Ray’s passion for arts started at a young age.
Since young, he has always been fascinated to use drawings to express himself.
When he was in Primary school, he drew his friends as characters in his home-made comic books. He would include storyline, rivalry, villains and heroes. He even tried selling them to his classmates for S$3.50.
During his teenage years, he enrolled into Temasek Design School for a diploma in “Interactive Media Design” where he aspire to be an animator.
It soon became clear and addictive to Ray that filmmaking is a more realistic medium to bring his fantasy to life tapping through human sensory. Filmmaking is a catharsis for Ray.
Ray grew up seeing the underbelly side of Singapore.
After graduating with a diploma, he received MDA’s grant and made a short film “One” revolves around a triad’s skirmishes over power & money. He made the film during his national service, over the weekends.
After his national service, he traveled to Australia, Melbourne, where he studied a Bachelor’s Degree in Film and TV at Swinburne University of Technology.
His thesis film “Break” received a Gold Remi Award at the 44th WorldFest-Houston Film Festival, the prestigious Orson Welles Award at the California Film Awards and Award of Excellence from Los Angeles Movie Awards.
It’s easy to be a filmmaker but it’s extremely tough to make a living as a director.
It was a local film competition “Cine65” that gave media attention and recognition from film professionals to Ray after he won the best film and best editing for “The Team” in open category. It was his first short film after he returned home from Australia.
It is true that film takes you to many places such as film festivals.
Making new friends and just being in the same room filled with passionate filmmakers reminds you that this journey is not lonely.
However, not every filmmaker’s accommodation and flight are paid for.
Apart from travelling to film festivals, Ray is fortunate to receive media attention such as getting awarded as the runner up under Entertainment Category for Yahoo Singapore 9 or even representing Singapore in the first World Event Young Artists (WEYA), organised alongside the London 2012 Olympics.
It still doesn’t help to pay the bills.
It was tough surviving as an indie filmmaker, however it didn’t stop Ray’s indie spirit from making more films from the savings he make from a few commissioned work or TV shows.
He used the camera that he won and gathered friends to make a short film “Closer to me” when he was adjunct lecturing at the Institute of Technical Education.
The film later went on to win awards at the ASEAN International Film Festival, Festival Asia TV & FILM on Journey and Finalist at the Louis Vuitton Journey Awards.
Though, the film was participating at the non-official short film corner at Cannes, it gave Ray an eye opening experience at the renowned festival.
Ray founded a boutique Production Company, CATHARSIS Film Asia.
He had since produced and directed Commercials, Online ads, Branded short films and Telemovies.
Currently, Ray also conducts workshop in storytelling and film related courses at Singapore Media Academy.
Ray understood the struggles filmmakers, creatives and even actors faced throughout his career.
He co-founded PREMISE, an interactive crowd funding and movie distribution platform that creates an eco-system while providing another source of funding and marketing for creators using gamification elements.
The eco-system includes a talent directory for creatives, actors and crews in the film industry to connect, get discovered and collaborate for commercial work or Indie filmmaking.
International collaboration is made easier where every professionals can now connect with each other no matter where you are.
