By OKJ — What it Means to Earn a Credit
By OKJ - Five letters of my maker's mark.
To label any work with one's name is a significant decision. To attach oneself to how their work may soar (or falter) in the winds of public discourse - something well beyond one's control. Regardless of whether one decides to participate or avoid such discourse, the maker's mark binds its creator to their work.
Respecting this truth, a work should take a necessary amount of time and attention to be made. For my first documentary series - it took eight months. In that time, I had reflected on some lessons I've learnt here and here.
Those eight months can be summed up in the series synopsis below:
"Game For Life: Transforming Lives Through Sport features an all-Singaporean cast of coaches, this landmark series by CoachSG enters into the Heart of Coaching. With a common thread of building team culture, fostering a conducive environment for holistic development and having a strong purpose, these inspiring coaches detail their personal coaching values and beliefs. These guide their inner compass as they transform lives through Sport.
Five coaches from across sports are featured in this series, Ang Peng Siong (Swimming), C. Kunalan (Athletics), Loh Ngiap Tai (Football), Louise Khng (Floorball), and Teo Siew Lan (Volleyball).
This series is directed, produced and written by Documentary Storyteller, OKJ."
This series is set to launch tomorrow on 26 October 2021. None of my documentary subjects have yet to watch even a draft of their respective episodes. A sacred agreement between my subjects and I is the human element of trust - that their openness and vulnerabilities will be reciprocated by my honesty and earnestness of craft.
In the days that follow, I will meet each of them once more. Some to pass them back their precious family photos and memories, others to simply give thanks and catch up after months apart. To each, I have a hand-written letter - and though its contents are private and personal, I find it appropriate to share with you a snippet,
"Every process of a documentary is ironically intimate. It demands a stranger like me to appreciate the perspectives and thoughts that you have shaped across your lifetime.
Yet you had allowed me into your life - and shared with me the stories that made up your world."
This is the weight of responsibility behind five mere letters. It will appear for a few seconds on screen but it will bind me to this work for my lifetime. Having done my best, now I can only hope that it will do justice to the lifetimes of my documentary subjects.
The trailer for Game For Life: Transforming Lives Through Sport will be launched tomorrow at the 2021 CoachSG Conference by Minister Edwin Tong.
And without further ado, I would also like to acknowledge the people who have made this journey possible.
Executive Producer - Jayce Tham
Supervising Producer - Fanny Tham
Producer - Lavita Kala
Cinematographer - Jeremy Lau
Editor - Ewe Shen, Tee
Hair and Make Up - Cindy Chong
Sound Recordist - Alexander Choong
Motion Graphics - Marilyn Neo
Interview Camera Operator - Justin Faith Ng, Sebastian Wong
Field Camera Assistants - Sebastian Wong, Dieu Sze Wen
Director, Producer, Writer - OKJ
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Ang Peng Siong
Coach Osamu and students of APSC
Chin Seng
Toh Wei Soong
The Aquatic Performance Swim Club (APSC)
APS Swim School
Singapore Judo Federation
Singapore Judo Club
Louise Khng
John Liljelund
Leandro Ngo
International Floorball Federation
The Rock School
The Straits Times
Canagasabai Kunalan and family
Singapore Sports Museum
Home of Athletics
Kallang Sport Centre
Public Service Division
Loh Ngiap Tai
Coaches and students of FootballPlus
FootballPlus Ltd
World Farm
Hua Hng Trading
The Arena
Teo Siew Lan
St Hilda’s Secondary School
Eunice Teo
