SMALL TALK
A Short Film by Jeannette Teo, Writer-DirectorRunning time: 3 min 45 sec
COPYRIGHT Jeannette Teo 1999
youtube: https://youtu.be/vOfJDj5w2w4
this is my personal favourite :)
winner, saatchi and saatchi / tiger beer classic's,
"new director showcase - short film competition 1999"
Small Talk
Just talk. Is there any more to it ?
Written and Directed by Jeannette Teo
2nd RUNNER UP WINNER
TIGER CLASSICS / SAATCHI & SAATCHI
NEW DIRECTOR'S SHOWCASE - SHORT FILM COMPETITION 1999
NEW DIRECTOR'S SHOWCASE - SHORT FILM COMPETITION 1999
Just Talk. Is there any more to it?
About Small Talk - Writing/Directing... & Creating the Short Film
My original idea was to portray how people speak to each other. I wanted to explore the other meanings behind the words we use in conversations - if any. I wanted to show that within the same conversation, "oranges" sometimes mean "apples"...
I originally planned for a conversation between a man and woman, but i realised that this scenario can be confusing. So I explored the way women talked - at least two females would talk in "similar frequencies" except that they would only differ in personality and character. And that became an interesting (intriguing!) aspect in creating Small Talk!
i hope you enjoy Small Talk - and what i truly mean is, i hope you enjoy this short film as much as i do :)
cheers!
jeannette
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SMALL TALK
CAST
Kelly - Lillian Yong Clare - Michelle Chang
CREW
Scriptwriter Jeannette Teo
Director Jeannette Teo
Producer Fee Mei Feng
Assistant Producer Jeanne Chong
Camera Fee Mei Feng
Sound Engineer/Recordist D@ve Loh
Sound Engineer Roger Phua
Editor Gek Li San
SPECIAL THANKS
Sky Media Pte Ltd
Parco Bugis Junction (BCH Retail Investments)
Joey Cheung
Lim Kian Seng
Running time: 3 min 45 sec
COPYRIGHT Jeannette Teo 1999
Small Talk was also screened on Premier TV12 Singapore between July to October 1999.
SYNOPSIS
Have you ever wondered what lies behind every mundane, everyday small talk that you
encounter?
Have you ever wondered what lies behind every mundane, everyday small talk that you
encounter?
Small Talk, written and directed by Jeannette Teo, is about the everyday conversations that occur with everyday people, small talks that have underlying tones of hypocrisy and pretense. or are we just saying things that don't make us or the other party look bad?
Small Talk is based on the premise that while polite conversations may be exchanged between people, their true thoughts, sometimes rude, sometimes too honest, may not be verbally expressed.
Small Talk is not just about talk. There is more to it than you think.
SCRIPTWRITER'S / DIRECTOR'S NOTE:
I personally hate making small talks. It may be an everyday necessity of life, but it holds no meaning or purpose for me. Not until I’ve completed Small Talk, my second short film.
I’ve experienced and seen small talks happen to various people all the time, and I often wonder why people bother to “waste” time on conversations that say nothing or mean nothing. And then, I wonder if sometimes, small talk does mean something after all?
Small Talk was created to portray hidden "truths" in people’s conversations. I wanted to say “Hey, look at ourselves. We do this sometimes.”
My original idea was to portray how people speak to each other. I wanted to explore the hidden meanings behind the words we say in conversations. I wanted to say that in the same conversation, with a guided topic, one person can talk about oranges and the other apples, like how men and women communicate – in different frequencies, with different assumptions and projected meanings. However, the best way to explore conversations is to find something that relates to everyone – and that would be in small talk. That was how the script evolved.
When it came to actors, I originally planned for a male and a female actor to carry out small talk. But that would have too many implications in such a short conversation that the film may end up more confusing as a result. So I explored the way women talked (on familiar ground, I guess, me being an eccentric female specimen myself). At least two females would talk in similar frequencies except that they would only differ in personality and character. And that became an interesting (intriguing!) aspect in creating Small Talk.
Production was not as smooth. Due to rain and our original choice in location, we had to cancel a shoot and postpone the production. Looking back now, I can only call it a Blessing in Disguise.
We found a more suitable location, took more time to rehearse and relax (time constraint can make a director or producer panicky and almost hysterical). By the time we were ready to shoot, it only took about 2 hours of “fun”, even with the weekend crowd at a busy shopping mall. All in all, we can say we enjoyed ourselves in all stages of production, even with a minor setback.
My mother commented, “What!? You keep making films about people talking!”. But my reply can only be, “But mom, that’s what I’m good at!”
For my parents, family and friends who are my support, encouragement and inspiration... I can only be as good as it gets, and that is by doing what I do – what I do best.
