"...we'll need you to e-mail your CV and send us a showreel as well. We know you're famous, but unfortunately it's required."
Roughly translated quote from a phone conversation this morning with a production company. I'm famous? That's weird. Incredibly weird. Then again, there's been a lot of positive press coverage these past few weeks, so I guess my face is plastered about everywhere. No cover shoots yet, though. Then again, can't imagine what magazine would possibly want me on the cover.
"So, our choices for this months cover are Daphne Iking, Chermaine Poo, Hanah Tan, Marion Counter, Tata Young and some local indie filmmaker."
"Has the indie filmmaker got nice tits?"
"Well, it's a he, not a she. But he is quite tubby. Maybe if we get him to squeeze them together..."
"...er. No."
The press on Ciplak has been amazing, though it hasn't pumped up ticket sales over the past week. Whilst Cicakman hits a record number of RM350,000 on its opening day, Ciplak is struggling. The extended run helped a bit, but for some reason people seemed to have thought that Ciplak was only running for one day. It's still in cinemas, dammit! Diana brought up a good point, though: the movie was never supposed to be in cinemas, so the fact that it is and a few thousand people are watching it is a good thing.
It's also a good thing because it's turned into the best calling card a filmmaker could hope for. Since the movie's release I've been getting calls from two production companies to come up with some stuff on TV and a well known international company that may or may not want me to do a short film for them with a budget that they call modest but I reckon is enough to make me go all Bruckheimer on your ass. Producers want to meet as well as potential actresses ('nuff said).
Where do these people get my number, though? At a meeting, I kept asking the company where they got my number. They simply replied,
"We have ways."
In a way it's kinda freaky. It's one short step from "hi, we'd like you to direct an episode of so-and-so" to "I can see you sleeping."
Fear of stalkers aside, the offers are good. My only worry, though, is whether I can live up to them. I've proven I can do stuff on a budget, but with a buget? And a crew? And a time limit? The expectations are kinda scaring me a bit, as well as the question that I get asked time and time again:
"So what's your next movie going to be about? Any plans?"
My honest response? Haven't a fucking clue. It's the damn expectations, they're kinda freaking me out. And I honestly don't know what to do next. Should I continue with the stories of Jo? 'Ciplak' is actually the second part of a loose trilogy of three scripts I wrote with the same character. Or should I do the horror/action film I've always wanted to do? Or just a flat out action film? Or something more serious? Or what?
All I know is there's a lot of writing to be done. Lots and lots. And I haven't had much time to sit down and write any scripts yet, just ideas. Plenty of ideas. None of them crystalized. Till one of them does, I'll keep fielding these offers and figure something out.
One thing I do know, though: I really, really, really want to make a movie in Malaysia with an 18 rating.
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