A five-episode video series of conversations about theatre, film, poetry, novels, and photobooks by Ridhwan Saidi with friends. / Siri video lima episod perkongsian tentang seni teater, filem, puisi, novel dan photobook oleh Ridhwan Saidi bersama teman-teman.
The five guests are Ani Aziz, Mah Jun Yi, Ali Aiman Mazwin, Archana Pillai, and Meier Wee. I chose them because each is less familiar with the medium being discussed. For example, Ani Aziz knows my novels and theatre work, but we spoke about photobooks. The idea was to receive questions that are more general, which would then naturally become a little more specific. Since each video is only 5–10 minutes (as stated in the proposal), I didn’t want us to go too deep into one specific work such as the play Stereo Genmai, the film Tiada Cinta Selama Muda, or the novel Mautopia. I could easily talk for hours about the process of each project, but for this series we began with broader questions—why I chose a medium and how I work—and only later touched on particular works, each carrying its own memories and methods. / Lima tetamu yang dijemput: Ani Aziz, Mah Jun Yi, Ali Aiman Mazwin, Archana Pillai dan Meier Wee. Pemilihan tetamu ini sengaja saya pilih mereka yang kurang arif secara spesifik terhadap medium yang dikendali. Misalnya Ani Aziz lebih familiar dengan novel dan kerja teater saya tapi kita berborak tentang photobook. Tujuannya adalah untuk saya terima soalan yang umum, selain sedikit sebanyak ia menjadi semakin spesifik. Ini kerana video perkongsian ini cuma 5-10 minit (dalam proposal), maka saya tak mahu kita pergi terlalu mendalam dan fokus ke satu-satu work spesifik seperti teater Stereo Genmai misalnya, atau filem Tiada Cinta Selama Muda, atau novel Mautopia. Untuk setiap judul atau hasil kerja saya, saya boleh cakap berjam-jam untuk kongsi prosesnya. Maka di dalam projek ini, kita cenderung untuk bermula dengan sesuatu yang umum (kenapa saya pilih medium tersebut dan bagaimana saya bekerja), dan kemudian baru sedikit sebanyak sentuh hasil kerja yang spesifik (kerana setiap karya ada memori dan cara kerja yang berbeza).
My direction for each guest was simple: we talk, and keep talking until we forget the camera is even there. Some friends felt nervous at first—it was outdoors, with cameras around, something we rarely do—so part of my role was to create a sense of ease as we shared. / Untuk setiap tetamu direction saya adalah untuk kita bercakap, dan terus bercakap sehingga akhirnya kita lupakan kewujudan kamera. Saya dapat rasa ada di antara teman-teman ini yang sedikit gugup dan rasa janggal awalnya (sebab kita di tempat terbuka, dengan kamera bagai, ia jarang-jarang dibuat), jadi tugas saya juga selain ingin berkongsi, cuba untuk mewujudkan perasaan selesa.
Being filmed requires courage, since one might say the wrong thing. But I always remind myself that the video only captures who we are in that moment. If you asked me the same question today, I might answer differently. Knowing we were being recorded, I made sure to stay focused—and to drink an espresso-based coffee before each session to clear the mind. / Untuk dirakam video perlukan keberanian kerana kita mungkin boleh tersilap cakap, tapi saya sentiasa sedar, video cuma merakam diri kita di momen itu sahaja. Andai anda tanya soalan yang sama kepada saya sekarang, responsnya boleh jadi berbeza. Tetapi untuk ada kesedaran dirakam, kita perlu fokus dan minum kopi (espresso-based) sebelum setiap kali sesi agar minda jadi terang.
We recorded across Shah Alam, Old Klang Road, Bandar Sunway, Klang, and Kuala Lumpur. Only the episode with Ali Aiman was filmed in a car because of the rain. I realized that conversations while walking flow better than when sitting down. Talking about art while walking was such a joy, something I had never done before in my life. / Dari Shah Alam, ke Old Klang Road, ke Bandar Sunway, ke Klang, ke Kuala Lumpur. Hanya episod bersama Ali Aiman kita buat di dalam kereta sebab hari hujan. Yang saya rasa, bila kita cakap duduk, ia tak selancar bila kita cakap sambil berjalan. Bercakap fasal seni sambil berjalan kaki memang syok dan rasanya tak pernah saya buat dalam hidup!
With the support of / Dengan sokongan CENDANA Malaysia #CENDANACreateNow
Moka Mocha Ink 