. The score was completed last week and I'm just over the moon how unique and how well it blends into the film. Film and music are so similar in structure and well music really does help to heighten emotion. And Chermin is a really emotive piece. Ok I'll stop myself before I ramble endlessly.
Adeline has a perfect understanding of how music works in film, which is why I wanted to work with her. She has a very unique and different sound which I believe will add to the film's moody atmosphere.

Here's a brief account of how music scoring worked on Chermin. During pre-production, I went through with Adeline which scenes we thought music was required - the type of instruments which would be suitable and we discussed relevant films that had a similar feel. During production, Adeline visited the set to get a 'feel' of the film. As soon as there was a rough cut, Adeline would start her rough score and the final music would develop from there through revision etc. Its like any creative endeavour - you keep refining to get to a final product you are happy with. Since Chermin is a horror film (and a gothic one at that) it did require a lot of music so it took a while!!!

Well I guess you just have to wait to watch and listen to the wonderful music!!!

Since this blog was dedicated to music, the next one will be devoted to SOUND DESIGN( which is being done at the cool sound studio ADDAUDIO) , which is also important in Chermin(heck its a horror!!). More about that later!

2006-06-28T22:46:00.000+08:00

SPECIAL EFFECTS IN BANGKOK

Hey all, sorry haven't been blogging for a while. Just got back from Bangkok, visiting the post-production house Oriental Post where all the cool special effects is being done. For those interested in the technical intricacies of post-production, Chermin is completed as full DI (digital intermediate) for more details refer to the article http://www.ai-interactive.com/article.asp?articleid=219

It was a truly exhilirating experience seeing all the effects come to life - it blew my mind and I'm still recovering!!! Big big thanks goes to John Galvin, Joom(Pawadee Chantanom) & the entire team at Oriental Post for their passion and brilliance. Not to give too much away, the effects really does give Chermin that extra SCARE factor. The greatest pleasure out of filmmaking is the collaborative creative process and to see something in your head come to fruition or even better things you could never have imagined - which has been the case with my experience at Oriental Post!! Ok enough of my gushing (heck special effects is an emotional experience!!)

Look out for the trailer coming out on the website soon!!!

2006-06-05T19:57:00.000+08:00

SUPERNATURAL and ACTORLYMPICS!

Did anyone watch last week's SUPERNATURAL series on mirrors? I thought it was pretty cool, won't be saying Bloody Mary anytime soon in front of a mirror. Although the ghost coming out of the mirror thing reminded me of the Ring. Anyway Supernatural is always entertaining (since nowadays there's no more X-files!)

I got to see the actorlympics at the Actor's studio for the first time - it was hilarious! They should do a regular tv show cos comedy on tv is pretty sparse nowadays.

Here's a freaky photo I saw while browsing:

Too bad I don't have any pics on set cos well filming in the areas we were filming, there was a lot of freaky stuff going on. First day shoot was in Hospital Kuala Lumpur(HKL) in the emergency ward near the morgue!! I was pretty clueless cos I was absorbed in the filming but at times I did have a 'funny' feeling like there's something 'more' out there. Wouldn't want to be left alone there. Although I've had a strange fascination with pathology and forensics so maybe I wouldn't mind.

2006-05-23T00:52:00.000+08:00

More fascinating facts about mirrors.

Sorry I'm a bit of a sucker for useless trivia. But for those interested here's some trivia about mirrors and 'evil eye'. Since in the film Chermin there are references made to 'black magic.'

Wallis Budge wrote, 'Among some peoples the belief is common that 'the little man of the eye,' (i.e the figure seen in the pupil of the eye) can leave a man and enter another person and do harm. . . Of all the things which have driven man in all ages to invent and to use magic, the most potent is the 'Evil Eye.' (from the book Amulets and Talismans).

According to Plutarch (100 C.E) who is a Greek biographer and moralist whose work 'Plutarch Lives' have had a major influence on English and French literature, it's possible for people to injure themselves by staring into a mirror. So for similar reasons, the only way to destroy the mythical basilisk (whose gaze killed) was to hold a mirror to it.

2006-05-15T13:07:00.000+08:00

SLASHER FILMS AND OTHER HORROR

Welcome to Part 2 of the rundown of fav horror films. As mentioned in previous posts I can't stomach(xcuse the pun) gore and violence but since I watch anything and everything some slasher films are well just too damn entertaining to ignore. Here we go, again in no particular order:

1. Shaun of the Dead - hilarious, disgusting at times but a must-see for all zombie loving film buffs.
2.Night of the living dead - original Romero zombie fest - disTURbing!
3. Tesis - from the director who did The Others.
4. Jaws - what can I say? Genius.
5. Alien
6. Psycho - it was sacrilege for Gus Van Sant to remake this classic in the way he did.
7. Saw
8.Wolfcreek - lucky enough to see in big screen - really freaked me out.
9.Audition - ok only saw half of it cos couldn't handle it.
10.Bubba Ho tep - nothing gory about this one I just forgot to put it in the previous list.
11.Childsplay - hilarious.
12.The thing
13.The Fog (original Carpentar version)
14.Halloween.
15.The Texas Chainsaw massacre
16.Rosemary's baby(forgot to put on other list)
17.Scream
18.From dusk til dawn
19.The Frighteners (how could I forget Peter Jackson!)-still dying to see his original Bad Taste gore fest.
20. Ghostbusters- nothing scary but I loved it.
21. Seven - how could i leave this brilliant film out.

The list can go on and on. Some films I don't remember the whole of it just scenes- particularly one with Mia Farrow and kid ghost- The Haunting of Julia (man the last scene- couldn't sleep for weeks!) Oh yeah this is a well known thing but just to remind- one scene in Three Men and a Little baby - u get to see a figure of real ghost - might be a gimmick but a damn good one! Thats it for the gore list- mixed with other films I forgot to mention.

2006-05-10T11:06:00.000+08:00

MYSTERIES OF SCREENWRITING.

Well since I'm in the midst of writing, I thought I might as well try and illuminate those who are interested into the great mysterious world of screenwriting. Writing a script is one of those things that seem like 'magic,' but really its equivalent to actually making a movie- its hard work. I think its an exciting process because you get to make the movie your way in your head with no limitations.
There are numerous books that tell you the secret formula, and I must admit my mistakes were trying to prescribe to that formula (and lets just say I had many crap pieces of writing that noone should ever read!) But they were helpful; of course Syd Field's Screenplay is a must-read. The paradigm that he describes is one of those things that gets grossly misinterpreted.
Screenplay is about structure, and since I come from an analytical background I am a great advocate for this.
Everyone has their way of writing, but I was reading an article recently about a film-maker who went through the film school route with the dream of being a director but ignored his screenwriting courses. Realizing that after graduation the quickest route to being a director, is writing your own screenplay he endeavoured to write the best script ever (heck been there done that) unfortunately when he showed it to his agent, his agent didn't think the same. So to get to the point, he had to re-learn everything - read Syd's books, studied films and yes he found that most great films do conform to the 'paradigm.'
Oh yeah a very good blog is www.johnaugust.com a lot of great info about screenwriting.
I had a point to all this, oh yeah I prescribed to a formula and found I failed with this, the lesson I learnt was its good to understand the foundations of a screenplay but when you start writing you kinda have to throw that all out the window and just let your thoughts guide you(that is if you've done your outline and done all the character bios, research etc). Its like any other craft.
Oh yeah, read more and more scripts, check out this website: www.script-o-rama.com

2006-05-06T13:53:00.001+08:00

HORROR FILMS

Apologies for the lapse in writing, speaking of horror stories my beloved computer crashed so been having massive heart attacks about my loss of data. Advice to all techno-dummies like myself, please backup!!

Ok back to the whole point of this blog. . .Chermin, a horror film and I realized I've never actually discussed any horror films. I'm gonna briefly rundown through a list a some little known and known fav horror movies. (not in any order) Never really a fan of too much gore, I'm more into the stuff that stays in your head and gives u many sleepless nights.

1. The Exorcist - well what can I say, a classic. Freaked me out as a kid and I was lucky enough to see it on the big screen (the uncensored version) and well it still scares the shit out of me.

2. The Omen - Who can't help but love Damien? Apparently in the behind the scenes goss the art directors gf died a similar way to a scene in the film.

3. Nightmare on Elm street series - some of the early ones were pretty good. So glad my parents were cool enough to let a 7 yr old watch anything they liked :)

4. Evil Dead - My personal fav is Army of Darkness.

5. The Woman in Black - little known made for TV british horror based on the book/play in westend (too chicken to watch the play but apparently everyone says its damn scary). One of those films with an eerie feel throughout. This one really does gives u nightmares.

6. The Haunting (The Robert Wise version not the modern Hollywood one)
7. The Others
8. Sixth Sense - has to be on any list of great horror.
9. Dark water - original Japanese version.
10. A tale of two sisters- loved it for the art director/cinematography.
11. Kwaidan.
12. Nosferatu.
13. Dreyer's Vampyr.
14. Dracula - the one with Christopher Lee.
15. Polanski's Repulsion.
16. Shutter - great Thai horror- a must-see.
17. The Eye
18. Poltergeist
19. Ju-on
20. The Shining -I liked both the TV version and Kubrick's version (apologies Mr King), they both creeped me out!!!!
21. Picnic on Hanging Rock - ok not really a horror per se but well it gave me nightmares so I count it as one.
22. The Devil's Backbone - Guillermo del Toro is a genius - check out his new film Pan's labyrinthe.

Can't remember names of others. I watched some great Indonesian horror films as a kid but never remembered their names but they were freaky. Also a fan of the Chinese vampire ghost series. Well this is roughly a list of horror films with 'supernatural' elements that I love. Also liked some Roger Corman stuff and Jacques Torneour. Although I am not a fan of gore I do enjoy some psycho slasher films. Will discuss that in next post.

So how does Chermin fit in all this? Because I love films that give a lasting 'eerie,' effect and I'm a no. 1 wimp I wanted to make something in a gothic style that will give u nightmares. Notice most films above - don't have obvious monster like ghosts, actually most of them are more human. So Chermin was made with that in mind - people are way scarier than most 'ghosts'.

2006-04-18T09:19:00.000+08:00

COMPLAINT.

I've been re-scheduled about 5 times since March for a meeting with FINAS (the national film body) and I'm fed up. I'm sure a lot of local film-makers are as pissed off with FINAS as I am, a simple meeting becomes a 'challenge' for them. Really, I do wish they re-organize themselves because its becoming a joke. If anyone feels the same way, please do speak out.

2006-04-17T22:16:00.000+08:00

Monday Blues.

Raining nonstop lately. Great weather for writing, although the blogging thing I'm still getting used to. Well working on new project, can't say much now cos I don't want to 'jinx' it hehehe, lets just say its not a horror.
So back to Chermin, this time I'll discuss a bit about LOCATION.
99% of film, shot in the area of Janda Baik which is infamous for hauntings. I'm not sure if I got this story right, so feel free to correct me. To summarize, a famous local healer/witch doctor apparently captured all the spirits from KL (and maybe other areas?) and sent them to Janada Baik which is this gorgeous jungle area in the hills of Pahang. So the place has spirits, orang bunyian (like Fairies) etc.
How did I find Janda Baik? Basically I was looking through my mum's old fashion magazines and saw an article on a house in Janda Baik (i think the Magazine was dated about 10 years ago). So, we went on a location scout to the area, showed the mag article to the local guide and he led us to that very same house - which happens to be 2 identical houses on the same plot of land (one lived in and the other empty which is perfect for filming). Always knew the house was an important 'character' so we had to find the right house. I'd like to think it was fated.
Personally, I loved filming in Janda Baik - has a haunting almost magical feeling. Filming on location has its advantages in the way that it 'feels' more real, since I wrote the script it felt as though things in my head were finally playing out before me. Can't describe that thrill in words.
Disadvantages are mainly practical stuff, like due to restricted space you have to work around your initial shot list. A lot of handheld camera work since well dolly sometimes is out of the question.
Once I figure out my scanner, I'll include some pics of the house and Janda Baik area- think this blog needs some pics! Ok, thats it. Take care alls.

2006-04-16T21:28:00.000+08:00

EXORCISM

Well this is just going to be short note, the mind has suddenly gone blank and plus I feel guilty about the lapse in blogging. Anyway, in my film Chermin there happens to be an 'exorcism' scene and I wanted it to be as 'realistic' as possible so I wanted to cut down on fancy tricks and just show it how it is. For those interested there is a fascinating website that describes Islamic exorcism (which to my knowledge has never been shown before). Take a look at: http://www.angelfire.com/al/islamicpsychology/exorcism.html

2006-04-12T19:59:00.000+08:00

Blogging, LRT's and other concerns.

Didn't realize blogging requires effort, since I prefer writing in the traditional form it takes more time to blog than 'writing'. Anyway must salute all bloggers, since I'm still trying to get used to this foreign bloggers world.
Took the LRT today during rush hour and was surprised there's actually a queue system, wow very impressed. I don't think I've seen that anywhere else in the world, where the norm is to shove urself whereever u find small space to breathe. Always wondered why its so quiet on trains, people just don't talk to each other.
Which comes to next topic, been so out of touch with the 'world' since I've been pre-occupied with Chermin so just wondering what are modern day concerns of youths etc? I mean when I 'grew' up we had films that actually appealed to youngsters i.e The Goonies (love that film), E.T, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Stand by me etc. Can't really think of recent stuff except Napoleon Dynamite. Even when I watch cartoons, most stuff are so 'reality' based that room for imagination is kinda scarce. I still remember this really great cartoon if anyone's seen it: Prince of Dark Water, kinda dissapointed that I never watched the ending cos Hanna Barbara decided to cut off the series. But damn good cartoon.

2006-04-11T20:35:00.000+08:00

MIRROR MIRROR

Always had a facination with how the human brain works, one particular disorder I'm reading about is prosopagnosia which is the inability to recognize familiar faces. In some extreme cases, prosopagnosiacs cannot recognize themselves in a mirror and walk into mirrors as a result. I saw a documentary a couple years ago about a man who was diagnosed with prosopagnosia after a car accident and how his children had to remind him everyday who they were. That must be a painful thing to go through. Kinda like 50 first dates.

Also another fascinating thing I was just thinking about, there are actually no blind schizophrenics. What we see really can screw with our heads. Hmmm. . .scary thought.

Anyone got any fascinating stuff to share about mental disorders do tell. Currently reading up on paranoia, will share more about that in next blog.

2006-04-09T21:24:00.000+08:00

Ghostly Encounters.

Sorry, gonna detract a little bit from film-making. Well going to share some talk of the supernatural. Despite making a film about ghosts and witchcraft, I've always been a little bit skeptical and try to rationalize everything in relation to the supernatural. However, I've come to the conclusion that some people have a gift and can 'see' and others, including me (the lucky ones) are just blind or unaware and will probably be ignorant to the 'other side' for rest of our lives (until we go to the other side).
Well I know there are some things out there that I just don't understand - a couple of strange things happened on set that's just plain weird.
I'll share one incident or sighting. After we wrapped up at a particular 'jungle' location at around 2am (it happens to be opposite a graveyard) two crew members were left to pack up and lock up. Now in the middle of this rubber plantation there is an old wooden hut - which has been empty for a couple of years (I believe). Anyway, when they were about to drive away, the lights in the hut 'mysteriously' switched on - one of them went back to check but of course no one was around. He switched off the lights, drove away again and the lights switched on again. They were smart enough not to come back and check. Maybe the place just has really bad wiring? Who knows?
Ok that's all. . .will share more about the spooky stuff soon.

2006-04-06T22:49:00.000+08:00

PRE-PRODUCTION - CASTING

JUNE 2005 - Sorry have to back track a bit. We officially started pre-production in June 2005. Casting began in July, it was very long and arduous. I already set my mind on Deanna and Natasha for the two main leads.

From script stage I already had Deanna Yusoff in mind to play the role of Mastura - the 'ghost', I knew she hasn't acted in a while but really wanted her to play this role because I felt she was the only one who could pull it off (and my feelings were right). Mastura is not a 'typical' ghost - she is beautiful, vibrant, strong and you feel for her suffering. Deanna as Mastura really does haunt you.

Natasha Hudson I felt had a connection with the Nasrin character and could understand what she was going through. Natasha has an almost ethereal quality which fits the character of someone possessed. Lets just say on set sometimes I was worried whether I was really talking to her or someone else. Spooky.

Mak Siti, the mother of Nasrin, is played by Khatijah Tan who just blew me away at the auditions. She is famous for her role in a local Malaysian sitcom, but it is very true that comedic actors really have an affinity with dramatic roles.

Farid Kamil, is a local heartthrob, who also blew me away at the auditions. He has a certain charm about him which is just right for the role of Yusuf, Nasrin's fiancee.

Other roles were played by Maimon Taib(Mak Ngah) who has a commanding presence, Sheila Mambo (Minah) can really play a 'bitchy' gossip queen (but she is so sweet in real life) and the same goes for Farah Ahmad (Rosnah). Soffi Jikan (Zakaria) is as crazy in real life as he is on screen and he loves to improvise which is great(although hell for continuity). Haryanto (Hassan) who is based in theatre has a commanding voice and has a timeless quality that means he fits to play 'period roles.' Lisdawati(Zahrah) also has a very interesting voice and can really pull off the role of the childlike almost whiny wife. Catriona Ross (Yasmin) was the last person to come for the role of Yasmin where I had almost given up at finding the right person. Thank God she came in because she just got it right.

The witchdoctor is actually played by a real life bomoh(can be a healer or witchdoctor), Ghazali Abu Noh - he is quite a character and can actually act. The healer is played by legend M Rajoli who is famous for playing the 'healer' in other local tv series and films. He really has a presence on screen.

For me it was nerveracking to work with local legends that I grew up watching in films, such as Dato Mustafa Maarof and Fauziah Nawi and to actually direct them was well really an honour.

On an end note, I really believe that finding the right cast is about 80% of directing - once you find the right cast the rest should be easy. Casting is quite a difficult process but I work on instinct and if you know your characters well enough you start to see whomever is in front of you as that character. I was lucky to find the perfect cast, so my life on set was easier than if I had settled for less.

Today happens to be a day when I like to use 'really' - apologies for overusage, really ;).

2006-03-12T00:22:00.000+08:00

Onward...

Welcome to my blog where I will share with you the trials and tribulations in the making of my first feature film, ‘Chermin.’ Making a film is really like a rollercoaster(I know that’s cliché but it’s the truth), it has its ups and downs but in the end of the day you know it was worth it just for the experience.

Firstly, a little about me if you didn’t get enough info from the bio on the www.chermin.com.my website. A few vital facts:

Age: 26
Astrological Sign: Aquarius
Favourite directors: (although impossible to list all here’s some that come off the top of my head) Hitchcock, Polanski, Peter Jackson, Kurosawa, David Fincher, Michel Gondry, Jeunet, Kieslowski, Robert Wise, P.Ramlee, Billy Wilder, Scorcese, Spielberg, Zemeckis, David Lean, Chris Nolan.
(obviously I like all movies, all styles).
Fav artists: Francis Bacon, Edvard Munch, Frida Kahlo, Van Gogh, Kirchner (basically German Expressionists).
Fav films: Impossible task. (no, there is no such film ;)

Ok enough about me, lets get on with the film, ‘Chermin.’

SCRIPTWRITING

Idea came to me through this image of a girl looking at her own distorted broken reflections – which came in a dream, plus I was reading a Chuck Palahniuk book about a model scarred from an accident - then it kinda amalgamated into a script through about 7 drafts of crap. Normally story ideas come to me through an image or some sort of theme I want to convey –but most of the time visually through dreams. And man do I have some crazy dreams – must be some Freudian explanation for this.

Script writing is in itself, as the old adage says, ‘Writing is rewriting.’ Before writing a single word on a page, I normally have the story worked out in the typical three Act structure, i.e by Act 1 something is going to happen to lead into Act 2 blah, blah, blah.
Once I can ‘see’ it in my head then I can start punching the keyboard, or in my case since I’m old fashioned putting pen to paper.

So the writing process itself was spread over about 9 months from Nov 2003, since I was working at a 9 to 5 job, it had to be a part time thing. Then once I was satisfied with the English version, it was translated into Malay and voila I finally had a shootable script.

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL. . . .

Mirrors, I’ve always had a fascination with mirrors because I always imagined there is another world lying in that reflection. One of my interests is the idea of duality/other worlds/different dimensions. So, I wanted to write something about mirrors, in this case the mirror is a character in the film.

Here’s a quote from the book, ‘Mirror mirror: A History of the human love affair with reflection,’ by Mark Pendergrast, which summarizes my interest in mirrors:

“Mirrors are meaningless until someone looks into them. Thus, a history of the mirror is really the history of looking, and what we perceive in these magical surfaces can tell us a great deal about ourselves – whence we have come, what we imagine, how we think, and what we yearn for. The mirror appears throughout the human drama as a means of self-knowledge or self-delusion. We have used the reflective surface both to reveal and to hide reality, and mirrors have found their way into religion, folklore, literature, art, magic and science.”

Here are some films that feature mirrors:

1) Into the mirror (Korean horror, cool effects and concepts, just wasn’t too fond of the story)
2) Frida (one of my fav films)
3) The Others (another fav)
4) Mirror mirror (B-grade American horror, entertaining but well. . . )
5) Constantine ( brilliant )
6) The Haunting (original 1963 version by Robert Wise- great horror film, well what my idea of horror is)
7) Bunshinsaba (another Korean horror, entertaining but again something missing)
8) The Talented Mr Ripley (ok, I’m a big Minghella fan and this happens to have a cool mirror scene at the end)

I’m sure there are more, but this is all I can remember for now. Lets just say I watched a lot of films that had any inkling of a mirror in it for interests sake.