Throwback to a spontaneous short we made for last year’s Raintown Film Festival, may have experienced the highest blood pressure trying to AD the kids and bribed them with cans of cokes
@laixiangpow as writer n director n sound
@junyu_yeo one man tech crew (who won last year’s Raintown!)
@eanjei_0912 the editor and their friend Sean Kook who came to help
Aki Huang as music composer
It’s based on Lai Xiang’s childhood which he recalled throwing his toys out of balcony so that he could get out of the house to play
Always nice to capture slice of local life, hopefully more to come with a bigger scale in the future :D
Shot on fx3 n thypoch simera c
Another throwback last year on a 30s promo content for Taylor’s University fashion department, can’t recall if we shot it on Leica R primes
Marks the first time working with Didrie the director, Jia Wei the gaffer and Shunnie art director as well i think!
The art department really propped the studio up nicely, when this happens, you really hope to not fack up and do their art justice in the frame
Throwback on a commercial commercial for Etiqa travel insurance end of last year
It was fun using 3 lightubes to form a triangle eye light on their face for the mock up photobooth though subtle, Kwang Sing is always up for experimenting even being so experienced already
Well guys I can do hard sell commercials, do inquire (hardselling meself)
Speaking Hands, a Taylor’s University video about a student who designed an app that interprets sign language live, with a mini cny scene for the festive
Shot on kinefinity mavo edge 6k and contax zeiss
Some shots posted didn’t make it in, last min change in scripts but as the saying goes everything eventually worked out, even badly
This is an actor’s piece, i didn’t think i did justice for the whole film itself but this is Hong Wei debut, the spotlight belongs to him!
Bit nostalgic lately, reflecting on my imposter, measurement of self worth, how capitalism promotes me gen, people i love or to have loved better and how i didn’t die last year lol
Nuff said happy chinese new year, in the year of horse i wish you all 马上有钱, funny hor
Konica testimonial vid
Bit embarrassed to share this but gotta honour little steps (honestly just keeping this page active), you know you haven’t made it in when you’re shooting corporate vid lol
Corporate vid tends to have salaryman look which is informative telling, but might as well make the most and use it as a quick decision making and simplicity practice
1 softbox flexi n a lighttube that rules it all because it’s the fastest with time crunch with no lighting team
Didrie has a thing with arts and props, somehow tremendous patience and effort which i wouldn’t have to plate it right
A dear reminder, you can always learn from podcasts, forums, books. observing life and it’s ok not to apply the bigger budget control. Don’t limit your existence to your goals, nor entitled to your hard work being reaped, life is made to be active not happy so keep going
As the OG Lao Tzu said, “The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.”
Compilation of Datai Serenity series,
Wellness instructor including movement artist, somatic dancer, podiatrist, neurophysio therapist with director Jim Tim n Didrie
Shot on FX3 w thypoch simera c
Not so serene experience shooting it lol, in the hands of nature especially during monsoon season n perhaps a lack of skill n quick thinking as there’s no shot lists, forgive some flat images, hope it gets better this year!
Trying to master the game of spontaneity, lack of control and minimum footprint, it’s often keeping each other in stillness and forgiving moment of frustration more important than technical, course it goes hand in hand
Fear and Anger are primal emotions, so maybe with practising compassion and mindfulness, the craft and energy that radiates around workspace would shift for the better as well :)
Datai Chef Series
Something I’ve been coming back to Langkawi for the past few months with PinangFilms team, shot with 2 fx3 cam, 1 on monopod and 1 on gimbal
It’s closer to being a documentary than a social media content, guerrilla style shooting which better translates to spray mindfully and pray religiously. The natural lighting often decides where the framing is.
Food presentation is the most stressful part as the ingredients disintegrate very quickly the moment it’s served
It was difficult not to fall into stagnancy of ‘formula’ when shooting in the same kitchen over n over, directors consciously come out with different concept, but often the chaotic kitchen will stir your plan and u spray and pray again
i hope being put into this kind of shooting situation allows me to develop more intuitive framing rather than wasting footage recording lazy video!
Musee HK medical, shot on Sony FX3 and Thypoch Simera C lens
Thanks Imagerom for getting me onboard for this! Director/Photographer Steve doesn’t like distortion and so we only rotate between 50mm and 75mm
8x8 silk cloth is something. Last 2 shots was a blue screen, took plates on recce day, hope it sells the illusion even so so
My perception towards HK film crew changed after working with these bunch. Talked about how the older gen used humiliation as teaching. Derek also poisoned me with his Korean methol cigarette
TLTR personal thought: Been struggling with exposure lately, often being told too dark, recently accidentally overexposed due to fear of underexposing and now i’m even more confused. Now that projects have shrunk, it’s harder to always be in the position of cameraman to make sense of this frustration and work with people better than i do. To all that is growing, we shall leap forward in our own non-linear progression
Happy to share that the film Old Leaves has won Best Outstanding Documentary award for SSBI (Small Story Big Impact) category for @walkaboutasia Walk A Doc festival in Melaka last 5th-7th Nov 2025
Always feels like the last time i’ll be seeing them every time i leave my hometown Penang. It’s a visual diary about my grandmas living their ordinary lives, reminiscing and finding beauty and equal meaning in the mundane everyday rituals.
It was more personal filming on my own with just a 4ft tube, mc n black cloth, not to mention my parents and aunties helping with the carrying n driving, couldn’t ask for better crews hahah
Big thanks to @nurashikinzaharuddin for organising this whole event, lovely judges and delegates around SEA. Great meeting @welldyhans the EP who has both confidence and humility. Also congrats on the honourable mentions to Matthew & Cadence on Body of Faith n @agnes.yjn on Beyond Rituals
And those in the credits list, u know who you’re, film wouldn’t be completed without the main post production people @neohneohneoh on edit
@yyynn.exe on sound
@xanderlew365 on colour
@bethdaora on the poster and supers
@zhsee on hokkien transcript, my kokor (dad’s sis) helped too
Thank you all for making this happen. Hope this acts as a reassurance and resilience to me transitioning as a cinematographer :)
Ok so after this self inflating ego post, how do i submit to film fest before this becomes another vid in harddrive help
Throwback to a short Deepavali greeting from Datai with @pinangfilms
Planned for the ws for blue hour but it didn’t work out as it only lasted 20mins, the effort of lighting every single candle with the wind constantly blowing it off was huge effort, vfx added some subtle touch on those which was unlit.
A minimal crew of 3, all nights were shot on 12800 using 60x to create moonlight (where James held the lightstand with his leg to face top down) and a tiny satisfaction of using a plate full of candlelight for cu instead of small led light. Thypoch 1.5 tstops was a lifesaver
Alas it was literally festive of light and wax around my shoes n pants
A short socmed content for Merdeka (Independance day) featuring 5 departments of Datai Langkawi resort staffs
Small footprint of 3 men production along with 1 behind idea, 1 to piece it n 1 to colour
Always scary without recce but at least planned shots in mind though making sure to avoid guests and not disturb other working people. We made sure to get an intro for each scene then develop from there
The man in the pond took a day off the next day, brought us out to the sea with his own boat to catch the sunrise and quick lure fishing before getting back to work @timothyyeohsw@james.tanck no regrets for no breakfast n sleep deprived
Shot for 9:16, doing my best to crop 3:2 here
Throwback to a quick 3 men team shoot with 3 type of lights for HK express, thanks Jim and Ismael :)
Looking back at shot 2, didn’t know why i did not apply the inverse square law, where the light ray isn’t perpendicular as we didn’t have big enough lights for longer throw (300 being the biggest) Would have sacrifice the brightness for the linear line in hindsight
Tried changing the colour temp to more evening time during sunny afternoon, well it didnt quite work, and butchered my colour grading with just stamping an Eastman Lut, hope it looks presentable here hehe
Always in doubt of exposure as they say commercial gotta look a brighter and I’m really learning to build my instinct on listening to inner voice, or as Indy always says, angmo lighting
I guess the more you try to understand forward, the more you’d go backwards to history or basic, and so bought a lightmeter
Trying to change my ego of not posting as being not good enough, hope it gets better from here
