Exclusive Email Interview With Producer / Director of 'Tak Giu'
Posted by: Chen Lim on 3-/-0/2005

Below is an exclusive email interview with Mr Jacen, the director / producer of the Tak Giu short film. The URL of his inspiring work can be found at http://takgiu.rantx.com/. The script is also written by Mr Jacen, himself. 'The story explores the issues of soccer amenities, and the attitudes of Singaporeans towards local and foreign soccer.'

--- Start of interview ---

Please do a brief introduction of yourself - age / occupation / school (if any)
I'm 22 and I was from a media course in NYP.


What prompted you to produce this video clip?
I've always wanted to make a short film and I wanted to combine my passion for film and football.


Did you enjoy producing this clip?
Yes, its something we love and the cast / crew had lots of fun.


What difficulties did you encounter when producing this clip?
As usual in any production there will be many problems but I will tell you some interesting facts.

I had problems finding cast members from the start, so I ended up having to act in it myself! Being a no-budget film, our mode of transport were 4 bicycles and we cycled around the locations under the hot sun.

Also, the 'perfect field' in the end was not perfect, it was filled with sand and potholes! We had to mask it by using only certain angles. The shot with the nice grass is actually of another area. On the 2nd day we went back to the field, for some reason someone dismantled the goalposts and chained them up. We had to omit some shots for that matter. Talk about having a place to play!


What is the message that you're trying to convey with this clip?
I wanted to illustrate the authorities' contradicting policies on promoting local football, and also the attitudes of Singaporeans towards the EPL and the Sleague.

I think that there is a lot the authorities don't understand about the average Singaporean football fan / player.


What are your views about the issue (regarding no place to 'tak giu' in Singapore)?
I believe that there are many areas that can be considered for building good, free football fields / courts. I don't see why we must pay to play football.

A lot of topics have been brought up about local football development, but I think they should first look into the root of the problem: football fields / courts.


Do you follow the S.League? If yes, which team do you support?
I support Paya Lebar Punggol. In fact I don't follow much of the EPL, and only watch some big matches.


What are your plans now that this short film is becoming more and more popular? Any plans to produce another one? If yes, on what?
Yes there are plans for the next production and we hope it's something the audience can relate to again. There are many scripts / ideas so nothing's finalised yet.

I will like to take this chance to thank the cast and crew, they've all done a really good job and we have produced something we're all proud off.

--- End of interview ---

SGFootball.Com would like to thank Mr Jacen for agreeing to this interview and for his time. His short film really reflected out the true experiences of many Singaporeans who're trying to find a place to play soccer. For those of you who have not watched it, the URL is http://takgiu.rantx.com/. It's highly recommended!

We wish him all the best for his next work and hopefully it can be as interesting, if not, more interesting than 'Tak Giu'.