KELVIN TONG (WRITER/DIRECTOR)
An award-winning Singapore film-maker, Kelvin Tong’s work is marked by an exciting eclecticism that defies categorization.
Eating Air, his 1999 co-directorial debut with Jasmine Ng, fused teenage angst with kung fu and motorbikes. The feature went on to win the Young Cinema Award at the 2000 Singapore International Film Festival and the FIPRESCI prize at the 2000 Stockholm International Film Festival.
Representing Singapore extensively in the international film-festival circuit, the arthouse gem screened and competed in the Vancouver International Film Festival, Hongkong International Film Festival, Helsinki International Film Festival, Moscow Sochi International Film Festival, Udine International Film Festival, Barcelona International Film Festival, Los Angeles Asian-American Film Festival, Manila Film Festival, Tokyo PIA International Film Festival, Warsaw International Film Festival, Denmark International Film Festival, the inaugural Deauville Film Festival and the CineAsia Film Festival in Cologne, Germany.
With his second feature, The Maid (2005), Kelvin Tong went from arthouse to populist. The atmospheric horror film broke box office records in Singapore and was acquired by Fortissimo Films for worldwide distribution.
The Maid won the Asian Award at the 2006 European Fantastic Film Festival Federation along with a citation from the jury: “A very well made – and genuinely scary production. Nicely shot, good SFX, well-crafted – believable characters. Very fine acting – especially from Alessandra de Rossi and Shucheng Chen. It’s not just a scary movie – it’s also a social comment on the issue of foreign labour.”
2006 marked a return to Kelvin Tong’s arthouse roots with his third feature, Love Story. A collaboration with Hong Kong’s Focus Films, the metaphysical romance took the Best Director Award at the 2006 Singapore International Film Festival and was also honored as the closing film at the 2006 Locarno International Film Festival.
In 2007, Kelvin Tong embarked on his first Asian production, Rule #1. The horror-thriller, which stars Shawn Yue and Ekin Cheng, saw the writer-director training his lens beyond Singapore for the first time.
Rule #1 第一诫
Every day, the Police Force receives 185 phone calls.
180 of them are about burglaries, murders, rapes and kidnappings.
The remaining 5 begin with: “There is something strange in my house, can you please send someone over to take a look?”
For rookie Sergeant Lee (Shawn Yu), being a cop means running down crooks and upholding the law. Injured in a shoot-out, he finds out to his horror that he is reassigned to the dubious-sounding Miscellaneous Affairs Department (MAD).
There, he is paired up with Inspector Wong (Ekin Cheng), a jaded and alcoholic veteran who explains that MAD’s role is to answer supernatural calls.
A swimming pool caretaker calls the Police about strange noises at his workplace. Lee and Wong are dispatched to the scene. Lee seems to be on the brink of uncovering something sinister when Wong traces the source of the ghastly noise–a clogged-up water pump.
Putting Lee down, Wong explains MAD’s rule number one–There are no ghosts.
For every seemingly-inexplicable phenomenon, there is a corresponding scientific and rational explanation.
When Lee and Wong arrive at a nursing home to investigate a bizarre TV that keeps turning itself on and off, the veteran cop immediately uncovers the culprit. A man in the opposite apartment is channel-surfing with a remote control that is of the same brand as the TV in the nursing home.
Unconvinced by Wong’s easy explanations, Lee investigates on his own and finds himself confronted by the impossible. At the swimming pool, he is haunted by the ghost of a young girl who had drowned there. At the nursing home, he encounters the spirit of an old woman who enjoyed watching TV before she passed away.
Confronted by Lee, Wong reveals the true mission of MAD. When members of the public call the Police about strange noises or ghostly shadows, MAD shows up and reassures the complainants with scientific and rational explanations. The truth must never be known or else society will descend into chaos.
A firm believer of truth and justice, Lee cannot reconcile himself to MAD’s shady practices. As he rebels against the system, the young cop realizes that there is a grain of truth in Wong’s advice.
Slowly, Lee is sucked into a world of deceit and cover-ups. His relationship with his girlfriend May (Fiona Xie) suffers as MAD begins investigating a string of bizarre teenage suicides.
A girl is found to have hung herself from a height of five feet.
Another girl is discovered to have drowned herself in a fish tank.
Impossible suicides. Unless, the victims were possessed.
As Lee and Wong follow the clues, they realize that something sinister is heading their way.
A serial killer who was shot by Lee before his reassignment to MAD is back–as a ghost. He is moving from girl to girl, leaving a grisly trail of carnage in his wake.
While Lee doggedly pursues this ancient feud, Wong has second thoughts about his flagging career at MAD. The veteran hooks up with his former wife Esther (Stephanie Che) and makes plans to quit the force.
On Wong’s last day, Lee tracks the serial killer’s ghost down to a warehouse. A showdown ensues–in which nobody is let off.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
It started with a simple what if.
What if there are ghosts and the Police know about it? Do they then tell the truth or do they lie? Therein lies the premise of Rule #1.
I wanted a film that explored the spectrum between black and white. I was interested in making a film that is gray. With Rule #1, I was able to achieve that with a storyline that was about two cops confronted by the supernatural and their subsequent struggle to reconcile their awful knowledge with their mission to serve and protect the public. In other words, to really protect the innocent, do you tell them that there is a ghost in their apartment or do you lie and blame the strange noises on a faulty water pipe?
Rule #1 is a horror-thriller about cops. There are no helpless female victims here. Instead, the prey are policemen who, despite possessing guns, find themselves at their wits’ end when confronted by bloodthirsty ghouls and spirits.
Rule #1 takes place in an unnamed Asian city and tells the story about two cops-a rookie and veteran. As the body-count rises and our two protagonists find themselves ankle-deep in blood, themes of bonding, faith, heroism and betrayal are explored.
As good battles evil, the line is drawn somewhere between the truth and lies. This is no man’s land. This is gray.
PRODUCTION DETAILS
Filmed entirely in Hong Kong, Kelvin Tong’s horror-thriller Rule #1 took in locations around the atmospheric city. Iconic landmarks such as Lingnan University, Hong Kong Plaza in Causeway Bay, a romantic beach-side bar in Repulse Bay and a disused water-filtration plant in Stanley which was featured in many Johnnie To films, served as the US$ 2 million movie’s locales. Principal photography began in 6 September 2007 and lasted for 19 days.
Offline post-production was completed at China Star Production Services Ltd while Cinedigit Sound Ltd handled the audio work. Music scoring was undertaken in Singapore and integrated into the film’s final dolby mix in Hong Kong. Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Ltd produced the final prints of Rule #1.
Check out some interesting comments on movie here…
1. by danny yeo
2. on twitchfilm.net
3. on moviexclusive.com
4. on thoo2.net
Rule #1 第一诫 Trailer
Enjoy the trailer….
Rule #1 第一诫 Photos
The shoot in Hong Kong has been both exhilarating and challenging. Here are some behind-the-scenes photos… Enjoy it while listening to two of our soundtracks by Joe Ng…
A Kiss & A Diamond by Joe Ng & Alex Oh (Singer Alberta Guitarist Alexius)
Rule #1 by Joe Ng & Alex Oh
“A Touch More Psychotic”
“Ah Qiang…”
“Freeze!”
“Get The Hell Out Of My Cinema!”
“Uncle… No…”
“Hello There, Mr Policeman”
“I’ve No Choice…”
“I’ve Resigned… Really…”
“It’s A Boy!”
“Looking For Me?”
“May! Where Are You!”
“Missing You”
“More Blood Please”
“My Cantonese Has Improved”
“Stop The Bus!”
“Stop Where You Are!”
“That’s What I Want!”
“The Ghost Could Be In Anyone”
“The Happiest Day of My Life”
“This Is So Fun…”
“We Are Not Alone…”
“What If It’s Me?”
“Where Did She Go?”
“Whoever Walks In… I’ll Shoot”
“Why Are You Pointing A Gun At Me?”
“You Sure You’re Gonna Shoot Me”
Director at work
Director in thought
DOP at work
Esther played by Stephanie Che
Hanging Girl
Inspector Wong played by Ekin Cheng
May played by Fiona Xie
Miscellaneous Affairs Department (MAD)
Our Action Director “Fei” & Actors
Our Art Director Daniel
Our CA Jingwen
Our DOP “Kam Sing” & Ekin
Our Gaffer Jack & Shawn
Poor Wheelchair Guy played by Bill Liu
Possessed
Pretty Delivery Girl played by Renee Lee
Safety First
Script Discussion 1
Script Discussion 2
Sergeant Lee played by Shawn Yue
Swimming Pool Ghost
The Fight Sequence
The Last Dance
The Loner Lee
The Loner Wong
The Suicide Girls 1
The Suicide Girls 2
The Tragic Couple
The Wait
Umbrella Boy
Men In White 鬼啊！鬼啊！
Being a human in Singapore is tough.
Being a ghost is even tougher.
And five ordinary Singaporeans are about to find that out.
A rollicking horror-comedy from top Singapore horror film director Kelvin Tong, Men In White takes on the scary from a completely new and hilarious angle.
Revolving around five cowardly and clueless Singaporean ghosts - a badminton player (Shaun Chen), a gangster girl (Ling Lee), a housewife (Alice Lim) and two hip-hop rappers (Ben Yeung and Xavier Teo), Men In White tells of their misadventures as they stumble through the bizarre rules of ghost-hood.
Trouble arrives in the form of a photographer ghost (David Aw) who joins our motley crew of undead and instigates them to wreck havoc on unsuspecting humans. The living fights back and out ghosts find themselves on the run and embarking unwittingly on a hilarious quest to strike fear into the hearts of Singaporeans - a tribe more afraid of losing, failing and breaking rules than ghosts.
Men In White 鬼啊！鬼啊！Photos
“This is just my imagination…”
“Gui Ah! Gui Ah!”
“Who are you staring at?”
“Another orange and I’m gonna puke!”
“Who are you?”
“We are professional kidnappers.”
“When are we going home?”
“Can’t walk through the wall leh…”
The Master
On The Warpath
The Lone Badminton Player
“Take a picture and remember this moment.”
“Yeah… We’re camping…”
“Ouch…”
Hip and Hop
Do Not Disturb
What really happens between a man and a woman within the confines of a budget hotel room? Is sex automatically assumed, or is there more than meets the eye?
These are but two of the probing questions posed in the new English-language television drama series, DO NOT DISTURB.
Shot like mini art-house films, with each episode set in the exact same hotel room, DO NOT DISTURB takes a voyeuristic look at what unfolds between seven couples behind closed doors, presenting heartfelt, in-depth and sometimes hilarious stories of the inevitabilities and complexities of relationships between a man and a woman in contemporary Singapore.
The series was conceived by actress and producer, Tan Kheng Hua and directed by one of Singapore’s leading film-makers, Kelvin Tong (Boku Films).
DO NOT DISTURB features Singapore talents from various creative fields, including scriptwriter, Chong Tze Chien (playwright, The Finger Players), production designer, Aamer Taher (architect, Aamer Taher Design), styling consultant, Daniel Goh (editor, Style Magazine), music composer, Joe Ng and music arranger, Alex Oh, as well as the vocals of local singer, Wendi Koh. The cast of TV and stage actors includes: Mark Lee, Lim Yu-Beng, Chermaine Ang, Adrian Pang, Andrea De Cruz, Sol Foo, Chio Su-Ping, Koey Foo, Noorlinah Mohd, Yeo Yann Yann, Andy Keegan, Serena Ho, Timothy Nga and Casey Lim.
THE PERFECT TEN
Two virgins who have saved themselves for their wedding night three days away check into the budget hotel as a quiet and convenient space to discuss last minute arrangements for their nuptials. After eight years of courtship, the “moment” they’ve been waitiing for, in more ways than one, is coming. Like all good Singaporeans, they have meticulously planned every detail of their wedding but soon, they will discover not all things are within their control. And the result? Madcap mayhem and hilarity.
HEN NIGHT
One would think any hot-blooded female would love being locked up in a room with a gorgeous male stripper paid to oblige her every whim and fancy. Mui Leng, a prissy and timid female accountant, who finds herself in this situation when her friends decide this is a perfect hen night gift, does not think so… at first. As the night wears on, she uncovers shocking revelations about herself with her new-found sense of empowerment.
LUNCH HOUR
An office affair between a smooth talking lawyer and his beautiful legal assistant finds a love nest in a budget hotel room near their office. they are in contented marriages but after giving in to a night of passion, find themselves incredibly bound to each other. They find themselves falling for each other but are both unable to leave their spouses. Best of both worlds or belonging to none?
HAPPY SWEET FORTY
Valerie, a high-flying, successful but single workaholic approaches her fortieth birthday feeling as if she’s accomplished nothing, her virginity a painful reminder of missed romantic opportunities. Determined to make a last ditch attempt at discovering a bit of romance, and a lot about lust, she orchestrates a meeting at a budget hotel room with her ex junior college classmate, Rodney, the stud of the class.
THE BREAK
Some of the darkest, ugliest and greyest sides of a relationship are revealed when two long-time partners head towards a break-up - especially when one wants out and the other does not. When Meng offers little reason for wanting to run off to London by himself, he and Kris check into a budget hotel to avoid arguing in front of the kids. they descend into the depths of broken promises, renegotiate new aspirations, wants and dreams in the course of one intensely painful and probably the longest night of their lives.
ONE NIGHT STAND
Two young, attractive strangers, a seemingly naive girl from Malaysia and a backpacker from Australia who don’t even speak the same language, burst into a budget hotel room in a state of heightened lust, eager to experience everything a one night stand promises - great sex with no commitments. But anonymous intimacy can be a dangerous game, and as the night progresses, it becomes obvious that the two have found their match in each other. Who will win in the game to achieve their own hidden agendas?
THE PRANK
A car mechanic mysteriously holes himself up in a budget hotel room for weeks, refusing to see anyone, idling his time away. Nothing seems to get him out of his rut. By accident, he lets a massage girl into the room and she stubbornly refuses to leave him alone. She soon becomes intrigued by his inexplicable behaviour and he starts to seek solace in her company while they spend their time making inane prank calls. This bittersweet tale shows how something infinitely meaningful can emerge from the unlikeliest of moments.
RECOLLECTIONS
The budget hotel is slated for demolition. A new, swanky five-star establishment is in the pipeline to take its place. Rodney, the architect from HAPPY SWEET FORTY, is in charge of the construction and design of this project. As research into the experience others have had of the budget hotel room, Rodney invites some past occupants back, and with their permission, records their recollections of the time spent in this place. In doing so, how the lives of our seven couples have evolved since they walked out of Room 545 is revealed.
