From Local to Global - Kelvin Tong & Royston Tan

On 14 October 2004, there was an exclusive filming seminar by two of Singapore's critically-acclaimed directors, Kelvin Tong and Royston Tan.

The seminar basically touched on the topic "From Local to Global" - since both directors, Kelvin Tong (Eating Air) and Royston Tan (4.30) have received accolades at international film festivals such as the Hong Kong and Berlin International Film Festival respectively.

When the inevitable question of compromising artistic integrity with the commercial success or viability of a film, Tong replied that he felt the both could co-exist mutually, and a film-maker did not necessarily have to sacrifice one for the other. After all, there are many examples in the film industry today that is evidence enough that both factors could be mutually exclusive.

Tong also mentioned during the seminar held at the National Library, that the most unique characteristic of Singapore was "the diversity in our race and religion". The clash of both Eastern and Western culture could be the ultimate source of inspiration local film-makers could seek to built their story ideas upon.

Tong, who expressed that he sought inspiration for his films from everyday life, felt that language was not a barrier when it came to film-making. Even though his well-received film Eating Air was sprinkled with dialects such as Hokkien and Cantonese, the core of his films could still reach out to our Western counterparts.

Tan jokingly added that "4.30 was the best, because it had no dialogue in the entire film, apart from a line or two." Even though 4.30 had close to zero dialogue, similarly, it managed to tug at the heartstrings of the audience. (Interesting point to note: 4.30 is the time where the highest number of people commit suicide, because it is neither day nor night.)

While many may feel that the young film-making industry of Singapore may be a major disadvantage, especially when coming up against our Hollywood counterparts, Tong is quick to note that there is an advantage to that.

"Since our industry is relatively young compared to say, Hollywood, that means there are many areas that we can explore, because not many story ideas has been exhausted. Whereas, if I were say in Hollywood, it would be really hard to come up with something new."

So, what advice do they have for aspiring budding film-makers out there?

He cited Ed Wood, the 'world's worst director' as a learning example. Despite his infamous reputation as the 'legendary director of awful movies', he still perservered on his passion while making films out of a shoestring budget.

"Don't be afraid to make a movie just because you fail the first time."