JOSEPHIANS | LUMEN
21
Meeting the winner of the Best Short Film Award at the 24th Singapore International Film Festival Silver Screen 2011 was not as formidable as we imagined . Despite the many accolades his film Hentak Kaki has received among which are Best Performance Award and nominations for Best Director and Script at Singapore ’ s 3rd Short Film Awards , James Khoo remains down-to-earth and unassuming .
So how did he end up in the film industry ? Like in the narratives , he has created ; it was a twist of fate .
Had James made the cut to the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Hentak Kaki might not have ever been written and produced . Spurred on by his stint as a production coordinator on a commissioned project with Channel News Asia , James applied to The Puttnam School of Film , LASALLE College of The Arts . His latent interest in drama – something he dabbled with at St . Michael ’ s School ( now St . Joseph ’ s Junior ) and later in St . Joseph ’ s Institution where Drama Club was his Co-Curricular Activity – was thus rekindled . And it was in his final year that he wrote and directed his thesis film Hentak Kaki .
James ’ creative imagination was likely fuelled by his school boy antics in SJI . He recounted two of them sheepishly : an occasion when he and his friends were monkeying around and another time when he spoke brazenly . In the former , they were whipping each other with their school ties totally oblivious of the fact they were in front of the general office . Indubitably , they were caught redhanded by a teacher who wasted no time in reporting it to his father and SJI Mathematics teacher , Mr Anthony Khoo . The younger Khoo was chastised but he continued to push boundaries . The other incident took place on a Public Speaking Day organised by the English Department . In response to the topic : Changes one would like to see in SJI ; he attempted to incite his peers at the canteen to get rid of the Head of Level . But like any sensible Josephian , he , of course , followed up with an apology to the person whom he might have offended .
Facing page : Reminscing his school days
“
The people who always pull through for me are my SJI classmates . These friendships will get you further in life than any other qualifications .
“
Perhaps all these minor brushes with discipline and interactions with various groups of people provide inspiration for James . Being a filmmaker makes him curious about others ’ lives and how they live them . He finds the filmmaking process insightful .
“ You get to take people ’ s story , show it on TV and you feel like you ’ re part of their story .”
In directing and communicating with his actors , he creates personal space while bonding with them . What transpires then is a sense of vulnerability that he shares with his actors .
Considering himself a Christian Humanist , James incorporates values into his films . They usually bear a moral message at the end . He elaborates , “ I get drawn a lot to the human condition like striving to become a better person , so a lot of my videos deal with hope and finding the strength to carry on .”
It may seem James ’ journey into the film industry has been sans obstacles . However , it did not begin that way . He had many apprehensions due to his lack of foundation in filmmaking and the traditional academic route from primary school progressing to secondary school , then junior college provided no advantage either . Moreover there was a whole list of technical jargon with which he needed to familiarise himself . This did not include the other concerns he had to contend with .
“ Filmmaking is not as respected [ here in Singapore ] as compared to other countries . For example if I make a short film and [ it makes it to ] the International Film Festival , I would get to walk on the red carpet and everyone would be cheering . In Singapore you would walk into a half empty room and then you would go into an auditorium ; that ’ s the Singapore International Film Festival . Even if I were shooting different scenes in public places the police will ask for my permit and threaten to stop me if I don ’ t have one .”
His experience of shooting a movie in Hong Kong had been very different . The police smiled and waved at him and left him alone during his filming . People in Hong Kong also tried to make their way around him without disrupting the film . This would not be the case in Singapore .
Facing rejections and disapproval is another issue he dealt with and is still experiencing . In the initial stages , James was unsure of the expectations of producing a film . Consequently he met with differing opinions and ideas with his co-collaborators and his pay masters . He did not spare himself because he exacted self-imposed harsh standards especially when he recognised he was capable of offering more .
Despite all these challenges James is thankful he can always turn to his family and friends he has made in SJI for moral support . His father , in particular , provided him much leeway during his growing up years . In James ’ words , he was ‘ hip ’ engaging in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games with his students . He did not only support and encourage James but also gave him the freedom to be himself and explore unconventional pathways such as the filmmaking industry .
“ Cherish the people you ’ re studying with ; the kind of relationships you build will help you and support you . The people who always pull through for me are my SJI classmates . These friendships will get you further in life than any other qualifications .” James acknowledges the people who have been supporting him throughout his career have been mostly the friends he had made in SJI from 2000 to 2003 . Till today , they still give him moral support and courage .
With the skills and resilience he has developed and his dependable network of support , James is surely a step closer to creating a greater impact in the local film industry and even beyond .