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?