Filmmakers and actors work from home during the age of Covid-19
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Read the following story by Melalin Mahavongtrakul from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
When the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a lockdown that put many industries on hold, a group of filmmakers and actors from production company Nadao Bangkok got together to make a series of short films from their homes.
STUCK INSIDE
Titled Gak Tua Stories, or Quarantine Stories, this series of 10 short films follow fictional accounts of people stuck in isolation during the months-long quarantine. Featuring 10 directors and 19 actors, the timely short films are delivered in a variety of themes and genres, from horror and comedy to romance and drama. Some of the storylines include a struggling musician collecting debts from someone who borrowed money from him years ago, and a romance between a fitness trainer and his client, and more.
Executive producer Kriangkrai Vachiratamporn said these quarantine short films started in mid-March. The team came up with a special project they can do from home as movie and TV series sets were suspended as part of the rules to limit the spread of the virus.
"We didn't want everyone -- both the cast and crew -- in the production house to feel hopeless during the pandemic. So, we decided to find something we can work on separately from home. We wanted to see if it was possible to get our actors to film themselves and send us the footage," said Kriangkrai.
The stories mostly employ the video-call format that sees different characters interact and chat long-distance. Experimental and raw, the footage is filmed by the actors themselves from their own home, with the director giving directions online. Some of the footage was shot on smartphones. No crew were present on-site, meaning the actors also became their own stylist, costume designer and production designer.
"As we forbid the actors to leave their house, that means their house becomes the location of the story. The directors came up with the general idea of the story first, chose their actors, looked at the actors' home to see what areas they could use, then went into screenwriting with that location in mind," he added.
Kriangkrai also directed one story titled Because We Know You Need To Leave Home, which is about a designer making masks for his banker friend who is unable to work from home.
ACTOR SLASH DIRECTOR
Awat Ratanapintha also sees his role multiplied in Gak Tua Stories. As an actor, he plays a man having a conversation from the balcony with his foreign neighbour in Day 10. He is also the director of another story, Mother Distancing, which is about teenage siblings and their doctor mother who risks being infected with Covid-19.
"It was quite a tiring process but also a very fun one," said Awat. "Everything was online, all the way to filming day. We were only able to chat and direct through video calls. It was also my first time not meeting the person I'm supposed to act with."
Working on this project with a minimum number of people, Kriangkrai said that he received the same feedback from both cast and crew that they all missed having a large team.
"One thing I like about this project is we really see the importance and value of teamwork. We need so many people because we all rely on one another to get each day done as fast as we can. Cutting down on people really increases the time and workload for each of us," he said.
The restrictions imposed on film sets have immobilised film and television production teams nationwide. From completely banning film sets, the state has, at first, relented to allowing only five people on set, which is practically impossible to shoot a project. The number has since increased to 50 people, which Kriangkrai feels is still "not normal".
"The size of the cast and crew depends on the scale of each scene. Some may require 50-100 extras. So, it'll be up to us to find a way to tell the story we want while still complying with the current rules," he said.
Section 1: Answer the following questions in the space provided.
1. How many people worked on Quarantine Stories? .…………….
2. When did the project begin? …………….
3. Each actor worked with a stylist. True or false? ……………..
4. One film is about a banker who makes masks. True or false? …………….
5. Which film has a foreign actor? …………….
6. Awat directed Mother Distancing. True or false? …………..
7. Everyone enjoyed working without a large team. True or false? …………….
8. How many people are currently allowed on a film set? …………….
.
Section 2: Write the noun form of the following words in the space provided.
9. during ……… 10. delivered ……… 11. interact ………. 12. able ………. 13. foreign ……….
.
Section 3: Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
"I think …14… apply to every industry now. Everyone has to find their …15… solution so they can still work and make money. In the …16…, I think we'll eventually end up with our old normal. We need a full …17… working together to make a movie. I see this new normal …18… maybe one or two years. It's just …19…,” Kriangkrai said.
14. A. limit ___B. freedoms ___C. limitations
15. A. each ___B. own ___C. every
16. A. long run ___B. long turn ___C. long time
17 A. actors ___B. director ___C. crew
18. A. doing ___B. lasting ___C. having
19. A. temperance ___B. temporary ___C. temptation
.
Section 4: Find words that match the following definitions.
20. (of stories) not real; imaginary ……………
21. different styles of film or story ……………
22. the people who work on a film or TV show ……………
23. brothers or sisters ……………
24. the least amount possible …………
.
.
Answers: 1. 19. 2. mid-March. 3. false. 4. false. 5. Day 10. 6. true. 7. false. 8. 50.
9. duration. 10. delivery. 11. interaction. 12. ability. 13. foreigner.
14. c. 15. b. 16. a. 17. c. 18. b. 19. b.
20. fictional. 21. genres. 22. crew. 23. siblings. 24. minimum.
SCORE 21-24: Excellent! 17-20: Good. 13-16: Fair. 12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
