The Kindness of Strangers

It worries me greatly, but I can't help but ask for the kindness of strangers on this movie project. I've never tried to call in so much help before, usually because (a) I'm not very trusting when it comes to creative endeavours that I hold close to my heart and (b) I don't want to be dependent on favours.

But this is a movie, a feature length movie and movies are, as I've been told a collaborative effort and more often than not require the kindness of strangers (or the investment of idiots too blind to notice it's a sinking ship).

Recently, I've been 'subtlely' introducing the movie in conversation with colleagues or at least try to steer them in the direction of movie talk or something specific I require for my movie. I may now have (a) a possible contact to get the movie screened at GSC, censors willing and (b) a hook-up to Sony. This will all be reliant on the gift-of-gab, of course, if these contacts will ever be more than just contacts.

And of course, the constant worry of having no father for the cast and no cafe. Tonight, after my recording session, I'll meet up with Mr. Producer-Man (who I have now renamed 'Fucker bin Fucker' for the purposes of teleconversations), find out what the status is on Rafique Rashid as the daddy and get him to check out the cafe I've got my eyes on.

Aha. Didn't tell you about that, did I?

I was at that Kiwi place in Hartamas last Sunday, the same place I was forced to tell my current girlfriend back when we were just friends I had a thing for her after the song I painstakingly composed and recorded to tell her I had a thing for her wouldn't play on her CD player.

I sat there eating beans and toast and sausages and scrambled eggs when my girlfriend asked,

"Why not this place for the cafe?"

Not a bad idea. You can smoke indoors and most people sit outside. There was even a bar that could double for the bar scene. Her remark suddenly made me remember another place in Hartamas, Gecko-something-or-other. Later in the day we went searching for it.

The cafe was located on the 1st floor of one of the buildings, and if memory serves correct it had a smoking area indoors and was near the Finnegans pub. We found it, but it wasn't Gecko-wotsit anymore. It's now called 'Cravings', a health food cafe, opened between the hours of 8am to 6pm and closed on Sundays.

That's even better. If it's closed on Sundays we could try and convince the manager to let us shoot there on Sundays and we won't be disturbing their regular business. Of course, this little recce was on a Sunday so we couldn't ask anyone.

So, if all goes according to plan, the two protagonists will frequent a health food cafe. I think I can post-rationalize that in the script. Or not. Fuck it, it works.

Saiful, ever resourceful, has also been trying to help by getting his 50 year old cousin to play the dad, but alas to no avail. He did, however, ask Boy, the drummer from Doze, whose about 29 but does look a bit older han Kamal. Possibly, possibly. I'm not too keen on getting people who aren't the right age for fear that it'll be too obvious. We won't have a dedicated professional make-up person. In fact, we won't have a dedicated professional anything. The entire cast & crew is made up of friends and acquaintances.