'What is the film that made you want to continue exploring Korean cinema?' (Part 1)

After writing a piece on genres in Korean Cinema for last year's Korean Film Blogathon, I decided to take part in the challenge again. This year I am writing a short series based around the question 'What is the film that made you want to continue exploring Korean cinema?' I felt it would be a good way to reflect on the last few years and where I am today, an assistant film programmer at Cinema On The Park and being heavily involved in the coordination of the first Korean Film Festival in Australia over the past 2 years.

This entry is also available on the KOFFIA Blog. I highly recommend that you have a read of some of the other great entries taking part in this year's blogathon.

Hope you enjoy the next few entries. Do come back in the next few days for my next entry.

Notes on the Malaysian film industry: diversity and multiculturalism

I've been back in Malaysia for just about a week now, and it's been a quiet one. As you may have already heard, this week people have been celebrating Chinese New Year across the globe, and like most Asian countries, everything in Malaysia is 'on hold' for the entire week. The public holiday only applies for two days, but it is pretty usual to have businesses close for the rest of the week, and employees of all races take the 'unspoken' kind of annual leave.

I'm always curious to find out more about the film industry in Malaysia - how it works, what sort of funding filmmakers can apply for, what sort of films succeed at the box office, etc. While I haven't quite got all the answers to those questions yet, I've noticed a large number of cinemas that release country specific films. For example, cinemas in the city or popular malls will screen most of the Hollywood blockbusters and big international titles. What interests me is the ratio of Hollywood titles are to Asian titles (be it Malay-produced, or from Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, India or Japan).

Some of the films out in Malaysian cinemas. Top left, right: The Viral Factor (Cantonese), All's Well End's Well (Cantonese). Bottom: Nanban (Tamil)

In almost every cinema across the city (from larger mall-based ones to smaller), there is almost a 1:2 ratio of Asian titles to Hollywood ones. In some cinemas a little further outside the city, the ratio of Asian titles to Hollywood ones was almost 2:1.

The first thing this shows is how multicultural this country really is. Never-ending racial conflict aside, if there are cinemas that purely represent or favour the Asian communities over international/American titles, it really proves to you how the Malaysian film industry promotes diversity.

 A still from Sepet (2004), a Malaysian film written and directed by one of my favourite directors the late Yasmin Ahmad. The film is a modern-day, Malaysian Romeo and Juliet story with a twist on racial divisions in Malaysian society. This is one of my all-time favourites.

Understandably, Malaysia is a country where language can be a barrier for many different reasons, some geographical which may explain the different types of cinemas in Kuala Lumpur and outside of the city. A ratio like 2:1 in favour of Asian titles though, well, I think that speaks for itself.

If Australia is a multicultural country as it so often calls and bathes itself in, then why isn't there a similar level of treatment to diversity? In a country so full of Asian communities, why aren't there distributors helping to bring Asian-produced or Asian-relevant content to Australia to the same degree of crappy Australian-produced films? Why are Australian distributors turning a blind eye on Asian films, or Asian-Australian films when these are people who make up a good majority of communities across the country?

I do think that Australia needs to see more Asian films, or at least help to bring these films to communities with larger Asian/Asian-Australian population. I suppose that having said this, it is the reason why international film festivals such as Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and even independent ones such as the Korean Film Festival in Australia are so fantastic in bringing films we would not have ever heard of, or will ever hear of again once the festival passes.

You would think that in a country that is so proud of it's multicultural approach and perspectives, people would at least practice what they preach.

Big Awards, little me

Our good old friend November has returned, which means we welcome warmer days, sleepless nights and mosquito battles for the next few months. It's painful, and I hate summer. The best part of November, apart from finishing my second-first year at university, is the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Ceremony held in the Gold Coast at the end of the month. Kieran received an invitation to attend, and like last year, we're heading up the coast for yet another 'fancy' night. In other words, it's just an excuse for me to dress up and be in the same room with some big names in the Asia Pacific Screen industry. 

Last year we shared canapes with the producer of Paju and the producer of Jang Hun's new film Frontline (there is an embarrassing photo of me showing just this on the APSA homepage). We're hoping it'll be just as exciting as that this time around, and maybe even better like finally finding the courage to talk to Lee Chang-dong's producer of Secret Sunshine and brother. True story.

The Discovery of I

I often wonder about the choices I have made that have brought me to this very moment of means that I exist within. Beyond the picture of me sitting here in the living room, finally finding the time to write a meaningful blog post after watching another disgustingly engrossing episode of The Slap. What did I do to be in where I am today, and more curiously important, why did I do the things I did?

I wonder if there was a part of me in the past that knew what my choices would bring me to in the future. Did I know that I would be wanting to work in the film distribution industry? Did I know that I would be going back to university again? Did I secretly know that someday I would go back to university, and therefore not worry about dropping out of the first degree?

A thought has been lingering with me for quite some time, and it questions just this. I was in Melbourne for the Korean Film Festival - working - on my own time and expenses. I wanted to be there for the festival. I spoke to an old friend who I worked with previously, and he was surprised to hear that I was there in Melbourne - working - let alone for the same film festival I volunteered at last year. "But why?" he asked me. He sounded surprised, and I was surprised he would ask. 

"Because I want to." I want to be here, and this festival is something I believe in. This is something I want to do. Why else would I be here?

"You should be doing what you want to do," he said. I assumed he meant "Why are you pursuing someone's else's dream?" This raised the issue of working with your partner, but that is for another blog entry. I was struck with this 'dilemma' upon hearing him say this. Did he think that I was doing this because my partner was too?

NO. I won't beat around the bush with my answer. 

I'm not here because my partner works here, I'm here because I want to be here. I'm here because I want to earn the 'Thank you' you so willingly praise me with day by day. I'm here because I believe in this work. I'm here because I work hard, and do a bloody good job at what I do. 

I've been asking myself this question over the last few days, and have wondered much about this. I don't want to be treated like someone's someone. I want to be treated like I am myself. I am my own person. But is my own person someone who has been shaped by another? Is this what everybody else thinks and sees in me and the things that I do?

Just a thought. I think part of the perks of being 22 is you are a malleable idea - still. You are free to work towards the person you want to be, and if you've made a wrong turn, well, there is still time to get yourself back onto the right track. The ideas that have shaped me, whether they are from studies or from being with someone for so long - I guess the point is to take them and make something of your own from it. I guess that's the right idea.

Post-Film School Life Begins

Apart from keeping my internship at Titan View, I've been 'busily' applying for jobs here and there from the comfort of my couch. It's been a while since I've been able to sit around with a whole day to waste wrapped in a duvet with my laptop. The other reason for this apart from having just graduated with my Diploma in Screen is to nurse myself better from this cold that has been around since last week. So it all works out in the end - I am bedridden from this illness, so what better way to spend the day than to apply for jobs! Hah, hah.

Kieran and I had booked our flights and tickets to this year's Melbourne International Film Festival, which runs from the 22nd of July to the 8th of August. It's the first film festival I have bought a mini pass to, and the first festival or event interstate which I am indeed traveling to attend. It's a pretty exciting thought, and is in itself one of the first steps in my post-film school life.

These are the films we are going to see:

• Beeswax (dir Andrew Bujalski, USA)
• Ha Ha Ha (dir Hong Sangsoo, received the Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes this year, South Korea)
• Mai Mai Miracle (dir Sunao Katabuchi, Japan)
• Boy (dir Taika Waikiki, won the Best Fiction Feature Audience Awards at this year's Sydney Film Festival, NZ)
• Four Lions (dir Chris Morris, UK)
  
• Kanikosen (dir Sabu, Japan)
• A Time To Love (dir Embrahim Forouzesh, Iran)
• Karaoke (dir Chris Chong Chan Fui, Malaysia)
• The Juche Idea (dir Jim Finn, USA)
• Cell 211 (dir Daniel Monzon, Spain/France)
• The Well (dir Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni, India)
• Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam (dir Omar Majeed, Canada)
• Small Soldiers (dir Joe Dante, USA)

I'm really looking forward to seeing Beeswax, Ha Ha Ha, a childhood 'classic' of mine Small Soldiers and the only Malaysian film featuring at this year's MIFF, Karaoke. We've planned the trip over 4 days, where we will watch 13 films. I have a feeling we will begin to turn nocturnal from sitting in the theatre all day long for the majority of our trip. After all, it could be fun being a movie owl.

That being said, now that I've spent all this money on the trip, I should really get cracking on finding that job if I want to keep living in this city.

This Is Not Poetry - Production Wrap Up

Note: this post is long overdue, and my head space has already moved on to the post-production side of things, so excuse the sloppiness of this entry!

Slate it!

The thesis production went very well, and much to my liking. It was my very first time running the show as both producer and director, and I must say it was an enjoyable experience. Of course, no production would be complete without the many downs and problems. Yet overall, we got some great shots and coverage, I worked with a fantastic, but small crew of four, and I had great actors who were accepting of my ideas.

I worked with a small, small crew. It consisted of four - a Director of Photography, who was also the camera operator and gaffer; a sound recordist, who was also boom operator, and a bit of a 2nd AD; a make-up artist; and a wardrobe manager, who also acted as my production designer. I initially wanted to have a small crew based on the idea that a short film doesn't need a dozen hands to work. They teach us about how to design a crew and what sort of roles are imperative to the operation of a film on and off set, but they don't really tell us that it's not always necessary for 1st Assistant Directors, production managers, gaffers and boom operators. To me, on a short film like This Is Not Poetry, there was no use for a bigger crew than I had already organised, yet I still had classmates and even crew members wondering why I never considered it. I even had my Director of Photography complain about how I failed to organise a gaffer to set up the lights for him. Filmmaking isn't about having lots of different hands on set in production. We are film school students, and we know about the roles - so why waste space with another body to do a job I know my crew members can already do?

Shooting the sunrise at Circular Quay
(From left to right) James, Karan and myself

We were sorely behind on schedule on the first day. Having organised to start at 5:30PM and finish around 11:00PM, we ended up spending far too long with make-up and hair dressing, and too much time shooting each scene. We spent so much time in all the wrong places, that we eventually finished at 4:30AM the next morning. I had two out of three of my actors sleeping in my apartment, one sharing the bed with me and another on the couch; and one other crew member taking the floor in a sleeping bag. All of us had at least an hour's sleep, as we had to get up to start shooting at 6:30AM, much to our distaste. I wondered, after the shoot, would this have happened to us if I had a proper First Assistant Director who was focused on making sure I was getting the shots I wanted in the scheduled time, or was it just a failure in scheduling and planning? It could have been a mixture of both. Nevertheless, the crew and cast worked even better the next morning, despite looking half-dead and about to collapse.

I worked with an open mind all throughout the film. At times, being too open-minded to different ideas and allowing your cast and occasionally your crew do what they feel is best can be considered lazy. I felt otherwise. I wanted my film to be as honest and organic as possible. I changed the names of each character to the actors' name, and I made sure the actors possessed similar if not the same qualities of my characters. I had given my actors directions that were open for them to play with. This was an experiment I wanted to play with, as based on previous experiences, often times when you work with experienced actors, they can tend to make action and emotion feel awkwardly fake, and inevitably spoil the entire film. I didn't want this to happen to mine, and so I gave my actors the freedom to 'do as they would', but at the same time, made sure they channeled and concentrated on the emotion of it all. It was, much to my surprise, a success.

The actors with the wardrobe manager
(From left to right) Arnie, Lucy, James and Genesis

All three of my actors were around my age. Two of them were younger than me, and the other was my age. I felt that this helped me work with them better because we were all speaking the same language with each other. Another great thing about working with younger actors is that there is a sense of honesty in their performance, and they are continuously open-minded to different ideas and techniques. Out of the three actors I worked with, only one had experience in theatre and film. My lead actor had no experience in film, while the other had some training but through short courses and school. Truth be told, I was concerned about this. I was worried that their inexperience may project through the camera and onto screen, but it never did. They were fantastic. I was extremely lucky to have found my three actors, and I won't lie - they were all chosen out of gut feeling. In the end, they looked great together, did an amazing job and were such a delight to work with.

I think this whole production has been based on luck, to be honest. Both my composer and lead actor were from mutual friends, and I even had to contact them via Facebook (a la stalker style). Others like my wardrobe manager and make-up artist were creatives who I really wanted to work with - my wardrobe manager Genesis is a good friend and ex-uni mate of mine who really introduced me to film with my first Wong Kar-Wai film, while my make-up artist was someone I had worked with previously on a short film I produced. It's so great to work with people who are like-minded, and who share the same vision while having the ability to enhance it with new and different ideas. The right people were there for me, and that's what made the production work so well.

Most of the team at the end of Day 2
(From left to right) Karan, myself, Lucy, Genesis and James

When a film works out that way, it's such a great feeling when you look back on how far you've come.

And now it all comes down to putting the film together. The final product is due in 8 days, next Saturday 3rd of July. I'll have an update on how the edit is coming along. I've got a few sound problems, but hopefully nothing I can't fix.

* Photos taken by Mimi, our make-up artist

"Accidents Happen": Yet Another Accident In The Australian Film Industry

I managed to catch an advanced screening of Accidents Happen starring Geena Davis yesterday morning, and felt that I needed to talk about the film as a clear indication of where this ignorant film industry is heading. Oh. Did I say too much for an opening sentence already?

I'll be curt here, so watch out.

Accidents Happen is the result of a very poorly opinionated, dumb film industry in this country. The film, short and pointless story short, is about a dysfunctional family with the Midas touch of bad luck. Geena Davis is probably the only big name among the cast, including some fairly 'big' Australian television names (ones I am not going to bother looking up, anyway). I believe the crew is mostly if not completely made up of Australians, including Elizabeth Mary Moore who gave a talk at our school about production design.

The only thing I liked about this film was the production design. The look of the sets had a glowing, warm 80s feel, which I found very appealing. I liked the way Moore decorated the rooms and managed to fill every space while being both expressive and 'natural'.

Now apart from that, the film just didn't work for me. Bluntly speaking, Accidents Happen was complete and utter shit. How the Australian film industry has allowed for this to first of all, be funded by Screen Australia and secondly, get Hopscotch onboard as their sales agents (possibly distribution?) - well, I don't know. Looking back on all the films that have come out from the Australian film industry in the last year, I think this has to be one of the worst Australia has produced. It's clear that they've tried hard to make it something more than your average My Year Without Sex and Charlie and Boots. Heck, they even casted Geena Davis as the foul-mouthed mother of the unfortunate family. If that isn't desperate enough.

The writing was a fucking disaster, I'll be perfectly honest with you. All of Davis' lines were one line jokes, and when she wasn't telling one, she was either cussing or grunting through her plasticised lips. The supporting actors failed with their American accents, which made their already unnatural dialogue look completely awkward between the actors who were meant to be acting out a 'drama'.

Right, now here is where I began to question the state of this film industry - how could our industry's professionals let a film like Accidents Happen, well, happen? To be funded by Screen Australia, they would have had to sell the story or make use of some form of bias made through relationships (just someone I know who knows someone who is married to someone with a sister in Screen Australia). That being said, all films that go through Screen Australia go through a process of some kind. Okay, straight to the point: these films that come in the form of treatments would be analysed by a group of professionals, who decide whether they'd like to fund the project or not. Now, with a film like Accidents Happen, I wondered: who in their right, dumb mind said yes to allowing this terrible film to be produced?

Kieran has so rightly said time and again: the Australian film industry is made up of two factors: women, and business-minded people. I can see the latter being logical, but if you haven't noticed already, this industry is full of women who don't know anything about film (apart from Jennifer Anniston's latest film, and Gerard Butler's body awesome new rom-com), and don't have the balls to properly critique a film made by the industry they work in.

It's true. I saw Bright Star, directed by Jane Campion (who also did The Piano). The amount of women the film appealed to was astounding, yet the film lacked any substance. There was no plot, no storyline and no character development in my eyes. I had seen better period pieces from the roots of Jane Austen and the likes of the British film industry.

The general audience are totally soaking up all of this shit coming out of the Australian film industry, and it's working in a cycle. People pay to see these movies, while later on their damned, filthy mouths speak words of ignorant delight, which in effect sells these craptastic films throughout the community. It happens in a chain reaction, and once it starts, it never stops. It's just really sad that nothing can be done about it. You see lots of independent filmmakers trying to make it in this industry, only to be shot down by big funding bodies like Screen Australia and distributors like Hopscotch based on the fact that "it's just not appealing", yet you see films like Beautiful Kate and Lucky Country that make absolutely nothing in the box office. There is no wonder everyone is moving overseas, making it around the international festival circuits in hope for some attention and money. And there is no wonder everyone is flocking to the internet for the same reasons too.

Perhaps, I am simply living in a film-based apocalyptic era, where only a precious few of us quietly build our secret, independent society of film-makers and industry professionals who actually know what they're doing - and more importantly, an age who knows exactly what they're saying. It truly angers me to know that there are films like Accidents Happen out there in cinemas with wide theatrical releases, and big name funders and distributors attached. It frustrates me more when fellow industry professionals lie through their teeth about these films based on facts like "it's not patriotic to say it sucked" and "I know someone who worked on the film, isn't it amazing".

But till that day we finally break out of this spell, I'm going to do my very best to start this revolution. The Australian film industry doesn't need REVIVAL. It needs to be left behind, and started anew.

Rant aside, I rated Accidents Happen 3/10.

(I was extremely generous, only for the production design, and nothing more)

Ten Callbacks and Four Interviews Later...

I managed to get two offers both for internship positions at two different production companies.. One is for a film distribution/production company, and the other is a film production company working on Australia's first Mobile-orientated film competition and festival. You can imagine how stoked I am about this. I wondered if there is a made-up law of Interning which questioned the idea of being an intern of two different companies. I guess only time will tell whether I can manage two different sources of work.

Also, let me tell you about the second interview I had just yesterday for one of the production companies. I was in a rush as usual in the morning, trying to get my clothes on while brushing my teeth. I couldn't find my black shoes, which I wear to interviews and jobs alike, until I remembered I'd left them in my little unpacked suitcase from my recent trip to Singapore. I thought Great!, at least looking for them wasn't much of a problem -- that was, until I put my hand into the hotel's laundry bag where I'd put my shoes in. After experiencing a short sensation of 'fluff', I pulled my hand out to discover my shoe had a very serious case of the mould! Thankfully, my sister's smaller pair of black Vans and her day off from work allowed me to borrow her pair. To make things worse though, upon arriving to the interview, I was asked if I had my CV on me and had forgotten to bring it.

So if, in the next couple of days, a new strain of the swine/bird/name of textbook animal flu arises... Well.

On a more positive note, now with the two internship opportunities before me, I imagine my networks have doubled in coverage, and for a budding film-maker and aspiring producer, this is a dream.

I start both internships next week. This couldn't have been better timing for me too, since next week the school is running a week-long course on Cinematography, which I'm not a part of and therefore have the entire week off (including the Easter weekend). Wish me more good things and I will think of you in return.

Also, for all the callbacks I received from every application I sent, I have to thank the greatness that is ScreenHub. It's a great tool for those in the Media industry who are looking for work. It works like Seek or CareerOne only dedicated to those in Media. So, check it out. You have to pay to subscribe, but so, so worth it.

26 Ways To Die, School and Callbacks

Hello. Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been terribly busy with school and other things. Kieran and I recently finished our latest production, which is in collaboration with Kino Sydney titled 26 Ways To Die. The completed works will be up in about a month's time when it is put together and premiered at the next Kino event.

I've also just started my Thesis and Directing workshop classes, which have been going quite well. I've to keep a diary for all my concepts and potential ideas for my final thesis film, which may suggest where my time is being spent the most. The directing workshops were fun - I created a character and held my first casting session (which was apparently received well). Otherwise, I skip the odd Meet The Filmmaker sessions and fall sick on the right days to stay home and watch movies.

I have been up to see some of the films at the French Film Festival here in Sydney. I just saw Phillipe Lioret's Welcome, and two days ago I saw Emmanuel Mouret's Fais-moi Plaisir! (Please Please Me!) - both of which I rated 6/10 for reasons I may explain in a later entry.

And apart from that, I have been to two interviews this week, both of which were for internships. They both went very well, and I hope to get called back for a second interview if not immediately given the job!

In other news, I'm off to Singapore for the weekend to attend a family reunion of some sort. To be honest I don't know much about it, and will probably not know the majority of family members due to attend - therefore, my idea of a out of town sojourn is and always has been from the start, a complete failure.

I leave you with a music video directed by Michel Gondry. There are some really great techniques and effects here that I think are worth sharing. Also, it's Everlong by The Foo Fighters.

(Sorry, Youtube won't let me embed the video in this post, so click here. You won't be sorry)

The French Film Festival and Australian Film Festival

I'll be providing my volunteer expertise (in other words, being everyone's bitch) at the upcoming Alliance Francaise French Film Festival, which runs from the 2nd to 21st of March at the Palace Cinemas (Academy Twin, Verona and Norton St). I managed to catch an advance screening of LOL (Laugh Out Loud) today, which was pretty enjoyable, but average in my honest opinion. The festival runs for about 3 weeks and will screen something like 43 films. Definitely one to check out.

I'm also volunteering at the Australian Film Festival this year, which will be a great way to catch some Australian home grown films. The festival runs from the 24th of Feb to 7th of March. Should be interesting to see if there are any stand-out Australian films that could top the last couple of bad ones I've seen.

Fan Chan Pictures

Kieran and I co-founded the film production company Fan Chan Pictures last year, and have finally created a fully functional website for it.

Come check it out!

http://www.fanchanpictures.com

Character Equals Nothing

I managed to catch the Australian musical brought to screen Bran Nue Dae, yet another disappointing product of the Australian film industry for me. Directed by AFTRS graduate Rachel Perkins, the film was just another one of those Australian films with absolutely no characterisation to drive the plot. The film was clearly written for the stage (and true enough, it was written by the writers who wrote the stage production) with lame dialogue that trails off into the film's atmosphere of 'nothing'. The film didn't allow the characters to develop, and therefore the whole experience felt like a series of events flashing before my eyes in strict succession without any explanation of how and why.



And this is the very problem. Why are Australian films continuously lacking in character development?

I was taught at school last semester that character equals story, yet it doesn't seem to be practised very much in the industry. Another film I saw last year that I was highly disappointed by was Prime Mover. The film had little to zero character development, and every 'dramatic' scene simply failed because of this. How am I, as a member of the audience, supposed to feel for the characters when I know nothing about them?

This frustrates me. This industry is my future, and it frustrates me to think that it is run by people with more or less the same sense as an emu. I patiently await the next 'impressive' film this dumb industry coughs up.

A Movie A Day, Keeps The Blogger Away

Apologies for the lack of updates. I've been quite busy watching films and doing things in the real world. Recently, I watched REC, Bran Nue Dae, Crazy Heart and Battle For Terra. Kieran and I scored a free double pass to the Moonlight Cinema at Centennial Park, so tonight we are going to see Sherlock Holmes. Then on Valentines Day, we scored another free double pass to New York, I Love You screening at the Moonlight Cinema too, so it's going to be a fairly busy next couple of days.

I'll have a couple of short write-ups by the weekend of some of these films. I've got much to say about them.

In the meanwhile, Kieran and I recently signed up for ScreenHub for Film/TV/Media job listings and I managed to grab an interview this afternoon with the Dungog Film Festival people as an unpaid intern. Wish me luck!

Today's Work

I'm back in the editing suite again with a project for a previous film festival I helped out at, that's well overdue (thanks to procrastination).

Call me crazy, but there's something about sitting in front of a computer all day working and perfecting a piece of work (either on Final Cut Pro or Photoshop) that I really enjoy. It's like a sick habit of mine that I can't seem to get away from. A drug. An obsession. It's completely unhealthy and only results in a bad back for the night, lack of sleep (which comes with darkened eye bags) and a sore bum. But once I'm in 'the zone', I could sit in a chair in front of a timeline or a canvas for hours creating stuff, whether it be for personal stuff or work.

This is what I'm working on at the moment. I know it's nothing but a screen shot of an opened program, but this is something I'm considering to do as a career after school. If not a career, then a means of getting into the film industry.

The Unsung Heroes of Film-making

I found this interesting article on Screen Daily titled "Producers who actually produce" and I am reminded of how film producers are one of the major unsung heroes of the film-making business.

During my last semester at film school, I learned how difficult it was to coordinate strong, individual minded people to create a film that everyone (including myself) would be happy with. At the very end of this first-time run as a producer, I found myself feeling quite proud of what I'd achieved and what I was capable of doing, although I honestly wasn't happy about the final product.

However, at the end of the day, I found that I was the only one patting myself on the back for the effort I thought I never had, but found for this project, in order to produce the film. When I look back on all the times I had to make quick decisions to meet deadlines, I'm reminded of all the times when I would receive such dirty looks or hear others begin to mock my efforts. No one looks at a film and thinks about how the producer's work - it always seems to be how creative the cinematographer is, and how fancy the costumes look. It really is a difficult job. Nevertheless, it's one that I honestly enjoy.

After reading this article, I can now add this issue of "where are the producers who actually produce" into the list of downsides of being a producer. Another thing is that the producers are often overlooked in today's culture - it's often the director who is the film's representative, yet all they do is 'direct' the film's creative vision while the producer is busy maintaining the budget, keeping the cast and crew happy, licking floors for favours from external companies and organisations, and everything else behind the actual making of a film.

Till then, I might just have to grow a pair of balls to succeed and feel good about myself in this industry as an aspiring producer. I might.