The KL 48 Hours Film Project will start in less than 24 hours. This is the first time most of my team members are doing this, including me.
I have done full feature films before, but have never even attempted a short film. I - and many others, though citation is needed - used to think short films were merely training grounds for feature films.
It is easy to think that way, but I believe this to be a fallacy. You don't write short stories as training for writing novels. There are also masters of the short story - R.A Lafferty, Ray Bradbury, Guy de Maupassant, Edgar Allan Poe, Roger Zelazny - who write wonderful short stories not to train to become novelists.
Though I must confess that I am using this opportunity to try my hand at directing. Do I want to become a director? I don't know - this is not the intention for me when I say I want to try my hand at directing. I believe that doing different jobs, undertaking different tasks in a project will give me a better understanding of the process.
I have never been a great teacher, but I believe I am always a good student. This opportunity will allow me to capture some essence and feel of a cinematic project. What I do with the experience is a different matter.
I'll tell aspiring filmmakers this - if you want some form of exposure - to the craft or to the industry - short films are a good way to go about it. But if you believe that simply doing a short film will break you into the industry, I believe you are taking the long route. Nothing wrong with that, though.
You wanna make films? Features? Why, simply go and do one. Various productions are always on the lookout for production assistants, scriptwriters, line producers and the like. Pick what role you want to do, and apply for it. Experience in making short films will definitely help, like how a degree in filmmaking can also help. But it's not necessary.
Just do it for fun. I say this as I begin to feel some form of controlling instinct over my team. I do hope I don't get lost in the whole thing and become a tyrant or something.
All in all, I do believe this will be good fun and hopefully, we can make great short films. As for my team, I can say that if we do something great, it is because we are all geniuses who just need a RM200 million grant. If what we eventually do is crappy it's only because we had just 48 hours to do it. Give us RM200 million and I'll give you the best movie ever.
All right, then. Bring it on, motherfucker!
