Our team Tenqous Lumous was fortunate enough to win the KL 48 Hour Film Project and as part of the prize we got to attend the Filmapalooza where winners from around the world get to screen their films. It was an extremely long  journey but we were so glad that we went because not only did we gain tons of new experiences, we also managed to gain new friends in the process. We were busy throughout the event but we had such a good time that we didn’t even mind the crazy schedule.

We took an 18-hour flight from KL to LA, and after countless delays we finally took a smaller plane to Alberqueque, New Mexico. This year the Filmpalooza was held in Taos, a town located a few hours away.

The first thing we did when we got to Alberqueque was look for a diner. After our ‘musical departure gate’ debacle at the LAX airport we were famished and dying for some grub. We headed to the car rental counter and made our way to the Waffle House. The plate of waffles was a wonderful change from the airplane food we had on the long flight from KL. This is our first decent meal after our flight and it was such a welcoming sight to our hungry tummies.

1st Mar 2012

Tomasita's Restaurant in Santa Fe

In the morning, rejuvenated and rested, we made our way to Taos. We passed terracotta landscapes, hilly mountains and elaborately decorated archways and reached Santa Fe, which was the midpoint between Alberqueque and Taos just in time for a lunch. We headed to Tomasita’s, a New Mexican restaurant favoured by locals. We had a meal consisting of sopapillas, enchiladas and tacos. (It was good but our tastebuds were still craving for some ‘cili padi’, typical Malaysians, right?)

After a little bit of window shopping and checking out the shops at Santa Fe, we continued our journey to Taos.

Suddenly, the air started to become chillier and the sandy landscape changed into snowy meadows and hilly mountains. Soon enough we arrived at Taos. It’s a small town with a population of 4,700. It is a very artistic and cultural town. The streets are filled with galleries and shops selling assorted handicrafts. Taos is surrounded by breathtaking views of snow capped mountain so it’s a popular spot amongst skiers as well.

We checked into our rooms at Casa Benavides. We took this chance to warm ourselves by the fireplace. Jet lag had taken over and our bodies were too tired to even stay awake. We dozed off instantly.

Our hotel; Photo by Kouchi Hirano

Honey extremely excited with the Green Chili Soup at Eske

Fully rested and ready to go. We had a chance to check the schedule. Our movie was slotted to be shown on the 2nd day of the screening. So we still had a couple of days before it was our turn.

Now it was time to mingle with the other filmmakers. The location was a local pub called Eskes. Famous for their assorted beers, it was quaint and intimate, a perfect place for us to talk and get to know the other city winners. By the end of the night, we were pretty exhausted and we trudged back to our room in the extreme cold (some nights were -12 °C, no joke, it was a shock to the system)

2nd Mar 2012

The next day was jam packed with activities. We joined the rest of the 48HP participants to the Earthship site, the Gorge and we even managed to squeeze in a little excursion to Pueblo.

In the evening we got a chance to watch some of the films that were being screened at the Taos Shortz, a film festival being held at the same time as the 48HFP. It was nice mix of films ranging from dramas, comedies and even animation.

Rio Grande Gorge; Photo by: Rohit Jayakaran

Earthship; Photo by: Kouichi Hirano

Taos Pueblo with Shahril (KL CP), Tsogo (Mongolia CP) and Masahiro (Osaka Filmmaker)

3rd Mar 2012

On the day of our screening, we were the first movie to be shown at Harwood Museum of Arts. Words simply can’t describe how nervous we were.

We were sitting anxiously in our seats waiting to see the audience’s reaction to our movie. When you’re making a comedy, the audience’s response is crucial. We were so relieved when they started laughing at our jokes. Even though the durian was probably something unfamiliar to most of the audience, they actually got the humour in our movie and that was what mattered most to us.

Our screening theatre

As the screening progressed, we were amazed at the quality of the films that were being shown. And these were all done within 48 hours. We were so honoured to be even in the same screening group as them.

In the evening, 48HFP arranged a karaoke session at Kachina Lodge for all the participants. We needed a break from the marathon movie session and this was a great way to do it.

4th Mar 2012

On Sunday, more movies were being screened. The last two sessions had the strongest movies. The writing was done well and they also excelled technically. Some even had bits of animation and special effects in them.

Receiving our trophy as Best of Kuala Lumpur

We were blown away at how good they were. Malaysians really have to step up if they want to compete at the same level. We need to do better technically and deliver better stories if we want to be in the same league as these strong contenders.

At the end of the screening, they had a prize giving ceremony for all the city winners so each team had the honour of receiving a trophy from the 48HFP founders, Liz Langston and Mark Ruppert.

Of course they saved the best for last. Liz and Mark announced the winners and the 2011 48 Hour Film Project Winner was ‘In Captivity’ by Jpixx Films from Hampton Roads.

They were the big winners of this year. They won Special Effects, Best Editing and Honourable Mention for Best Directing. Runners up were ‘My Darling, I’m so sorry’ from Berlin and ‘Canh Ba Ba’ from Ho Chi Minh City.

The Filmpalooza ends with a party at the Henningson Fine Arts Gallery. I had so much fun that I left my purse there. (we had to bunk in with our city producers because my room key was also in my purse-luckily I got it back because Mark found it and the 48HFP delivered it to me a few days later)

We had such a great time at the Filmpalooza. Not only do you get a chance to screen your movie at an international level but you’ll also get to meet talented filmmakers from around the world. It was such an amazing event and we’re so thankful that we had the opportunity to experience it.

Honey and I at TCA

With Mark & Liz, founders of 48HFP

Final Party at Henningson Fine Arts Gallery

So, Kuala Lumpur… who’s next for the amazing journey to Filmapalooza 2013 in Hollywood?

Farah
Producer, Tenqous Loumous

The awards for the 2011 tour were announced on March 4th, 2012, at the Taos Center for the Arts in New Mexico. What is a cooler weekend than a 48 hour weekend? Most definitely a Filmapalooza weekend!

These are the winners and links to some of the films that are made available online.

Best Film

“In Captivity” by Jpixx Films from Hampton Roads (VA)
(Jpixx Films received 3,000 USD.)

Runner Up for Best Film
“My Darling, I’m So Sorry” by so36portraits from Berlin

Second Runner Up for Best Film
“Canh Ba Ba” by Yeti from Ho Chi Minh City

Best Directing
“My Darling, I’m So Sorry” by so36portraits from Berlin

Honorable Mention for Directing
“In Captivity” by Jpixx Films from Hampton Roads (VA)

Best Writing
“My Darling, I’m So Sorry” by so36portraits from Berlin

Honorable Mention for Writing
“Canh Ba Ba” by Yeti from Ho Chi Minh City

Best Acting — Ensemble
“Casse Gueule” by Collectif 109 from Paris

Best Acting — Individual
Jason Perini in “A Little Bit Behind” by The Magnificent from New South Wales (Australia)

Best Cinematography
“Page 23″ by Arts, Houben & Van Den Boogaard from Utrecht

Best Editing
“In Captivity” by Jpixx Films from Hampton Roads (VA)

Best Use of Line
“My Darling, I’m So Sorry” by so36portraits from Berlin

Best Special Effects
“In Captivity” by Jpixx Films from Hampton Roads (VA)

Best Song
“Oh Drama” by White Poison Industries from Des Moines

Best Graphics
“Page 23″ by Arts, Houben & Van Den Boogaard from Utrecht

And the judges have spoken and the awards were presented to:

BEST FILM
The Case of Adi Aziz, Footballer by TenqousLoumous

BEST DIRECTING
Daddy’s Girl by Orang Utan

BEST WRITING
The Case of Adi Aziz, Footballer by TenqousLoumous

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Last Day by Giri Studios & Checkered Past

BEST ACTING
Daddy’s Girl by Orang Utan

BEST EDITING
The Case of Adi Aziz, Footballer by TenqousLoumous

BEST MUSIC/SFX
Kami Kan BFF by H+A Studio Productions

BEST USE OF CHARACTER
Escape by No Idea Production

BEST USE OF PROP
Reflect by Kino-I

BEST USE OF LINE
Daddy’s Girl by Orang Utan

AUDIENCE CHOICE GROUP A
Sunat the Musical by David Sparkle

AUDIENCE CHOICE GROUP B
The Case of Adi Aziz, Footballer by TenqousLoumous

Prizes

Best Film

• 2 Tickets to Filmapalooza 2012
• RM 30,000 Film Grant from FINAS
• Involvement for NST’s Road Safety Public Service Announcement
• Movie Magic Screenwriter Software 6
• KL48HFP Trophy
• Filmapalooza Trophy

Extremely happy with her Genre

A total of 41 teams registered and the genre drawing was greeted with much enthusiasm. Some were nervous, some were extremely happy, some took the wild cards. The first team to draw this year was once again 1HellofAProduction led by Ibtisem a.k.a Sam. Not only was it her second year to be the first team to draw, it was also the 2nd year for her to draw Musical!

After 48 hours, on Sunday the 30th October the we were having a nervous breakdown as we waited for teams to trickle in to submit their films & paperwork. The first few early teams were Giristudios & Checkered Past, Orang Utan and I-Pixel. The others came in a throng at the last hour and mayhem was created at the registration counter. Someone might have even cried trying to render & burn their film at the last minute.

In the end, a total of 36 teams submitted on time and we continued to wait for the late teams. We were extremely ecstatic that each and every one of the teams registered submitted their film even though they were late. But later, a total of 35 teams were only qualified as 1 film submitted a wrong file and had to resend a new file for their screenings. However,  it was a great achievement for us to have so many films qualified. Next year target: 100% qualification.

1. 1HellOfA Production, Ibtisem Ben Nassib
2. 21+1 Production, Eong Ho Lim
3. Amor De Cosmos, Hussain Fairuz
4. Chili’s, Eugenia Wong
5. CMYK Pictures, Chiang Wai Loon
6. CrackedSkull, Ong Yui Huan
7. David Sparkle, Nurul Aizam Mat Nasir
8. DH Films, Assad Ali
9. E-Fource Pictures, Kar Keng Shu
10. EpicBros, Hafizulfahmi Yusof
11. Evolve, Esther Pang
12. Film’O’Phy, Nurliana Amin Noordin
13. FVL, Nik Amir Mustapha
14. Gang of Motion Pictures, Delas Santano Delas Santano
15. Giristudios, Giri Sitham
16. H+A Studio Production, Hidayat Jamalolail
17. In Your Face.MY Production, Jude Denis Gonsalvez
18. Ingredients, I Gede Satriya
19. IPixel, Shah Besri
20. KataWarna Production, Nicole Chin Sweet Yen
21. Kino-i, Tan Kui Lan

Group B
Screening on Wednesday, November 2nd, 8:00 PM – 10:30 PM
TGV KLCC, Hall 5

1. Kucing Kurap Productions, Liew Jian Yang
2. Level 3 Production, Lee Ying Loong
3. Mid Hills Film, Kar Kit Tham
4. MMDES, Bryan Ho Tze Hoong
5. Motiodesign, Mohamad Mahsyar Mohamed Said
6. No Idea Production, Martin Chong
7. O.N.E. Production, Po Yee Chen
8. Orang Utan, Ikhwan Rivai
9. Organized Riot, Aidyl Abadi
10. PAGE 5ive Production, Theresa Shalini Stephen
11. Red Shoe, Yihwen Chen
12. Running Man, Jean Wong
13. SisiSeni, Mohamad Izzuddin Hamdan
14. TenqousLoumous, Farah Draim
15. T-Max, Julian Kong
16. Trois Croyances, Ira Rasmadin
17. U5 Production, Dylan Phuah
18. Urban Lighthouse Productions, Saw Chin Keat
19. WayangTree Productions, Sidney Chan
20. WhyAmIDoingThis? Pictures, Seow Yean Hoo

Ask Tim Bunn, the Director/Producer of the “The Girl is Mime”, winner at the Filmapalooza 2011

1. How did you get started as a director?

I’ve always been a massive film fan and knew it was all I wanted to do from a young age. I started off doing Drama at school and always enjoyed acting; but as I got older the opportunity for acting slowly dwindled and I ended up behind the camera making short films. I then went on to study Film Production at university.

2. Tell us a little bit about the team background.

It’s mostly made up of friends. Luckily, I have very talented friends, most of whom possess the desire to work in film or TV.

Joe Patrick, writer and producer, I have known for about 13 years. We went to school together; to university together and now we work together. We both have similar goals and ambitions when it comes to film. Tim Woodall and Jackie Thompson, writer and writer/producer, both worked with Joe on a previous short film.

Daniel Caren, the actor, is a cousin of Joe’s girlfriend. Jennifer Rhowen Short, actress, is friends with Jackie and had also worked on a previous film. Mark Adcock, the Director of Photography, I met on a music video shoot where I was a lowly camera assistant and he very kindly gave me some of his precious time to make the film look beautiful. Peter Spinney, chief lighting, is a stills photographer who I work with in my day-to-day job.

Joe is friends with a band called The Miserable Rich, who put together the brilliant soundtrack that gives a whole new dimension to the film. I managed to persuade a few lovely ladies from a local make-up school to come down and make the actors look even more beautiful. Jackie knew a couple of special effects guys who did a few bits and pieces for us.

The rest of the crew are friends and family who were just there to lend a hand. My girlfriend and Joe’s girlfriend helped find costumes and my dad was there to drive equipment around in his truck.

It was a great group and we had a great time making the film.

3. Tell us three interesting things about the team.

Joe Patrick, Writer/Producer, and Tim Woodall, Writer, have both worked with Martin Freeman before. They wrote a directed a short film called “HIV: The Musical”. Check it out on YouTube.

Daniel Caren, the actor, recently completed a feature film in a main role. It’s called “The Hike” and hits British cinemas this month.

The Director of Photography, Mark Adcock, is always in demand; you can often find him working on music videos with the likes of Kylie Minogue.

4. How did you come about with the story?

When Martin Freeman agreed to come on board, Joe wanted to paint his face (I have no idea why) and came up with the idea of making him a mime once we had been given silent film. Interestingly, we spent all night writing a completely different script to what you see on screen. It was only two hours before we were due to start shooting that Joe decided we needed to change the entire plot. I think he was right though.

5. What was the experience like working with an A-list actor with limited budget and to finish everything in 48 hours?

Martin is a fantastic guy and is keen to help filmmakers in the early parts of their careers.

As a director, an actor of his quality makes your life so much easier. He understands exactly what you want and can deliver it (and more) on the first take. He also develops the character he’s playing, makes it his own and can then add things and do things that you would never think of. It really brings a whole new dimension to the character and consequently, the film.

Finishing everything in 48 hours and with little money is always a challenge. However, I think they are both the common restrictions on almost every film; every director and producer wants more time and more money. It’s just exaggerated in the extreme for the 48 Hour Film Project.

Personally, it was tough. A lot of hard work went into our film; but ultimately I think as a concept, the project is a great idea. It means that after two days, you’ve got a film… and hopefully, you’ve had some fun.

6. What were the difficulties the team faced throughout the 48 hour weekend? Both creative and technical aspects.

Honestly, the production went relatively smoothly and I felt like luck was on our side too; which is something that helps when you’re working with such tight constraints.

I mentioned before that we changed the script at the last minute, which was certainly a big risk to take but I trusted that the team could get it done. I did a lot of pre-production on the film but one of the things I couldn’t get sorted was sound man. Amazingly, we drew silent film and that’s when I started to feel that luck was on our side.

Towards the end of the shoot, we left ourselves with a lot to do in the last hour of filming. This meant that maybe a few things were a little bit more rushed than I would have liked. There was a lot of planning that went into our production and I think that’s the key to a successful 48 Hour Film Project’s film.

7. Best and worst part of being director/producer for the film?

I enjoy the challenge of making a film and when you’re the director/producer you get to make the important decisions. I think most directors would admit to being control freaks and to some extent, you have to be. You have to know what you want and then do your best to realise it on screen.

The worst thing is the responsibility and pressure. You’ve got lots of people helping you, working hard and you don’t want to let them down. You want to make sure that you produce something that everyone can be proud of and enjoy.

8. How are you finding things since winning Filmapalooza 2011?

Good. It’s well known that it’s far from easy to become successful in the film industry and I still feel I’ve got a long way to go and a lot to learn before I can achieve everything I want to.

We’ve been submitting “The Girl Is Mime” to numerous festivals around the world and so far it has screened at Cannes Film Festival as part of the Short Film Corner event, LA International Shorts Festival and the Raindance Festival, where it was also nominated for Best UK Short, since Filmapalooza 2011.

9. What do you consider the elements of a good film? A great one?

A good film meets all of viewers’ expectations. If it’s a comedy, it makes you laugh. If it’s a horror, it makes you scared. A great film does these things too but it also pushes boundaries, technically, creatively, in any aspect really. It pushes beyond your expectations and delivers something that you weren’t expecting.

10. What would be the one thing that you would advise the teams competing in the 48 Hour Film Project?

Pre-Production. To make a film in 48 hours you need to work as efficiently as possible. Therefore it’s crucial to have as much in place as possible. Obviously with the nature of the project, you can’t plan everything but the more you plan, the more it will help your cause.

You can get your equipment ready, give people their roles and jobs, and have a few locations in mind. Decide how long you’re going to write for, how long you’re going to shoot for and how long you’re going to edit for. Then do you best to stick to that schedule. And most importantly of all, try to have fun.

Behind The Scenes: The Girl is Mime from Sam Sapin on Vimeo.

“The Girl is Mime” will be screened during the Kuala Lumpur 48 Hour Film Project’s Best of 2010 Film Screenings on, Saturday, 22 October 2010 at 4:30 pm at Stor Teater Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur.

Jack Sparrow not too happy with the lime light taken from him

So… we thought of something fun (read: madness) to do to alert people of our presence this year and came out with the 48 Hits the Street. For 24 days and 2 hours each day (that adds up to 48 hour) a movie character will be around KL city centre promoting the project and our website between 4.00 – 7.00 pm courtesy of our sponsor HD Make Up Asia. The first few days were crazy and hectic sorting and changing what character would appeal and can be achieved through special effects and sourcing for costume.

The Mad Hatter

Whilst most make up was done at Make Up Your Minda Academy in Scotts Garden, Jalan Klang Lama… A few were also done at  Make Up Academy of Lim Kok Wing University. Whilst preparation was tedious and time consuming the attention created at Bukit Bintang were hilarious and epic nonetheless. Ranging from curiosity, disgusted by the Orang Minyak, to happy and ecstatic with the Mad Hatter and even petrified children and adults by the Mummy. Our talent even gave the green, gold and blue man a run for their money. Whilst photo taking was free, some tourists & locals handed out cash money to our delighted talent (who of course refused it at first lah!). Check out the photos on our facebook to see if you might have been caught on our camera!

The Mummy

Come and catch our characters in Bukit Bintang and Times Square whilst we give away car stickers and posters. We’re also holding a photo contest for you to win some extra gifts from us. The characters will be available in KL until 14 October, 2011. Check our facebook status and twitter updates to find out what characters and where they are.

Here’s what you need to do next:

Photo Contest

1. Take a photo WITH the character in the most creative or bizarre poses you can think of. Don’t be afraid to instruct the talent what to do. He’s very co-operative and you have to beat his cam-whoring to succeed.
2. E-Mail your photo to contest@kl48hourfilm.com with the subject ‘48 Hits the Street‘ with your Name, NRIC, Address & Contact Number before 16 October, 2011
3. Selected photos will be  informed and the photo will be uploaded on our Facebook Album
4. Get your friends & family to vote for your photo from 17 – 25 October, 2011
5. The photo with the most Like will be sent something special from the Kuala Lumpur 48 Hour Film Project
   

Korean tourist showing how it's done