Production Diaries:
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
Recent Entries:
HUNDREDS GATHER TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE LATE MAKO IWAMATSU IN CAGES!
Wed, 14 Nov 2007
A SPECIAL TRIBUTE SCREENING OF MAKO!
Tue, 16 Oct 2007
Perles Acquires Cages Distribution!
Wed, 01 Aug 2007
"CAGES" RUNS 4TH WEEK IN THEATRES!
Fri, 13 Apr 2007
IT'S MY TURN TO FLY!
Mon, 09 Apr 2007
"CAGES" SURPRISES MANY AS IT ENTERS THIRD WEEKEND IN THEATRES!
Fri, 06 Apr 2007
"CAGES" ENTERS THIRD WEEK IN THEATRES!
Tue, 03 Apr 2007
LOYAL FOLLOWING TO THANK, AS "CAGES" ENTERS THIRD WEEK IN THEATRES!
Mon, 02 Apr 2007
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More Pre-production
07/11/04
It’s pre-production, and one of the many little details we are dealing are the photographs that appear in the story. Without giving away the plot, I can say that there are several key photographs that are used within the film. Each of these shots has required the expertise of the art, wardrobe, makeup, and location departments and a special effects photographer in order to get these in the can this week.
Our first shot today started at 6:30 in the morning. A quiet Sunday on the streets of Singapore paled in comparison to the early crowd who gathered at Ang Mo Kio for a little songbird competition. David Lim, who acts as chief in command for this park, greeted us early for our shoot. When I wrote the story, I took the liberty of modeling one of my characters after him, since he is such a lively and memorable man. As it evolved, it just so happened that David would end up playing himself in the film. This morning's shoot was incredibly successful, and I was proud of his willingness to not only pose with others for a mock up winner’s circle, but also to sit amongst his fellow friends and have make up applied.
From there, we moved to a temple in downtown Singapore where we were to mock up a younger ALI and her father, TAN. We decided that because of the age and number of shots we would actually need to get an emotional read in the photograph, it would be more effective to have an actor play the young ALI in stead of using the actress' own childhood images.
Our young actress was great. She bonded with the actor who was playing her father. She was more than professional. We waited for those candid moments between posing for the camera to capture a genuine reaction that was needed for the photos.
After that, we traveled to a location where we would capture a few interior scenes. A traditional studio photo, commonly taken by families during the holidays, and a casual home photo were done. There, we met another actress who was playing ALI’s mother. Again, the chemistry of this family had to read in a particular way, so we shot and shot until the moment occurred. Thank God for digital.
We finished the day off with other photos that I won’t give away just yet. For those of you who know something about the story, it involves a younger LIZ and a glimpse of her past, in addition to ALI’s mother when she was pregnant with ALI.
All in all, it was a great day. Photos in this film are critical clues to the past for CAGES. Doing them right requires weeks of planning and coordination. Our team worked smoothly, and always maintained a sense of focus and determination. We were a step ahead of our daily schedule the entire day long… and we finished in great spirits and earlier than expected. If this is any indication of the great teamwork we have assembled for the actual production ahead, I can only look forward to a healthy and collaborative film shoot. And that, my friend, is how you make a movie!
But in the mean time, more pre-production!
Graham Streeter
Director
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