Blurring the line between reality and
imaginary tale, The Legend of the Impacts is set in 1966, where music was
rocking and rolling in a newly independent Singapore. Mike reminisces about his past as a member
of The Impacts, a Singapore band
formed in the 1960s. It was a bittersweet and unforgettable time of his life.
The idea for the film, which was screened at the Southeast Asian Film Festival 2012 last month, was first conceived
several years ago during a talk about the Rolling Stones’ visit to Singapore in
1965, held at the National Museum of Singapore. Michel and Panuksmi, producers
at M’GO Films, who attended the talk, were inspired to make a film about the
very vibrant era.
Discussion, consultations and chats with
various music lovers soon followed, as well as brainstorming sessions with film
writer Ben Slater. A few months later, a script for the feature film was ready.
Eventually, it became a short film and Jeevan Nathan, a music lover himself,
came on board to direct it. We speak to Jeevan to find out what he thinks of the local music scene.
What
was the inspiration behind this film? How much did you know about The Impacts?
The inspiration behind this film came about
from my love of (60s) music and the pop cultural vibrancy of the scene then. It
was heavily influenced by my father back when I was a child growing up. The
records being played would echo thru the house and I guess a subconscious
impression was left on me. Growing up there was also this desire to be a
musician/rock star, but since I cannot carry a tune and have bad hand-eye
coordination...filmmaking became my outlet to tell stories and to entertain
people.
Having directed a bunch of music videos for
local bands, I started to become aware of the offerings and talent of our local
musicians (and have used their music pieces/songs in several of my short film/
tv productions). The more I collaborated on these videos (talking, mixing with
local musicians) the more I wanted to do a film which married a great
soundtrack with a relevant narrative. And when Panuksmi of M'GO films offered
me the the chance to direct the script, which M’GO Films developed with Ben
Slater (the scriptwriter), not much convincing was needed to get me on board
this project.
I did not know about The Impacts in
particular, but I knew of several local bands in the 60s and their stories. But
when I read The Legend of The Impacts... the story, the characters, the message
felt all too familiar. Too relatable. Not just to the music scene then (and
now), but to me as a person and filmmaker as well. It suddenly became like I
knew these people in the script...I have 'met' versions of them in life. This
concept of memory and imagining also influenced me later in the approach we
would take for the film. I feel The Impacts is a great homage to the story of
(our local) music and film scene.
What
were the easiest and most challenging aspects of making this film? Were there
any memorable experiences that you’d like to share?
Easiest would have been - finding the
production team and local music consultants willing to come on board to
collaborate on this. Everything else was an effort as this was a small budget
film that was to be set in a specific period, had a specific look & sound,
and required actors with a particular skill set.
Location scouting in modern day SG proved
to be a let down, for the actual look I wanted. Other options would have been
either be too costly or unneccessary. Wardrobe and styling also involved a lot
of research, discussion, sourcing. The latter also being just as key to the 60s
as music was. So the pressure was on.
Then came the Visual language of telling
the story. This I discussed with Producer Michel and my DP at great length.
Where we talked about long-takes, shooting on different formats, the lenses we
wanted to use, etc. And it evolved as we
went along. This was a really fun process as thru our discussions and research,
new ideas formed.
The biggest challenge was casting for the
film. This went on for weeks and we did open casting calls hoping to find new
fresh faces. But just like locations, I was not seeing "The Impacts".
While the shortlisted actors were good, had some musical instrument
knowledge...there was something missing that I noticed in actual performing
musicians.
This was especially so for older Mike. We
saw people who could act the part,
but when we talked to Jay Shotam, lead singer of October Cherries (then just a consultant to our production), it was
like - Hey, you ARE Mike! It was about having been there, done that. It was being on
stage, performing, it was about being themselves. In that vein, I talked it over with the
Producers who shared the same feeling and were bold enough to allow us to have
the film rest on the shoulders of non-actors. Thus, Karen tracked down several
true 'rock stars' in the indie circuit and we auditioned and cast them for the
roles for The Impacts. And while being the most challenging thing it was also
the right way to go.
So here we are working with logistics and
other factors for and against us on the 2 long days of shoot...and on the end
of the 2nd day with daylight going down fast, we took 9-10 takes of the final
song in the film (Long, Live Rock and Roll). The band or tech side was
fumbling, and I was not feeling it (as they say). Knowing the cast were
exhausted I called for another take, and somehow they dug deep and that last
performance was the one! My DP was not pleased with camera. But it was not
about that, it was about watching The Impacts, it was about seeing Haji lane,
Straits Records. So I kept it as is...one shot. That was really memorable for
me (watching and listening to them), and I felt cutting it or turning it into
an music video would take us away from the impact (no pun intended).
Lastly, the awesom-est things that could
happen for our small film, are that we had Jay Shotam in our cast and that we managed to secure rights to use the original songs from
60s bands for film festival screenings. The music in this film is not just a
soundtrack to groove to but the subtext and voice-over to complement our story.
Do
you regard local music differently after the completion of the film? How so?
My view on the music scene has not changed,
it has broadened. What I felt about music and learnt about the scene remains
the same. You hear stories about the good and bad, you hear the stories of
passion vs politics. Times have changed but some things remain the same...you
know what I mean? Perhaps the film has further reinforced what I have come to
know about local music talent and also to see if we could take the Impacts into
another evolution.
What
do you hope viewers take away after the end credits roll? Why do you think this
film is worthy of more people’s attention?
To not get the film...to not think they
'got it'. Watch it again. Or Turn off the visuals next, and just listen to it.
Each time I watch the film at a screening or review, it speaks to me on a
different level at a different part of the film. It also speaks differently
depending what state of mind I am at when I see it. So I hope people let what
they watch simmer in their heads for a bit. Ask questions, get interested in
the 60s, in local music...ask themselves if they see themselves in the Impacts.
What’s
next in your filmmaking journey?
In the most immediate future, I will be
wrapping up some other productions. But I will be going back to writing soon
after...I just feel restless with what I am doing now and with the landscape of
our media industry. And I need to get away to get back to some pure simple form
the craft...maybe something vaudevillian or a musical!
To find out more about The Legend of the Impacts, visit the official Facebook page