The Making Of Sappudu Makan ChiFan
Conceptualised in 2014, Singapore Heritage Competition provides a platform for young and aspiring filmmakers to shoot and showcase films about Singapore’s rich heritage. The theme for 2018 was nothing but Food; one thing that people across Singapore can definitely identify with. Pertaining to Singapore’s multi-racial society, food in Singapore is diverse and full of flavour. From Ice-cream Sandwiches to Chicken Rice and Prata to Biryani, food unites people from every race, religion and social status.
Source: Singapore Film Society
The idea and motivation to participate in the competition came from Media Hub’s Studio Officer, Muhd Alfian and my extraordinary friend, Lucas Ashwin Clamence. The two of them sat down, one fine day, discussing the progress of Media Hub and the possibilities of sending in an entry for SHC. After hours of brainstorming and thousands of ideas, Lucas talked about how he related to food in different kind of scenarios. Two people falling in love over Ice-Lollies; a mother feeding her sick child and; two friends connecting on the basis of how each of their families asked to bring food for them; Alfian found the concepts really interesting and persuaded Lucas to take the lead and direct the film.
Credits: Wei Yi
Lucas presented the idea to us and we agreed upon it to be absolutely beautiful and relatable. The real challenge now was to turn Lucas’ vision into reality. A number of talented members from the Media Hub agreed to participate and put in their best efforts to achieve fruitful results. Our Director Of Photography was Daras Singh Narula and Tony Tofani. Daras’ and Tony’s input on how we can curate the film helped Lucas script well and take necessary actions to bring the film to life. The pre-production began in full force. The Producers, Nicolette Lorraine and Jeanette Marjorie, took care of the paperwork, made sure everything was well organised and that the production ran smoothly. The production included a number of energetic juniors who were willing to learn and contribute. We started on a “S$ 0” budget, chipping in a bit by ourselves to fund our need for food and water.
Credits: Wei Yi
The film was shot over a period of four days including one day of re-shoot. Each of our locations were reviewed and confirmed beforehand. We also had a day of shoot at our lecturer, Mr Fuadi Rahmat’s, beautiful house. Mr Fuadi welcomed and supported us with all his heart, providing us with everything we needed. The shoot was balanced well between getting our work done and having fun at the same time. It was the perfect opportunity to enhance our skills and to bond with the juniors. From learning how to open a tripod to logging the call sheet, each one of us carried out our duties with consistent dedication and passion. At the end of each day, Lucas conducted a debrief to enable us to communicate and express our experiences throughout. We talked about what went wrong and came back stronger the next day. With each passing day, the drive to create the film only became more powerful. Our strengths became stronger and our weaknesses, better. We did have disagreements and there were times when a few were distracted but we made sure to work towards our collective dream as one team, one family.
Credits: Wei Yi
Our dream came true when we sat in the Old Parliament House, looking with moist eyes, at our creation being screened. It reminded me of how we were all panicking to send in our film only seconds before the deadline. Lucas giving the finishing touch intently, Daras pacing around the room, Daryn recording the madness and I, tapping my foot impatiently. “And… DONE,” Lucas exclaimed as he hit send. We took a breath of relief. None of us had ever felt better. Fast forward two months, and there we were, standing proudly on the stage at the SHC screening, grinning as we were awarded the third prize in the student category. I smiled as I looked around observing Tony’s little sister giving him a big hug, Lucas posing for the cameras and Daryn capturing each of these magical moments. That’s exactly when I realised that we might have not won the first prize but we did win at being a team - a coordinated, insanely talented team.
“S$ 221,” said the McDonalds employee as he handed me the bill. 15 students sat on the second floor of McDonalds at Boat Quay, munching on their meals after a day of anticipation and excitement. We laughed, clicked pictures and talked about the future of Media Hub. And today, I can positively say, we are ready for whatever’s coming next.
Wondering where you can watch Sappudu Makan ChiFan? Here you go,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu4w-K_6NEo&t=5s.
