Actors' Society
I've been attending their events since May 2025. They organise many events but primarily I attend the ones titled Actors' Kopitiam.
30 May 2025
Heard from a film director about how he struggled to work around background extras who make themselves conspicuous on camera – such as wearing shocking pink – when he wants them to be unobtrusive, perhaps through an all-black attire.
28 July 2025
Heard from a action director about how to work with directors who seem clueless about how to achieve stunts on camera (think: kungfu, moves like Neo's, in The Matrix series). Sometimes they ask for stunts that human bodies are physically incapable of achieving – this is when the action director, or stunt choreographer, (instead of raging in exasperation), tries to help the director achieve a desired outcome, by suggesting movements that are more suitable for the human body.
29 September 2025
I heard from a veteran actor: “sometimes your ambition depends on luck. I also want to be as famous as Andy Lau – but can that realistically happen or not?”
25 October 2025
Heard from an intimacy coordinator, who briefly introduced her field of work. She shared a resource: Boundaries for actors: Yes / No / Maybe list, by Carly DW Bones. It's over there.
25 May 2026
Heard from a KOL (short for Key Opinion Leader, which is another term for Instagram-era celebrity, or “influencer” in layperson lingo). She suggested developing a Content Calendar – this might help a would-be KOL plan what to post on social media, even on days when there is no juicy content that comes up.
She suggested inviting friends to help you film content or brainstorm content – sometimes they might be happy to receive a sugary drink or a fast-food burger as reciprocal gesture.
21 Sep 2026
Heard from a film director that he had to learn to find a distributor for the film first – before sinking in effort and time to make a polished film. He learnt the hard way, regarding the importance of a distributor.
I am grateful for countless beings' benevolence in making these kopitiam sessions happen. Thank you, thank you, thank you.