Making of Modern Family - PL4880G edition

 

The idea came randomly.

We were discussing how we could present our Positive Psychology project, and someone threw up the idea of a Modern Family kind of theme. I latched on it immediately, and we explained to the rest what it was, and I happened to have some episodes on my laptop so we watched a few scenes for the sake of those who had not watched it before.

Ideas began forming in my mind, and I volunteered to write the script for the 'episode'.

Inspiration came from Ryan Higa and Modern Family itself - I ripped off quite a few used ideas. For instance, the opening scene of PL4880G edition was the opening scene of Season 1's pilot episode, albeit much shorter. The whole 'going into the room to check out on son and girlfriend' plot was also taken from Modern Family, though it was daughter and boyfriend there. The last 'pun/blackout' scene was clearly inspired by some of Ryan Higa's puns, with some of my own slipped in.

The characters were also inspired by Modern Family of course - a controlling mother, a thinks-he-is-cool Dad (the name Chill is a reference to Phil), and three siblings (though the genders are slightly different).

It was a great process producing this short film. The filming process was a real bitch, taking up well over 6 hours (though I guess that's really short for film standards) and multiple takes. We compromised a little on quality towards the last hour which was rather unfortunate, as it meant some jokes being cut out or accidentally left out.

I learnt quite a bit editing the film too. I learnt the importance of 'B rolls', the name given for those random scene shots like some cars passing by... a shot of the house ... a shot of birds running around.. some random calefare cycling.. basically filler shots. These filler shots help to make transitions a lot less awkward and jarring.

I also learnt the importance of multiple takes from different angles - they help a lot when you want to cut from one shot to another, to reduce the 'jumpiness' of the jump. We didn't have the luxury of having multiple takes from different angles so I had to make do with amateurish transition effects to reduce the jumpiness.

 

Here's the finished product!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCegYKMjXJo

[Dreams] 2.4km, Winter, and the Epic Bunny Cat Fight

I was running practice laps for 2.4km, as if warming up for it. I was in my jeans. Then I started it and somehow I ran the first round in the wrong direction then I was forced to do it again

I went off.. to change into shorts, because well, its easier to run in shorts. But after I had changed... it was too late! The timing to take 2.4 was over. Zzz

Cut to next scene.. I was with my gf on a bus which somehow brought us from SG to Japan during winter. I had neglected to put on my winter wear and they were all in my luggage which was stowed in the baggage compartment below the bus.

I realized that I would have to be in my normal clothes for a good ten mins or sth before we could get our luggage when we alighted :(

When we got off, we entered a building and were waiting around for something

Then I saw the most epic thing in my life... (even if it was just a dream)

I saw a cat and rabbit duke it out, no holds barred style, totally YouTube worthy kind of fight. 

The cat pounced on the rabbit but the rabbit was no meek animal as it wrestled and swiped the cat off. The rabbit managed to continually roll and maneuver off the cat.

All of us watching were actually cheering loudly with each successive sequence of pounce-wrestle-swipes-disengage
Finally the cat landed the killing blow - on one swift pounce, its fangs found the rabbit's throat and it ripped out the rabbits windpipe. The cat rolled to the side, with the windpipe dangling out of his mouth. The fight was over. There was a collective 'ohhhhhh' when this happened.

Then I woke up. And felt a pang of regret for not videoing down that epic fight. Then realized it was just a dream.

The Escape Artist - Dimension Z review

DISCLAIMER: This post is spoiler-free. Any spoilers will be clearly demarcated and be in WHITE text. There are no answers given about how to solve any of the puzzles, just general hints, which the gamemasters may also give to you anyway when you play. If you want an entirely spoiler-free experience, just don’t read the review/tips!

Brief Intro: If you have played any online room escape games, you would surely be keen on The Escape Artist, a real-life room escape game at the somewhat obscure Bukit Timah Shopping Centre. They have 4 rooms in total, which you can check out on their official website here. The room sizes allow anywhere from 2 – 8 people, depending on the particular room. Each room has a unique theme and a set of puzzles which you have to solve to unlock the door to get out of the room. The success rates are pretty low, probably below 50%, so be prepared for a challenge.
It costs $15 per person for 50 minutes (and an additional $15 for the entire room for a 10(?) minute extension), $12 if you are a student. Pretty reasonable rates for a really great time!

Many puzzles in every room are what I call ‘general lateral thinking puzzles’, where you have to think creatively and figure out how to derive the code from whatever clues you have.

This blog post will be my review of one of their rooms, Dimension Z.