NOW HIRING!

Hi all,

Perantauan is now beginning its first phase of hiring for our upcoming feature to be shot mid 2007. Here are the posts open for applications:

1. Location Scout

Must have own car at your disposal at ALL times.
Must have good knowledge of downtown KL and Klang Valley area.
Must be able to think outside the box.
Must have own digital camera.
Must have constant access to the internet.
Must have own handphone (who doesn't right?)



2. PA to Associate Producer

Must have own car at your disposal at ALL times.
Must be organised and self-motivated.
Must have good eye for detail with exceptional people skills.
Must be an all rounder. (Interests in producing, marketing, and the nitty - gritty business side of the film industry)
Must have constant access to the internet.
Must have own handphone (who doesn't right?)


All roles are full time and paid. Contract details to be discussed prior to hire.

For both roles experience is of course great but above all,we want people who will be committed, punctual, driven and serious about the craft.

Interviews will take place on the second week of December 2006.

Please email all CV's to : perantauanpictures[AT]gmail.com
ATTN: Bahir Yeusuff
Subject: Location Scout OR PA



PS: Good taste in music and movies is a plus.

S'kali Available On Astro Box Office This November!

Hi guys & gals,

To those of you around the country who did not get to watch S'kali in the cinemas, you will now be able to watch it on Astro Box Office this November. Just check out all the details in your new Astro Guide for subscription instructions to purchase the film!

Cheers,
The S'kali Team

What Next For S'kali?

Well with the run at Cathay now over, what is coming up next for S'kali?

Look out for our VCD/DVD release somewhere towards the end of the year, and of course the film will be on Astro around that time as well.

Thanks to all of you who have supported the movie, it was great having you all along for the ride.

Writer/Director Arivind Abraham is now busy co-writing a comedy with fellow screenwriter Keith Leong which he will be shooting sometime in the middle of next year.

Love, Life & Friendship to you all.

The S'kali Team

A Chat About How It Looks

Hi all,

In almost all the reviews for the movie, both in the print and online media, including reviews by bloggers, there has been mention about the way S'kali looks in the cinema, particularly issues in regards to blurriness and pixellation. Some questioned as to if it was due to inexperience on our team, others if it was because of issues in regards to projection. In light of this I felt, that as writer/director of S'kali, I would write a post to explain the reasons for this.

Like all other digital filmmaking teams in Malaysia, our first port of call once the shoot was over, when it came to talking about getting the movie into the cinema, was GSC. This is because at the time, GSC was not only the one chain with 3 E-Format screens, but in fact the only one with E-Format screens. What transpired in the end was that, for a variety of reasons, GSC would be unable to show the movie till sometime April/May 2007, if they decided they liked the movie enough to show it.

By the time we were made aware of this, the momentum had begun and we were slowly getting the word out via the press and other avenues and thus there was an expectation that the movie would open in 2006. Also, we knew that if you leave a movie on the shelf too long, it can become a 'stale' product.

At the same time whilst we had been talking to GSC, we had also been talking to Cathay and they were very interested in the movie and what we wanted to do with it. So when GSC did not work out, Cathay stepped up to the plate, moving up the installation of their E-Format screen from the end of the year to September just to get S'kali out. Now the thing was, Cathay's E-Format screen was only going to be able to screen the movie on DVD. Digibeta was not a possibility.

Now most of the production team have seen S'kali in it's full HDV glory. It is sharp, clear and looks pretty good for something shot on digital film. As most people would know, HD-DVD is only beginning to emerge, so when one has to burn a DVD of a HDV movie, it means compressing it, which means a loss of quality. Now that loss is not that noticable when you pop the DVD in to watch on your TV, in fact it still looks pretty good. But once you blow it up via a projector, then yeah, things don't look so good anymore.

So we were faced with the following decision:

1. We could wait till 2007 and release the movie on more screens on digibeta but run the risk of the momentum dying. Also, there was no real guarantee that the movie would get shown anyways.

OR

2. We could make the compromise and get the movie out with Cathay who were really eager and supportive thus getting the word out because that was more important to us.

And we stand by that decision. What was important was that people got to watch the movie, got to talk about it and that the name of the team and the company got out. It was the best decision because it led to us getting a significant chunk of money now for our next movie which is being shot middle of next year.

But what is also important to glean from this is the implication E-Format holds for other emerging digital filmmakers in Malaysia who do not have huge budgets and will be gunning to get their movies in the cinema. We were lucky that the people at Cathay were willing to step up to the plate and get the movie shown. E-Format is our first step in what should a constant and unrelenting march towards proper digital projection where one pops a hard drive into the projector and screens the digital movie in full digital quality.

This is vital as digital cinema is a cinema about innovation and Malaysian cinema from now on will be about digital cinema. Thus it is only right that we continue to push the boundaries not just when it comes to production, but also distribution and exhibition.

Because to remain showing digital films on E-Format would be akin to screening 35mm films on video.

Thanks for reading,
Arivind Abraham

Blogger Reviews

So we've got some good reviews and some mediocre reviews in the printed and online press but what about within the blogger community? Here's just one review we happened to stumble upon:

http://kopi-o-satu.blogspot.com/2006/09/movie-review-skali.html

Love, Life & Friendship to all!

The S'kali Team

NST on S'kali

Today's edition of The New Straits Times has carried a review on S'kali. You can check it out online at:

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Wednesday
/Features/20060926151547/Article/index_html

Don't forget that the movie is still screening until the 4th of October at Cathay Cineleisure Damansara!

Showtimes For S'kali Up Till 4th October

Hi all,

Well here are the show times for the movie at Cathay Cineplex Damansara till our very last day on October 4th.

Wed 27 Sep
2:25pm 4:05pm 5:50pm

Thu 28 Sep
1:15pm 7:45pm

Fri 29 Sep
1:15pm 7:45pm

Sat 30 Sep
11:30am 1:10pm 7:40pm

Sun 1 Oct
11:30am 1:10pm 7:40pm

Mon 2 Oct
1:15pm 7:45pm

Tue 3 Oct
1:15pm 7:45pm

Wed 4 Oct
1:15pm 7:45pm

Tickets can be booked online at www.cathaycineplexes.com.my

All you have to do is register with the site which is free and easy to do!

So to those of you who have not seen the movie, or would like to do so again, you've got one more week to go experience love, life and friendship!

The S'kali Team

S'KALI ON FOR ANOTHER WEEK TILL OCTOBER 4TH!!

NEWSFLASH!!

S'KALI WILL BE PLAYING AT CATHAY CINELEISURE DAMANSARA FOR ANOTHER WEEK TILL OCTOBER 4TH SO GO CATCH IT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!

Love, life and friendship to you all.

The S'kali Team

S'kali Premiere - 08/09/2006

Hi all,
Well we should have gotten these pics up much earlier, but we've been so busy with the movie coming out that none of us got the time, till now. All pictures featured in this post were taken by photographer Kevin Han, whose work can be seen on http://www.kevinhan.net/v2/. Our sincere thanks to him.



Our cast & crew. Sorely missed were those members of crew overseas: Dimitri Kotselis, Lim Benji, Luke Yerbury, Ali Maggs & Bella Drinkwater.



The cast of S'kali



You can't stop Associate Producer Bahir Yeusuff and Writer/Director Arivind Abraham from hatching diabolical plans. In fact, Perantauan and Asa'ad are already hard at work on their next film, a comedy to be shot and released next year.

We'll get more pictures up soon, we promise. Till then, S'kali is playing at Cathay Cineleisure Damansara till Wednesday, 27/09/06 so go catch it before it closes!

Love, life & friendship to you all.

The S'kali Team

A Super Long Review

An anonymous review emailed to us today- we honestly haven't got a clue who, what or where this person is (all we know is that the email add is very interesting), but considering the stupendous amount of effort he/she obviously put into analysing S'kali and writing this super long article, we figured it merited a place on our blog. Clearly we're also thrilled that he/she rated us 4 out of 5... thanks pal!

Whether you agree or disagree with the opinions below, hope this makes those amongst you who haven't seen the film feel like seeing it... remember you have only 8 days before its run at Cathay Cineleisure ends, so hurry!

Cheers,
The S'kali Team

*warning- this review is VERY LONG


It’s rare that I find Malaysian-made films worthwhile,
be it inde or not. I really have to say it was a rare experience
to watch director Arivind’s S’Kali which had been generating
some interest or curiousity amongst us Malaysian filmmakers
for the past months. Obviously this is always the case with most
inde films that reach our local screens rather than just minor
festivals because we’re always curious to know if it
would be any good, have a broader appeal… or just be
some plain dud with exaggerated marketing and
overrating-optimistic reviews… which the latter proves
to be unfortunately, painfully true.

Now let me just say it for the front row seats. S’Kali
is fairly impressive and has surprisingly GOOD acting.
I seriously can’t remember when was the last time I
felt characters in a Malaysian film felt so rich…. Yes
I’m sick of those arty-farty pretentious
character-trash that seem to populate festivals.

S’Kali has quite a basic premise and merely deals with
five close friends who are about to depart, either for
university, studying abroad or simply pursuing some
minor career. The fact is is that they can’t stick
together much longer despite their well-bonded circle
of friendship.

I can’t imagine anyone who hasn’t gone through this or
at least has felt the force of reality overpowering
his/her youthful life. And eventually you’d just have
to face it and simply move on. This is what I feel
makes S’Kali work. In terms of originality, frankly,
this particular teen flick doesn’t have to be! The
simplicity of the premise alone is what would
contribute appeal. But S’Kali’s strength is really in
its characters. If they don’t work, any premise or
predicament won’t ever suffice because we couldn’t
care less for them. I certainly don’t give a rat’s ass
for any of those mute/silent/staring characters we
often see in those local heavy art movies.

Arivind’s characters/cast are a sigh of relief!! They
really did it for me. It won’t be anything a hardcore
film buff hasn’t seen before but I swear these fellas
do a fine job of carrying/driving the picture through.


Apart from its premise, Arivind has wisely chosen to
further complicate things for his characters by simply
giving them distinctive attachments that they each
can’t let go of. You have the individual who can’t get
over drinking, another who’s petrified to fulfill his
dreams, the couple who isn’t sure what their parents
might think of them being together, etc. Ultimately,
they each contribute to the conflict and separation,
and Arivind skillfully unfolds each one of them. As
aforementioned, it’s not the originality, but the
mixture, and it’s overall pleasing to watch.

Now admittedly, at times Arivind’s dialogue can be a
little too on-the-nose [writers get this] but I got
comfortable and didn’t mind it at all. I concede that
I’d normally nitpick at every moment of a local movie,
but S’Kali made me wanna listen and see more. Now
wasn’t that a surprise! On top of that, the film also
has marginally good songs by this band called FatBoy
and I still have the trailer song in my head as I’m
writing this.

Where S’kali falls short is that it’s… well, TOO short
as it clocked in just over an hour and you can’t help
but think some viewers may go "That’s it?". Great
films [all the world over throughout the century] have
always had great characters, first established as
either interesting, appealing or sympathetic. Then a
crisis occurs that throws them all into the mix and
we’d be anxious to find what happens to them in the
resolution, seeing how they may or may not resolve it
which leads to something big. Whether it’s triumphant
or ultra-tragic, hi-tech, low-tech, it’s still
emotionally big and unforgettable. S’kali has all of
the above except a proper satisfying/active resolution
and it just breezes through the ending. I wished there
was some additional ‘act’ or more conflict but alas
it’s not here. While I wasn’t expecting anything so
gigantic [and it doesn’t need to be], again, you can’t
help but feel Arivind could have done more with the
material simply because his characters actually work!
Nevertheless, the transition or change of what they go
through unfolds almost masterfully given the short
duration.

While I’d be glancing at my watch for certain
Malaysian flicks wondering when it’ll be over… S’Kali
was over before I knew it. I really digged Arivind’s
characters and I would have loved to see more
interaction between them on say… a sequel or
something. Wishful thinking, but that just shows how
much the flick can be fun. Yes folks that is very
unexpected for a local one and although there have
been acceptable ones throughout the years like Sepet,
S’Kali is quite different as it doesn’t want to hint
too much on artistry or indolence.

So how does it compare to Yasmin’s flick? As in
‘Sepet’. Tough one. Well sort of. To kick it off, I
VERY MUCH prefer the characters of S’Kali to Sepet by
quite a long mile and I ain’t kiddin’. And yes, dare I
say it… S’Kali’s bunch has more life to each of them
and I feel they make those of Sepet look somewhat
stiff and dry by comparison. It also makes Sepet feel
draggy or slower. This is fairly strange to me because
Sepet has it the easy way as you only need two main
characters to drive the story and in the film medium
itself, when you have more characters, things are very
difficult to keep track of, let alone create a sense
of coherence - a critical flaw in Gubra btw, despite
the better performances. But anyway in S’Kali, you
have FIVE characters and it’s impressive when you find
Arivind is capable of crafting them together and all
things add up satisfyingly.

Now I can’t compare it to Gubra because that one takes
on an entirely different structure and narrative. But
even then, S’kali’s characters are still BETTER.
Speaking of which, Yasmin makes a small poignant
cameo, along with a handful of other artists.

Now on to technical technicalities. And some trivial
nitpicking you could say. As often mentioned in forums
[including it’s own website], S’Kali was shot in High
Definition! That’s pretty much [well almost] THREE
times the resolution of standard MiniDV, assuming that
all the settings of Arivind’s camcorder were set to
max, as in 1080p. This somewhat new format gives far
greater depth and definition to the overall video as
‘highlights’ don’t overexpose much while deep
shadow-detail is still preserved. This would also mean
killer video-filesizes to edit on! If you’re a
knowledgable video buff, you’d get all of what I’m
saying here. Now I’ve seen various MiniDV movies
projected on a movie hall in Midvalley and although
they seem kinda blown-up in resolution, it’s still
quite watchable. Which means if they project HD
footage, it would be better right? As in three times
better? Well not quite, which made me dumbfounded.

As proven with the case of S’kali [as in when
projected on a big screen], it’s hard to distinquish
the added HD resolution from miniDV’s because the
square pixels look so notoriously large and blocky.
Either the editors outputted the whole movie on a much
smaller resolution [as opposed to its highest HD
glory] or the digital projector inside the Cathay
Cineleisure hall is one helluva dud. If the reason for
this happens to be the former, then that’s one BIG
mistake and quite a missed opportunity.

When the movie began, the cinema hall’s screen opened
up to an almost 1:85 aspect ratio [real movie-buffs
know this], yet the film itself sits within a mere
1.33 frame [aka 4:3] so we see some black bars on the
SIDES throughout. What I don’t understand is why
couldn’t the film be shot in true 16:9 widescreen? It
was shot in HD which would have had that setting and
would have given the film a more cinematic look. Well
slightly, since that’s still a far cry from grand
Cinemascope [2.35 aspect ratio].

On a side note, I felt the overall sound volume was a
little too loud. Not really an ear-bursting problem
but you’d really agree it gets a little too high on
the levels at times. And I don’t understand why it
never occurrs to editors [whether sound or mixers] to
lower the volume of car-doors closing. And S’Kali is
no exception. These particular sounds almost seem to
‘clip’ when it happens. But overall, I guess S’Kali’s
audio is still clear for the most part and not too
distracting. And thank God there’s no obvious
looping/ADR by the actors as is so obviously the case
with Bjarne Wong’s Legend of the Red Curse.

There are however, brief moments where Arivind’s bunch
get together and start to have multiple conversations
that overlap each other. This is where it can be
difficult to hear specifically what they’re saying,
but you get the idea they’re just gossiping trivial
stuff. Good example would be the opening mamak scene
itself. Luckily we still have those funky subtitles
and unfortunately S’Kali is yet another movie where
the editors forgot [or just don’t know how] to add a
stroke of shadow around the subtitles. Meaning if the
text appears on a sparkling bright image, they’re
virtually invisible and that happens 35% of the time.

Well in terms of shooting style, I wouldn’t say there
is anything remarkable which is still fine in case you
were curious if Arivind would try for a more fancy
style, given his talent. It’s simply the good old
shoot-straight form with no tricky, fancy business.
There are however, a few very good time-lapse shots
where multiple roads [filled with tiny shimmering
carlights] intersect, as if coming together than
separating. Good symbolism folks.

As for the style of basic conversation scenes, I’m not
too sure if Arivind personally operated the camera,
let alone oversaw the framing of every shot because
things do look a little too up-close [or tight] for my
taste. Personally feel they could have been handled
better slightly but this is ONLY a minor quibble and
no big deal. I’m really quite impressed with all those
table/mamak scenes because as the average filmmaker
knows, they can be very deceptively simple to shoot.
Yet Arivind always maintains a sense of geography and
doesn’t jump his axis, so there’s hardly any confusion
as to who is where and who’s responding to who. I
guess casual readers won’t get what I’m trying to get
at here unless you’ve personally shot five characters
at a table scene.

Lighting-wise, there appears to be some minor digital
diffussion around shots that frame the ever dull
overcast sky during day-scenes. My isn’t it so hard to
get interesting clouds or vivid sky blues? Night
scenes are typically orangy and blusih, mostly lit by
overhead street lights. Overall, acceptable stuff.

Oh and one anecdote about S’Kali’s marketing… It
should have been better! The faceless poster’s tagline
"Love Life Friendship" simply is inadequate and
doesn’t specifically imply what the movie’s plot
really is and I doubt just by looking at it, will
spark any interest. The so-called trailer itself
doesn’t tell you anything and even FatBoy’s song isn’t
enough, though it just ‘might’ make you feel it’s
catchy. Hate to say it, but even Bjarne Wong’s
attrocious ‘Legend of the Red Curse’ [I’ll run to the
hills away from his next film ‘Possessed’] had a
better trailer because I at least [and the very damn
least] knew what that show was about. Yes the same can
be said about Julian Cheah’s ‘Hired Killer’. Trailer I
mean, if you happen to have somehow caught a glimpse
of it.

But with all that said and done, the verdict is still
that S’Kali, is I feel REALLY a breath of fresh air to
the Malaysian filmmakers. Attention to all those local
Art-only-directors [yes even those so-called renowned
ones], THIS IS THE way to make movies!!! Characters we
like and care!! Not slow, draggy, sluggish, boring,
silent, muted, loser-like handicaps who only know how
to get it up the ass!

S’Kali is my recommendation!


4 out of 5 stars

S'KALI NOW SHOWING!

The team at Perantauan are THRILLED OUT OF THEIR SOCKS to announce that S'kali is NOW SHOWING at Cathay Cineleisure Damansara!

After the continuous uphill battle getting the movie funded, pre-produced, filmed, edited, censored, distributed, marketed and finally, FINALLY screened, we would like to express our deepest gratitude and sincerest thanks to Cathay who have been nothing but supportive of us since the beginning. S'kali is the first digital movie to be screened in Cathay in Malaysia, and we are extremely thankful that they went out of their way to speed up their digital set-up for us and offered invaluable advice and help with marketing, not to mention the attention and detail paid to the smooth running of the press premiere and special screenings.

But most of all, we are thankful to Cathay for daring to take on the huge risk of supporting a little local first-time film produced by a first-time company, a first-time writer/director and a first-time cast and crew. We thank you for helping us get our humble feature onto the big screen.

To the general public, we hope you will find the time to catch S'kali during its run, if not to support us then to support the generosity of Cathay :) Please check the cinema listings section of your local newspaper for daily screening times-tickets can be obtained at Cathay Cineleisure Damansara counters, via the Cathay hotline 03-7727 8051 or online at www.cathaycineplexes.com.my (you'll have to register first though-it's free, don't worry)

Thank you and love, life and friendship to you all!

Cheers,
The S'kali Team

What People Have To Say

"For those who thought making a film was impossible, S'kali shows that you can be young and still get your film unto the big screen. The film is set to inspire local, young filmmakers and realise their dream of getting their movies made." -Rizal Johan, The Star-

"A promising effort by a young first-time director." -Lim Chang Moh, Cinema Online-

"A film made with love—a love for KL, its creative young inhabitants and their idealistic pursuits." -Brian Yap, KLUE Magazine-

"S'kali isn't interested in seeming hip or clever but taps into the pathos and possibility of ordinary urban life ... I can't wait to see what they will do next." -Amir Muhammad, filmmaker-

CONGRATULATIONS EVAN!

Woo-hoo! A big WELL DONE to Evan Lau Soon Yee, age 19 from Shah Alam, who sent in this winning entry to our S'kali World Gallery competition and won himself and a friend tickets to the exclusive S'kali Premiere last Friday night.*

A million thanks for supporting us Evan, it was a pleasure meeting you and we hope you and your guest had a great time! :)

Cheers,
The S'kali team

p/s: That little yellow post-it Evan helpfully stuck on reads "Out in cinemas- 14th Sept '06". That's right, 14th Sept next Thursday... MAKE A NOTE IN YOUR DIARY NOW!


*read all about the premiere in an upcoming post

Press Screening Epiphany

So...

The cast will finally get to see the film for the first time tonight. We're all looking forward to catching it (apart from possibly closing our eyes at the scenes which we respectively appear) and we hope the guests today will enjoy themselves too.

I love how this film has a no-holds-barred outlook at the lives of Malaysian youth. I think just about everybody would be able to relate to at least one of the characters in one form or another.

On a personal note, I've just started to realize how important my own character is to me. Sze Huey has always believed herself to be open-minded, but after treading on unfamiliar emotional grounds, prejudices which she wasn't even aware of beforehand start to surface.

We preach about how much we should eradicate prejudice off the face of the earth, but deep inside, we know that the laws of human nature will never let that happen. All we can do is just be aware of them, and use it as an impetus to understand ourselves and each other better.

Thank you Sze Huey for helping me face the music. I'm looking forward to meeting you tonight...

And as for someone else (he knows who he is), I'm so proud of you and thank you for everything.

-Davina-

Labour day!

Well not quite.


I'm Jason, and this is also my first post on the S'kali blog. Tonight, I'm more psyched and nervous than a 17 year old about to "perform" for the very first time.

Tomorrow, for the first time, S'kali will be screened in a full cinema, in front of a live audience. This is it. We're officially out of our comfort zone. Our baby is about to be unleashed to the sometimes exciting, sometimes cruel world.

No matter the outcome. If the people in the press premiere love it or hate, we'll always remember this moment. This will be how it all begins. Come tomorrow night, we'll all no longer be industry virgins.

Win tickets to the S'kali Premiere

Perantauan Pictures are giving away 2 pairs of tickets to the premiere of S'kali, which will be held on Friday 8 September 2006 at Cathay Cineplex, Cineleisure Damansara.

For a chance to attend this exclusive invitation-only event, simply email us no later than 6 September 2006 at perantauanpictures@gmail.com with a picture of yourself (or your friend/granddad/pet iguana/washing machine if you're shy) holding the S'kali World Gallery poster- click on the S'kali World Gallery link on the left to get this poster and to see samples of how to do this. Please use "S'kali Premiere Competition" as your subject line and don't forget to include your name, age and location!

The two most creative entries will win a pair of premiere invites each. Winners will be notified via email.

Good luck!

The S'kali Team

S'kali: Circle of Friends

THE FIVE KEY CHARACTERS
Love Life Friendship

Ravin is a young and idealistic filmmaker trying to come up with the definitive Malaysian movie. At the same time he finds himself falling in love with Sze, and has to deal with the reality that both their parents will not share his ideals.

Sze Huey is the quintessential modern Malaysian woman: opinionated, tough as nails and trying to make a change. For her, the pen is mightier than the sword and being with Ravin holds much promise and hope.

This young interracial couple face the prospect of having their relationship torn apart by outside forces such as their traditional parents, but slowly begin to realise that their own deeply buried prejudices may be where the true divide lies.

Bahir is an aspiring artiste attempting to break into the local music scene as something different and original. He gradually begins to develop feelings for Tehmina and despairs over her descent into alcoholism. Simultaneously, tensions arise in his relationship with his best friend Tzao as the reality of the Malaysian higher education system becomes clear.

Tzao finds himself increasingly disillusioned with a system which seems unfairly stacked against him, and the only way he feels able to vent this frustration is by taking it out on his closest friend Bahir. Witnessing the struggles of his friends as he negotiates his own, he is deeply conflicted by what he truly loves about Malaysia and the stark matters-of-fact that are driving him to leave.

For the usually cheerful and goofy Tehmina, alcohol becomes an escape route from the anger and pain she suffers as her family disintegrates. Whilst on the outside she battles to maintain a demeanour of normality, internally she is crumbling and before long the cracks begin to show.

Set against the backdrop of the ubiquitous Malaysian mamak stall, our young circle of friends face joy, confusion and conflict as they venture into the daunting world of adulthood. Will they survive love, life and friendship under the lights of KL?

S'kali World Gallery Batch #3

MORE photos we've received featuring cutie-pies around the world holding the SWG poster. THANK YOU GUYS AND KEEP IT COMING! (and a big huge awwwwww for our little baby contributor!)

Batch #3

Attila the Hon, aged 7 months
Southampton, England


Chi and Kat, both 22
Ta Keo, Siem Reap, Cambodia

John de Keyser, 20-something
National Museum, Singapore

Ooi Gaik Ping, 20, Fiona Pang, 23 and Friend
Mongkok, Hong Kong

To view the full S'kali World Gallery Collection and find out how you too can contribute, click on "S'kali World Gallery" in the Links section on the right.

The Digital Dilemma

So you’ve got the movie in the can, all cut and ready to go. Where to next? Likelihood, if you’re a digital filmmaker in Malaysia, distribution hell, unless you’re lucky enough to be linked up with one of the big ones. If not, prep for the biggest fight of your life.

The reality of Malaysian cinema is that it is fast becoming a digital movement. Yes, the big guys still shoot of film, but the rest of us are either on DV or moving into HDV and HD. But where do we really stand in terms of getting a digital film out in the country, digitally?

I should make it clear that this is just my take on things, and should not at any point be taken at face value. I will attempt to voice my opinions in 2 sections: Technology & Attitude.

TECHNOLOGY

Let me begin by tackling the issue of the technology needed to show a digital film locally. The first answer that comes to people’s lips is “You can screen digitally at GSC can’ t you?” Well, technically what one is getting at GSC is not actually digital projection.

What they do is to hook up a DVD player or digibeta machine to the projector and screen it that way. That is the definition of “digital projection” in Malaysia at the moment. It means that digital filmmakers are not getting to show their movies in the way it is intended to be seen by an audience.

True digital projection, as it is being put into place not just in the West, but in countries just round the corner like Thailand, is when a hard drive containing the movie is plugged into a machine that streams the film via the projector. No fuss, no muss, no quality loss.

The main reason of course for the cinema chains not having this, is primarily monetary of course. It is not a cheap step to take. However that does not mean it is not a necessary step to take. Proper digital projection being put in place will spur the digital filmmaking movement in the country because it will mean producers knowing that the product can be shown, and will be shown in a truly digital fashion.

Also, if an exhibitor chooses to make the argument that the cost is not worth the return, in relation to the fact that having digital projection for local movies is not a viable investment since local films don’t do that well anyway, can it not be the case that Malaysians want to watch Hollywood films in HD as well? Wouldn’t we all have loved to have seen Star Wars, Superman and Miami Vice next month in the way it is meant to be seen? We know that the exhibitors make money on Hollywood movies, so if the digital halls are shared amongst local and Hollywood fare fairly would that not justify the expense?

The problem at the moment has many reasons, but another one I want to move on to is attitude.

ATTITUDE

“These kind of films won’t make money”.

“People will only go watch it on the first week and then come out and say oklah”.

“ We show these films at a loss.”

This is what I call a problem with attitude. Yes, the exhibitors have good reason to make these statements based on experience. However, if one begins from the outset with a defeatist attitude, it does feed in, no matter what one says, into the proceedings of distribution.

It lends itself to the lack of enthusiasm that comes from the exhibitor in regards to really making room for the film. Right now as it stands the exhibitors have 2 things in favour for not really having to make room for local digital movies:

1. The fact that the “wajib tayang” law has not been amended to include digital movies.

2. The argument of these movies being shown at a loss.


At this point in time, the one chain with 3 screens capable to show digital films, uses those halls to show international films as well. From what most of us know, and I will say now that I cannot quote figures on this, they run those international films at a loss as well.

The likelihood is, if they freed up those screens even more for local digital movies, the takings would be marginally better than what they are getting for the international movies. And marginally better, is still better.

The problem is, at the moment, we as the filmmakers do not hold any power or sway because we all function individually. Thus we get tied into bad deals, are forced to sign exclusively with one chain and are saddled with the fact that our films are not being seen in the fashion they are meant to be, thus further reinforcing the notion that local digital movies are of low or amateur quality.

What we do need is for all the filmmakers to slowly begin rallying together and “unionising”. That way we will all know how to deal with the exhibitors and also prove to them that we can be just as professional and market-savvy about how to push our movies.

In doing that, and establishing a mutual respect and confidence between the two parties we, as the filmmakers will then be in a better position to negotiate our distribution terms, on our own terms

The bottom-line is this. It is getting easier and easier to make a digital movie and Malaysia’s movie industry when it comes to young blood and new talent, lies in the digital realm. The only loose cog in the machine now is distribution and exhibition and unless you get a big distributor on board, the exhibitor is then taking on the role of both and that means we as the moviemaking community, need to make sure we know our rights, and put pressure on the chains to make sure that the industry thrives as it is in both parties interest.

Arivind Abraham

Prelim Loading Time On www.skalithemovie.com

Hi all,
Now we have been aware that a lot of people are annoyed by the fact that it takes a while for the official S'kali site to load up. Unfortunately, this is down to the fact that Streamyx does not actually offer the broadband speed it tells us that we are getting. How do we know this? Well:

1. We got S'kali team members in the UK, US and Oz on same speed net connections as what Streamyx is supposed to be offering us to check the site and it loads instantaneously.

2. Those of us in KL got some software to test the actual speed of our Streamyx conenction and have found that it is nowhere near what they tell you that it is hence the loading time.

Now, we do hope that we can eventually do away with the loading page coz' as those of you who have been to the site, you will know that once that initial loading page loads up, the entire site is actually all ready to go once you're in.

Till then, we do hope you guys will give us a chance and wait for it to load, go in and explore our relatively simple and no frills site. Feel free to download the trailers and pictures etc and load them up to your blogs, websites etc as you please.

And if you really don't feel like waiting, you can always get stuff from our Friendster account at www.friendster.com/skali and our myspace at www.myspace.com/skalithemovie.

Cheers guys & gals!

The S'kali Team

S'kali General Release Date Announced!

The Official S'kali Poster

FINALLY, the wait is over! We are proud to announce that S'kali will be opening to the public exclusively at Cathay Cineplex, Cineleisure Damansara (opposite The Curve) on 14 September 2006!

Keep watching this spot for all news, updates and competitions leading up to the general release. Hope to see you in cinemas come September!

The S'kali Team

FACES Magazine Features S'kali

Aside from getting the release date wrong, FACES magazine provides a comprehensive and well-written lowdown of S'kali. Read all about it by clicking the link below:

http://www.faces.com.my/movies/movies.asp?id=1872

S'kali World Gallery- Batch #2

More great photos we've received from around the globe for the S'kali World Gallery Collection. Amazing work guys, the S'kali team thank you for your support!

Bruce Indiana Abraham the Bear, pretty young
Camden Town, London

Ng Shiow Fern, 25

George Square, Glasgow City Centre, Scotland


Keoni, 4 years old
Damansara Jaya, Malaysia
(Contributed by Lee Jas Min, 21)

To view the full S'kali World Gallery Collection and find out how you too can contribute, click on "S'kali World Gallery" in the Links section on the right.

ntv7's The Breakfast Show does S'kali!

9.25am Malaysian time, this morning (2 Aug '06)- Writer/Director Arivind Abraham and Associate Producer Bahir Yeusuff are interviewed live on air in a mini S'kali segment on ntv7's The Breakfast Show!

For the lucky ones amongst you that were still in bed (and not at work like the rest of us) at this hour, here's the brief lowdown on what happened complete with pictorial aids:

8am- Arivind and Bahir watch The Breakfast Show being broadcast while waiting their turn. Meet and chat with Lina Tan of Red Films, who is in the slot before them. Breakfast arrives after Lina pointedly asks on air why there isn't any, "breakfast show summore!".
Thanks Lina :)


In the make-up chair. Bahir looking unusually content as he gets powdered, as Arivind (having just been powdered himself) looks on.


The S'kali segment goes on air! Bubbly hosts Daphne and Naz seem genuinely amazed with the youth of the entire film's team and the quality of the clips and trailers shown. The cast is also noticed-observations include "eh, that's Azimy!", "that's Angeline Rose" and "ooh, J.Lo!"...
as in Jason Lo's cameo, not Jennifer.

10 minutes (or less?) later- segment ends and Daphne comes over to shake my hand, having seen me hovering with a camera. Our duo are hurriedly un-miked, thanked and wished best of luck, and sent on their way.

Whereupon we adjourned to Kampung Baru for some good nasi lemak. Only way to round off a full morning, no?

-Samantha Tan

S'kali Trailer To Be Screened At Malaysia Shorts

The S'kali trailer will be screened at the Malaysia Shorts session next Monday, at HELP University College. Details are as follows:

Date: 7th August 2006, Monday
Time: 8pm
Location: HELP University College, Pusat Bandar Damansara

All are welcome.

Cheers!

The S'kali Team

The S'kali World Gallery Collection

A few months back, the S'kali team initiated the S'kali World Gallery Collection, where we invited anyone from anywhere in the world who wished to show their support for the movie to email us photos of themselves with the special S'kali World Gallery poster. Below are just a few of the interesting entries we've received from good sports around the globe. Thanks for the great work, guys! :) *details on how you can take part below*

Batch #3

Attila the Hon, aged 7 months
Southampton, England

Chi and Kat, both 22
Ta Keo, Siem Reap, Cambodia

John de Keyser, 20-something
National Museum, Singapore

Ooi Gaik Ping, 20, Fiona Pang, 23 and Friend
Mongkok, Hong Kong

__________________________________________________________________

Batch #2

Bruce Indiana Abraham the Bear, pretty young
Camden Town, London

Ng Shiow Fern, 25

George Square, Glasgow City Centre, Scotland


Keoni, 4 years old
Damansara Jaya, Malaysia
(Contributed by Lee Jas Min, 21)
______________________________________________________________

Batch #1

(L-R) Brandon aged 7, Bella the dog aged 4 and Christopher aged 11

Lake Pend Oreille, North Idaho

Anonymous: "Two random Arab fishermen statue things"
Bahrain International Airport

Mazdiana bt. Mahathir, 20
Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart
(Germany vs. Portugal-World Cup 3rd place match)

Amanda and Hidemi, both 14, and Hidemi's dog Alaska aged 8
Cabin John, Maryland

If you too would like to be featured in the S'kali World Gallery Collection, simply email us at perantauanpictures@gmail.com with a picture of yourself (or your friend/granddad/pet iguana/washing machine if you're shy) holding the poster below, with "The S'kali World Gallery Collection" as your subject line. Don't forget to include your name, age and location- remember, the photos above are just some examples of how creative you can be, feel free to be as quirky and bonkers as you like:) Happy snapping!



Click and print the S'kali World Gallery Poster:

Vida Does S'kali!

Also in July:
Lifestyle magazine Vida! features S'kali in their latest issue. Writer/Director Arivind Abraham, Associate Producer Bahir Yeusuff, actress Davina Goh and publicity manager Elena Harith speak about the message of S'kali and the memorable journey of getting it made.

Cinema Online Does S'kali (2)

The cast of S'kali is featured in the July edition of Cinema Online, Malaysia's biggest movie magazine. Davina Goh, Jayram Nagaraj, Derek Ong, Angeline Rose and Zimy Rozan gave a funny, candid interview on the experience of making the movie and themselves.

Be sure to pick up your copy of Cinema Online at the nearest newstand or bookstore.

The Nasi Lemak Reward

In return for their many months of days and nights spent slogging over S'kali, tirelessly watching the same scenes over and over until able to recite the movie from beginning to end, Bristol based editors Luke Yerbury and Ali Maggs (left and right of writer/director Arivind Abraham respectively) were treated to a full home made nasi lemak meal, complete with beef rendang, sambal tumis udang, hoisin chicken and pisang goreng for dessert prepared from scratch by Associate Producer/chef wannabe Samantha Tan.

am pleased to report that all parties involved ate until unable to move. Well done, boys!:)

The Great Render

Well S'kali is finally cut and done!

Well, nearly lah..

The movie is now fully complete from front to back with credits and music etc and now there is only one more thing left...

THE GREAT RENDER!

Rendering is the lovely part of digital filmmaking, and with the kind of plug-ins being utilised on S'kali, rendering takes up a good chunk of the work being done by Ali Maggs and Luke Yerbury.

1 minute of footage equals about 1 hour's worth of rendering.

S'kali is 1 hour 15 mins.

Yes...you are good at math and have not miscalculated the time of The Great Render.

So yes, S'kali now sits on our G5, chugging away day and night till it finally says 100% and that blue bar has filled up.

Man, digital filmmaking it the best.

When Darkness Falls

Here are some moments captured during the night shoots of S'kali. With a round-the-clock filming schedule, it is safe to assume that the industrious-looking faces you see here are generally powered by coffee and/or cigarettes.
-davina-


The 'Bah-ero' parked by the lighting that, no matter how competent, was not able to create the atmosphere for one of the longest filming sessions of the production. The scene was eventually shifted to another setting.


Azlan and a smidgen of Jay, setting up for a climatic scene in Ravin's car.


Jay, Dimitri and Arivind


Bahir and Dimitri making sure the dolly is dandy. Just like Bahir's shoes.


Derek looking demure, Jayaram looking enthusiastically hungry.


Dimitri, Jay and Zaid getting ready for some 'action'.


Dimitri the deer confronts the headlights...


...His slight paunch proudly brought to you by Ramly.


Derek comes in peace.


"I LOST MY SOUND..." No matter how perplexed Arivind can get, he still looks like king of the world.


Arivind briefs Jayaram and I for a scene that's a little trickier than others to pull off convingingly.


The crew remain oblivious to Jason's plea for positivity.

Feel No One: The Theme Song For S'kali

I got turned on to Lo like everyone else, when his track "Evening News" exploded onto the scene back when I was in high school. It was the first time the Malaysian music scene had heard such a sound, comlpemented by such polished production and a really good music video.

At the time, one of the local dailies ran a competition asking young people to review the Days Before Dawn album. I sent in an entry, talking about the sound of Lo, comparing him to the likes of bands like Toad The Wet Sprocket. A few weeks later, I got an autographed copy of the album, and also some VIP backstage passes to the very first Rock The World.

Fast forward many years later, and I am sitting on set in PD in what was the bedroom for the character Bahir. Jayaram who plays Ravin brings in Lo's latest album The Fall and passes it to me to use as a prop within the set. I was not aware that Lo had a new one out and popped it into the G5 we had on set.

The minute I heard "Feel No One" I knew it was the song for the trailer. The energy and pace of it corresponded exactly with how the images for the trailer were playing out within my head. I think it is Jason Lo's best song, though he might think otherwise.

As some of you may have gathered already from our trailer, Lo does make an appearence in S'kali and it is worth checking out as I must say I had a great time in the few hours we had with him to film his scenes.

So go out, and buy a cop of The Fall. There are some great tracks on the album, and of course the track that is now the theme song for S'kali: Feel No One.

Arivind Abraham

So What's Our Writer/Director REALLY Like?

By Samantha Tan

First and foremost, this post contains absolutely nothing directly related to the filming process of S'kali. I simply thought that as the Associate Producer/Perantauan partner with the closest personal relationship with and deepest insight into Arivind Abraham, it was high time for me to reveal what truly inspires the creative mind behind S'kali; in other words, I felt it my obligation to show you what really goes on in his head, what he does in his spare time and generally what our writer/director is really like when not on the set.

It is my sincere hope that after this, all shall be enlightened and no longer live under the misguided impression that Arivind Abraham is in any way serious, business-like, no-nonsense or remotely balanced.

Let the pictures speak for themselves...

Exhibit A: Arivind Abraham and his smurf impression.
When he's not writing or directing, he believes doing stupid things like this provides a healthy outlet from which to channel his excess creative energy.

Exhibit B: Arivind Abraham and Bruce the Bear.
Bruce Indiana Abraham the Bear, to be exact. He says, and I quote, "eh, put that picture of me and my muse up on the blog la." Yes, his MUSE. Yes, it's a stuffed animal. Yes, it's the same one he hugs to sleep. So named after his other influences Bruce Springsteen,
Indiana Jones and... er... himself.

Exhibit C: Arivind Abraham and another stuffed animal
Smurf and Bear aside, other strange varieties such as a life-size donkey in a suit and sunglasses also serve as inspiration.

Exhibit D: Arivind Abraham and his Real Ambition
Originally aspiring to be an MJ impersonator/cheap-lak Eurovision wannabe and failing abominably, he has since found success and happiness making Malaysian feature films.

Exhibit E: Arivind Abraham and the face he makes when things don't go his way.
i.e. when he hits writer's block, when the take won't go right, when his new MacBook isn't ready, when a cookie isn't chocolatey enough, when we're out of Lingam's chilli sauce...


Exhibit F: Arivind Abraham, his producer, and his DOP.
Clearly, it is difficult not to be weird when the team that surrounds you behaves likewise.

Exhibit G: Arivind Abraham and his idea of fun
Going wild at a house party. That plastic ball spells "Nuts" by the way. ROCK ON!

So there you go, now you know. Glad to be of help:)

Samantha Tan