The Other End of The Gun
Filming is finally completed. What started out as a mediocre student film assignment had exploded into what I would call a semi-pro film project. It was a huge jump for me, someone with literally zero filming experience, and I would say I have gained much from this entire experience. I had to adapt fast, and not everything went smoothly, but it was definitely something no other exchange experience (to any other university or country) can match.
"The Other End of The Gun" is our film's title. So basically the title reflects the story of our film; a female contract killer who is torn between her 'bad' lifestyle, and the 'good' lifestyle which she really hopes to have. So on the muzzle end of the gun, it's her dark killing lifestyle, while on the other end of the gun, she's actually hoping for a normal lifestyle with kids and a family.
Ironically, as the days of filming went by, the title portrayed a true reflection of the entire production and filming process. On the filming end, things worked out really well, Our friend who directed the film, seriously worked wonders. Weeks back when he spoke about having auditions with professional actors, I was thinking like 'oh right can we even engage any actors to help us, not to mention professional ones'. And then he talked about having scenes with a smoky bar with singers and a killing scene taking place, I went like 'how is that ever going to happen'. But guess what, those two things plus many other amazing things, did in fact happen. We roped in professional actors and actresses, a director of photography and camera assistant, set designers, make-up artist, extras and many others. I've seen most of the shots that I've transfered to the editing room, and they look really amazing.
However on the other end of the gun though, I would say things turned out really bad. I've honestly never worked in such disorganized circumstances, and never felt so frustrated over working with someone before. You see our friend was so focused on the filming end of the 'gun', so much so that he often overlooked the other end, which is the filming preparation and people management aspects. No doubt, what the audience sees is the final edited film itself, but a good film will never happen without all the background support. It's like expecting Arts Camp to happen without the help of the often neglected logistics team.
To cut the story short, he was so engrossed in his actors and how the shots would turn out, so much so that he neglected issues of logistics, food, communication, budget, scheduling and most importantly, team morale. At one point in time he also kinda lost touch with his own sense of humanity, just so as to ensure he gets the shots he wants. This resulted in much unhappiness, and to be honest, the rest of the team simply got frustated having to clear up the negligent mess he made time and time again. Which brings up the same phrase we hear so often in arts club, 'Can a project be considered successful even if it turns out really well, but the process was an unhappy one?'
All this may sound really crude, but that's how bad things really got. And yes I may be someone who can be vocal at times, but this time I went to the extreme as I confronted him many times to highlight these issues. It's one thing that we're both cool with honesty, but it's another that despite my honesty, I can't seem to drill the fact into him that he has to do something about it, apart from just saying 'no way did that really happen?' or 'no way did I really do that?'
Nonetheless, there's always a positive to the negative. I've learnt alot from all this. This experience re-emphasised the importance of proper planning and management, of how important a leader needs to see the 'whole picture' of a project, and not be over-engrossed on one aspect, and I've again seen how good communication is the key to everything. I've also grown to appreciate films more, and all the hard work behind it.
I am also grateful for the new friends and contacts I've gained, and how these wonderful people from all over the world have provided me great insights into what the filming world is like. I now kinda know the entire film production process, the different kinds of filming equipments, and of course, the basic techniques of sound recording, which I was doing for most of the film. I've also seen how the world can be less practical than what I've often observed at home, and people are actually willing to help and do stuff, just simply because they're professional, nice and want to help. No other agenda, full stop.
We were asked not too long ago if we were planning to go into the filming industry, and to be honest for me it's quite a definite no. But whatever experiences gained over the past week or so will definitely aid me in one way or another, directly or indirectly.
It's now time for a good rest. Tomorrow's the day I've been waiting for. My gf is coming to HK! Great timing considering I really needed something to look forward to after that long ardous journey :)
"The Other End of The Gun" is our film's title. So basically the title reflects the story of our film; a female contract killer who is torn between her 'bad' lifestyle, and the 'good' lifestyle which she really hopes to have. So on the muzzle end of the gun, it's her dark killing lifestyle, while on the other end of the gun, she's actually hoping for a normal lifestyle with kids and a family.
Ironically, as the days of filming went by, the title portrayed a true reflection of the entire production and filming process. On the filming end, things worked out really well, Our friend who directed the film, seriously worked wonders. Weeks back when he spoke about having auditions with professional actors, I was thinking like 'oh right can we even engage any actors to help us, not to mention professional ones'. And then he talked about having scenes with a smoky bar with singers and a killing scene taking place, I went like 'how is that ever going to happen'. But guess what, those two things plus many other amazing things, did in fact happen. We roped in professional actors and actresses, a director of photography and camera assistant, set designers, make-up artist, extras and many others. I've seen most of the shots that I've transfered to the editing room, and they look really amazing.
However on the other end of the gun though, I would say things turned out really bad. I've honestly never worked in such disorganized circumstances, and never felt so frustrated over working with someone before. You see our friend was so focused on the filming end of the 'gun', so much so that he often overlooked the other end, which is the filming preparation and people management aspects. No doubt, what the audience sees is the final edited film itself, but a good film will never happen without all the background support. It's like expecting Arts Camp to happen without the help of the often neglected logistics team.
To cut the story short, he was so engrossed in his actors and how the shots would turn out, so much so that he neglected issues of logistics, food, communication, budget, scheduling and most importantly, team morale. At one point in time he also kinda lost touch with his own sense of humanity, just so as to ensure he gets the shots he wants. This resulted in much unhappiness, and to be honest, the rest of the team simply got frustated having to clear up the negligent mess he made time and time again. Which brings up the same phrase we hear so often in arts club, 'Can a project be considered successful even if it turns out really well, but the process was an unhappy one?'
All this may sound really crude, but that's how bad things really got. And yes I may be someone who can be vocal at times, but this time I went to the extreme as I confronted him many times to highlight these issues. It's one thing that we're both cool with honesty, but it's another that despite my honesty, I can't seem to drill the fact into him that he has to do something about it, apart from just saying 'no way did that really happen?' or 'no way did I really do that?'
Nonetheless, there's always a positive to the negative. I've learnt alot from all this. This experience re-emphasised the importance of proper planning and management, of how important a leader needs to see the 'whole picture' of a project, and not be over-engrossed on one aspect, and I've again seen how good communication is the key to everything. I've also grown to appreciate films more, and all the hard work behind it.
I am also grateful for the new friends and contacts I've gained, and how these wonderful people from all over the world have provided me great insights into what the filming world is like. I now kinda know the entire film production process, the different kinds of filming equipments, and of course, the basic techniques of sound recording, which I was doing for most of the film. I've also seen how the world can be less practical than what I've often observed at home, and people are actually willing to help and do stuff, just simply because they're professional, nice and want to help. No other agenda, full stop.
We were asked not too long ago if we were planning to go into the filming industry, and to be honest for me it's quite a definite no. But whatever experiences gained over the past week or so will definitely aid me in one way or another, directly or indirectly.
It's now time for a good rest. Tomorrow's the day I've been waiting for. My gf is coming to HK! Great timing considering I really needed something to look forward to after that long ardous journey :)
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