| Written by Ng Khoon Chuan,
on Tuesday, 19 July 2005
|
Published in : Life, Column |
 Just Do It.
That was all he would offer, when I asked him if he had any special words to share with other young, aspiring Singaporean filmmakers.
He would not even allow me to label the Nike cliché he spouted as “advice.”
“Just a personal opinion,” he said.
Just 7.5 shooting days.
Just a borrowed video camera.
Just a few bicycles, a few haversacks, and a few close friends.
Just Do? Just Did.
He went ahead, and just did it: wrote, produced, and directed his very own short film.
No lame excuses. No procrastination.
He even acted in his auteurist debut, and composed the soundtrack for his creation – well, not because he wanted to show off, but simply because his resources were tight.
He is Jacen ( just say “Jason ”) Tan, and he is as low-profile as the kopi-tiam where I interviewed him. His short film “Tak Giu” however, has been anything but obscure.
 An indie production, “Tak Giu” chronicles the adventures of 3 soccer-crazy boys’ as they search for a dream soccer pitch in restriction-blatant Singapore. Choosing the webcast option rather than a Substation or film-fest screening has allowed “Tak Giu’ to garner momentum, recognition and support amongst Generation DotCom.
Through viral publicity in the Singapore webscape and blogosphere, “Tak Giu” has gained many fans (including youth.sg!). With the number of downloads closing in on the 55,000 mark, there has been enough groundswell to warrant film merchandise.
Curious about how first-time writer, producer and director Jacen Tan pulled it off?
Want to follow in his footsteps and make that short film about something you've always been passionate about? Then keep a look-out for these upcoming youth.sg features:
- SG Film Rookie > The young film-maker/video activist resource guide
- Smash Hit > The Jacen Tan interview
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