The Red Street Diner: Dinner Menu

THE ONE-LEG KICK FARM MONSTER

2008-06-11T12:00:00.009+08:00

Ok, let's bring that very long drumroll to a cymbal crash.

With the movie done, lots of non-production and extra-production work is also underway. Testing our dvd copies on a projector was enlightening and frightening in varying parts. Midnight sessions in the sound studios are winding to a close, with the trailer sound edited, and so we've been crunching up on the next big step. Getting it out.

Local premier

Many of you have asked me when the local premier is gonna be. Well, it's equal parts exciting that we're heading out to the festivals but also mildly frustrating that some of these festivals won't entertain you if you've already had your local premier - they want a world premier or nothing. So, because we've all worked too hard on this to risk not getting picked up by any festival for a technical reason like this, we've elected to hold off on the local premier until we get a clearer picture on that front. I am proud of the film, and we're all eager to share in the viewing of it together. Just gotta sit tight on the local dates!

The wild festival circuit

And so, with the film bound for somewhere - anywhere! - we've hunkered down and shortlisted close to thirty film festivals from around the world, the highlights of which would, naturally, be Rotterdam, Toronto and Pusan. Why not Cannes? Well, we're planning to try Cannes, but as we researched film festivals, it became very apparent which festivals were big on nobodies like us and which festivals were big on "only 35mm or 70mm film" kind of people. Cannes, to their credit, are still within trying reach, and they still represent the holiest of grails in this circuit. But for folks like us... Rotterdam, Toronto, Pusan, these are the festivals that make you. As such, we've enlisted another team member in Miss Athalia Lee, who will be keeping track of our festival submissions, all of their respective requirements, researching the fests in detail and overseeing getting the submissions out. First submission is due in July and others will follow for the rest of the next year.

Poster artwork

Elsewhere, Jack and I have been hammering away on our respective Photoshops. I told U-Fu (our sound editor) last night that we've been working on poster art and he asked me who we got to do it. I said we were doing it ourselves, and he laughed, commenting that we've been doing that the whole time. And I realised now that it's true. This film, if nothing else, has been extremely independent, almost to the point of looking fiercely protective. In actual fact, it's really down to it being a budget film. One leg kick. Pau kah liao. Like the mythical egg-laying, wool producing, milk-generating, piglet-birthing farm monster.

And so, as a build up to more good things to follow soon, here's something very simple, which involves going online, downloading a font, applying it to normal text and telling everyone you've busy working on it. Here's a sample of the credits line on the main poster. More on artwork to follow!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

2008-05-20T13:28:00.001+08:00

I'll let good ol' Mr Director make the announcement =)

THE SLOW BURN OF LATE NIGHTS

2008-05-16T14:37:00.005+08:00

That my friends is the icon for iDVD.

That my friends means that we are at the stage where we export gigantic movie projects into gigantic .mov files and then can the thing into an ordinary-looking disc.

That icon, my friends, transports your movie from the studio to the living room.

We are hitting that icon.

Prepare for the cast and crew party.

CENSORED?

2008-04-30T15:39:00.004+08:00

That dreaded slasher of scenes... decapitator of storylines... the mighty hand carrying the scythe of... nevermind :)

A shadowy informant whispers that RSD is slated to be submitted for the censors over the next month.

The is a change in the air.

Watch out for the rain.

PSST...

2008-04-29T21:11:00.001+08:00

Word on the street is...we need to get the cinemas to like our movie so we don't have to cue for six months before we can screen here.

There's always the festivals first =)

Something's churning. Stay tuned.

ALWAYS BE CLOSING - 30 APRIL 2008

2008-04-15T16:10:00.003+08:00

Hello patient world.

We've finally fixed a date to record the hindi singer and we are now looking at a completion date that's still within the month, albeit right at the end of it.

It's been a roller-coaster April, with the steady progress of sound editing juxtaposed with the melodrama of Justin getting hospitalised and my notebook crashing, but all systems are going again and I sincerely apologise for the delay.

Will keep posting as we all head towards that date.

Not long ago, I saw Glengary Glen Ross again, after many years. In that film, a bunch of down-on-their-luck real estate agents have one mantra drilled into their heads.

ALWAYS
BE
CLOSING

I've been repeating this mantra to myself today when I think about RSD. A Always. B Be. C Closing. Always be closing. 30 April. Keep posted.

TODAY'S SPECIAL

2008-04-12T21:53:00.004+08:00

For each and everyone of us, The Red Street Diner means something different.

For some, it was a dream come true. For others, it was another movie to an already existing list of credentials. There are those who got to play boss, dreamweaver, stars in the making.

Then there was one who was fortunate enough to experience friendship and love at The Red Street Diner. But unfortunately, like Lum Tak Wing, Charlotte, Dev and Videogirl, friendship and love was lost.

What a sombre thought.

Desert anyone?

BLAST FROM THE PAST

2008-04-07T03:37:00.002+08:00

HANDOVER

2008-03-17T17:43:00.003+08:00

Apart from the fact that some gear keeps going to sleep on us, preventing a few scores from getting mixed-down, The Red Street Diner is due to meet its sound engineers tonight. It will say hello to Mark Yeoh (the Vernon-type) and U-Fu (the Fergus-type) of Uber Sound, and will return with all the clings and clangs nicely levelled.

On Thursday night, we screened the film for Mr Producer and it was a positive meeting. Especially because at this juncture, the end is very much in sight. For all of us.

Stay tuned.

ps. on a completely inside knowledge basis, today for tea, i had papaya with... "a bit of honey". but alas. no orange.

SCORE!

2008-03-06T14:21:00.003+08:00

Scoring this film has quite simply been amazing. I told Fai and Christine last night that this past week, scoring the film with them, has been the happiest I've been with the film since we wrapped the shoot. When they played the LTW theme for me two nights ago, I had a smile from ear to ear. Last night, they played me more scores.

Christine: You're smiling

(Fergus keeps smiling)

Christine: That's good! You're smiling!

Yes, I am dearly indebted to the beautiful art of these two folks. The end is increasingly in sight. And I can't wait to start dumping music into the movie sequence. I can't wait.

I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait!

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

2008-02-20T10:11:00.003+08:00

Hello waiting world.

Fergus here. The Red Street Diner will be finished and ready this April.

Between now and mid-march, we have scoring, editing the musical numbers, recording musical numbers and a bit more slashing to do before we bring the monster down to fit a 2 hour cage, with tail sticking out the back.

Nonetheless, it will be finished. Not may be finished. Not aimed to finish. Will be finished. And yes, I'll post here more often as we lunge towards March.

(big smile)

PANGEA DAY

2008-01-12T19:06:00.000+08:00

http://www.pangeaday.org/
May 11

RED STREE...WHA...?

2008-01-03T10:22:00.000+08:00

"You know? The movie we made?"

"Movie? What movie?"

"Red Street Diner! You know? Long nights, sleepless days. Girls everywhere? Bollywood??Lights, camera, action!?!?"

"Oh that! "

"Yes THAT."

"It was way back in November 2006!! Gosh. It's 2008 now."

"Yeah man."

"Yeah."

Two people. Sitting on the roadside curb. A conversation about days gone by. Abruptly stopped like news about The Red Street Diner. Awkward silence. Person One twiddles his thumbs. Person Two looks out into the dark night. Cut to flashback. Camera, lights, action! Fades to black. End. Credits roll.

But hey, Apocalypse Now took four years to complete. Martin Sheen had a heart attack, Marlon Brando threatened to quit and a typhoon destroyed sets, causing further delays. Did I also mention it won two Oscar awards? Right. I just did.

If you asked me, it would seem that The Red Street Diner is on the right track.

One year down, three more to go. What's a little longer to wait?

WHEN

2007-11-11T08:04:00.000+08:00

Fergus, remember the Rotterdam film festival! Better still, the Berlin one.

WE'RE STILL ALIVE.

2007-07-09T14:03:00.000+08:00

When will RSD be done you ask?
In good time, in good time. Haven't you heard? Patience is a good virtue =)

Hope you guys have been well.

Cheers,
Eevon (on behalf of the RSD team)

THE FIRST INTERVIEW

2007-04-19T16:00:00.000+08:00

News. finally. and literally too. as in, the papers. three days ago, vernon and i met up with mr dennis chua of the new straits times for a brief interview. mr dennis (as opposed to mr chua, who would otherwise also be known to the rest of us as mr producer) was very enthusiastic, and we talked about our backgrounds, the movie, and largely about the four leads. it was our inaugural contact with the press over RSD and for that alone, i'm chuffed.

i remember daydreaming about giving interviews when studying in australia. i remember having time to ruminate and be quotable. it wasn't like that at all. it was conversational. and in some ways, so quick, blink and it was over.

they took photos of the two of us. we were supposed to be staging a conversation but we were really just trying to recall who had been in what before. oh and we brought a rough cut of the trailer, fresh from the oven, which we didn't get to show mr dennis. but more on this soon.

if all goes well, the story could turn up in your daily in a few weeks time. and i think i'm about to enjoy this.

SNIFF SNIFF...

2007-01-18T17:33:00.000+08:00

For those of you who know and who were there, the vacant apartment that was Dev's apartment is now sold. To a family. Who'll never know what went on there. I just like. Writing. In segmented. Sentences.

Anyway yeah. The original owners of the apartment have been meaning to keep it and eventually rent it out. But oh well...no renters, just a very interested buyer. So they figured it's time to sell.

What's sad is knowing that all the magic that happened there will not be appreciated by the new owners. Because they don't know. But, what's really special is knowing that we know what went on and like Fergus says, "It'll be all our little secret".

Just a little trip down memory lane:

* At its height, the apartment housed 20 some girls.
* It was the place where Doralina Lee Hoi Mun was discovered.
* The DP stuck tape on the ceiling, assured me that the paint won't peel. Then only asked his gaffer if it would peel. Well, it peeled.
* Amir Muhamad and Hardesh Singh visited.
* The guards and the building management thought we were running a whore house because of the 20 some girls.
* It was the only time you'd hear Fergus say "Yupp, no jeans. Just the shirt."

So...goodbye Dev's apartment. You've been wonderfully green. We'll miss you. Not the guards that kept you safe though. Don't forget us.

p/s: Sorry. I don't have pictures of the place. I may or may not put some up. Depending on how lazy I get. Which can be quite lazy. I'm doing it again. Writing. In segmented. Sentences.

SHHH...

2007-01-03T18:09:00.000+08:00

You remember the time when everyone was asleep and there we were, in the middle of the night, making magic on the streets? Magic that could only work because of the stars and the lights? And you realize how no one else knows except those who were there during that magical moment when surreal became real?

Yeah, it's like that again. Except this time, only Fergus knows. Along with the stars and the lights around him.

Happy New Year folks!

ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK

2006-12-01T15:46:00.000+08:00

A 300 gigabyte external harddisk - by its very nature containing no cinematic value whatsoever, and in the days when noir greats like Robert Mitchum and Lana Turner prowled the celuloid landscape, had no practical use either. Yet, today a post on an independent film's blog headlined by a picture like the above can only mean one thing.

Post-production.

Yes, there comes a time in every films life when it gets cut up into a million little pieces and gets reconstructed into a cogent piece of work. This, it seems, would be that time. And upon my possession of said harddisk, the snipping can begin. Sure, it will not nearly be as hectic as running around like a bunch of thieves in the night, nonetheless, it will be a time of equal challenge, albeit for fewer folk.

While our first editor, Shokichi, ploughs away with the trailer and a rough cut, across town Mr Producer will be hard at work putting together a future for our Diner.

Yeah, you'll hear some RSD circles - unofficially spearheaded by my notoriously optimistic nocturnal alterego self - touting a cinematic release date as early as April 07. That may change yet, but a filmmaker needs tight deadlines, and the notoriously pessimistic diurnal self that is me right now shudders at the thought of a looming self-imposed deadline.

Not exactly the right time to have one's identity start fragmenting, but it is the season for cutting things up.

AND SO, IT ENDS

2006-11-27T08:13:00.000+08:00

No, that's not true. If anything, it begins all over again. Except a different cycle.

Just in case I never get to do my little "award speech"...*ahem ahem* (I promise, nothing corny, cliche or soppy):

To all the cast:
Here's to tomorrow's stars.

To the camera crew:
These guys here are the unsung heroes of RSD. If you're wondering how you managed to look stellar in a scene, it's these guys who gave you the best lighting. You need a light for an oven without a light? You get these guys to fix you one.

To the production team:
We need to celebrate. By ourselves. Soon. But especially to Blanche and Elaine (the two most deprived of sleep), herein lies all the difference.

And lastly,

To our parents:
Because no award speech is complete without us thanking them for all their support and love.

Cheers.

RSD OFFICIAL STILL: DAY 24

2006-11-25T11:45:00.000+08:00

We have truly come back full circle as we shoot - on this final day @ LTW's apartment...

It was a heady night - rife with anticipation, underpinned by a hotbed of excitement. And then at exactly 12:20:14 am on the 19th of November 2006...

"... and it is a wrap!"

"I have been searching everywhere for you..."

Click on the Picture for a larger 800x1203 (approx) version. All photos are copyrighted by the Red Street Diner.

RSD OFFICIAL STILL: DAY 23

2006-11-25T11:42:00.000+08:00

2nd last night of shoot... it almost seem like we are moving backwards...
We return to the streets of RSD

"Suspects are many, and police believe this an underworld crime."

Click on the Picture for a larger 800x1203 (approx) version. All photos are copyrighted by the Red Street Diner.

RSD OFFICIAL STILL: DAY 22

2006-11-25T11:37:00.000+08:00

Cheese... Loads of Cheese!

Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Cheddar… and Roquefort thrown in for good measure...

"Just for you, Jim. You and any first 50 caller!"

Click on the Picture for a larger 800x1203 (approx) version. All photos are copyrighted by the Red Street Diner.

RSD OFFICIAL STILL: DAY 21

2006-11-25T11:25:00.000+08:00

As we enter the last lap of RSD production, the workload is less but the scenes are no less pivotal... tonight we shoot - for the last time at Dev's apartment - a very touching moment of sanity

"When I wake up tomorrow, everything will be different. And beautiful..."

Click on the Picture for a larger 800x1203 (approx) version. All photos are copyrighted by the Red Street Diner.

RSD OFFICIAL STILL: DAY 20

2006-11-15T15:21:00.000+08:00

Tonight is the night where they burst out in song and dance...

"... still looking for your song and dance girl?"

Click on the Picture for a larger 800x1203 (approx) version. All photos are copyrighted by the Red Street Diner.