Eschewing convention, independent filmmakers – many on a shoestring budget – expose a side of life you wouldn’t normally see in cinemas. Content to exist at the periphery of the popularity sphere, independent works are seldom made for commercial value, but simply because their creators have something to say. And going by the range of works – from award-winning documentaries by Tan Pin Pin (Invisible City and Singapore GaGa) and cult hit Tak Giu (Hokkien for ‘kick ball’), an indie film about local soccer culture, to the productions from students and enthusiasts that populate YouTube – it appears that local indie filmmakers indeed have a lot on their mind.
In fact, the number of short films produced annually has “skyrocketed” in recent years, and now number about 400 a year, said Low Beng Kheng, programme manager at The Substation. Driven in part by the digital revolution as animated shorts add to the body of work, another reason, noted JD Chua, 27, who has produced four films and written over 30, is the ubiquity of recording devices. JD is pursuing his Creative Producing degree with Chapman University at Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Film & Media Studies. “Anybody can pick up a cell phone or a digital camera and make a film,” he noted.
In fact, the large body of work produced annually has meant a boom in film festivals, showcases, competitions and other platforms. “[It has increased] so much that we (at the Substation) are able to organise a short film ‘Oscars’ of sorts in the form of the Singapore Short Film Awards,” Beng Kheng pointed out. These awards, held from 25 to 31 January, will recap all short films made during 2009 and recognise achievements in ten categories including best director, best fiction and best performance.
INDEPENDENT STREAK
So what distinguishes a home video from an indie flick? Narrative, explained Singaporean freelance director Nicole Midori Woodford, 23. “For independent filmmakers, each film is a thought-out process, and is written to bring an idea or script to life.” This means that each production requires, at the very least, the requisite equipment and crew – and that means money.
A still from Kitchen Quartet
While some funding is available (from the Media Development Authority or sponsors) many independent filmmakers execute their vision by running a tight ship on an even tighter budget, financing projects themselves with the support of friends, fans and family to pay for equipment rental, production studio time and actors’ pay checks. “We sometimes run on favours,” quipped Nicole Midori. Even for a short film (typically about 15 minutes long) the budget can run up to thousands of dollars. And chances are there’s not much money to be made at the end of it. So what drives this industry along?
The answer, quite simply, is passion. Wesley Leon Aroozoo, 25, has completed nine short films, eight of them funded with his own savings; the most recent one, Maybe She Loves Everyone, for the Panasonic Digital Film Fiesta is supported by Objectifs – a visual arts centre for photography and filmmaking enthusiasts – and Panasonic. “I’m broke because of my work!” laughed the film student at Nanyang Technological University. Wesley, like many of his peers, is content with “staying underground”. “I make films for myself, and to express myself,” Wesley said. “It’s hard for me to conform and give people what they want – I may never reach that goal. But if people enjoy it, then that’s a bonus!” His course-mate, Singaporean Philothea Liau, 22, agreed: “My films are a very personal form of expression through my worldview.” For her, “film is a holistic experience that engages the senses.”
A LOVE OF STORYTELLING
The lack of commercial aspirations by no means indicates a lack of ambition. Nicole Midori noted that while indie projects tend to be unfettered by commercial constraints, success can still be found. In 2003, Royston Tan’s independent short film 15, a tale on juvenile delinquents, became the fastest selling local film in the history of the Singapore International Film Festival.
A still from Hush Baby
Beng Kheng also noted that the short film genre has acted as a springboard for more ambitious works. “There has also been a much much stronger push towards developing and producing first feature films by the previous generations of short filmmakers such as Wee Li Lin, Boo Junfeng, Chai Yee-Wei, just to name a few, all of whom started and had a strong background in short films.”
Ultimately, said JD, “an indie filmmaker is governed by content and not where it’s from … If you can excite [filmmakers], they will come and shoot, be it an indie film or a commercial one … I get my personal satisfaction from a project well made, no matter commercial or indie.” He added, “My audience must walk away with something.”
It boils down to the love of storytelling through moving pictures. Take 25-year-old Tan Wei Keong, whose two animated films, Hush Baby and White – made while he was a digital animation student – won Special Achievement and Special Mention awards respectively at the 2009 Singapore International Film Festival. Now working in Japan with an animation company, Wei Keong continues his passion regardless of classification. “Visually, I’m more attracted to hand-drawn stuff because I think drawing is instinctive. I feel that films should show something, rather than tell something. That’s what allows films to leave deep impressions.”
This sentiment reflects the driving passion of filmmakers, for whom capturing and expressing life, dreams, fantasies and visions – on film, using a hand-held camera or as animation – is as necessary as breathing. Wesley summed it up when he said, “I enjoy it with all my heart so I won’t be stopping any time soon.”
FILM SNIPPETS
• Tan Wei Keong
Hush Baby (3 min 40 sec)
A curious baby struggles against confinement and restriction even as protective hands shield it from an environment of temptation.
• JD Chua
Black and White Kings (8 min)
The lines between triumph and defeat are blurred in this film noir which explores old rivalries between two gang lords as they play a game of chess.
• Wesley Leon Aroozoo
A Lion’s Pride (8 min)
Part of the celebrations of each Chinese New Year, the lion dance Lion is left abandoned, jobless and struggling in the wilderness the rest of the year.
• Nicole Midori Woodford
Kitchen Quartet (20 min)
A tale of how food brings two families together without them realising it.
• Philothea Liau
Brazil (7 min)
Meng buys a sought after ‘Brazil’ eraser and loses his remaining cash to two bullies. Hungry and desperate, Meng sells the prized eraser.
WATCH FOR IT
Keep your eye out for the Singapore Short Film Awards, on from 25 to 31 January. www.substation.org
Check out Sinema Old School, which regularly screens local films such as the ones above. www.sinema.sg
