FREE Seminar Independent Filmmaking: Creative Strategies and Multi-Market Thinking for Film

by: Michael Wiese,
(International Producer & Publisher)

25 Sept 2008 - THUR 10am - 5pm
26 Sept 2008 - FRI 10am - 1pm
Venue : Theater P.Ramlee, FINAS

A lively and informal seminar of 'must-know' information for professional filmmakers, writers, producers and covers the creative business and programming strategies necessary for creating success with your project and getting noticed in the overcrowded world arena.

Michael Wiese will share tips for raising financing, finding distributors and avoiding the traps found in standard distribution contracts. His specially designed PITCH SESSION, Wiese will help you find your unique voice and skills and turn your special gifts into a vocation. Participants at Michael's previous seminars have rated Michael's seminar 93% to 96% "at meeting or exceeding expectations". An engaging and challenging event is anticipated for the Kuala Lumpur creative and business community.

The seminar, will be tailored to attendees needs and may cover some or all of the following topics:

• Case Study of "Bali Brothers"
• Develop a Successful script
• Give Investors What They Want
• Get Financing from Investors, Distributors and others
• Add Promotable Elements to Your Package
• Prepare a Business Plan
• Prepare Income Projections
• Spin Plates Among Stars, Investors, Distributors and Sponsors
• Assemble a Winning Team
• Obtain Marketing which is More Important than Dollars
• Cover Yourself Legally
• Put Together Financial Projections
• Identify Hidden Sources of Money In Your Project
• Find Producing Partners
• Target Distributors
• Develop Your Own Pitch that Sells
• Identify Your Own Unique Skills
• Choose The Right Digital Tools
• Get Into Production

Michael Wiese is an America filmmaker, author, seminar leader, and publisher who lives in England. He was formerly Vice President at Vestron, at one time America's largest independent studio, where he oversaw the production and distribution of over 200 videos in all genres grossing over $100 million. He was also responsible for launching video lines for National Geographic, Smithsonian, NOVA and PBS. Currently he oversees Michael Wiese Productions which publishes over 100 professional film and video books that are used in the major motion picture studios and in 600+ film schools throughout the world. He had presented filmmaking seminars for Kodak (Cannes Film Festival), The Independent Feature Project, The American Film Institute (15 yrs) and Rockport's International Film and Television Workshops. He is currently is preparing to direct a feature film based on his 1995 novel in Bali. interview1, interview2.

Interested?
REGISTER here to get your free DVD, CDROM and course material.

JayLim's Ms.Hua Dances with Flowers to Nanyang via Penang

What's up in Penang's design scene?
An upcoming exhibition by JayLim who will reveal his first signature style & character design, "Miss Hua" – the fictional character of a young woman based on the Shanghai 50’s era.

This is part of a cross-cultural project with a group of talented artist/designers from Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, namely Nakanari, Josef Lee, Muid Latif, Urban-Cr3atures and Fusionwave.

“There is a huge following in western culture and modern living, and this situation will have an effect on the identity of a country, or a person. Even the cultural heritage that we see still standing along Petaling Street and Jalan Mesui, for example, is an integral link between the past and the future that continuously shape our perspective and understanding of the present world". - JL.

The exhibition will have designers sharing stories and their experiences in the ever-demanding creative industry through keynote speakers Lim Chun-Woei (Han Chiang College), Muid Latif (CD/founder of DMP), Luk Chee Chew (Fusionwave) & JayLim. The exhibition will feature a variety of styles and perspectives through poster designs.

Exhibition & Talks
"A Journey to Nanyang – Dance with the Flowers"
19 & 20 Sept 2008 11am – 5pm
Han Chiang College, Lim Lean Teng Road, Georgetown, Penang.

note: the above article content is adapted from JayLim's event blog.

smalltalk // 28 June 2008

kakireka will be having a special smalltalk event in conjunction with wREGA's Annual General Meeting & Elections 2008 to be held at the same venue (Ole Cafe) earlier from 2pm onwards. If you're interested to hear what's the Malaysian Graphic Designers Association about, come earlier, details in the blog post before this one.
100 Characters inside my Bag
A talk on designing unique characters
Speaker:
Tintoy Chuo, character designer
ActionTintoy Studio

28 June 2008 (SAT)
Ole Cafe, Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.
5:00pm-6:00pm
Entrance is FREE but limited seats: to book a seat, click here.
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Studio profile:
ActionTintoy Studio is a character design & illustration studio located in Kuala Lumpur, founded by Tintoy Chuo, a multimedia designer who's passionate about cartoon & character creation. Besides being conventional artists, ActionTintoy Studio is also involved in new media design such as animation & game development. His creative expertise has reached across the globe and back: Singapore, Beijing, Hong Kong, Sweden, Canada and USA.

ActionTintoy Studio's works were also featured in many design magazines, as well as design web-portals. Tintoy Chuo is constantly involved in international design collaboration campaigns to promote & increase the awareness of Malaysian design and character design.

wREGA - Malaysian Graphic Designers Association Annual General Meeting & Elections 2008

Calling all graphic designers! If you like kakireka's activities but would like to join an actual professional body for designers in Malaysia, look no further than... wREGA or Wakaf Reka Grafik Malaysia (the one and only association for graphic designers in Malaysia that is recognised by ICOGRADA). Anyway, we share similar goals but wREGA is a registered organisation while kakireka only exist online... for now.

wREGA's been around for 9 years now and will be having their 10th Annual General Meeting this Saturday, 28 June 2008. Incidentally, the meeting will be held at the same venue as kakireka's smalltalk, good old "Ole Cafe" at 48, Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.

Drop by and find out what lies in the future of design in Malaysia and maybe how you can benefit or contribute as a designer. Membership is open to all design professionals, design students and even associate members (ppl in biz related to design) are welcome to join.

Malaysia is changing rapidly in the aftermath of the 2008 general elections. There is a social awakening among Malaysians about the power the rakyat has and even designers should step up and be counted. Now's the time to get involved and let your voice be heard if you have something to say about the design profession on a national level. Can design be used to provide creative solutions to what ails this beloved country of ours? Racism? Culture drift? Transportation woes? The environment? Effective town-planning?

Instead of just bitching about agency politics or racist politicians or what coulda woulda shoulda, join wREGA now, get into the organising committee and make some serious changes for the betterment of us all. And make design be sexy, be better valued, be useful... before we all drown in the rising prices of everything due to wasted resources and not being able to work together becos we are different.

wREGA 10th AGM -- 28 June 2008 (SAT)
2pm - 6pm
Ole Cafe, Changkat Bukit Bintang, K. L.

Interested, email wREGA today to book your place. Do indicate if you're interested to serve in the organising committee.

smalltalk // 07 June 2008

07 June (SATURDAY)
Ole Cafe, Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.
8:00-10:00pm


speaker // topic:
"Learning Mathematics
Can Be Creative & Fun"
by: Dr. Kien H. Lim, University of Texas at El Paso, USA

Is the math taught in schools killing the creativity in our children? What does the the field of mathematics education in the West (US & Europe) propose to resolve this issue? Are the strategies applicable here?

In the talk, Dr. Lim will share the challenges he is facing in helping his students (prospective teachers) in the US develop ways of thinking instead of memorizing facts, formulas, and algorithms.

He will discuss how math problems can be designed so that the math can be learned in a fun and meaningful way. You will experience it through an activity for yourself.

Who should attend:
Designers dealing with finance industry clients, e.g. you need to make sense of all the numbers in the corporate annual report. Anyone who's afraid to deal with numbers or just want to stop hating maths. Anyone who need to solve a math problem but have no idea what it all means. Parents with school-going children. & maths teachers?

Why kakireka? Part I

(published with permission)
Dear Kenneth,
Hi. I was really glad that I stumbled upon kakireka.com on the internet. I am certainly quite impressed by the initiatives taken to form talks/forums such as 7:21. It was with pleasure that I realized you are the co-founder and that you previously worked at O&M as I did a short stint there as an intern during my undergraduate study in 2004. I am a Malaysian currently doing my MPhil/PhD in Graphic Design in UK. Unfortunately, I am not sure of how much I can do to help as I am not in Malaysia, would certainly be an active participant if I were in Malaysia! Also, I am hoping that we could have a discourse and probably an interview later on as I am interested in your direct experience in this field, as well as your perspective on the perception and practice of graphic design in Malaysia, as part of my research. Thanks so much, in advance, I am looking forward to contacting you for any insight and advice you would be willing to share. Meanwhile, I would constantly keep up with the site. Thank you for your consideration. Regards, Debbie

(kakireka reply)
Hi Debbie,
well met indeed. sorry i dun remember if we crossed paths in O&M but i left end of 2004. which dept were you in? kakireka needs more people like you to provide some food for thought and academic insights into why what we do matters to who how when. As design practitioners, we often get caught up in our own client's self-serving world of sell sell sell and neglect the social aspects of the creative power we truly possess. One of the objectives of kakireka is to buildup a repository of public discourse and research into local design history, methods, culture, best practices, etc. We welcome any researcher to publish their papers/ prelim. findings on our site. Heck, we might even help facilitate your research by giving you access to our readers/members if you want their opinion or other support (case-by-case basis) online or offline during one of our live events.
It's a crying shame that till today, 50yrs of merdeka, there can't be found any substantial (published) research on malaysian DESIGN history (compared to arts & craft), as Irina, our exco member cum Masters student researcher from UiTM can attest to. With no discernible history to relate to or learn from, it is no wonder young designers generally lack a sense of pride in their chosen profession. Survival in the industry becomes a personal battle against other competitors /designers. Dog eat dog world. price cutting counter-measures. Or who has the better skill, the latest software weapons, etc. We are like designer mercenaries. Next, we enter & win creative industry awards to show off we're the best... NOT to learn from each other. There are so many stories of fresh graduates who get disillusioned and quit the profession within the first year of graduating. To break this pattern, we have to build a sense of community where we must help each other if we are to grow professionally. And to be open to new ideas, new collaborations and experimentations of new techniques, new fundamental practices that may make us grow to be a better person as well. So, welcome again to kakireka. We're, in turn, also interested in your progress and future research contributions on "the perception and practice of graphic design in malaysia". Do share with us your insights. May I know what's your thesis/research about? cheers, Kenneth

smalltalk // 30 May 2008

30 May (FRIDAY)
Ole Cafe, Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.
8:00-10:00pm

speaker // topic:
"Asia, Heart & Bowl"
A talk about Experience, Creativity and the Heart over Mind.
by: Melisa Wong, Octagon Creative


Who should attend:
Graphic Designers, Theatrical Set Designers, Video/Multimedia Artists.

Are you Malaysia's hottest young design entrepreneur?

Are you running your own design business with panache and flair?
Do you feel passionate about making a difference in design?
Fancy hanging out with the likes of Tom Dixon & Sir Terrence Conran?

If that's you, you're our Malaysian Young Design Entrepreneur to send to the UK!

As the Malaysian finalist, you will take part in a 12-day all expenses paid tour of the UK’s design sector, along with the finalists from 9 other countries. The tour will comprise visits, meetings, seminars, events and shows, including 100% Design and London Design Festival where you get to schmooze with the big players and your peers. Plus the shot at winning prize money of £7500 and being chosen the International Young Design Entrepreneur 2008.

3 Easy Steps to becoming Malaysia’s representative to IYDE 2008
Step 1: Get noticed - submit your application by 30 JUNE 2008
Step 2: SHOW not just tell us and you’re on the short list
Step 3: Speak up and be heard - IMPRESS the judges at the interviews

Visit www.britishcouncil.org.my now for the application form!

Pecha Kucha Night Kuala Lumpur Vol.3

24 May 2008 (SAT)

The Annexe Gallery, Central Market Annexe
7.30pm – 10.00pm

What is Pecha Kucha you ask?
It’s a night of music (by Blastique), drinks and swift and slick presentations (20 slides, 20 secs/slide) by people of the creative persuasions.

And who’s on the line up?
Ridwan Kamil, architect and urban planner, Bandung Indonesia
Creative United Movement (C.U.M.). design collective and fun folks
Munkao, visual artist and bawdy humorist
Simon Keogh, architect and curator, transplanted from Ireland
PopMalaya, tee-shirt designers
Elaine Foster, poet and humble servant to the Freedom Film Festival
Zhin Teng, emerging architect

It’s going to be a night like none other so make sure you’re there!
Email British Council or call 03 2723 7931/7988 if you need to talk about Pecha Kucha. And check out Pecha Kucha Global – it’s happening almost everywhere!

Olympic Games Beijing 2008 Graphic Language

Click here for the 2nd of 3 parts of an interview with Min Wang, the Design Director for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Interesting read with cross cultural design strategies, forming a graphic language that speaks to the world and yet retains an unique chinese flavour.

Learn how the team fuses Eastern & Western ideas, values & aesthetics.

Examples include the unique inlaid circular ancient jade "bi" (transl. talisman tablet?) into the olympic games medal design.


And how the sports pictograms were inspired by oracle bone calligraphy and chinese seal characteristics.

Also check out the Beijing 2008 graphic elements and compare it with past years designs.

smalltalk // 09 May 2008

09 May (FRIDAY)
Ole Cafe, Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.
8:00-10:00pm

speaker/topic:
"Online Games Design showcase"
by: EasyOnly!Games

Award-winning game designer Hazmer will showcase his latest original online games from his EasyOnly!Games studio.

Their latest release, "The Last Canopy", a manic top-down shooter got rave reviews and won First Place at the recent JayisGames.com's Casual Gameplay Flash Game Design Competition #5.

Come & get some insights on how to design a great flash game & release it online.

Admission is FREE. Limited seats. Come early.

OGC unveils new logo to red faces

(left) The OGC logo, seen as it was intended.




It cost £14,000 to create, but clearly no-one at the smart London design outfit that came up with the new logo for HM Treasury thought to turn it on its side. The logo, for the Office of Government Commerce, was intended to signify a bold commitment to the body’s aim of “improving value for money by driving up standards and capability in procurement”.

Instead, it has generated howls of mirth and what is likely to be a barrage of teasing emails from mandarins in other departments.

According to insiders, the graphic was already proudly etched on mousemats and pens before it was unveiled for employees, who spotted the clanger within seconds.
> read original article here
by: Aislinn Simpson, Telegraph.co.uk