《火星上的維納斯》 第一個預告片已降臨地球了！ 🌎 “如果你是世界唯一的女人。。。。你會怎麼辦呢？”
Here comes the first teaser for Venus on Mars! “What will you do, if you were the only female in the world…?
出品、製作丨#CJENMHK 、#MochaChaiLab 、巨宸製作、瀚草影視 導演丨#蔡於位 #ChaiYeeWei 主演丨#邵雨薇#IvyShao 、#曹佑寧 #TsaoYuNing 特別出演丨#羅宏正 #WesLo #火星上的維納斯 #VenusOnMars
（图：CJ ENM HK提供）
由CJ ENM HK和新加坡资讯通信媒体发展局联手制作的科幻爱情喜剧《火星上的维纳斯》由本地导演蔡於位执导，女主角邵雨薇饰演火星上唯一一位女性，其中她和曹佑宁会有很精彩的亲密戏，这一幕更是导演执导生涯中尺度最大胆的一场戏！
蔡於位导演接受《8视界娱乐生活志》专访时透露，自己非常喜欢看科幻片，这部剧的故事也是受到经典电影“Planet of the Apes”的启发。
“在那部电影中，所有人类已经灭绝，只剩下猩猩和猿猴，我就在想如果这个世界上只有男生，突然出现一位女生，世界是否会天下大乱，故事就这样诞生了。”
蔡於位早前特别到台湾进行这部剧的拍摄，这也是他首次和韩国、香港及台湾的团队一起合作。“我从中学习了很多，特别是在叙述故事方面。韩国团队在我们写剧本的时候，他们给的意见都非常好。”
谈到与男女主角邵雨薇和曹佑宁的合作，蔡於位大赞两人的表现都非常的专业。“他们在戏还没开拍前就做了很多功课，他们也愿意让我给他们功课。在剧本初稿出来时，他们也会对于角色给予意见。”
其中邵雨薇和曹佑宁更会有很精彩的亲密戏，尺度大到需要清场。谈到这场戏，蔡於位传来一阵笑声后说道：“我敢说这是我拍过所有的戏当中，最大胆的一场戏。”
蔡於位坦言这场戏播出后，必定会引起许多争议，许多观众也一定会讨论这场戏。“我记得在拍的时候，两位演员都有点吃惊。拍了后，他们也要求坐在我旁边看这些画面，看了后还对我说‘导演你小心不要把它剪成A片’！”
除了这场亲密戏，蔡於位还曝邵雨薇有一场从泳池中冒出来的戏，女方也是几乎全裸拍摄。“单单那场戏我们就讨论了许多，他们才有信心和我一起配合，我很感动他们第一次和我合作，就愿意这样子付出，我真的非常感激。”
这部剧中有不少演员都需要一人分饰两角，分别演绎一个在地球，一个在平行星球的人物。导演执导起来会错乱吗？蔡於位直言：“拍到很辛苦，演员多真的会乱，还有每个角色设定说话的方式都不同。”
至于这部剧想要表达的信息，蔡於位透露他想表达的核心是“家”，剧中会讲述如何找回回家的路及寻找真正的自己。
蔡於位也预告，他目前正在筹备自己的一部电影，原本预计今年底开拍，但目前的情况还未正式确定。
蔡於位透露电影的片名为《写给爸爸的信》，讲述关于一对父女的故事。演员阵容方面，他暂时还未能公布，但他预告会有本地演员参与演出。
《火星上的维纳斯》预计在2023年第一季播出。
FCPX – Bust the Myths! Workshop
21st October 2016, 7pm
Brewery@MCL
65 Ubi Road 1, Oxley Bizhub #02-81/2 (Lobby 6), S(408729)
FCPX sucks! FCPX is iMovie Pro! It is time to put all the false accusations to rest. FCPX has made all the wrong impressions and it is time to set the record straight. Brewery is proud to present an upcoming workshop “FCPX – Bust the Myths!” For those still on FCP7 (and other “traditional” competitor platforms *Wink wink*), learn why FCPX is the most forward looking video editing software available now.
Yeewei, Ani and Chi-kong, all 3 professional users of FCPX will showcase and present workflows on FCPX that will help you transition from FCP7 and teach your how to deliver materials to other platforms like Protools and Resolve.
COLOR GRADING WITH TANGENT RIPPLE ON FCPX!
Our good friends from Media Village will be bringing over the Tangent Ripple to showcase color grading with Color Finale plugin on FCPX. They will also have a few sets for purchase on that day!
Topics covered
– From 7 to X
– Data management – where are my bins and sequences?
– Maximizing creativity
– Why is the magnetic timeline so awesome?
– Delivering to Protools and Resolve
– Hardware optimization
– Color grading with a tangent panel on FCPX
– Effects handling
So RSVP by indicating your interest to attend or email us at contactus@mochachailab.com
Facebook Event URL
https://www.facebook.com/events/1816249041954779/
Mocha Chai Laboratories re-opens its studio – Singapore’s first fully integrated digital film lab that offers DCI-standard compliant solutions – at Oxley BizHub, a commercial development in the Ubi district. The new studio introduces two exciting new concepts that are set to shake up the local media landscape – Singapore’s first and only Dolby Atmos dubbing theatre and BREWERY by Mocha Chai Laboratories, a co-working creative space designed for the freelance media community.
Gone are the days when Singaporean filmmakers had to travel to other countries such as Thailand and Hong Kong just to have their final picture grade and cinema sound mix properly done.
With their new Dolby Atmos dubbing theatre – the first of its kind in Singapore – Mocha Chai Laboratories is now offering the local media industry a choice to have their film finished and ready for the cinema of the future in compliance with globally recognised standards – all in a one stop shop.
Engineered for the future of cinema, the dubbing theatre is decked out with all the trappings of Dolby Atmos that allow filmmakers to break away from the traditional ‘channel-based’ connotations of surround sound, and instead – by approaching sound as dynamic ‘objects’ – pan them through an array of speakers placed around and above the audience with utmost precision.
“Dolby is excited to work with Mocha Chai Laboratories to bring filmmakers in the South East Asia region amazing new capabilities to tell their stories,” said Pankaj Kedia, Managing Director of Dolby (India, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand). “With Dolby Atmos, filmmakers will find new creative freedom to tell their stories and deliver the full impact of their artistic intent to the moviegoers.”
It is the first Dolby Atmos stage in the world to utilize Christie® Vive Audio, a world-class cinema audio system – known for delivering a truly rich, dynamic, and detailed sound – designed for today’s DCI-compliant content.
“Christie Vive Audio is a complete solution which is purpose-built to bring premium cinema sound to any theatre, combining the superior performance of planar ribbon drivers with our line array loudspeaker design, and matches them with powerful Class D amplification. We are proud and delighted that Mocha Chai Laboratories has chosen Vive Audio for its state-of-the-art dubbing theatre, and is the world’s first Dolby ATMOS-equipped post-production facility to deploy our leading-edge cinema sound solution. With its capability in supporting all leading cinema audio formats, Vive Audio brings a new level of realism to movies and represents the next evolution of cinema sound.” – Mr Han Kim, General Manager of Christie Singapore.
The latest DaVinci Resolve Control Surface, second to none in getting full control of your picture.
The dubbing theatre is also equipped with the latest DaVinci Resolve control surface; a modular Avid S6 M40 console; a 5m wide screen projection using Barco’s 2K digital cinema projector; and a Sony BVM-X300 OLED Monitor that lends itself to stunning 4K HDR pictures with a million-to-one contrast ratio and an expansive gamut of colours.
The Avid S6 M40 console delivers superior ergonomics and intelligent sound control for the modern sound engineer.
Dolby Atmos is the latest milestone in cinema sound that is taking over the world by storm, with all major Hollywood studios, countless international distributors, and over 450 titles worldwide already adopting the format.
BREWERY by Mocha Chai Laboratories is a co-working creative space designed for the freelance media community.
Built around the concept of “We Brew Ideas”, Mocha Chai Laboratories envisions for BREWERY to be a space where creative types can use to expand their horizons.
“As filmmakers ourselves, we’ve noticed a rising demand amongst the media industry for a conducive space where they can just hang out and work on their screenplays,” says founder Chai Yee Wei. “With BREWERY,” he adds, “we’ve created a co-working space with a creative audience in mind, that is only limited by imagination.”
BREWERY features 5 private editing rooms installed with the latest post production hardware and software for rent, either on a daily or monthly basis.
Upon entering the space, guests are immediately greeted by an open shared conference area – equipped with a projection screen and sound system – perfect for hosting workshops, master classes, brainstorming sessions, and product launches, among a host of other uses, thanks to its versatile design.
There is also a large production room illuminated by floor-to-ceiling windows that can be rented out as a short-term production office or meeting room.
The experience is complete with amenities such as a shared pantry – complete with a fridge and coffee machine – that operates on an honour system, wireless internet, 24-hour access, as well as access to the building’s gym and swimming pool facilities.
Prices begin at $180/day or $1,299/month for a fully-equipped private editing room, along with the aforementioned amenities included. The large production room can be rented at $1,999/month, while the shared conference area is available for hourly-block rentals at $80/hour.
Open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
65 Ubi Road 1, Oxley Bizhub #02-82, Singapore 408729. For rental enquiries, please call +65 6773 6360 or email contactus@mochachailab.com. Visit www.mochachailab.com for more information.
Established in 2013, Mocha Chai Laboratories (MCL) is the premier go-to digitail film lab that first brought Digital Cinema Packages-related services to the Singapore media industry. Always at the cutting-edge, MCL offers a Dolby Atmos-certified dubbing stage, DCI-compliant cinema projector colour grading, true HDR monitoring and mastering services all in a one-stop shop. Started “by filmmakers, for filmmakers”, MCL strives to “do it right” for both their clients, and the industry at large.
Our Founder & CEO, Yee Wei, recently attended a prestigious Film Restoration Summer School in the beautiful city of Bologna, in which 46 filmmakers from 36 countries gathered for one single purpose – to preserve our film history for future generations.
Organised once every two years by prominent film archives Cineteca di Bologna and L’Immagine Ritrovata, a world-renowned film restoration and conservation laboratory responsible for some of the most difficult film restoration projects in our time, the training programme allowed its participants to delve deep into the film restoration process, learning about the past and future of cinema from some of the industry’s finest.
As luck would have it, the summer school also coincided with the annual international congress of Fédération Internationale des Archives de Film (FIAF) and Il Cinema Ritrovato festival, in its 30th edition, where Yee Wei had the privilege of experiencing many films that were once considered lost, screened at their best. Shoulders were rubbed and ideas were exchanged, with some of the world’s best historians, archivists, critics and fellow filmmakers in its attendance.
Suffice to say, it was three glorious weeks of cinephile heaven that left Yee Wei more inspired than ever. In his own words:
My perspective of film as a medium has been forever changed.
Read on as Yee Wei gets real about film restoration, with newfound insights fresh from his time in Bologna, and why it’s an increasingly important art in today’s digital landscape.
From the moment a physical print or negative is developed and processed, it will almost immediately begin to decay, shrink and eventually fade away. Nitrate and acetate films can last hundreds of years under extremely strict temperature and humidity conditions (nitrate prints have to be stored in 4°C and 30-40% relative humidity for optimal preservation), but even the best conditions can only slow down the degradation process, and not prevent it entirely.
While polyester films were introduced in the mid 50s — replacing its nitrate and acetate counterparts for its increased stability — it can decay even faster when not properly taken care of, with a lifespan as short as 8 years.
And the sad truth is that any restoration can only be as good as how much you can retrieve from a decayed print or negative.
Singapore is known for many things, of which our “endless summer” comes to mind, with relentless heat waves often well above 30°C and a relative humidity of 90% all year round.
We’re also increasingly known for our growing crop of homegrown filmmakers — the likes of Eric Khoo, Royston Tan and Boo Junfeng, among others — whose films have found recognition both locally and overseas, putting our little red dot proudly on the map.
Yet, when you put those two together, it’s befuddling that we don’t even have a proper film vault dedicated to preserving our own film history.
While the Asian Film Archive — Singapore’s only repository for film and tape which turned a decade last year — has been religiously providing refuge for Southeast Asia’s rich film heritage; their prints are stored in vaults designed for paper prints and other forms of media with an average temperature of 18°C, a far cry from what film prints require.
In fact, 80% of the prints currently held by the archive are now suffering from “vinegar syndrome”, a nasty little pickle commonly faced by “infected” prints that decay at a faster rate when kept together, even in a controlled vault.
A scene from Eric Khoo’s Mee Pok Man (1995) restored by Mocha Chai Laboratories using the original 35mm camera and sound negatives at L’immagine Ritrovata. It was screened at Singapore International Film Festival in 2015, two decades after its inception.
Did you know that we came this close to losing the prints of Eric Khoo’s 90s classics, Mee Pok Man (1995) and 12 Storeys (1997), which survived only because they were recovered from overseas? Imagine that.
If you think a preservation copy on tape is good enough, think again. Even the high quality and clarity of 4K is limited when it comes to representing the grain on film. At the end of the day, we still need to preserve the negative or print in its best possible state so that — as better technology comes along — we can achieve better restoration.
To understand the purpose of restoration, we need to first understand “what is cinema?”
Cinema is the telling of stories with moving images and the consumption by an audience.
In itself, cinema has changed throughout the years, and will keep changing based on improvements in technology and shifting trends in how it is consumed. As the Greeks once philosophised – the only constant is change itself.
When we look to preserved copies of film for restoration, it is often for one of two reasons – because we don’t have the tools to view them, or there are easier or better ways to present them. You’ll be hard pressed to find a functioning film projector in most countries these days, and the only way we can view some old 16mm or 35mm prints is to move them from older carriers to new ones such as DCP (Digital Cinema Package).
Likewise, when the time comes for newer standards to replace DCPs, we will have to migrate the content to new carriers and containers.
Film restoration, however, is more than just moving the content from one carrier to another. The content itself may have been warped and degraded, leaving behind marred images with lost colour, scratched pictures, or in the worst cases, frames or sequences get lost. Rather than a simple scanning and screening, film restoration represents the extra effort required to recreate the original content, if even possible at all.
But let’s be clear about one thing: no restoration will be possible, if no prints survives.
Chillingly similar to climate change, if there is no will of mankind to preserve the celluloid, the time will come when there is a point of no return. However, unlike climate change, when that happens, there is nothing even the best in the business can do to recover a print that is lost forever. A damaged print cannot magically heal itself.
Some might argue that the concept of preservation and restoration is less relevant in today’s digital landscape, where most films are shot and released digitally.
But just take a look at how cinema has evolved over the decades. Film prints have evolved from nitrate to safety prints. 16mm films are duplicated on 35mm negatives for preservation. Data will be moved from PATA HDD to SATA HDD. Spinning discs become solid state; LTO-6 becomes LTO-7; FAT32 becomes NTFS, so on and so forth.
Big, scary technical jargons aside, one thing remains the same – change. It’s been happening all throughout history and we can safely assume technology will not be spared. In fact, technology will only continue to evolve, churning out shiny new tools to help us migrate our digital films. As filmmakers, it is our responsibility to keep up with times and try to preserve the original source as much as we can.
Perhaps a century from now — thanks to our continued efforts in the preservation and restoration of film — our local classics like Mee Pok Man (1995) and Money No Enough (1998) will still be viewable in the cinema of the future exactly as how the directors intended it to be, continuing to inspire a new flock of homegrown filmmakers. But time is not on our side, and it’s imperative that our efforts begin now.
Preserve so we may restore. Restore so we can preserve.
Boo Junfeng has done it again.
Following his debut feature film “Sandcastle” which made its mark in Cannes International Critics’ Week back in 2010, the local filmmaking wunderkind’s latest endeavour “Apprentice” has found its way back to the French film festival, having premiered on 16 May to much acclaim.
The film explores Singapore’s harsh death penalty laws through the complex relationship between two men working in a prison — a young correctional officer and its retiring chief executioner — riddled with hidden agendas, conflicting motivations and a haunted past, all while raising hard questions about morality and mortality surrounding the noose.
Not your usual capital punishment film, “Apprentice” spends a considerable amount of effort trying to reconcile the points of view from both the world of the executioners and the families of the executed. It offers a grave but intimate, and somewhat perverse, look into death row and the people it leaves behind.
The Singaporean film — which has been been described by critics as “thematically complex” and “ambitious “ — brings together filmmaking talents across the globe, including British-trained Director of Photography Benoit Soler and French composer Alexander Zekke, to name a few.
In fact, our very own Tingli Lim was responsible for providing the film’s soundtrack; one of the projects she worked on in the UK before joining Mocha Chai Laboratories as our Director of Sound.
In the following interview, we chat with Tingli on her role as the film’s Supervising Sound Editor, as well as her creative process, inspirations and challenges that helped shape the film sonically.
I was the Supervising Sound Editor of “Apprentice“. I discussed sound ideas and concepts with Junfeng and, together with the sound team, helped realise his vision for the film using sound. The entire audio post production took a year to complete due to recuts. The initial blueprints for the sound design were done a year before the project commenced using test shoot materials.
I took on the job before reading the script as I’ve always loved working with Junfeng. He’s such a diligent director and his attention to detail is incredible. When we first discussed the idea, I had a feeling it was going to be his boldest work to date. The subject matter was highly contentious but as always, he managed to handle it with such sensitivity both on and off screen.
Technology has made it rather easy to work remotely from one another. As I was living in the UK at that time, I asked to be put in touch with the sound recordist, Justin Loh, so he could help record some of the more unique sounds on set. James Page, the production designer, had built the working gallows from scratch so Justin had to record the trapdoor, levers and anything that was unique to the film which would be hard to recreate.
When the first cut was locked, I was holidaying in Singapore so Junfeng and I spotted the film together with the editor, Natalie Soh, and discussed the sound ideas for the film. What resulted from the session was a set of clear time-coded notes that the sound editorial team, Maiken Hansen and myself, worked off. We also did some ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) and group loops with local talents before I headed back to the UK. What followed was a series of works in progress which I would send to Junfeng. He’d watch it and email me his time-coded notes. This way of working was very efficient and the time difference actually worked to our advantage as I’d end my work day as he starts his, so we pretty much woke up to new material or comments for each other. Needless to say, Skype and WhatsApp were our best friends.
The sound edit sessions were then passed onto the good hands of Warren Santiago, the re-recording mixer whom I’ve also previously worked with in “Sandcastle“. He did the final mix in Thailand and the result is what you hear in the cinemas today.
My sound design ideas usually stem from reacting to the visuals. Some people are great with visualising soundscapes without picture, but I’m not like that. Usually when I watch a first cut, I’ll start hearing the film in my head, jot down my notes and then get to work. The first viewing is always the most crucial for me as I come in completely fresh and I can get a good sense of what is missing sonically from each scene or what’s working well and needs to be retained.
Conceptually, we wanted the film to be very psychological in nature as the prison is such a significant place for Aiman, who plays the young correctional officer, but it needed to be believable at the same time. The prison had to sound very high security so for most of the prison scenes, we introduced a security system that was filled with buzzes, beeps and hums. For example, whenever a gate is opened, it would keep buzzing until it’s shut. We then contrasted that with the archaic nature of the gallows block, where only locks and keys were used and hence had to sound creaky, heavy and old.
A lot of the inspiration behind the sound came from Junfeng sharing his experiences having been to the actual prisons during his research. For example, he made a comment where he said that the holding cells of the death row prisoners felt very much like a nursing home and was very peaceful. So sonically, that was the direction we went with. Short of the buzzes and gates, the holding cell scenes were filled with airy and breezy sounds, with the occasional rustling leaves in trees. This was completely different from the rest of the prison.
The major scenes in the gallows consisted of long shots with very clever blocking shot by the Director of Photography, Benoit Soler. Hence, there was a need for the sound to move as well to keep it interesting.
There was a ventilation fan by the window and we used that as a way of playing with the scene’s tension sonically. We created and layered many versions of this fan – a natural sounding one, a bass-y one and fast and slow variations, including one that sounded very much like a slow helicopter blade. We then rode these layers up and down in the premix, using the emotional arch of the characters as our cues. When it was tense, we brought up more of the slow and ominous fans so it’s like we’re hearing it as they’re experiencing and when everything headed back to normal, we hear the natural fan ventilation again. This, along with Matt Kelly’s subjective music scores, changed the scenes considerably.
In order to do all of these effectively, we completely replaced the dialogue for the gallows scenes with ADR and recreated them from scratch so we had full control of all the elements.
As the prison scenes were shot across different locations (a museum, a set, a corridor and an office) we faced 2 main challenges – to make them sound like they are in the same vicinity and to add life and activity to the otherwise silent locations.
We did lots of group loops with different groups of people in the recording studio and we’d give them roles and scenarios for them to play out. For example, one guy would play an officer shouting for “Master check” while two other guys would play the role of prisoners trying to wake a sleeping inmate. We then peppered these dialogues all around to give life to the location, and repeated this process for the office and canteen scenes.
The film also faced 2 recuts during audio post so there was the monumental task of reconforming the sound work to match the new cuts.
I think the most powerful scene for sound has to be the opening. It starts on black as you hear the prison come to life. Interestingly, this was conceived at the very end of the post production process but has grown to be one of my favourite scenes now. I can’t say more without giving away too much, so people just have to catch it themselves to find out more.
It is a powerful film that will set you thinking.
“Apprentice” opens in Singapore on 30th June.
For more information, visit their Facebook page here.
Any respectable audiophile would be more than familiar with Dolby Atmos – the latest technology in cinematic history that allows filmmakers to place and navigate sounds anywhere in the theatre to a tee.
With its 3D positional sound capabilities, Dolby Atmos joins the forefront of immersive media technologies — alongside HDR screens with Dolby Vision — that will drive the next generation of cinema and home theatre experiences.
Image credit: Dolby
Touted as the next generation surround format for the industry, Dolby Atmos is a virtual reality of sound that puts moviegoers in the heart of the action.
But as with most of today’s ground breaking advances, comes a long history of technologies and innovations that precede them. In that spirit, let us take a step back into the early days of cinema sound and chart the evolution that led to the breakthrough of Dolby Atmos.
Silent movies were never entirely silent; they were largely accompanied by sounds from a live orchestra to the noise of the projector. It was not until the release of Warner’s ‘The Jazz Singer’ in 1928 — the first feature-length motion picture with synchronised sound — that suggested the end of the silent films era.
However, there was little advancement in the decades that followed and until the 1970s, almost all movies were in mono. With a single speaker placed behind the screen, the audio experience was flat at best.
Dolby Stereo then found its way into our cinemas in the mid 70s, which allowed for two channel soundtracks to be decoded to a dedicated dialogue track in the center of the screen, along with two additional speakers on the left and right and an additional surround channel. This gave a spread and sense of imaging inside the room that was never heard before.
With the potential of a richer sound, the possibilities of stereo was endless, and there was no greater example of the technology’s breakthrough than the 1977 release of ‘Star Wars‘ – an experience that attracted moviegoers by the thousands and forever changed the expectations for cinema sound.
Opening day of George Lucas’ Star Wars at Grauman’s Chinese theater, May 25, 1977
It didn’t take long for stereo to catch on with more hit movies that followed, such as ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind‘ (1977) and ‘Superman‘ (1978). By 1985, every film was in Dolby stereo.
By the time the 1990s came along, it became clear that digital was the way to go.
Dolby Digital was hence developed, delivering 5.1 channels of cinema sound by splitting the room into half – left, center, right, left surround, right surround and subwoofer. This allowed the sound to have more sense of movement across the audience. ‘Batman Returns’ became the first movie to be released in this format in 1992.
Image credit: Dolby Laboratories
With the transition into digital cinema came the 7.1, where the rear surround speakers were split into left and right channels. This gave the sound even more definition, adding more dimension to the cinematic experience.
While logic would entail that the natural next step be to keep piling on the channels, it was also evident that the format’s potential for enhancements was coming to a standstill. Channel-based solutions allowed for basic movement of sound, but lacked the sensation and precision that content creators wanted.
To that end, Dolby Atmos was developed in a bold effort to lead the charge in redefining the cinematic sound experience. Touted as the next generation surround format for the industry, Dolby Atmos offers filmmakers the flexibility to place individual sounds anywhere in the cinema and move them around with precision. Simply put, it’s a virtual reality of sound that puts moviegoers in the heart of the action.
The fundamental shift from channels to object-based solutions allowed filmmakers to approach sound elements as dynamic objects travelling across the room. The sound can travel through each speaker placed around and above the audience as it moves across the cinema, in what’s called a pan-through array.
Image credit: Dolby Laboratories
By also placing speakers above the audience, the overhead surround adds an upper hemisphere of sound that moviegoers have never experienced before, creating a truly immersive feel of sound.
It comes as no surprise that Dolby Atmos is quickly becoming the format du jour among filmmakers, with more than 100 titles from major Hollywood studios adopting the technology – most prominently in ‘Gravity’ (2013), which won seven Oscars, including awards for sound editing and sound mixing.
Image credit: Warner Bros.
In fact, most of the anticipated upcoming releases such as ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’, ‘Suicide Squad’ and ‘Wonder Woman’ will be available in Dolby Atmos. Here’s the full list to get you excited.
What’s more, you don’t have to go too far to experience the magic of Dolby Atmos, with Cathay Cineplex Jem and Golden Village VivoCity equipped with Dolby Atmos cinemas.
Alternatively, you’re more than welcome to drop by our studio for a demo in our very own Dolby Atmos certified dubbing theatre! Email us at contactus@mochachailab.com to set up an appointment.
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No film that’s worth two hoots was made without a good producer. They steer the film from beginning to completion and beyond – from bringing together the entire creative team and hustling for a peachy budget in pre-production to making sure everything that’s earmarked “we’ll fix it in post” actually gets fixed in post.
Take away the producer from the equation, and you’ll probably end up with a budget that no one who can do basic math would approve, a madhouse for a set, locations with no permits, a crew with two left feet and a director in dire need of therapy. Oh, and good luck finding a post-production house that specializes in miracles.
Suffice to say, we have the utmost respect for producers. Working with a producer who gets it can make all the difference in post-production – be it in time, labour or money spent.
But even the best fall down sometimes. Here are 8 common mistakes a producer makes – and how to fix them… and we don’t mean in post.
Sure, you’ve assembled your dream team. The script’s a winner. Your director had his third coffee. Everyone’s in their place and ready to go. Who needs a pre-production meeting when the stars are aligned in your favour? Well, you do.
Most common issues faced in post can actually be resolved before production begins simply by setting up a meeting with all the key personnel. We’re talking DOP, Location Sound Recordist, Data Wrangler, Editor, Sound Designer, Composer, Production Designer, Art Director, Costume Designer and Colourist at the very least. Issues like framerate, workflow and schedule can easily be mapped out before it gets too late.
What’s more, with all these great minds in one room (and perhaps a bottle of whisky to get those creative juices flowing) you can turn a boring briefing into a brainstorm session for ideas to enhance the film.
There are about a million and one things that could go wrong in a production, and even the best producer may not have the technical know-how to solve every one of them.
Having a Post-Production Supervisor on your team would take the technical problems out of your hands, leaving you with more headspace to deal with everything else.
Need to shoot in 4K but don’t know how to handle the huge file sizes? No problem. Conversion from film to TV without the ugly strobing? Piece of cake. Need to ensure sync across double system recording? With a little bit of planning (see point 1), you’d be guaranteed a smooth ride ahead.
A boom operator is an indispensable asset to every shoot. Sadly, as our cameras get smaller, so does the size of the crew, and the boom operator often gets left out of the hiring mix.
Having a boom operator on set can make or break a recording. Not only does the boom mic offer the most natural sound, having a 2-person team can also help the Location Sound Mixer bring out the best of the audio source – from being able to focus on his/her mix to resolving any noisy problems on set such as adjusting bad mic placement, padding clunky heels, and the list goes on.
Besides, if anything goes wrong with the wireless mics, there’ll always be the backup boom track to fall back on, saving you plenty of money and cringe-worthy moments from bad ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement).
Hey, if you want that ‘Hollywood sound’, you’ve got to start investing in it.
There’s an old saying that goes something like “Fast, good or cheap. Pick two.” Well, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Taking your raw footages and developing them in post-production isn’t as simple as slapping on an Instagram filter. It takes time to explore the full potential of the rushes – from finding the exact expression that the character needs to shaping every scene sonically. What’s more, every time you play the “we’ll fix it in post” card, bear in mind that while we certainly can, it’s going to cost you.
Still not convinced? What if we told you there’s a correlation between the Best Film and Best Editing, both nominees and winners, at the Academy Awards? With enough time and for the right price, you may be one step closer to that golden statuette.
Do any of these file names look familiar to you? Locked Cut, Locked Cut 2, Final Locked Cut, FINAL FINAL LOCKED PLEASE NO MORE CHANGES CUT.
While it’s crucial to get the right edit, changing it after the next process has started — be it Sound Post, VFX or Colour Grading — unleashes the dominos from hell, resulting in a chain of technical nightmares waiting to happen. Not only will picture and sound most likely go out of sync, you’ll end up with different people working on different cuts – all of which will take a whole lot of time and money to resolve.
If you’re out of options and really have to change the cut, then hopefully you’d have hired a Post-Production Supervisor (see point 4) to plan the best recut workflow.
It’s no secret that subtitling is the most underrated function on screen, but wrongly translated or badly timed subtitles can easily ruin the entire film viewing experience.
Starting the subtitling process in the offline edit can ensure any mistakes to be spotted throughout the approval process, allowing less margin for error. Given that we work in a multi-racial industry, it also allows all key personnel to understand the story rather than work through the film blind.
Working in a technology driven industry is never easy. After CD and PG, the abbreviations can get pretty intimidating – think AIFF, DCI, DCP, MPEG, OMF and the list goes on. No one expects everyone to know them all — although a Post-Production Supervisor would (see point 2) — so don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Any craftsman would be thrilled to have someone else taking an interest in his/her craft, and would be more than happy to share a tip or two with you. Besides, it never hurts to know more about everyone’s roles when you’ve got an entire production to manage.
Amidst all the logistical, financial and technical processes a producer has to manage, it is easy to lose sight of the end game – enhancing and preserving the creative process. Unfortunately, it isn’t uncommon for a producer to make creative sacrifices to a film for the sake of achieving targets; whether it is adopting cheaper solutions or taking shortcuts to make sure deadlines are met.
When faced with numerous constraints that can end up jeopardizing the creative process, a good producer needs to take a step back and remind themselves that at the end of the day, we are making a movie, and it is after all still a creative endeavour.
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Welcome to our very first blog post!
We are the people behind Mocha Chai Laboratories, Singapore’s first fully integrated boutique digital film lab. To say we love what we do would be an understatement, and through this blog we hope to share a bit of our insight and passion with the people we do this for – you!
So kick back, butter up your popcorn and let us introduce you to our world on the other side of the silver screen.
If directors are the storytellers, we’re the ones responsible for immersing you in that story, pushing the boundaries of your sensorial limitations and bringing the story right to the edge of your seat.
We offer a wide range of digital cinema-related services aimed to enhance, complete and deliver with a ribbon on top – be it for a motion picture feature, trailer, commercial or any professional production.
Colour grading in progress with the latest DaVinci Resolve 12
Let’s put it this way: if directors are the storytellers, we’re the ones responsible for immersing you in that story, pushing the boundaries of your sensorial limitations and bringing the story right to the edge of your seat.
Mocha Chai Laboratories was founded in 2011 by Chai Yee Wei, a Singaporean filmmaker whose penchant for perfection led him to set up shop in his home ground as there weren’t many viable options at that time. With the rise of digital distribution, it wasn’t long before his humble start-up grew into the one-stop facility for top filmmakers from the US, Europe and Asia, handling international features and local projects, such as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I, A Walk Among The Tombstones, Jobs, The Lady, 女朋友＊男朋友，Sadako 3D and Ah Boys To Men I & II.
Today, Mocha Chai Laboratories prides itself in delivering world-class digital film services – hanging by its mantel a Dolby ATMOS certification, employing DCI-compliant solutions and constantly acquiring cutting-edge technology to deliver high quality content.
They say it’s the people who make the brand, and we couldn’t agree more. Get acquainted with our directors Yee Wei and Ting Li in this next segment, where we delve a little deeper beyond the day-to-day technicalities of their jobs.
The world is a crowded place, and we have to find a niche in order to stand out.
A brief introduction of what you do
I set directions for my “generals” and “warriors”, making sure they have their tools and jobs – and then I get out of their way.
Your philosophy behind your work
I believe that setting up a post-production house that thinks and does things differently is crucial. The world is a crowded place, and we have to find a niche in order to stand out. To that end, my take on this is to simply be ourselves. I endeavour to bring together a team of people who not just demand the best from one another but also from themselves; it is through this approach that we inspire one another (and our clients) to bring out the best we’ve got to offer.
Your professional pet peeve
I can’t stand seeing computers or OS with updates/upgrades that are not applied. When I see that number above an icon indicating there are updates, I feel a strong urge to get the deed done — be it at home or in an Apple store — so the number will be gone. However I can’t do this at work as I may risk ongoing projects facing compatibility issues, and compatibility is key in our line of work.
3 words to describe yourself
Practice makes perfect.
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I believe that every story can be enhanced through sound. The potential is limitless and can change a scene tremendously.
A brief introduction of what you do
I create unique soundscapes for film and broadcast projects.
My day-to-day consists of editing dialogue to make everyone sound like they’re in the same space at the same time; performing foley for any kind of sound you can imagine – from heavy footsteps to squeamish sex sounds; sound designing to make that make-belief world a reality; and bringing all the elements together through audio mixing.
Your philosophy behind your work
I believe that every story can be enhanced through sound. The potential of off-screen sounds are limitless and can change a scene tremendously.
Take for example a scene of two people chatting in an office. While seemingly simple, there’s so much more I have to consider. How thin are the walls? Do we hear a chaotic or sterile office environment? Or one that’s relaxed with plenty of laughter? The sounds within its environment can add tension to a scene as easily as it can take the edge off it. It all depends on the intention of the scene.
Just as a director of photography would plan a list of shots for the scene, a sound designer should take into careful consideration every sound element and shape the scene sonically. That’s the approach to my work.
Your professional pet peeve
I need my cables to be out of sight; otherwise they’ve got to be arranged neatly. When I get busy, my desk starts to clutter up and I tend to be too focused to notice the mess. But once crunch time is over, I have to give the desk a good clean. It’s a little ritual I do between projects.
3 words to describe yourself
A filmmaking friend.
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Hi all!
We’re moving to a new place! As such we will be shutting down for a tiny bit.
But you will HEAR from us in a brand new way soon!
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