It was kind of saddening that my idea of using Royston Tan for Project Work was rejected by the teachers because in their opinion I would never be able to prove the dramatic change he had brought to our understanding of gangsters and opera actors. I still cannot concur with them regarding this issue but sinceI do not want my Project Work to turn out into an egregious failure, so I guess I will comply with the school this once. But having said that does not mean that I cannot blog about Royston Tan for this task, which I am going to do so, because the focus of this task is on the word "influential" and not "dramatic change".
People question my persistence on doing a write up on Royston Tan when a search on any search engines using the phrase "influential person" will yield a whole gamut of names. However, this person I am talking here is someone who many people would like to emulate and the leverage of his films that brought about many changes to people's mindset is too great to be ignored.
The word "Influential", according to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, is defined as having the power to have an effect on people, thus changing the way they think and behave. I think using the word "influential" to describe Royston Tan is apt, and that will be substantiated as we go down this post. Now, let us look at the life and work of this person who has changed our understanding of people from various walks of life through his films.
Royston Tan, a Singaporean filmmaker, first came into prominence through his short film, Sons, in 2000 and has since made more than 20 films, including the controversial film, 15: the movie, in 2003. He wants to bring about a change in our understanding of several groups of people through his films, so that we will stop having wrong impressions and making them victims of our stereotyping.
For example, most of us always think that gangsters are a bunch of good-for-nothing creatures, who dedicate their lives to fights and extortions, while dwindling their time away smoking and taking drugs. Therefore, they are the outcasts of the society. However, the film 15: the movie, shown in all major cinemas, shows us how narrow our spectrums of knowledge about these gangsters are by dwelling into the lives of these gangsters and viewing the society from their perspectives. After watching the film, we find out that actually gangsters set out to live similar lives to us. It is just that a combination of failure to receive social recognition, bullying, peer pressure and poor family upbringing made them turn into who they are and made it impossible for them to turn back. One cannot help but sympathise with these protagonists and it is no doubt that Royston Tan is influential and plays an important role of bringing about a greater understanding of these gangsters in us, such that we do not see them in a negative light anymore. Despite the fact that the media authorites in Singapore threatened to ban this film locally, he stood firm to his principles. His influence can be seen by the number of articles dedicated to him on the newspapers and on his blog, thanking him for showing them the real lives of these gangsters in spite of pressure from the authorities, as well as acknowledging that they now have better understanding about these gangsters.
Another film on opera actors also improved our awareness of the presence of this dying trait, as well as bring about greater understanding and appreciation for chinese opera. The film, called Sin Sai Hong, commisioned by the National Museum of Singapore on its opening festival, was also shown to schools when Royston Tan did his Singapore filmmaker showcase series. It looks set to catch the attention of people of the current generation who think that chinese opera consists of boring people with tatooed faces monkeying around on stage to the repetitive tunes from the orchestra. The film does not only depict the lives of the opera actors (mostly in their 40s and 50s) on the frontstage and on the backstage, it also shows the audience that chinese opera can actually be interesting, with plenty of humour injected into the usual storyline of love, parting and sorrow. After watching the film, one cannot say that he is not impressed with Royston Tan for being able to change his understanding and appreciation for chinese opera. Many people whom I have come across also said that their impression and understanding of chinese opera and the troupes have changed dramatically, and are considering watching one if the opportunity arises. Such is the influence of Royston Tan, who almost single-handedly transform groups of students who have negative impression of chinese opera into students who now have better understanding as well as appreciation for it. In addition, being commisioned by the National Museum of Singapore shows that his influence is acknowledged, and that the museum is confident that through this influence, more can be done to change the understanding of this trait, as well as save it from extinction.
With the above examples, I hope I have substantiated sufficiently why Royston Tan is an eminent and influential person who produced a change in our understanding of people from different walks of life. His influence is undeniable and therefore my persistence for choosing him is well justified.
People question my persistence on doing a write up on Royston Tan when a search on any search engines using the phrase "influential person" will yield a whole gamut of names. However, this person I am talking here is someone who many people would like to emulate and the leverage of his films that brought about many changes to people's mindset is too great to be ignored.
The word "Influential", according to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, is defined as having the power to have an effect on people, thus changing the way they think and behave. I think using the word "influential" to describe Royston Tan is apt, and that will be substantiated as we go down this post. Now, let us look at the life and work of this person who has changed our understanding of people from various walks of life through his films.
Royston Tan, a Singaporean filmmaker, first came into prominence through his short film, Sons, in 2000 and has since made more than 20 films, including the controversial film, 15: the movie, in 2003. He wants to bring about a change in our understanding of several groups of people through his films, so that we will stop having wrong impressions and making them victims of our stereotyping.
For example, most of us always think that gangsters are a bunch of good-for-nothing creatures, who dedicate their lives to fights and extortions, while dwindling their time away smoking and taking drugs. Therefore, they are the outcasts of the society. However, the film 15: the movie, shown in all major cinemas, shows us how narrow our spectrums of knowledge about these gangsters are by dwelling into the lives of these gangsters and viewing the society from their perspectives. After watching the film, we find out that actually gangsters set out to live similar lives to us. It is just that a combination of failure to receive social recognition, bullying, peer pressure and poor family upbringing made them turn into who they are and made it impossible for them to turn back. One cannot help but sympathise with these protagonists and it is no doubt that Royston Tan is influential and plays an important role of bringing about a greater understanding of these gangsters in us, such that we do not see them in a negative light anymore. Despite the fact that the media authorites in Singapore threatened to ban this film locally, he stood firm to his principles. His influence can be seen by the number of articles dedicated to him on the newspapers and on his blog, thanking him for showing them the real lives of these gangsters in spite of pressure from the authorities, as well as acknowledging that they now have better understanding about these gangsters.
Another film on opera actors also improved our awareness of the presence of this dying trait, as well as bring about greater understanding and appreciation for chinese opera. The film, called Sin Sai Hong, commisioned by the National Museum of Singapore on its opening festival, was also shown to schools when Royston Tan did his Singapore filmmaker showcase series. It looks set to catch the attention of people of the current generation who think that chinese opera consists of boring people with tatooed faces monkeying around on stage to the repetitive tunes from the orchestra. The film does not only depict the lives of the opera actors (mostly in their 40s and 50s) on the frontstage and on the backstage, it also shows the audience that chinese opera can actually be interesting, with plenty of humour injected into the usual storyline of love, parting and sorrow. After watching the film, one cannot say that he is not impressed with Royston Tan for being able to change his understanding and appreciation for chinese opera. Many people whom I have come across also said that their impression and understanding of chinese opera and the troupes have changed dramatically, and are considering watching one if the opportunity arises. Such is the influence of Royston Tan, who almost single-handedly transform groups of students who have negative impression of chinese opera into students who now have better understanding as well as appreciation for it. In addition, being commisioned by the National Museum of Singapore shows that his influence is acknowledged, and that the museum is confident that through this influence, more can be done to change the understanding of this trait, as well as save it from extinction.
With the above examples, I hope I have substantiated sufficiently why Royston Tan is an eminent and influential person who produced a change in our understanding of people from different walks of life. His influence is undeniable and therefore my persistence for choosing him is well justified.
