Screenwriters Newsletter

The Hong Kong (Screen) Writers Circle Newsletter

November 3, 2009

CONTENTS:

*Casting

*Meetup 10th November

*Speak Up!

*48 hr Film Challenge Screenings

*Web Wednesday

*Creative Editing

If you wish to tell us about your Hong Kong film projects, please send your

information to lwgray@netvigator.com

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About our publications

The HKWC has published four critically acclaimed anthologies of short

stories - Haunting Tales, Sweat & the City, Hong Kong Whodunnits and Love &

Lust - which are available at selected Dymocks bookstores and from our

website. Read more at:

http://www.hkwriterscircle.com/Publications/Publications.html

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*Casting

I am planning to shoot another short film and so am looking for three

actors. My previous movie, "Gong Neui", was very well received at the I Shot

Hong Kong Festival. And so I am raising the bar and increasing the

complexity of the shoot and the story.

The roles are two female and one male.

The man should be forty plus. He is a business, professorial type, a drinker

who drives too fast late at night and sleeps in his underpants.

His wife should be thirty something. She is attractive but feels that they

need to get fit, get toned, get exercising, and lay off the Snickers Bars.

However, so far she has failed to stick to a regime.

The other woman should be in her twenties. She is very fit, very sexy, and

has a streak of sadism in her that turns her into an impromptu personal

trainer with interesting psychopathic tendencies. Because I am a rather dry

humoured Englishman writing this stuff, I should, if you can, imagine this

to be a female Basil Fawlty as a Pole Dancer, in short, a bit of a

comedienne.

If possible, because I wish to torture myself, we'll do two versions of this

simultaneously, one in Cantonese, the other in English. Though I might

change my mind depending on who comes my way. I'm nothing if not flexible.

So don't let language be a barrier. I'm just looking for people who can leap

off the screen in a larger than life manner that if nothing else, makes me

laugh.

So, if you have an outrageous streak all the better, as we are in comedy

ghost story territory. And be prepared to speak complex dialogue and then

have me tear it up and rewrite it on the spot and expect you to deliver it

all in one take. This is what you get when the writer and the director are

the same guy.

There is a bit of a budget here, but think more of the experience than the

rent money. It might be pot noodles on location but it'll be the extravagant

luxury of a Big Mac and fries at the end of the days shoot.

Send your CVs and pics to me, especially if you are available this November.

If you aren't available this November, send me them anyway as you never know

what else might come out of it.

Contact: lwgray@netvigator.com

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• Hong Kong Screenwriters and Film Makers Meetup 10th November

Come along to the Fringe Club for an informal meetup at the roof top bar at

7pm on 10th November. Derrick Lui will be with us to discuss his work, have

a drink, and generally mingle.

His film "When Night Falls" caused a bit of stir when ex-Miss Singapore

Jessica Tan got hot and steamy with Desmond Tan. You can see a trailer at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3yRJl4J6yk

RSVP just in case there is a change of venue at the last minute.

Contact: lwgray@netvigator.com

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*Speak Up!

Another of the infinitely cool Kate�s Artist�s E.V.E.N.Ts will

take place on Wednesday Nov 4th at M1NT - 108 Hollywood Road Sheung Wan

Performances Start at 9:30pm so if you want to talk before the volume is

cranked up, come along earlier.

Alice Amu and TEAL will be performing, among others. And if you ask Kate

nicely you can get up on the stage and do whatever your thing is including

flog your book, promote your movie, or do a back flip... Yes, there are

people who can do back flips and they do go to the Speak Up! gatherings.

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*The 48 Hr Film Challenge Screenings

I chickened out of the 48 hr challenge as it looked too much like a job for

masochists, and since I make my films as a one man crew, writing, directing,

editing, and driving the van, I realized that there would be no just doing

my bit and handing it on to the next guy in the chain. So rather than court

a heart attack, I stepped back to give others a chance.

If you are interested in discovering what can be done in forty eight hours

by enthusiastic teams of Hong Kong film makers, come to the screening on:

Friday, 06 November 2009

8:30 at Agnes b Cinema,

Hong Kong Arts Centre,

2 Harbour Road, Wanchai.

Tickets cost $50 each

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*Web Wednesday

This is an event I have not been to yet but it looks very interesting,

especially given that film makers nowadays are inveterate users of the

Internet to promote their films and distribute them.

The Internet is changing all the time and whereas in previous years there

were three basic areas for a filmmaker to make a living, that is, features,

TV, and various promotional/educational area, there is now the Internet

itself with its webisodes and on-line shorts festivals.

And with a new medium, there are new ways of financing your output, new

audiences, new expectations, new technical requirements, and an everchanging

landscape of opportunities and dead ends!

If you want to keep ahead of the game, then get off to the Web Wednesday

Social Mixer on November 6th.

This week's guest speaker is Charles Chuang, an Internet entrepreneur who

will talk of the Secrets of Running a Successful Online Presidential

Campaign

18:30 - 19:30 at

"Roxie"

G/F, No 24-30 Ice House Street, Central

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*Creative Editing as Audiovisual Creative Writing

Here is one for the most dedicated filmmakers among us. Ostensibly it is in

Cantonese, but as most technical terms are spoken of in English, and there

is a one on one component in the Master Class, I should not let your bad

Cantonese put you off. My experience of these things is that the discourse

is carried out in both English and Cantonese, despite being billed as

Cantonese only.

Mary Stephen, the long-time film editor of internationally renowned maestro

Eric Rohmer, will host a seminar and Master Class in Hong Kong from this

November till March 2010.

Through her seminar, classes and one-to-one meetings, participants would be

able to learn and explore the aesthetics of editing and moving images from

the veteran film editor who has been working extensively with numerous

independent filmmakers from countries such as Canada, France, China and

Turkey. To conclude with a public screening with all new works produced by

the participants and Mary Stephen's new film.

Seminar: In Conversation with Mary

Nov 15, 2009 (Sunday) 2:00pm � 4:00pm

Venue: Agnes b. CINEMA, Hong Kong Arts Centre

Guests: Mary Stephen, Prof. Leung Ping-Kwan

Host: Shu Kei

Workshop: Creative Editing Master Class

Nov 22, 2009, Nov 29, 2009, March 13,16, 2010

*Details please refer to the application form: www.ifva.com/form/mary.pdf

Programme details: www.ifva.com/sub-web/mary-web.htm

(Yes, I know. They are in Chinese. But you can e-mail direct and get further

information. )