First video for MIndChic Club! presented by Kim Man! :)
Singapore Garden Festival 2012
The festival is ending soon, so be quick! For more info, head over to Singapore Garden Festival 2012.
For the first time in the Festival’s history, four lucky couples were allowed to have their pre-Wedding photoshoot at Singapore Garden Festival's luscious paradise at the Suntec City Convention Centre yesterday. And they had more than 1,000 types of plants and flowers in full bloom to accompany them as the couples walked hand-in-hand from one shoot location to another, savoring each moment, in romantic bliss.
This specially orchestrated pre-wedding photography session is just one of the highlights of the Singapore Garden Festival, which will be held from 7 – 15 July 2012 at the Suntec Convention Centre. If you love nature, beautiful gardens, you'll be excited to know that the top award-winning garden and floral designers from around the world are gathered under one roof until this Sunday. Oh! And there are more than 100 retailers at the marketplace, all ready to satisfy all your gardening needs. For more information on SGF 2012, you can www.singaporegardenfestival.com or www.facebook.com/SGGardenFest . Check out what some are saying about iLight 2012 @ Marina Bay Singapore.   Leon Cheo, 26, is a director-writer-producer who graduated from the School of Film and Media Studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 2006, where he wrote and directed his thesis film "Bu Ye Tian" (Nightless Day). He recently graduated from Chapman University (Singapore) with a BFA in Creative Producing. His short films, "Four Dishes" and “Swing”, has travelled to festivals in San Francisco, Hong Kong, Tehran, Bangkok, Germany and Tokyo. We catch up with him after he recently completed his latest short film, "The Three Sisters".  The Three Sisters, in full glory.
 Hmmm ... is he making a film or listening to music?
Do you have a central theme in your films? At the moment, I like relationship stories and that is where most people start as it is easier to write what they have personal experience of. But I am also thinking of exploring other genres like crime, horror and comedies. Why did you decide to make the short film |
I enjoyed most aspects of the making of the film. I loved the rehearsals and castings. I truly enjoy working with actors, planning the shots, sourcing locations, dressing it up, discussing costumes, the music and editing. On the negative side, the thing I least enjoyed was the preparation because I was mostly doing it alone in the initial stages. And when I work alone, it is easy to get stuck with certain ideas. It would be good to have a sounding board or someone who can help look at the bigger picture. It was an agonising couple of months, for example, looking for locations that I thought were necessary but actually didn't need because another location which was more accessible and affordable would have been sufficient and could have been used without compromising the look and feel of the film. If I had someone else who I could bounced ideas with, I wouldn't have gone around in circles. |   |
That's why I was really happy working with Wanping, who was one of the earliest to agree to work with me on this film. I had worked with him before in my previous short films. Wanping is a DP (Director of Photography) that goes beyond the technical aspects of the shoot and value adds in many other ways to the story, the artistic side of it. During a discussion on how we wanted the film to look and how it would gel with the influences, references and themes, Wan ping suggested adding the scene of the sisters when they were little girls. Initially I was quite hesitant at first because it isn't easy to film three young girls, but as I thought about it more, it felt so much like a scene that should be there.
Gaffers in action.
 Cool looking bunch, aren't they? |  Maybe I should have been a movie star? :) |
and it's been said that audio is 50% of the film ... and a strong back is a prerequisite for the job!
Also, I must add that there was an incident that stood out during the filming. It made me realise that I had a wonderful cast and they were perfectly selected. During the filming of the climatic taxi scene, I realised that "wow, we just shot something amazing". The taxi scene, was an emotional scene. It is quite a roller coaster. It started out angry, then funny, then becoming more melancholic. The actress playing the youngest sister reacted to one line, "One day, you'll find someone who'll treasure you ...". At this moment, she started tearing and I was totally caught off guard because it was not part of the script. It was a wonderful moment that made all of us working on the film realised that we were working on something that could really touch people.
FD, some of the cast and crew!
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Yes, I've fallen head over heels with her ... dance moves. :)
Have a great weekend, all!
by Richard Chai
Writer, Photographer, Videographer
My-Right-Eye-is-a-Viewfinder.com
June is a creative and passionate professional with more than 10 years of experience in as an in-demand make up artist for celebrities, models, photographers and bridal groups.
She was certified & trained in Paris by Danny Sanz, Founder of Make Up For Ever and had previously been a trainer for Make Up For Ever in both Singapore & Kuala Lumpur. Some of the local and international celebrity clients June has worked with include Irene Ang (Actress/Comedian), Rebecca Tan (Model/Host), Celest Chong (Actress), Steph Song (Actress), Adrian Pang (Actor/Comedian), Denise Keller – (Model/Host), Nadya Hutagalung (Host/MTV VJ), Jason Scott Lee (Actor), Thunder Down Under (Dance Group), Royston Tan (Actor/Director), Jimmy Taenake (Actor), Natalie Foster ...
That's not all, fashion shows are another area where June's beautiful makeup art can be found. She was also previously Lead Artist for Hair and Make Up for the Gucci Fashion Show (Singapore & KL) and YSL Fashion Show (Singapore) June's work can also be found in magazines like Amica, Dolce and Maxim on the beautiful faces of models representing Gucci, Prada, Hermes, Channel, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Celine, Dior, Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein, Miu Miu
Some projects that June has worked on include "Yellow Ribbon Project 2007 & 2009", "Body paint and air brush tattoo Batey (Singapore)", "Aaron Kwok De Reel Show 2009", "Evolusi KL Drift Part 2", "Dance of the Dragon – Movie" and many more.
It has been a fun and exciting journey and today June is currently the Head of Make Up at Resorts World Singapore!
How did you start in the Makeup industry?
By sheer serendipity.
It started with wall murals, I was painting the church walls with a close friend. After that, my friend asked, "why don't you come and join me at the tatoo studio and give it a try because you can paint well." And so it started, painting people, then tatoos, followed by body piercing . The funny thing is that I've never been really interested in makeup, but after a year and a half of body painting, it was kind of like, "Hey I'm painting the body, why not paint the face? Duh!". So I went to makeup school, got my diploma, came out and went freelance while holding a full time job in the hospitality sector for a good 12 years. It was only during the last 3 years or so that I decided to provide makeup services full time.
At that time, I found that the makeup industry in Singapore was not challenging enough. It was largely focused only on weddings and fashion and it seemed to me that many of the looks were similar. So I wanted to further my skills, to go beyond this, to do special effects, movie prosthetics and all that. I checked out the Makeup Forever Academy website and saw that they had a advanced special effects class which got me really excited. Unfortunately, they said that the course was not available and it was only a few months later that I found out that there was actually nobody teaching it in Singapore. The trainers were all in Paris! But I was very lucky when I went to the Makeup Forever academy, it was the start of another exciting journey in my life. I started working with them freelance and I was very very fortunate, they sponsored me to go to Paris to further my skills.
In fact, I was sent to Paris twice for my training and certification. I came back and ended up being one of the trainers conducting the courses that I originally wanted to apply for, which is so funny. I ended up taking over the special effects classes and conducting the body art classe, teaching classes that I originally wanted to take up a course for, at the very same academy.
Ah, the Paris Trainings!
Going to Paris is so very different ... in Singapore, you go to a school and only basic skills are taught, like fashion, photography, bridal and very basic theatretical makeup. Many people just get by with beauty and bridal, they don't do anything more than that.
Makeup Forever is owned by LV and they are a very strick brand. Every year only the best two trainers from each country gets to be sent to Paris for advanced training, audit and to get certified by the creator herself. The Paris trainings was a real eye opener and I also felt quite stressed because I had heard that in the previous year a lot of people failed. There are different levels, from One (basic) to Five (latex, full body painting, theatrical), always focusing on how to bring out the character of a person through makeup. I learnt a lot from everybody, shared experience with the best artists from Romania, Italy, USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan. It's a one week intensive training session from morning to evening and the exam is held on the last day. That's where you get audited by a panel consisting of Dany the creator and the top trainers of the LV brand.
Can you image a room with huge spotlights trained on your model and you and the panel of judges scrutinising every move you make? It was really intense. You won't know the topic until just before the exam. The exam topic could be like "level 3" which would mean Fashion but at a more artistic level" and the theme would be like "John Galliano Summer Collection". If you don't know the designer, you're screwed, because all these designers have a certain style. If you look at YSL or Prada, they have a very clean sleek look whereas John Galliano has got crazy high bright colored eyebrows. So you got to do your fashion research even before you head over for the Paris trainings.
After that, all these models will come in and they'll say "pick your model now" and everybody goes rushing for their models because you're looking for things like bone structure. As an artist when you want to work on a face, you don't just look for a pretty face. Not all pretty girls have good bone structure. Sometimes when you look at a girl or a guy, they've got a very plain simple unattractive face but they have really good cheek bones, strong jaw lines, something that stands out. You look at that and you go like "Hey, I can work with that face!". And that's what we look for. If your focus is on cheeks, nose and lips, then you go look for that. Or if your focus is on forehead and eyes, then you look for that. You quickly grab that model who pocesses those features!
Stressful but fun too. I've always been one who pushes myself one step further, everytime.
Please share with our readers the type of makeup you do.
Theatrical/Production Makeup, Special Effects, Airbrush Makeup/Body Art, Full/Partial Body Makeup, Temporary/Permanent Tattoo and of course, Glamour and Beauty, Bridal Makeup.
About Drag Queens and problematic wardrobes
Hmmm ... challenging looks that I've created? Drag Queens would be one of them, they're quite challenging, and it's not just because of their features or lack thereof. Well, most of these men have day jobs so you can't pluck their eye brows, you can't really shave them. That's makes it tough. So you got to do it the hard way, covering their eye brows with wax, applying foundation over it and then redrawing the brows and other stuff you got to cover up. There was another time when I was only given four hours to design a new face for one of the new jugglers but the problem was that he didn't have a wardrobe yet. Without that, I couldn't design his face because I wouldn't know what colors to even use. Well, I ended up helping with the design of the costumes, the show must goes on!
Any tips for people who are interested in entry this industry
First you have to go to a good school, that can give you a good education, a strong foundation. But it's not just about getting a diploma. As an artist in general, clients or hiring companies want to see your work too.
Education is good, you need a good base and then you need to practice, practice, practice and more practice. You've got to be able to handle criticism, the good and the bad . At the end of the day, it's art, and everyone has their own vision and views. What you think is beautiful may not be same as another person.
You've also got to be versatile.
In general, there are two types of make up artists, one that is very commercialised, who is just happy with fashion and bridal, because you know what, it pays the bills, it's simple. You do one bride, you do them all, they all look the same, more or less, makeup wise. I mean it's like, what would you want to do, what can you do? You're limited by what type of makeup the bride and their families will accept. But hey, it pays the bills.
But there's also something else to think about ... it's really about what you want to push yourself to become.
I went to Paris and picked up special effects class, body painting, and artistic makeup, stage and thereatical. Do I use them everyday? No. Do I get jobs like that in Singapore? Not really. But now I'm head of hair and make-up in Resorts World Sentosa. Five years ago, if you asked me whether there would ever be a circus in Singapore, I would have said "What? You're crazy. Are you mad?" Five years down the road, I'm actually designing the looks, working with all these talents, all these crazy acrobats and contortionists and it's unbelievable. Never in my life did I think I would have an opportunity like this. But if I did not push myself so hard a few years ago, I wouldn't have gotten the job. I would have been just another makeup artist doing what pays the bills but not something that drives you. I actually look forward to going to work everyday. It's stressful sometimes but in a good way.
June has a series of shoots currently in progress and we'll post the pics when she passes them to us. Meanwhile, you can find out more about June at her Facebook page.
Posted by Richard Chai
My Right Eye is a Viewfinder!
All images published with permission from Ms. June Goh.
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As always, notwithstanding the festive season, December in Singapore was damp, dark and a tad gloomy. The recent woes suffered by the SMRT didn't help a single bit.
Hmmm ... "Elephant Parade Photo Adventure@Marina Bay - Sunday 18 Dec 9am-12pm", how on earth was I going to get there with all the MRT disruptions? If you recalled, train services were only slated to resume at 11am that day.
MRT on a good day ... faster than a speeding bullet! :)
Over the years, our MRT has become so ingrained in our lifestyles that many of us face "home imprisonment" if the train stops running.
Possible wet weather ... a really long walk from the nearest bus stop, I decided to ditch most of my gear and only brought my trusty Nikon D7000, the multi-purpose 18-200mm, a small Canon G12 and left most of the space in my backpack for wet weather camera and personal gear.
So what's this "Elephant Parade Photo Adventure" all about?
Did you know that there are 162 brightly-painted elephants happily nesting in various parts of Singapore? Of these, 50 reside at Marina Bay, Raffles Green and Asian Civilisations Museum area! Our mission was to capture them with our lens. Five photos will be selected to win a 10cm miniature elephant and be featured on Marina Bay Singapore and Elephant Parade’s websites & the upcoming January issue of Marina Bay’s Fun Finder e-zine!
The Hunt Begins
<cue> Music from the reality show "Survivor".</cue>
Elite Photographers ... brought together in the Marina Bay area ...
faced with humogous beasts ... all will be stretched to the limits,
working to the same goal, to capture the best image of the day!
30 Image Hunters ... 50 Elephants ...
but only 5 photos will survive ...
And so the hunt begins ... on a very cloudy day.
Photographers at the "Elephant Parade Photo Adventure" in Action!
Group Photo - back view, why must it always be front view? :)
Determination is her middle name ...
but I am just as focused ...
Aiyo, so focus and determined? Look at me, only one hand!
You folks can go duke it out, we already got our pics, heh heh. Now, if only someone could lend me a comb.
More Elephant photo hunters in action.
Hey Richard, you were supposed to be taking pics of the elephants, right??
Ok, ok, here they come ... an entire herd of them ...
The Elephant Herd Arrives.
and these are my favourites:
I just like the colors ...
Alien vs Predator?
This is part of an elephant in the parade, do you know which one?
And finally some R&R at the Fullerton Hotel after a really long photowalk!
This was where I started to miss my faster lens and speedlight ... but still heaps of fun!
My thanks to the kind folks at Marina Bay Singapore, Elephant Parade Singapore, Asian Civilisations Museum, URA and The Fullerton Hotel, it was really fun and I enjoyed myself.
p.s. Hey David and Geng Hui, thanks for the company in the tunnel while it was raining, I would have been bored to death without you guys. :)
Well people, I'm not sure when the elephants are going to be taken down, but you might want to go grab your friends and family and create your own unique Elephant Photo Adventure this weekend or sooner!
by Richard Chai
My-Right-Eye-is-a-Viewfinder.com
Other related blog posts on the Elephant Photo Adventure:
- Elephant Parade Photo Adventure @ Marina Bay! by Darren
- Elephant Parade Photo Adventure around Marina Bay by Calvin Timothy
- Elephant Parade Photo Adventure@Marina Bay by James Moon
Click here to know more about the Elephant Parade.
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After a wait of 48 years, Singapore hosts the 20th World Orchid Conference for the second time!
For just 8 days, from Nov 13 to Nov 20, the Sands Expo and convention Centre has been transformed into a magnificent garden filled with beautiful orchids from all over the world. And if you think it is just rows after rows of potted plans, think again. Highlights such as "Orchid Olympics", "Market Place" and the "Flower Dome Preview" drew in huge crowds.
Orchid Olympics.
55 displays from 19 countries compete for the 20th WOC awards, the most prestigious awards in the orchid world!
Young or old, male or female, they were all here toting camera phones to small compact cameras, all the way to high end DSLRs. I even spotted quite a few with tripods, fully intend in their quest to capture the beautiful orchids from all over the world, at the highest image quality.
Share your photos by posting it on our MindChic Club! Facebook Page and stand a chance to win a place at a Photowalk (Buddha's Tooth Temple), guided by prominent photographer William Cho.
MarketPlace
Adjacent to the show, a floral shopping haven awaits . 80 vendors from 17 countries peddling a wide array of orchids and related products!
Flower Dome Preview
From Nov 14-20, for eight days ONLY, WOC visitors get to be among the first to preview the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay, ahead of its opening in June 2012!
Don't miss out on the chance to get a sneak peek, admission ticket information can be found here!
Thanks to Juliana Tan (URA), Clara Poh and Kirsty Haken (Hill & Knowlton) for the kind invite and facilitation! And not forgetting my good friend, William Cho for the kind use of the beautiful image of the Gardens by the Bay you see above.
by Richard Chai
www.My-Right-Eye-is-a-Viewfinder.com
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Winners of a photography competition organised by MindChic Club! for SingTel attending one of the three prizes they are entitled to.
Having fun while they are learning how to create food photos that look appetising under various lighting situations.
Having fun while they are learning how to create food photos that look appetising under various lighting situations.
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brought to you by MC²! Photography Group (www.MindChicClub.com)
Date: Nov 26, 2011, Saturday
Time: 630pm to 830pm
We are absolutely delighted and excited that William, one of the best photography experts in Singapore, has agreed to lead this location shoot. He will be sharing his experience and guiding you personally, on tips for getting the best shots in this location.
Join William for two hours of fun and cool photography! He will be guilding you on techniques and provide shooting advice.
Date: Nov 26, 2011, Saturday
Time: 630pm to 830pm
We are absolutely delighted and excited that William, one of the best photography experts in Singapore, has agreed to lead this location shoot. He will be sharing his experience and guiding you personally, on tips for getting the best shots in this location.
Lastly but definitely not the least, William is really fun to be around with!
William: "The entrance signage of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown, Singapore. Here, I focus on what most photographers may have overlooked. An inconspicuous handcrafted signage at the main entrance of the temple. I believed it cost quite a fortune for it to be crafted."
About William Cho
William is a photographer and graphic designer who specializes in Digital Manipulations. He loves photography, soothing music, travel, outdoors, entertainment and making people smile.
Widely travelled, William has worked and and travelled in
* Jeddah,
* Saudi Arabia,
* Europe,
* New Caledonia,
* Mauritius,
* Singapore
* Re-union Island,
* Philippines,
* Thailand,
* Vietnam,
* Indonesia,
* Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan.
William: "The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum receives more than 50,000 visitors a month! More than half of the visitors are from abroad and so the BTRTM has manifested its commitment to mutual understanding by offering a medium in which visitors can learn about Buddhist Temples (in a way that doesn’t cross the line)."
William Cho's work has been published in the various media like
William focuses a lot on quality and photographer interaction, thus, the group size is deliberately kept very small. - Benoy Architects (ION Orchard),
- "SILVERKRIS" inflight magazine (Singapore Airlines)
- "HERITAGE TRAILS" (Singapore Heritage Board)
- ACT 3 International
- "SPACE FOR GOD" (Church of St Mary of the Angels)
- DPC Design, "WHO CARES?"
- National Council of Social Service
- SINGAPORE TOURISM" (Headway)
- "SINGAPORE EXPLORER"
- Infoguide Services)
- Equator Bulletin (cover) – Belgrade Serbia,
- Tiger Beer web portal "tigertranslate"
- Stockholm University - Sweden,
- Mikoishi.com,
- Convertium Pte Ltd (an online agency for Contact Singapore, a unit of Singapore's Economic Development board) Board),
- "grandevie" tourism magazine
- Asia New Zealand Foundation ANS:NZ Online
- and many more...
Join William for two hours of fun and cool photography! He will be guilding you on techniques and provide shooting advice.
Here's another one to whet your appetite, remember to sign up!
Even if you've been to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple before, being there with a group of creative people can help you see things in ways you hadn’t noticed before. See how others photograph the scene and how their creative interpretations vary. It can be amazing how a group of photographers can walk the same route and yet come up with very different photographs.
Besides being guided by William, you also get to meet fellow photographers, make new friends, and have fun!
Don't hesitate, VERY Limited places only.
Book your seats before they are all gone! See you at the Photo-walk!
If you would like a location photo shoot or photo walk in a different area, do write in to support@MIndChicClub.com so that we can help you to arrange oneTerms & Conditions
- You will need to bring your own camera. Ideally, a camera that allows for manual adjustment of exposure, white balance, aperture size / speed settings etc.
- For best results for some types of shots, it is recommended that you bring a tripod.
- We shall not be liable for any death, personal injury, loss or damage however caused
- No refund is allowed if there is less than 14 days before the event starts as we may unable to resell your seat at short notice.
- Tickets are non-transferable, unless you obtain written approval from us.
- We reserve the right to refuse admission or evict any persons whose conduct is deemed inappropriate or who poses a threat to security, or disrupts the Event and causes inconvenience to others, without refund or compensation
- The event may be cancelled, interrupted or stopped or postphoned due to adverse weather, dangerous situations or any other causes that are beyond reasonable control.
- If there are insufficient entries, we reserve the right to postphone this event.
- If the event is postphoned, an alternative date will be scheduled.
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- Singapore Short Film Awards 2013 - Call for Entries
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- "Last Minute" : What happens when a thief faces a dilemma? (SG Video)
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- If Smiles could kill, well, actually they can!
- Checkmate (SG short film / video)
- The Onsen Experience
- Miniature Building Construction Part I
- Home (SG short film / video)
- The Evillious Chronicles
- Rhythms by the Bay (Event)
- 1965 Singapore's Year of Independence
- It's Time for the Marilyns
- Miniature Building Construction Step 4 - Installing the Front Roof Panel
- Watching Short Films in Strangers' House = Awkwardly Awesome!
- Singapore Short Film Awards 2013 - Call for Entries
- Maad Pyjamas, Sep 7 (Event)
- "Last Minute" : What happens when a thief faces a dilemma? (SG Video)
- Miniature Building Construction Step 3 - The Exterior Finish
- Event "100% Design Singapore"
- (SG Video) "Street Cred"
- Miniature Building Construction (2) - Building the Shell
- If Smiles could kill, well, actually they can!
- Checkmate (SG short film / video)
- The Onsen Experience
- Miniature Building Construction Part I
- Home (SG short film / video)
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