Egg Nest

The two regular Sunbird visitors have decided -- they are moving in!

So they started - weaving their nest twig by twig. For each twig, they would have to to fly hundreds of feet away to collect them. Its painstaking (to me as a human being), but the birds didn't seem to mind.

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It is fascinating that they had in them the construction know-how - to hang it off a branch, to get the right shape and size, and even to keep a cute opening for the mother bird to enter and also to rest her head while sitting on her eggs.

My Showreel 2011

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.The actor is a strange creature - ego-less during the act as he empties his personality to assume another; yet when the reel is out, he is again full of himself, shamelessly self promoting.

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So here it is, the films I acted in Jan-Jun 2011:

If you like to visit my actor's blog, click here.

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Over-act

Do you over-act?

Do you over-act to entertain?

Or do you just 'be' to inspire?

If you like to visit my actor's blog, click here.

Hentak Kaki

The trailer of "Hentak Kaki" is out. It was well received during the premiere.

Read the review at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2011/05/avant-premiere-6-thesis-films-from.html .

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I think the audience were mostly captivated by the realistic acting and dialogue. In fact, the film is so real that it doesn't even have music in it! :)

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The director, the co-actor and myself, painstakingly worked out the dialogue as accurately as we could remember so that the dialogue itself would be enough for anyone who has been in the Singapore army to sink into deep reminiscence. We literally 'Singlicised' the script, added Malay and Hokkien, army vocabulary and expressions, and of course, some expletives! That I think, worked the magic!

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In my first film, the director often reminded me that if the dialogue does not resonate, don't utter them. This proved to be precious advice that had led to the crafting of the dialogue that has made this film much enjoyed.

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Actually, we shouldn't utter anything that does not resonate with ourselves in any case - whether on-reel or off-reel! If it does not resonate, it will not propagate.

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If you like to visit my actor's blog, click here.
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Directors

Some old-style directors still shout and scream at actors that fail to deliver. These poor actors already stressed up for failing to deliver, feel like nervous wrecks burdened by the director's emotional outburst. A stressed up actor wouldn't be able to improve upon his already dismal delivery.

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So far, I have been lucky to have worked with directors that prepare me to get into character to fine tune my act. This is particularly important in scenes where subtle shifts in emotions are crucial to anchor the audience attention. For instance, at a funeral scene, the actor playing the role of the moaning relative may be asked to imagine having just held the cold hands of the deceased and recall the happy times he had spent with the deceased during childhood... etc, before acting out the scene. Once in character, the rest comes out easy.

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Directing for desired results ought not to be limited to making films. I believe that directing for one's desired results follows the same pattern of coaching the 'actors' in one's project. Team members need to be prepared and coached. The old authoritarian way will not bring forth peak performance.

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We can also start by directing our own life - coaching ourselves to get into the results we want. :)

If you like to visit my actor's blog, click here.