Short Cuts in Shot

Ghazi (middle) holding his chest up high in the Q & A; Wesley (in green) trying to look emo.
Little boy from 'Outing'

6th Short Cuts-Kissing Faces

Frankly Speaking...I almost got "LOST"in watching the short.
1.Nearly mistaken the short as a typical Karaoke Video.
2.Ponders is it a short film or a Video

Overall,in short it is almost mistaken as a Karaoke Video seen in those Sleazy KTV bars.

But the storyline to the short is well written...Kissing Faces is about the mind of a KTV hostess who wishes her life was like a Karaoke Music Video-Beautiful and Carefree.

6th Short Cuts-Miss A Shot

Missed a shot is actually short film by Ghazi Alqudcy and Ezzam Rahman.
This duo has been in collaboration,telling and sharing stories based on their personal encounters and experiences.

A true enchanted tale from Woodlands New Town Garden.A man encounters a transgender and they start engaging in coy,flirtatious repartee.Despite Humidity,sparks fly.

It is a comical short which I encountered,using SMS terms as subtitles to interact the audience.
It is pretty informal and interactive to the audience,but unfortunately...the storyline sounded like going round and round around the religious leader.

It meant to pass off as a friend's birthday...But that is a pretty interesting short I have seen.
I really enjoyed the short.

6th Short Cuts-Hush Baby

Hush Baby is a graduation film for Wei Keong
He has been wanting to use mixed media technology to do some short stories,thus here comes the Hush Baby

It is pretty abstract and through animation,it actually has a strong backing as hands meddling with the baby may be something in relation to real life experience,maybe between Citizen and Government,or to a smaller extent,parent to child.

It is a cute animation which I enjoyed it.

Production Talk - 'Blood Ties' by Chai Yee Wei

"Blood Ties The Movie" will be Yee-Wei's directorial debut for a full length feature film which is also written by himself. Though it has just been a short 4 years since he actively pursued a career in filmmaking, Yee-wei has quietly built up a body of works that showcases his talent in telling interesting stories through the film medium. His passion in telling stories which draws on inspiration from things around him pushes him to explore different topics and genres as evident in his earlier works. "I am a curious person by nature. And I seek to use film as a medium to ask questions and explore situations which would otherwise be difficult to do so in real life."

Taken from www.bloodtiesthemovie.com

*****

Grace (G): I know that you had made a previous short film, Blood Ties which was screened during 2007 and this upcoming debut Blood Ties is a longer version. Can you tell us the difference for both films?
Yee Wei (YW): Well... the premise is the same. A murdered cop, returns on the 7th night of his death to possess his little sister to exact revenge on his murderers. Other than that, the story is totally different. Many people thought the feature is a longer version of the short film, but it is actually not true.

Jeremy (J): Have you always wanted to make Blood Ties as a feature even when u shot the short?
YW: Yes. I always wanted to toy with the question of "If you could return on the 7th day of your death, what would you do?” So when I wrote the short film, it was sort of a litmus test for me to see if the idea was novel enough to be made into a commercial film. And true enough, after the short film was made, a few production houses asked me if I was interested to turn it into a full length feature.

G: Have you had any personal incidents of supernatural sorts? What inspired you to think about that question?
YW: No direct experience for myself, but my mother and my family did. And it was somewhat related to the "touqi" (7th night) myth. My grandfather after he passed, on the 7th night, the family prepared food offerings on the altar. And one of my aunts put powder on the floor. At night, one of my aunt heard foot steps, and chains being dragged. Then she peeped into my grandfather's bedroom and saw the rocking chair that he used to sit on rocking by itself. And there was smoke in the air. My grandpa used to rock in that chair while smoking his pipe. The next morning, the rest of the family saw footprints on the floor. The rice in the bowl on the altar also looked like someone had pressed on it.
J: Very vivid memories indeed.
YW: It was a family story… since everyone's involved. I was too young to remember ... so my aunts and my parents told it to me.


J: How long did you take to shoot this?
YW: It was a 20 days shoot.

J: I am amazed at the visual treats in the trailer!
YW: ... There will be more. I was trying hard not to reveal too much


J: How did you manage to pull so many strings for the film? I mean I saw Kenneth Tsang (veteran), lots of realistic shooting scenes, explosions and amazing production design!
YW: Wow ... where do I begin? Maybe let me share the part with respect to my crew. The Director of Photography Derrick Loo and the Art Director Zoe Chu, they were both on working in those respective positions on the short film as well. I thought since me, as a first time director am given the opportunity to direct my first feature, I should let 2 new talents give it a go too. Maybe that's why they worked really hard for this.
For Cheng Pei Pei, she was pitched the idea at least a year before production. And she had seen very early drafts of the script. The latest script caught her interest and timing was good, so all fell into place. For Kenneth Tsang, he said he wanted to do his part for the Singapore film industry, and again, timing was good. Did you know he's a Singapore citizen by the way?


G: That's nice! I didn't know that! Would you say this is your dream project?
YW: I would say I HOPE that this is the start of my many dream projects to come.

J: What are the marketing plans in store for this?
YW: I can't really disclose too much at this at this point.


J: What would you say will make this stand out from the horror movies we know?
YW: It is more a supernatural thriller piece. But I would say audience might be surprised by the amount of human drama that can be injected into a cross genre piece like this. I hope people will come out thrilled and moved at the same time.

G: Do you think the film would be produced differently if it weren't funded under Singapore Film Commission Fund?
YW: No. In fact, I was surprised SFC hasn't interfered or influenced the creative process at all. I was glad I am able to craft a film for the international market in mind, without concerns that I have to serve only the local market. In fact, the SFC investment is a huge help in terms of production and marketing!


G: Blood Ties was screened during Cannes Festival. What were the responses like?
YW: Blood Ties was not screened at Cannes. It went to the market to garner sales interest. And we got some pretty good responses from overseas buyers.

G: Can you share with us, what kind of films you like?
YW: It is all these simple questions that are the trickiest. Can I say who's films I enjoy?
G: Sure!
YW: I enjoy films from directors like Steven Spielberg, Ang Lee, Alex Proyas, Sam Raimi and Sidney Lumet. And films acted by Tom Hanks as well. But generally, movies with a great story and with ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

G: Any advice for aspiring filmmakers out there?
YW: Hmm ... Tell stories that are closest to your heart. And keep practicing!


G: Last but not least, any final words, anything you'd like to add on for Blood Ties?
YW: Oh yeah... we're giving away Blood Ties movie Posters for people who send in spooky stories they've heard or experienced. A Blog will be launched soon with these stories there. The top 10 stories will also win a pair of tickets to the gala premiere! Send the stories to stories@bloodtiesthemovie.com!

And the posters are while stocks last ;)

Watch the trailer here

Blood Ties will be released in Singapore on September 10

My Pledge - 'Letters' by EROPAGNIS

The personal touch of a real-life story spanning 2 countries makes you want to put down that bag of popcorn and view it seriously (after secretly laughing through the earlier entries). Her oblique way of shedding light on the pledge through a homecoing experience makes this video a heavyweight among the others. A girl returns to Singapore after her parents have passed away in Melbourne to rediscover the her place of birth. Though over the years, we know how much the government has torn down, there are thankfully still remnants from the past that remind us of our distant childhood. But competing for our attention are new structures that I am not sure will do anything for anchoring the girl's sense of home, for instance, the imposing 3-tomb structure of the IR as she strolled down the esplanade. This would have been a near-perfect tribute if not for the very scripted ending. I mean she wasted a trip to the airport becase she could have opened the box at home and realised her new-found affinity to her motherland could cost about $20 less. But it is hard to contain the drama queen in us, isn't it?

My Pledge - 'Short Message Singapore' by MSHS 1

A witty and sensible title for a very coherently put together video. The first impression of watching it led me to believe that I could watch it with an eye closed and know that it would jolly well end with 'happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation'. But the CGI surprise made it more engaging than I thought. A simple blazing comet representing the transfer of an sms, gave the video more kick than I thought. Basically, the video shows an sms relay of the Singapore pledge, enhanced by varied locations and humble pyrotechnics that complement the video well. I wondered though, after flying in all directions in Singapore, would the comet's trajectory bring it across the Johor Straits?

My Pledge - 'Scrapbook' by CVSS_ICC2

This is the sister video of the 'day in the life of Singaporean Student'. They are both part of the brown checkered print gang. This one is visually more appealing but conceptually looser. It offers visual interpretations of the different parts of the pledge on a scrapbook. But to be strict, the style is not consistently faithful to the scrapbook motif, more like a random mix of different media and discipline. What I didn't like was the didactic attempt to adhere to the notion of having the pledge in the video even if it is already conceptually represented by little cute bites of ideas. I mean the 3 students saying the pledge against the billowing flag added zilch to the video. I like the paper cutouts of the 4 coloured figures and how they were clothed one by one in their ethnic apparel. On close observation, apparently, not all were fully draped. I think then Chinese was missing somehow. Lol.

My Pledge - 'Many Bags, One Identity' by Baguettes Productions

Here is a title with good thoughts and some wit! I like the use of the visual of supermarket paperbag shoved over the heads of its cast too. It immediately expresses the putting up of fronts or masks without using the actual masks which could be too cliche. Baguette Productions also has the blessings of a spontaneous cast with flair and pizzazz. One can 'gelek gelek' like a Hawaiian dancer, one can strum guitar and once can even boogie in a John Travolta cream suit under tropical heat. I like the fact that the piece is visually and conceptually robust. It deals with identity which is something that grips many younger Singaporeans more than anything else. But it ends in a puzzling way, after they are unmasked, they do not move on to a state of liberation but instead put on a new bag over their head, one with the Singapore flag design. 'Brainwash', if you allow to be a little cheeky, geddit?

My Pledge - 'Life of a Singaporean Student' by CVSS-ICC1

School uniforms have certainly moved on from the 80s - my growing up years. I took a few seconds to get over the initial shock of seeing the checkered prints of the students' uniforms. On some bodies, it fits like tablecloth, on others, it hangs like a curtain. This video charts the daily journey of a school student, from the time he wakes up till it's 'lights out' time (an army term). While there is nothing special about the routine, its strongest message to me is the emphasis on how 'state-of-the-art' Singapore education is. I am referring to the shots of spanking new facilities, flawless wall paints and funky laptops. How about a little more personality and less technicality? I am not blaming these videos but this is a country where hardware oftehn preceeds software.

My Pledge - 'Cultural Bonding' by My Two Cents

I wonder if the Youth Olympics participants get a chance to see this video. I do not have a good feeling about the international relations that will follow on from here. The guys in the Arabian robes must be wondering why they are part of national propaganda, when all they came to Singapore for was to be part of the Youth Olympics inauguration. Some other thoughts about the video too...... It looks like an informercial in its cookie-cutter editing styles. Some how the token insertions of pictures of Singapore student life do not add up to its overall message. But most of all, I must confess, my initial impression of it with seeing the Arabic robes was video that dealt with national security... I will not go into details.

My Pledge - 'My Pledge' by A-B-Cube

Neat! And lazy. But I guess it works. The thrill is in interpreting what is being drawn and how it relates to each part of the pledge. While, we always embrace 'what works' in Singapore, we seldom push for 'what if'. This forms my major complaint about this clip - can't they just break the rules of visual representation for a change? Essentially, what is in the pledge is what you get.

My Pledge - 'The Japanese-born British outcast' by Evergreen Team 2

Like soap opera on TV, I love the nasty ostracisation of the 'Japanese-born British outcast' to bits. Evereybody likes to see a bit of conflict. And this one's the most real. It is the America's Next Top Model in school uniforms. I guess it is how the video has manifested some of our hidden or Freudian thoughts that makes this one quite a 'turn-on'. It is also brave of the girl playing the mixed blood (whom I think is really mixed blood) to face up to the potential taunts in her life in this reenactment. The words these underaged, under-developed girls used could really traumatise some unknowing, good-hearted souls. And mind you, this is the Secondary schools section.

My Pledge - Many Hands, One Flag, One Singapore by Everegreen Team 5

I had 2 question marks about this one in its initial seconds - why 'bo sia' (no sound) and why three intellectually able kids take so long to do such a simple jigsaw puzzle? Well, it is called suspension of disbelief I suppose. The running plot behind this video is really the power of the singing the national anthem. The 3 racially balanced kids (though the 'others' category is missinig) fight to place the last piece to complete to jigsaw puzzle. Then they are interrupted by National Anthem. A few seconds of horror gripped me when I thought the Indian boy had programmed 'Majulah Singapura' into his mobile ringing tone because he picked it up as soon as the anthem was played. But it was the school PA system. So after the anthem, they went the other extreme to give way to others to place the last piece. lol. Awkward attempt but great title!

My Pledge: My Drawing,My Pledge By LittleImages

Based on a little girl's perspective of the National Pledge.
Her naive expression in terms of drawings do touched me in a way or another....Reminds me why we must pledge again.

I am convinced on the message being spread.

My Pledge: I Pledge By Huestripes Production

"We,The Citizen Of Singapore,must Pledge to end this coupon Carpark Nonsense."
"Hey Uncle,I give out carpark tickets Regardless of Race,Language or Religion.I am doing my Job."
"He shaved his head so as to build a Democratic Society and made us all feel sad!"
"Uncle,Justice and Equality have arrived.Our actons are based upon the law."
"Errr...rrr...Officers.I have to apologise for my father's actions.Er...He's trying to achieve happiness,prosperity and progress..."
"FOR MY FAMILY!"

-As Quoted in I Pledge

Mixing up the pledge into the daily conversation like this case is one unique one which made me feel like laughing when I had a first look at this short film.

Because of Loyalty,and we love Singapore...I must say that this is a interesting and made me smile while watching short films.

Bolded texts are the texts found in the Singapore Pledge

My Pledge: My Home By Multiple Exposures

The short film is a interesting one to be commended as the winner of the Open Category of the Mypledge.

Everyone are reminded of the meaning behind our national pledge through the imagination of a child.

As school assignment the little boy made a collage of a hand on a piece of paper.But in the beginning, the teacher actually did not understand it until she saw the reflection through the glass and actually thought that the boy is trying to describe his home is where his heart belongs.

This is one touching entry I am interested in.

'Female Games' by Kan Lume - The Female Reivew

A woman, places her trust on someone, whom she could bare her raw emotions of vulnerability to.

As the film finished with Evelyn nicely planted on the bed, I was left feeling lost coupled with mixed and raw emotions collected throughout the movie. The constant drifting in between plots, attempts to link them up and deciphering the meanings were similar to a woman's ride of emotions during their relationships. As hard as I tried to grasp all the fluttering meanings of the film, so was I attempting to pen down these scattered thoughts on this page.

First and foremost, anyone who is interested to view this film, it is advised that they walked into the theaters with an open mind. This is definitely not a film wholly dedicated to lesbianism. On the contrary, this film, from my perspective at least, is dedicated to women.

A film that uncovers women and the bundled emotions that surfaces as they deal with different form of relationships. Tiny packages of emotional weariness and mentally challenged, which intertwines within a woman and surfaced continuously in the film, as she struggles to differentiate reality and their state of consciousness. The film also managed to continuously display distinctive contrast between the everyday Asian woman against a Western influenced Asian woman; the weak against the strong.

Amidst the variety of questions that were thrown around during the interview, this allowed the seemingly loose plot, clearer to my eyes. Similarly, the issues touched in the film became more personal, for a woman at least.

It all started off with two friends of differing characters who set off together to KL in search of their own dreams with hope of succeeding one day. As the story unfolds so did the raw emotions. This led to the two main themes; Friendship and Love. Funnily enough, in a woman's world, these two themes are intrinsically linked.

In 'Friendships', when two women are in 'Competition', things turned ugly. Especially in scenarios where one is an unwilling party, while the other a subconscious party. In a woman's world, as displayed within this movie, Competition results in low self-esteem, insecurities, battered pride, questionable psychological behaviour and so forth.

Similarly to ‘Love’, woman tends to let emotions take control of them, which eventually leads to the above-mentioned traits. In addition, the film does highlight how, a woman who is going through a mental breakdown and depression; with raw emotions that are running loose and subconsciously takes over her stable state of mind, could end up doing quite, unthinkable, unreasonable and unexplainable actions.

With the filmmaker’s attempt to grasp the complexity of woman's process of thoughts, their emotions and their logical thinking through this film, and I, as a woman, who attempts to write this review. I can't help but admit that a woman is not a easy person to understand. I have to give this man some credits for attempting to explain to the world the complexity of a woman’s behavioral traits through these two females. In a serious note, a woman is more than just attempting to piece up a jigsaw puzzle. They are at times, as complex as the nerves within our body.

I do not expect everyone who views this film to understand the film. However, I am sure most people who walked out from the film would be able to relate to certain intense emotions planted within the film, especially woman. This film may not be a good film to understand women. However, it is a good film to know and attempt to understand the various emotional journeys of women, as they face and react to different sort of relationships within a broad spectrum.

The only way to understand this film, is to watch the film and decipher the ‘hidden’ meanings yourself.

After all, this is called ‘Female Games’, right?

Michael Crowe | Stephanie Crowe | Michael Crowe Case | Prayers for Bobby | Bobby Griffith | About Michael M. Crow

Michael Crowe | Stephanie Crowe | Michael Crowe Case | Prayers for Bobby | Bobby Griffith | About Michael M. Crow

Michael M. Crow became the 16th president of Arizona State University on July 1, 2002. He is guiding the transformation of ASU into one of the nation’s leading public metropolitan research universities, one that is directly engaged in the economic, social, and cultural vitality of its region. Under his direction the university pursues teaching, research, and creative excellence focused on the major challenges and questions of our time, as well as those central to the building of a sustainable environment and economy for Arizona. He has committed the university to global engagement, and to setting a new standard for public service.

For More Information : http://www.azcentral.com

http://president.asu.edu/about/michaelcrow
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Sima Jain passion is organic gardening and specially flowers. In her Texas house she have a huge garden basically from Faislabad. Huma got married to her doctor husband few years back & left for USA. sima graduated from Agriculture University Faislabad.

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