Rogue Shadow

I started acting at age 3. I have followed my mom, brother and sister to their various sets whenever possible. I’ve been involved in film, television, stage and even radio productions. I’m not trying to blow my own trumpet, but I’d say for a 21 year old, I’m already a veteran in this field, with involvements in acting, writing and directing as well as production management.

For the past month, whenever my friends ask me what I’m up to, I say "I’m working with a production from hell". Because that’s what it was. I had never been part of such a shiteous production before. We didn’t have a schedule. Actors were told to come to set at 7.30 am only to wait for their scene to be shot at 4pm. Wardrobe was very much sendiri-mau-ingat. We did not have anyone monitoring continuity (for editing purposes as scenes are not shot in sequence). My female co star and I were asked to go all the way to Kajang to meet our wardrobe sponsor only to reach there and find it is a men’s suit tailor. Some actors were asked to come early and not have their scene shot at all due to poor non-existent time management.

You know you’ve got trouble when you’re in a telemovie titled "WIRASISWI". Hell, their buyer, Astro wanted it changed, and the only other title the production can come up with is Resolusi Gen Y. Whatever the fuck that is. So we stuck with Wirasiswi. Yuck.

The director had no storyboard, no shot list, av script, basic planning at all. He took a dozen more shots than necessary for ONE character in a part of a scene. We shot one scene in 4 different locations. Whereas they could have all been in one day. The actors were never briefed as to what they should do for that shot. We had to keep asking, and every time he would pause, look around, and then come up with some lame movement pattern for us. I had to ask the cameraman each time as to what happens in the shot. During so called stunt scenes, the stunt coordinators directed the camera angles instead of teaching stunts to the actors. Some got badly bruised as the kicks and punches were real. I had a near sunstroke as they shot ONE part of a scene (just motorcyclists circling me) from 9am  - 1pm. The camera crew were confused as they kept receiving different directions from 4-5 different people. We shot till wee hours of the morning, which I’m normally fine with, but most of it was taking unnecessary shots. I was eaten alive by mosquitoes and other bugs as we were shooting by the edge of the water of this swamp turned lake in Cyberjaya late at night, and no citronella oil, insect repellent or even a mosquito coil was provided. And since the actors are never told which scenes will be shot for the day, we were unprepared as well. What if it was a breeding ground of Aedes mosquitoes?

The rest of the cast and spectacular camera crew were great. But the producer, director, assistant director and production manager were leading the train, and what a trainwreck!I kept thinking I’m learning all the things I know NOT to do in a production. I haven’t cursed so much in my life and meant it.

In spite of all this, I had a wonderful experience. I made a lot of new friends and created a very close bond with them. They were the ones who kept me sane, smiling and laughing my butt off, as well as restrained me from a murder spree. They shared my frustrations, they shared some of my very private moments. They were my brothers. my sisters, my lovers, my pillars. They even got along great with Ian. For all this, I am grateful. Through that pile of dung that is the Wirasiswi production, beautiful flowers grew from it.

To Isma, I feel guilty every time I see you get screwed over by these people, as I was the one who brought you into this mess. But for the friendship we created, I do not regret recommending you. I still honestly believe no one else could have carried that part. I think our chemistry was explosive, and I could feel like you were my sister.

To Verloren, you really ARE lovable! You’re a trove of stories. Others may think you’re a queen, but you’d always be my king, man! I’ve never met someone who’s had experience like Ian and not turn out, well, like Ian! He found a friend in his final days in Malaysia. Thank you for that.

To my Maximo, you must be the most good looking bodyguard an actor in Malaysia can get, and I got you! You didn’t have to, but you took care of me like a brother would, and kept me calm and very well hydrated. :p Thanks for being there for that scene. I would’ve been a total mess otherwise. You took care of me in Ian’s stead, and both him and my mom are glad someone was there to look out for me.

To Sonny, you rock my world ,la. Not only are you fantastic at beautifying me, you gave me a lot of great advice about facing this world. Albeit your cynicism, you spoke to me like we’ve been friends for ages and you cared for my happiness. Plus you gave me free clothes, so how can I not love you?

To the camera crew, I learnt patience and tolerance from all of you. The crew is always the most hardworking buncha people with hardly any breaks, yet you get paid the least and are so forgettable in this industry. I feel honoured that you guys treated me as a friend, what with putting shooting equipments in my handbag, jokingly accusing me of stealing things to set up my own production, and of course, the relentless teasing of Ian being in the Philippines. Abang semua best ah.

Lastly, to my dear ‘cik Helmi. Dalam sunyi awak, awak kongsi satu kisah yang saya tak akan lupa. Saya tak akan pergi jauh. Saya kat sini. Saya janji saya tak akan dan tak pernah tipu awak. Terima kasih, babe.

So to my sahabats, thank you for this. May you all find the success and joy you search for.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 10:43 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.