The old show business adage ‘Never work with children or animals’ is certainly not something what Raymond Tan is following for his debut future film, ‘Wayang Boy’, which opens in cinemas this Thursday.
They say children and animals can behave unpredictably on set; their attention-span are short and it definitely takes a different set of method to direct them. Besides having three young fresh faces and, according to Chua Enlai, ‘giant frogs’ on set, Tan managed to invite Chinese opera master Law Kar Ying and other international big names like Hong Kong actress Michelle Yim and Taiwanese model-actress Chantel Liu to star in his first feature film.
“It feels really great, as if I’m finally showing my baby to the world,” said Tan at a press conference held at Orchard Parade Hotel yesterday.
“Overall, I’m satisfied with the film and the performances with the kids as well. You can see that they have put their heart and soul into the movie. Although they have not acted before, they seem very natural on screen,” Tan continued.
The movie took three years to make, an expansion from a short film, ‘Wa is for Wayang’ which was produced and screened in 2011 at the Singapore Discovery Centre. Tan, who also directed the short film said he wanted to ‘try something different’ for his first full-length feature.
“It feels good to see our hard work has paid off,” said 11-year-old Loh Ren Jie. Lead actor Denzyl Yashasvi Dharma, 11, hopes the film will allow audiences to appreciate culture better. “I hope when people watch Wayang Boy, they will learn to appreciate and enjoy Chinese opera.”
As far as animals go in the movie, Chua Enlai, who plays the school principal couldn’t get over the ‘giant frogs on set’.
“They were huge! So big like a facial mask!” he exclaimed. “It’s really scary because they are always moving… you feel the skin and bones and when they start kicking, they are like swimmers jumping off a diving board.”
Wayang Boy essentially talks about the culture of Chinese opera and how it has become a fading art form in Singapore. To promote this cultural artistry, what’s better than getting the master of Chinese opera, Law Kar Ying?
The 68-year-old actor specially rearranged his schedule so as to be able to participate in this production. “I hope through this film, people will learn more about Chinese opera… there’s so much to learn and appreciate from this cultural art form.”
He even choreographed a short opera piece performed by Michelle Yim and himself, which was one of the reasons why the Hong Kong actress couldn’t refuse this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Jia Ying da ge (big brother) is an expect in Chinese opera and to be able to perform with him, even for a short scene, feels like a dream come true; an opportunity I couldn’t miss,” said Yim.
Wayang Boy stars Denzyl Yashasvi Dharma, Loh Ren Jie, Tan Wei Tian, Law Kar Ying, Michelle Yim, Chua Enlai, Chantel Liu, Kym Ng, Chen Tian Wen, Bobby Tonelli and Suhaimi Yusof, opens InCinemas 13 November 2014!