By Film Exco ‘20 (Flexco)
A picture may speak a 1000 words, but film speaks 24,000 a second. Film brings stories to life in a full sensory experience that heightens reality and augments emotion. There’s nothing quite like a film to make you cry, laugh, and most importantly, believe. In the aftermath of full-on ugly crying or fearfully looking for nonexistent spectres, you may wonder: How? How did they do it?
That’s where filmmaking comes in.
Filmmaking is a delicate art—deceptively simple to the uninitiated, yet fiendishly difficult to those who decide to give it a shot. Here in Film Society, we firmly believe in exposing ourselves to every stage of filmmaking—from pre-production to editing—all requiring patience, resilience and creativity.
Film, like any art, requires practice, one thing Film Society never seems to have a shortage of. Aside from our regular sessions with our unflappable teacher-instructors/fairy-godmothers Ms Joanna Ng and Ms Audrey Tan, Film Society also invites external professionals to cover various aspects of filmmaking. We also collaborate with the school and other CCAs on various projects, all viewable at our Youtube channel!
Of course, making films necessitates appreciating them—which is why we also attend many local screenings and film festivals.
Ultimately, every Film member’s journey culminates in the creation of the Thesis Film, allowing the Y6s to put into practice all the skills they’ve gleaned along the way. After six months of blood, sweat and tears, the graduating members offer up their stories for the world to view in our annual showcase held after the June holidays.
It’s not all fun and games, though. The journey is tough and will inevitably take its toll—many of Film Society’s activities occur outside of the allotted CCA session. One must bear the physical burden of transporting equipment back and forth from shoots, the mental burden of the omnipresent deadlines one must meet; go to great lengths to get the perfect shot, only to discard it in the editing room; face that voice in your head that says you are never going to make it. Although challenging and arduous, these shared experiences will inevitably be a memorable one for your batch.
Indeed, as many a budding filmmaker will find, just as it takes a village to raise a child, so does it take a society to make a film. In Film Society, you will find a group of passionate individuals of your ilk waiting to share the filmmaking joy with you. All that we ask is for a genuine desire to learn and share—no prior experience is required to apply! Follow our Instagram at @rafflesfilm and @filmsoc20 to be a part of the family, and we hope to see you at CCA trials this year!