Thursday, September 27, 2012

How To Do A Movie 'Marathon'!

I used to watch back to back movies in the cinema. A movie 'marathon' - I'd coin it.

On many times, I'd watch 3 movies. And I've even watched 4 movies - back to back.

And recently, over the long weekend, and as a form of 'rewarding' myself, I once again found myself doing the movie 'marathon'!

Now, here's some tips & advise!

1. Book the tickets early!
With all the online booking & booking apps, getting the tickets early is now possible.

Why is this important? Well besides wanting to get the right shows and good seats, it's also good to plan on the movie times. Meaning, no clashes in timings.

The best tip here is to leave some time after a movie ends and before the next movie starts.

2. Watch A Good Mix Of Movies!
I'm not sure for others, but this is what I'd suggest. Usually, I'd pick 2 from my favourite genres (if available), and the rest - something still good but from different genres.

In my recent movie 'marathon', I watched the biography of Katy Perry, the Canto thriller Bullet Vanishes & the thriller / action movie Cold Light Of Day

This is not to overload oneself. Remember too much of something is bad enough :)

3. Choose The Right Day To Watch!
Continuing from point 1 & 2, it's important that the day you are choosing to do the 'marathon' has enough good movies to your liking.

And that you've not already watched them. If there isn't enough good to watch cut down on the no. of movies. No point watching movies that you'd regret spending your time & money on.

4. Dress Right! Wear Your Favourite Tee!



Like the saying goes, dressing gives the mood, so dress up like you are going out for a fun time!

For me, it's simple - wear my favorite Batman tee will do the trick! ;)

5. Bring a jacket!
Movie theatres can get cold. And it will only feel colder if you are in the theaters for hours.

Feels like overseas? Yes, it can get cold.. luckily, I brought my jacket along!
So a good jacket that can warm yourself is important. You don't want the room temperature to spoil your movie experience!

6. Have break meals!
Yes it's a 'marathon'. But this is a leisure one - so take your time, and schedule meal breaks.

Of course, one can opt for the counter food & snacks, but given time, I'd rather go for some good food in between.

I had a simple Japanese meal in between the movies. 
This may not need to take so much time - probably around 30 mins to an hour.

In fact, you can also schedule a full course meal too - with the right planning!

7. Invite your friends!
Not many would love to do a movie 'marathon'. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the movie with friends.

What one can do is simply get different group of friends to accompany you for different movies.

In between the movies, you can still hangout & chill with them.

On my last movie, I had my family members over for dinner at one of my favourite cafes, before watching the movie together. 

Tho if you are watching 3-4 movies, you might expect 1-2 movies to be watched alone.

I know some creep out from that idea, but hey, it's only watching movies and during the time, the engagement is usually you and the movie..!

8. Don't Overwatch!
It might be the weekend, or your day off.. but still you'd want enough rest.

Know your limits. Don't cause tiredness out of something you are suppose to enjoy (yes watching movies cabled to that).

And if you are new to this, maybe just watch 2 movies for the start.. and slowly increase it in the future.


Well there you have it. Simple guides to do a movie 'marathon'! May you find these tips useful and create your own movie 'marathon' experiences!!



*Have not done 5 back to back movies yet. That would be something!






Monday, September 24, 2012

Presented At Webcamp KL!

Last month was rather busy for us. It was after all the screening months of Summer Love KL!

But that as many would say - is a good way of being busy. For on top of that, we (me & Arico, from Superboyz.tv) had the opportunity to speak to about 100 people at Webcamp KL.. which btw is "a series of free events in the spirit of BarCamp with specific focus on topics
 related to "working" on the web".

In this event, we presented our talk about how we used the smartphone (in this case, the iPhone) for our film making and also using the same smartphone to create our marketing materials/ mechanics. 

We shared about both the hardwares involved and the softwares - including the apps we used. Hence, the title "My Camera? It's The iPhone".


It was a good pleasure to have shared on this platform to 'industry players' (ie. the web people).

Here are some of the pics during the event. 


Just before the event, tadaa.... !

"Now, here's how you do it..." :D
Arico's turn on "how to do it"
At the end of the event, I just had to pose with the Wonder Woman figure at the front of the office of Mind Valley (where the event was held).

And for those keen to know what we presented or as a 'reference' to those who attended, here's the presentation slides! :)




*On a personal note, am looking forward to more speaking engagements - on film making, social media or travel! :)

Friday, September 21, 2012

It Was My Birthday - And I Had A Blast In Bali!

I was in Bali (again)!! Yes, it was a holiday to celebrate my birthday!! And like the title goes, I had a blast!!

From visiting famous landmarks & temples to eating good seafood (and other really yummy Bali food), chilling at the beach, letting go of baby turtles (yes, I did that!), swimming in the lovely resort, and even riding a motorcycle - I did them all during my birthday holiday!

I'll be sharing these moments and info in due course, but as for now.. I'm errr off for another "holiday". The F1 (concerts) in Singapore! Yay! :D

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Setiawalk's Cafe: Tipsy Brew O'Coffee

Hangout at Puchong? Really?

Well, usually I don't. No offence, but the roads in the area and the constant changes & road blocks don't quite excite me.

But that - is about to change. And well, thanks to a rather cool hangout place Setiawalk.






I was there recently - and am kinda impressed. It's quite a cool place, and what a pleasant surprise. More so with this cafe I "found" - Tipsy Brew O'Coffee.





What attracted me to it? The designs. This cafe has 'character'. They put their effort into making the cafe look unique yet comfy.. quite a plus especially so in the Klang Valley (tho yes I admit we have more cool cafes springing up nowadays).





The cafe also boasts of its different types of brewed coffee - siphon, French press and hand-dip. That is probably what a coffee lover will look for.







But for me (a non coffee drinker), I enjoyed their other drinks and food. The drinks met the usual standard cafe drinks, and the local food - they were awesome!







The cakes were good - and they were served with a special touched! Awwww :)





The mee rebus & northern style laksa tasted really yummy. I'm usually not a fan of mee rebus but this was good - as the soup wasn't too thick or heavy.

The same goes with the laksa, which was the 'lighter' version than the usual laksa I've had.

The food prices were good too - a lil below the usual rates, going about RM10 plus per plate!

Well, anyway, I spent a good few hours there.. and really, don't mind going back (soon)!! :)


A satisfied customer - me! Haha :)

*C-7-G Block C, Setiawalk
Persiaran Wawasan
Pusat Bandar Puchong
47160 Puchong
Selangor

Friday, September 14, 2012

Summer Love: KL! - The Final Episode (Of A Complicated Love Story)

This post is way overdue. For this episode has been up bout 2.5 weeks back. But well, I've never felt that Summer Love: KL! has ended.. in fact, there' more to this series, still. And I'm not talking just about the future cities we are going to shoot in.

For example, the songs will (hopefully) go on air. Yes, radio. Then, we've been giving talks - in fact, we did one recently too (that's gonna be up soon!).

But well in terms of how the story is... yes, this is the finale. The one where the 'complicated' love story ends. Ah, yes, Tiffany finally made up her mind! Haha!

Owh btw, I like this episode for the suprise in the middle (hint: ooooo... ahhhh!).

And I also like this episode because.. it features our theme song!! Yes, the chirpy & happy song "Summer Love" sung by Naturally Vocal is featured here! Honestly, it brings good mood lah, listening to it! :D

Anyway, without much further ado... here's Episode 5!

Monday, September 10, 2012

Oh Wow, I'm In Men's Uno 20 KL-ites!

Another AWEsome news recently!!

Men's UNO magazine has compiled 20 personalities from various industries in KL (the KL-ites)!



People like Jack Lim - radio Myfm, Chatime's boss - Bryan Loo, 周青元Zhou Qing Yuan - film director, 阿贤A Xian - TV host, 叶剑峰 Ye Jian Feng - newscaster, fellow blogger Ashley Khoo and many more!



And.. guess who they feature to represent the online social media? Well, here he is!! Haha!! ;)



Super Cool lah!! :D

Truly, a dream come true - as I've always wanted to be featured in a list of some sort. Plus to be recognized for my passion & dreams.



That dream came true!!

Thank you, lots - Men's UNO & team! You make me to keep believing in dreams coming true!






*Owh, I must add.. with Chow Yuan Fatt on the cover - that's like a bonus!!

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

My McD Toys!

Toys? I love them! Like a grown up kid that never grown up, I am! Haha!

And to a good surprise.. McD recently have had a new set of toys promotions - the Young Justice toys! Okay call them collectibles!

Now what drew my attention at first is actually the Batman figurine. You can guess I've spotted the Batman from afar!

Yes it's true - cos the posters promoting the toys are not actually that prominently displayed. Instead it's at the corners of the menu bar (most places).

Well I must say I am lucky.. for that evening I decided to hop into McD and get some "happy meal".. to cheer up a rather long day. And well, happy was I!

Anyway, I've gotten the set.. week by week, I went to McD!! I've got the Superboy, Superman and of course - Batman! The only one missing is actually the Robin :(

This I'd say is due to the mix of dates in 1 of the outlets I regular to (*sob).

But at least, I still have the Batman figurine - the most precious of them all!

*Im still looking for ways to get my hands on the Robin - to complete my set!!

Monday, September 03, 2012

Thank You, NST (Again)!

Last Monday, I received some really good news... news that killed the 'Monday blues'!

Yes, it's feature time (again.. hehe!). And once again, it's on the News Straits Times (Malaysia) - it's my 4th time being featured in this press :)

Btw, Siti Syameen from NST did an interview me & my teammates (Arico & Ben) from Superboyz.tv - on how we use the iPhone for filming Summer Love: KL! She asked some really thoughtful questions about using the iPhone and the series which are featured in the article. 

And there's also info on our hopes & aspirations (I'd like to say dreams as well :) ). 

As usual, it's always nice to be featured (yay!).. and this is extra special for the fact that we are featured for our works simply by using the iPhone, utilising the technology out there. 

Owh, it is quite a nice article plus it's full page! Yayayay!!



The full article is here: iPhone, camera, action! Btw, for easy reference, here's the article as well... :)

SUPERBOYZ.TV, comprising Aric Yong, Ben CMX and QuaChee, recently produced an independent web series called Summer Love: KL using their iPhones.
Comprising five short episodes, Summer Love: KL is Superboyz.TV’s first foray into Web drama production.
With episodes ranging between six and eight minutes each, the series depicts a straightforward love story among college students and at the same time, highlights little-known cafes and shopping centres in Kuala Lumpur.
The idea was first mooted by Quah Cheng Eng who goes by the moniker QuaChee. Previously involved in the production of The Big Bibik & The Little Nyonya web series, QuaChee was inspired by Korean dramas in coming up with Summer Love: KL.
QuaChee also plays the male lead Ben, opposite Lex Ann, who plays Tiffany, the heroine.
“As my previous projects relate closely to tourism, I embedded it into the storyline. We wanted a story that promotes tourism, with cool songs to boot. I was really nervous as I’ve never attempted scriptwriting previously,” said QuaChee, who led a team of scriptwriters for the series.
“We decided to focus on Kuala Lumpur because there are a variety of things to do here. For instance, shopping and the many places of interest, including restaurants with great food that viewers may not know about. The story itself is straightforward but we make it a point to promote the city as well,” says Yong, who is a talent scout by day, of their home-made production.
“We have hidden gems and cool hangout places which we feature in the video. Plus, of course, the good food! It’s just a pity we couldn’t feature more in this series,” adds QuaChee, who also co-directed the series with Yong. “We worked with Konji International as make-up partner, Dummy Clozett (fashion sponsor) and Sole To Soul (dance studio).”

RUNNING A TIGHT SHIP
“We invited friends and their friends to audition for the roles, with the first round of audition being held online via video submissions. While most of the cast are people whom we know, we also secured new talents. For example, we cast Michael Anthony Salvador through the online audition, for the role of bad boy Mark,” said Yong.
Their main tool is the iPhone because of its capabilities. “It took us some time to decide between the iPhone and other media. Needless to say, Aric and I bought new iPhones — partly for the shoot! There’s also the hunt for the other equipment like the steadicam, the adapters to fit the iPhone and light and sound system,” said QuaChee who blogged about his behind-the-scene experiences.
Five trailers as well as five posters were created to accompany each episode. The posters were created using the app Phoster. After completing the shoot in just four days, the actors were called in to record voiceovers using the iTalk app.
“The final part is video editing, which was done concurrently with the song recordings. And the recording process took just as much time as the video production,” said QuaChee.
Placing more pizzazz into the series, Ben CMX added three of his original compositions to the soundtrack.
“My background is in classical piano and violin, but for Summer Love: KL, I composed a Mandopop number, a K-pop-inspired fast song and a Katy Perry-type song. QuaChee added the lyrics,” said Ben CMX, whose real name is Benjamin Chu.
Ben CMX agrees that coming up with the songs was relatively easy despite the rewriting and rearrangement.
“The hardest part was working with the sound engineer during the song recording process as he was a perfectionist. But it was a learning experience.”
For extra funds, Superboyz.TV went through Mystartr.com, a crowdfunding site, and raised RM2,450 to cover the cost of producing the songs.
“We plan to air the songs on radio stations as well as offer them as ringtones and song downloads. Hopefully, we can raise enough to have a healthy profit-sharing arrangement with everyone involved,” said Yong.
The talent pool for Superboyz.TV includes Amaze International Model Search 2011 winner Sheena, Asia New Face Model Search winner Wafa Johanna de Korte, host Mei Sze and Lam Ching Fu. The production cost for the series is about RM8,000. “The cost includes the price of the iPhones and its accessories, to help with the video shooting,” said Yong.

LEARNING FROM MISTAKES
While Yong did the casting and co-directing and Chu, the sound production, QuaChee was responsible for promoting the series.
For Summer Love: KL, the series was promoted via QuaChee’s blog and also the official website, superboyz.tv, Twitter (@summerlove) and Facebook.
The team also relied on services such as Instagram and Pinterest. “I love the online platform. It’s like one big playground where nearly anything is possible. Interestingly, Instagram also helps drive awareness despite it being a photo-based social platform,” said QuaChee.
With the final episode released on Aug 22, Summer Love: KL recorded encouraging number of views for each episode. “Some of the feedback was really encouraging. The worse was ‘Jangan memalukan Malaysia’ (Don’t embarrass Malaysia), but we take it as constructive criticism to do better and work harder,” said Yong.
“People who have been following our progress know the work that went behind the scenes and appreciate the videos even more. And while some don’t, we have recorded an increase in fans and viewers alike,” said QuaChee.
Superboyz.TV’s next web series is Summer Love: PJ, which is aimed for a year end release. “We plan to promote Petaling Jaya through Summer Love: PJ, using the same formula,” said Yong. “We may also try to shoot some ‘daring’ scenes but nothing that will alert the censors of course. We will give a bigger twist to the story and add more dialogue,” said QuaChee.

DARING TO FAIL
The two Summer Love web series are Superboyz.TV’s so-called practice run before the team kickstarts a bigger project, codenamed Summer Love: Bangkok. “That is our future goal. Hopefully we will be able to do it next year,” said Ben CMX.
The team will still rely on crowdfunding. We hope to tie-in with other sponsors, and maybe work on an e-commerce project alongside the series,” said QuaChee.
“We would love to work with those who want to showcase our cities to the foreigners. At the same time, we will still maintain our target audience — college students and young adults,” said Yong.
“The next project may cost more but we still hope to keep costs low while maintaining the quality. After all,” adds QuaChee, “this is a Web production. With the iPhone, video making is now easier than before. Filmmakers can be more creative and use existing tools to make videos and films.”


*My other times I've been feature in NST - "Inspiring Young Malaysian", "Wanted: A Youth Model", and "Bibik Is Back".