This is my first post on this common blog shared by the team of four from our small island films. So far, only one of our members have been posting content here, hence’s everything ’s from one person’s perspective. The other less vocal members who aren’t that internet savvy haven’t had their chance to let their voices be heard at all. Now that we have concluded our eventful 4-day shoot, let me balance things a little and contribute one post on this blog, being part of the FYP team too.
Over this period of 4 days, too many people have worked too hard in front and behind the scenes to make this shoot happen. However on screen, it is usually the director who is most accredited and recognised most of the time. This short film by small island films wouldn’t have happened without the help of so many wonderful people around who have offered either time or resources to make this production possible.
For our FYP team, we are made up of individuals with different strengths and weaknesses. We tried to complement each other and helped each other along the way. Those with more resources offered their contacts, transport and ideas, while those without offered labour, time and their creativity. Our team dynamics has been interesting and on a personal level, I’ve learnt a lot about myself through my other team members, as well as from the cast and crew.
But ultimately, different people have different working styles. Some like to be in the limelight and some prefer to quietly work in the background. No matter what, this shoot would not have happened if any single individual were not around or have not put in their 101% effort. The tremendous amount of work and preparation put into this shoot started way before filming began. There were moments where tensions rose and emotions ran high despite our continual insistence that things are fine and everything is good. With more than 50 extras involved in our biggest scene which ended with an incident that slightly dampened our spirits at the end that day, but we still knew we had to pull ourselves together and continue with the shoot, because we couldn’t bear to let anyone down at all.
With the relentless contribution by so many people, making it a collective effort, I still propose this project to be credited as a team. That’ll be my ideal scenario despite objections from other members, no doubt we did have individual roles to fulfill throughout this project. After all, without team work, none of this would have happened at all. This is final year project, and it’s a group experience. It’s not one person’s work, contrary to popular belief or public perception, nor working for any particular person to fulfill his or her vision. It’s about working towards a common goal – that is to make a good production for all who have put in effort to have wonderful memories to bring back with. Those at the shoot who have gotten first hand experience and have helped out in more than one way, you’ve seen everything. You’ve ran with us, perspired with us and things would not have been possible without you. You have been given too little credit and you ought to deserve better. However, the conventional structure of crediting a film has probably made it such that it will be perceived that everything is just one person’s vision, and with just a little more propagation from that very one person, public perception would form, and people will be led to believe the distorted fact. Well, if you’ve been there, done that, seen everything, you will know that it is not the truth, and you could do a favour and explain to others this little known fact and help correct any misguided perceptions. It would help let others understand the entire process much better, and inspire others to take on non key positions in in future when they go into the industry as well.
Our great photographers have posted photos on facebook. The people who have worked the hardest…are the ones who may or may not have been in front the camera. While the team was filming the scene, you worked elsewhere and prepared for the next scene in another room. You only run into the scene when props are not proper. You only run into the scene if eyes are needed at the monitor. You appear when the cameras aren’t on you and then disappear when the cameras are rolling. Some people may be more prominent and be seen in front of the camera more of the time, while some are more visible in a different way – you see them through the work they have done, and you hear them from the words they haven’t spoke.
Our project may be perceived as promising. But let’s keep our fingers crossed until we enter into post-production. Rest assured that we will still do our very best because every single person and every single extra has put in their very 110%.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all who have contributed to make this project happen.
The Producer’s biggest fear is when the production team comes up with crazy ideas that threatens to blow the budget into pieces, and this is exactly what is happening now.
