To enrich, empower and... rant?

On the personal imagery frontline [Part II]

2009-11-15T22:33:00.006+08:00

Apologies for the very late update, despite having promised writing within the same week. I've been so busy with NS that I don't exactly have the time and/or energy to write. More on that in the next post.

Some time in late September or early October, I got acquainted with Audi, a senior who graduated from NP's Film, Sound & Video diploma programme one year earlier than me. After a brief meet up with him, as well as a couple of his teammates, I got hooked up for a pro bono project. It was for Nuffnang's "It's Krrunch Time, Get Playful!" competition, the objective of which is to conceptualise and shoot a short video to simulate an advertisement for Pringles.

Audi was the Director of Photography while Jayden directed it. I was asked to shoot the stills for the production. Since I didn't own a DSLR at the moment, I borrowed Audi's 450D, along with a kit lens and a basic 75-300mm f4-5.6 for the shoot. After not shooting for quite a while, I'm happy to say the shots turned out pretty satisfactory, though my only gripes were the infamiliarity with the camera's interface (since I've almost always been using Nikon or Fujifilm DSLRs), as well as the lenses' limitations. Being basic lenses, they weren't sharp wide open and could be quite slow where focusing is concerned.

Anyway, here are some shots to share.

The cast getting their makeup done while Jayden and Audi brief them.

Makeup artist Gigi attending to "lead zombie" Jeff Chan.

The other still photographer on set, Benjamin. He's really got a great eye for details and angles. Heh.

Jeff's already in character even as he "devours" his lunch - chicken rice.

Showing off his makeup after it's done.

Look at how great Gigi's makeup skills are! Awesome flaky skin! Fit for a zombie! =)

Can you spot the real panda? LOL!

Double checking to ensure that the slate's written correctly.

The things photographers would do and the places they would go to get the shot they want.

The same can be said of the cinematographer of outstanding calibre. Heh.

A "frame within frame" shot cropped to 2.35:1 aspect ratio - the ratio that many films are shot for widescreen.

The menacing zombie that Jeff becomes! RAWR!

When you see a zombie that looks like so life-threatening running towards you, you RUN, not squat down for a shot like I did.

Before you say "OUCHHHH!", the glass bottle that was smashed was actually made of sugar glass, the material used for props for production.

More can be found in my facebook via this link.

Anyway, on a separate note, the video was completed and submitted for the competition as planned, and no prizes for guessing which video won the competition. Congratulations to Audi, Jayden and co.!

The final product:

Awesome stuff isn't it? =)

I really look forward to involvement to more projects like this. If you know of any such opportunities, please do drop me a comment or something! Heh.

The weekend past

2009-11-01T21:52:00.003+08:00

Cynthia, a friend of mine, invited me to crash the birthday chalet of her friend, Ariel, a.k.a. YY last weekend.

Since I had no other plans made, I thought, "Why not?" And I never regretted heading down to the chalet on Friday and Saturday, and staying overnight on both days. Made a few new friends and acquaintances there, and once again, I realised how small Singapore actually is. Everyone is connected in one way or another.

Anyway, I didn't bring my camera, so pictures will only come after Ariel uploads them (and provided she allows me to use some of them for my blog). Fingers crossed!

The party was a blast! I enjoyed myself thoroughly, even though I practically knew close to nobody there.

The most memorable highlights were the humongous cake and 21 cupcakes that Cynthia and Hongrui, her boyfriend, got for the birthday girl and the cake cutting session where the birthday girl got her "key to freedom". There was also a "guestboard", which was a black plastic art board for attendees to pen their well wishes. Another dedication board of sorts came in the form of the mirror and walls in the bathroom.

Since Ariel is still sort of nursing a heartbreak, I left her a quote that I got from a seminar I attended about a year ago on the bathroom's wall. I've previously shared it before I "restarted" my blog, and I'll share it again right now.

"A car's windshield is made larger than its rearview mirror for a reason. The future is more important! Don't look back, look forward!" - Kankan Battacharyya

I guess it's self explanatory enough? I'm glad that Ariel and Cynthia found it meaningful. Hopefully, the "Little Mermaid" recovers and stays cheerful ASAP. =)

On a separate note, I'm now nursing quite a nasty cold with a very "runny" nose. Cause of this predicament? I'll put it down to a medley of all of the following factors:

getting drenched in a very heavy downpour while buying charcoal for the barbecue last night, despite having an umbrella,
inadequate rest for the whole weekend, (I slept far too little and got no quality rest at all), and
sleeping in a pretty cold room without a blanket, followed by very strong air-conditioning for the past 6 hours or so seated in one of my favourite hangout joints.

I just hope I'll get better by tomorrow morning. If I don't, I'll probably report sick in camp and pray that I don't have any details on Tuesday, as well as the in-camp MO feeling generous and giving me MC for a day or two.

One can hope and pray, can't he? Heh.

On the personal imagery frontline [Part I]

2009-11-01T21:04:00.007+08:00

Alright, so I've been serving my National Service since June, and that has kind of hindered my regular involvement in filmmaking and photography, on both professional and personal levels. But I still sit up and grab such opportunities as and when I come.

Some of you might have recalled that earlier this year, somebody actually referred me to Rick Chan, a then-newcomer to the filmmaking scene. I was approached by him to stand in for his original DOP (Director of Photography) for some scenes in his virginal film, titled "Summer of Impermanence". Following a spontaneous coffee session and quick recce of one of the locations, I agreed to help as I could tell from his mannerism that he was actually very passionate about what he's doing.

Anyway, production went relatively smoothly. I was reasonably satisfied with what I shot, and on 16th October 2009, the film was screened at a closed-door screening event as the opening film. For those who haven't caught the film, all I can offer you now is the trailer, which has actually been completed a long time ago. I'll see what plans Rick has for a wider pool of audience. Hopefully all of you out there will be able to watch it.

I tried linking the video and even after going through the source code and managing to finally link the video, it doesn't load on my blog due to privacy settings set by the person who uploaded. So the only way you'll be able to watch it is click on "Videos of Nick Lee" on my Facebook profile page. Sorry for the trouble!

For your information, I only shot a couple of scenes, namely some outdoor footage around Chinatown (which you won't really see in the trailer), and a "golden, warm-looking" room scene (which you'll catch a couple of glimpses in the trailer). Hope you enjoy the trailer!

It's been a long, long while...

2009-11-01T19:02:00.002+08:00

It's been soooooo long since I wrote and boy, do I have a lot of things to update. Ever since I enlisted, I have been putting off writing simply because I was tired, lethargic, procrastinating or a lack of focus in my train(s) of thought(s).

Well, I shall summarise most of the relatively trivial occurrences of the past 4 months before I come to those that I have more to write about.

National Service

Well, you guys do know that I enlisted in mid June. Since then, it's been a rollercoaster ride of sorts. Due to some admin lapses, I OOT-ed (Out Of Training) from BMT. Got posted to become a driver and completed my Military Class 4 License in approximately 7 weeks.

Just returned to my unit's MT Line less than 2 weeks ago, and most of my time has been spent clocking mileage before I can upgrade my driver category to Cat C2. Bah... Nothing much other than that.

Personal Life

Well, as the guys should know, been in NS means I don't really get so much a personal life. Anyway, most of the time, my weekends were spent heading to my regular darting joints to play darts - sometimes with friends, sometimes alone. Coffee at my ex-workplace was part of my weekend routine. But gone were the days of plonking down at my favourite chill out joint with my laptop, to edit photos and write, until recently.

Perhaps the most devastating thing that happened was that I lost my Harrows darts less than a month ago, along with 4-5 sets of flights, steel conversion tips, synthetic leather pouch and a miniature Cookie Monster plush which looks something like this -> I bought a new set of darts the very following day. A Puma Elite Signature Series [18g Tungsten Front Loader] darts. And guess what happens? I lost ONE single dart from the set on Friday, less than a month after I purchased it. Seriously, it was a very unfortunate event and I don't even want to talk about it anymore. Sigh.

As you can probably see, life after NS came into my life became extremely boring and dreary. Till date, 4.5 months have passed. And I still have about 19.5 months to go. How I wish time will fly through this period...

Updates on other happenings coming right up. Now, let me just shift these sad, depressing thoughts of my darts down. -.-'

R.I.P: 1x Puma Elite Signature Series 18g Front Loader dart

Ok, so I couldn't make it.

2009-06-15T02:15:00.002+08:00

Ok, so I couldn't make it. Couldn't make the deadline to actually sit down and start writing about stuff I have been wanting to write about before 15th June.

The last few weeks have been crazy. I have been busy with so many things. But all of them are more or less done. Now one big task/burden lies ahead.

For those who still do not know, I'm enlisting on 15th June. So effectively, this blog will not be updated for AT LEAST the next 2 weeks.

Hopefully when I get my first book out, I'll have enough energy and time to write about all the stuff I have been wanting to, plus finish all the drafts that are half (or so) written.

Well, all the best to everyone out there! I'll see you people soon aight? =)

Some updates

2009-04-05T20:08:00.002+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. Have been tied up with far too many activities and things happening. Some brief updates over the last week. I shall try to summarise each day I talk about in 3 sentences, which can be tough for certain days. Heh.

Tuesday - Went for an informal and private BBQ gathering with some of my FSV coursemates (Caleb, Sofyan, Erez, Farhan, Annabelle, etc.) and their friends. Celebrated Farhan's brother's girlfriend when the clock struck twelve. Drank a little, stayed overnight and went home early in the morning.

Thursday - Went to Wala to hang out with some of the barflies/Plurkers (Jaywalk, Cow, TSSD, TK, Ruok, xiaobudian, FireAngel, MsV, vandalin, etc.) for drinks and music. Was enjoying myself until I saw someone I didn't need or want to see. Left just after midnight after that with my mood for the night rotten.

Friday - Went to Top One KTV for overnight KTV after work with some of the barflies (aloe, Gingerbreadman, Ginger, JayWalk, Mistress Grace, JasChocolate, JF). Walked into the KTV room when Ginger and GBM were singing 你最珍贵 and spent the rest of the night singing primarily emo songs (and some were actually songs picked by Jas for me -_-). Had breakfast with the other 3 survivors (aloe, Jas and JF) before heading home, feeling a bit weird cos I was actually not feeling emo for the entire night.

Saturday - Went to Heeren Spins to chill and was supposed to do some work, but ended up going for some light drinking with a couple of friends. Went back to Spins at 11+ to hitch a cab ride with a couple of the staff. Ended up spending the night out with a friend.

Sunday - Had a gathering organised by Adrian (my manager) after work, and attendees included all our branch's staff, staff from Adidas next door, and a few others. Took a train and ended up spending the night out with a friend again. Went home in the morning and promised mum not to stay out so often anymore. =/

Well, the last week has been a rollercoaster ride for me. I keep reflecting on lots of stuff and at times I just feel lost or down. But I'm already feeling much, much better and I shall work at not letting all these stuff get me down anymore.

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"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in lack of will."

- Vince Lombardi, Football Coach (1913-1970)

Knowledge can be seeked, strength can be attained with training. And will can be harnessed through various avenues, built, cultivated. But many don't realise or acknowlege that fact, and simply let themselves slump into depression or failure.

I have been guilty of that as well, but I shall work at it. I shall learn and master steeling my will and persevereing to get to where I want to be.

I hope you can do the same as well. =)

Coming soon

2009-03-31T02:17:00.005+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates, been quite busy of late. Work and other commitments have been taking up most of the time. The rest of it has been primarily occupied by sleep and procrastination among others.

Updates will be coming soon, and something relatively big to me on a personal level will be coming within the week. Stay tuned!

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"With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance all things are attainable." - Buckston, Philosopher

Simply said, almost everybody in the world are born with the same qualities. No doubt, your upbringing would have shaped you. But even an "average" person can become extraordinary with nurturing and guidance. Anyone can succeed and be great one day. All you need is a dream, and with a sheer amount of willpower and perseverance to succeed, nothing can stop you!

Prize and price

2009-03-28T03:43:00.000+08:00

As part of the movement to revamp and move in a new direction, here is a quote.

The following quote came from the speaker who spoke at a seminar I attended, a millionaire who retired nearly 13 years ago at the age of 32, Mr Kankan Battacharyya.

"For every prize, there is a price." - Kankan Battacharyya

Don't you think it's very true?

No matter what you wish to achieve or get, you have to pay a price. The price can come in many forms and can comprise of many things, such as time, effort, sacrifices, etc. However, the onus is upon you to judge or determine whether the price is worth paying for what you want. When I say sacrifices, it doesn't include acts like self-mutilation or the like. It doesn't mean sacrificing your values. The prize should be rewarding and benefit somebody (if not yourself).

Ok, I might not be writing well today. Despite the desire to write, I'm suffering from mental/writer's block and having some difficulties generating proper content.

It's a sign I need to sleep early tonight. Till the next post, cheers.

New start...

2009-03-28T02:20:00.002+08:00

Ok, first things first, this is now going to be my personal blog. Differing Perspectives shall now be used solely for my photography, film and video works, advertisements, etc.

Those who have visited my blog when it was still at the old URL (above) in its last days would have known I was going through a lot, and my health suffered as a result. But to push myself through this ordeal, I have been reading more motivational books again and I am getting better. Many thanks to those who have shown concern.

I have since decided to restart my entire blog, and deleted all the meaningless posts from the old URL. I will be transferring those which still remain and are more meaningful to this blog. These posts generally contain very interesting quotes, and my reflection on them. That explains the direction that this blog is heading - to enrich and empower my readers.

And of course, once in a while, I might rant a little, and thus, the last part about ranting.

I have also deleted my Cbox entries to start anew. I genuinely welcome any readers to tag or comment on the blog and its entries. Any constructive comments and criticism will be accepted and published. Any groundless accusations and the like will be deleted/blocked.

I do hope with the new direction the blog is headed, more readers will come by and be inspired and enriched by its contents. No, I'm not trying to go commercial or want attention. I just wish to share what I've read, seen, thought about and I hope through this sharing, I can change the lives of others for the better.

This whole process is going to take a while. It's a gradual process as I have to move posts (editing them here and there when needed), read more (so I can share), and actually manage my time better (so that I can juggle my other activities/commitments, and find time to sit down and write), etc.

Changes will come, and brace yourselves for them. In fact, I hope you guys will embrace the change(s) and spread the word to your peers. The ultimate objective of this blog will be to, as I mentioned earlier, enrich and empower its readers.

If I can change my life for the better gradually, why can't all of you out there? =)

Cheerios and hope to see more people dropping by!