The Malaysian Insider

FEB 6 — When you make films that deal with real events and people, there are always sensitivities that are of concern. The responsibility that comes with being a non-fiction filmmaker is tremendous. So tremendous that I almost quit years ago when I was criticised for not being a responsible filmmaker.

I made a documentary film about people who travel in public busses entitled ‘The Black, White & Grey’. It was a documentary centred around the chats I conducted with random people in a bus. One of the passenger I spoke to was a teacher who spoke to me about his private life (ie: sex life). Then he tried to hit on me!

I produced my documentary and that guy became the star of the show. To cut a long story short (and to avoid legal issues), somehow, somewhere, I made a big mistake. I judged him, made my own assumptions and portrayed him in a bad light which could have cost him his career and reputation. But I didn’t realise this until the public screening.

JAN 29 — I interview people frequently in the course of my work. I interview them for the news videos that I do and I interview them for my documentaries. The people I talk to range from government ministers, criminals, sports personalities, celebrities, and everyday common folk. It’s a process that I really enjoy doing.

I remember when I had to do my first interview. It was for a newspaper article and I brought along with me a notebook, extra pens, a tape recorder and extra tapes. I was very formal and serious and got right into the questions one by one, as I went down the list. When I was done, I thanked the interviewee and bade him farewell.

JAN 22 — “Hey Zan!”

“Yeah!”

“You’re always telling us stories about your work and adventures. Seems like a cool job you have.”

“Yeah man! I love it!”

JAN 4 — He picks up the Sony Z1 video camera and it fits nicely in one hand. He pretends to put in on his shoulders as if it’s a big shoulder mount camera, then laughs.

“This thing is a toy mate!” he says to me chuckling.

He is an experienced Australian director of photography I’ve recently had the opportunity to work with and a very cool guy indeed. Used to having big cameras on big budget shoots, he had to get the small handheld Z1 because it was a fast shoot in another country which we had to fly in and out of within 24 hours, and with a very small crew.

DEC 22 — When making documentaries and various videos, I like to believe that I’m always keeping abreast with the latest technology. I started in a time when digital video (DV) was hot on everyone’s lips. It was amazing how cheap camcorders can record amazing quality on RM10 one-hour tapes. It totally democratised media and also the way people made videos.