Show notes:
‍

PREFACE:

I remembered scribbling some notes as I stepped into the airplane. I asked myself, what now? What do I do moving forward from here?

‍

The first thought that came to my mind was regrouping. After all, I got laid off after almost 3 years for a job I was working in. But what got me so focused onto making this film was the urge to do create something outside of my physical comfort zone. And so I continued scribbling notes, which formed the basis of the film Parachute.

‍

I knew right from the start that the film will be a lengthy one. I called it “documentary” in the beginning. But this isn’t really a documentary per se for it really isn’t an account of my experience in quarantine. And being in forced quarantine already feels like a bird trapped in a cage.

‍

Instead, I wanted the story to be a mixbag of emotions, interviews and silliness. And a little bit of dramatization as well.
‍

EXPLORING THE THEME OF MENTAL BREAKDOWN

I knew that my mental health is going to be take an impact to some degree under the 14 day’s enforced quarantine. I really cannot imagine how this will breakdown if I had stayed indoors any longer.

‍

Perhaps that was why I decided to make mental health the center piece theme in this conversation about quarantine. When confined in small spaces, I floated ideas on what an individual under quarantine would do under normal circumstances.

‍

Taking inspiration from Jack Torrance (portrayed by Jack Nicholson) in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980). Part of the feature also included a sound bite of Torrance under distress at the famous staircase scene.

‍

ON RELOCATION

I often thought of the process of relocation. Having done it once before in 2014 from Singapore to New York for school, I knew the pains of adjusting to a completely new environment. This time, it is not an adjustment, but a readjustment. “Is it any easier?” I asked myself. Maybe not.

‍

I don’t have a clear cut answer on why not. People often asked me to make a comparison between being a Singaporean in Singapore or being a Singaporean in the United States. I felt like to them, there is only one obvious answer. But I have refused to answer this question because my answer has never been as black and white as they think. And I knew how futile it might be if I were to give them an answer aberrant to what they might expect.

‍

For me, relocation has been a way to seek fresh courage to face an uncertain future. I asked myself “what’s the point of holding back?” Parachute is my way of answering that question.

‍

PRODUCING SOLO - THE PROCESS

With the exception of Andrew Nelson filming me from across the street, I figured the only way I could record myself was to keep improvising with the tools and equipments I have available.

‍

With less than 60 square meters of space, I figured that my composition had to be extremely efficient. Utilizing all corners of the space was paramount. And while panning and dollying were no longer options, I quickly learnt that I could vary shots by shifting its angles and performing in front of the camera - a trope loosely similar to Robert Andersson’s A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence .

‍

And of course, props was somewhat an issue too. I had so many ideas but had to pull myself back to reality at some points of time. I brought back 3 suitcases, and had one Decathlon bag of extra food delivered my family. Looking back, I felt that they were sufficient for the film.

‍

LOW-COST PRODUCTION BUDGET

Minimal budget was spent in the production of Parachute. In fact, apart from the $300 worth of creative composition I've paid my composer to produce a song, most of the production and editing was essentially extremely low-cost. The other large monetary component was a month worth of Zoom Professional Plan, which costs me $15 for one month.

‍

This meant that I had to get very creative in the development of the film ideas. Thanks to Jean, I was able to have her screen through most of the contents before publishing the film during the screening.

‍