By Ngo Wan Jun/Photos provided by interviewees 

Every time a movie ends, we see the rollout of end credits that consist of names of actors, actresses and behind-the-scene crew members on the big movie screen. I believe that individuals who harbour the dream of being a movie director hope to see their names on this list one day. Some people might wonder what it takes to be a movie director and what movie directors do on film sets.

In a HCUC News interview session with local director Isaac Hor, Hor mentioned that the job of a director is not as easy as it seems. The position is a much coveted one and seemingly unattainable. On the other hand, movie-directing is one of the most tiring and exhausting jobs.

“When filming on set, everything on set has to be supervised by the director, such as lighting, stage managing, actors/actresses, camera operations, sound recording, art department, makeup department, and clothing department. When you are focused on thinking about how to film the next scene, someone from the makeup department may interrupt you to ask “Director can this style of makeup be used?” I would spend 2 to 3 seconds addressing her concerns, and continue planning and deliberating the next scene. So being a director requires strong resilience,” he said.

Hor said that during early times when he was making short films, he only had more than 10 people on a team, so it was very difficult, as even food-packing became part of his job description.

Good Communication Skills 

Hor mentioned that the job of a director is not as easy as it seems.

Hor mentioned that a director must know to deliver a story well, and to do this, some of the  important things to have would be communication skills, the ability to manage the whole film crew and enliven the film set with positive energy. For example, if an actor/actress is in a bad mood, it is the director’s job to comfort the actor/actress, so that they can continue to perform to the best of their acting abilities..

Hor added that a director needs to convey his creative muse in an effective way so that the cast can enact the story and mood of scenes to move the audience. The director needs to set the mood of the film set, and get his cast to portray the intended emotions. If a scolding scene is about to take place, the director may scold people on set to create actual tension.

Director Isaac has made and directed many short films such as Unlock, Pregnation, Si • La Vie, To The Sky, and AGAIN. Among all short films, Pregnation which advocates against abortion has won several awards in China, which are World Chinese Micro Film Competition 2014 (Prize of Excellence Award), Golden Pomegranate International Film Festival 2014 (Most Creative Micro Movie Award), China Linyi Inaugural National Micro Film Competition 2014 (Best Screenplay Award) and 4th Beijing International Micro Film Festival (Nominated for Best Story Award).

Hor has always dreamed of being a host since he was young. In 2010, he had been part of the Current Affairs DJ department at an online radio station, DurianFM, for two segments. He has learnt a lot about hosting from his work experience with DurianFM, and among the skills he has picked up are the mastery of the rhythm of content presentation.

He became a director by accident when a friend invited him to participate in a charity video contest, which he joined. He won an Excellence Award along with cash prizes. Together with his friend, they invested all the cash money to continue the film making endeavour, and along the way he learnt to be a director.

Hor suggests that students refrain from rushing to become an entrepreneur.

“Fresh graduates could work in the broadcasting industry and gain experience first. If you have the financial backing sufficient enough to fuel your day-to-day living for a period of at least six months, then you could boldly chase your dream to be an entrepreneur.”

Strategies for Creativity

Director Isaac shared that one of his movie scenes was inspired from a dream he had. Upon waking up, he drafted and wrote the script for the relevant scene. To find inspiration, he meets other creatives to discuss ideas and experiences. He finds that the worldview of one individual is limited, so talking or chatting with others will broaden the field of one’s imagination.

He also encourages others to read. Hor said that reading is something easy that we can do.

“We need to read widely. We should not only read about topics that are of interest to us.”.