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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Impressions: Part 1
08/04/04
Having set a high level of standards for myself by working with numerous major league production companies such as A Band Apart (Quentin Tarantino), Industrial Light & Magic (George Lucas), and The Partners (largest commercial production company in Toronto, Canada), I was very impressed with what I saw on my trip to Singapore as I was able to experience the professionalism, work ethics, and culture behind Aquafire Productions and its president, Tania Sng. Creating impressions have always been my forte. My passion and love for the business has allowed me to hold high marks in areas of production, advertising, and publicity for both the print and film mediums. Making the transition from handling all advertising related production for major magazines, to producing national and international commercials for blue chip clients required me to pay close attention to details. And it was in these details that I found in Aquafire Productions that opened my eyes to new standards.
My trip began on Singapore Airlines with a non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Singapore (17 hours – oye!) Fortunately, I traveled with my dear friend Bobby Tonelli (who plays ETHAN in CAGES), who I predict will be the next popular leading man on the big screen. Despite sitting on a plane for a lengthy period of time, it was quite a pleasant trip mainly because of the ability to exchange smart and inspired conversations with someone who not only possesses big star qualities, but also exudes a refreshing level of intelligence. Even our stewardess was checking out Bobby’s “intelligence” from time to time throughout the flight (reference: Better than Jude Law blog).
Upon our arrival into Singapore, Bobby and I were warmly greeted by Tania (Executive Producer and owner of Aquafire Productions), Joshua Wong (Executive Producer), and Jessie Wee (production intern who worked with me in the States on an overseas internship assignment). Before heading to the production office, we relaxed for a bit and had coffee at Changi Airport’s Coffee Been and Tea Leaf outlet. I noticed that a Latte in Singapore costs about the same as two plates of chicken rice at a coffee shop.
When Bobby and I arrived at the production office around 7:45am, it was the start of a new day. Director/Screenwriter, Graham Street was up and ready, working. It was then that I knew that “I ain’t here for no vacation.”
I couldn’t put my finger on why the production office was different from what I was used to. There were workstations set up, and sectioned off to what looks like different departments; all tightly connected by a network of computers. A big copy machine was nicely tucked out of the way. You know it’s the real deal if there’s a big copy machine around. The sections were divided with partitions, separating the area by departments – Art Studio, Editing Bays, Location Section, Production Management, Camera/Equipment, Wardrobe, etc. I must say, I was very taken back by the efficient use of space.
The office consists of two major rooms; a big room, one with all the sections, that one can reach by going through the front door and walking up a flight of stairs. And then past that, through another set of doors, there is a smaller room that serves as Tania’s office. In there, one can find a big red conference table, a long red couch and Tania’s “executive” desk.
The environment was fully air conditioned, yet it had a certain warmth about it; making it a very comfortable place to work in.
Besides the welcoming committee, the first person from the crew coming into the office that day was Teresa Teo. I remembered her pretty face was accented by a warm and welcoming smile. In a professional tone, she asked how my flight was and inquired about my jet-lag, and went on with her work. Next was Charm, who, like her name, possessed a sense of charm about her. I noticed her sitting at her desk and walked over to introduce myself, cringing deep inside about the weekly reports I still owed her. I have been communicating with her via iChat and emails from halfway across the world but we have never met face to face till now. But without a mention of the weekly reports, she too projected a professional and welcoming handshake.
To be continued... tomorrow.
Alex Lebosq
Publicity (Hollywood)
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