“As Bold as Red, as Soft as Velvet” – Student Film Project

Hi there! We are Giang and Syakirah, the director and producer of this project respectively.

As Bold As Red, As Soft As Velvet is our cherished Final Year Project from LASALLE College of the Arts' Diploma in Broadcast Media.

The film revolves around a memorable day of a young man after finding out about his true sexual orientation as homosexual instead of asexual, when he needs to face his partner, his mother, and himself, both in the real world and in his subconscious, to complete a maturity ritual and gain acceptance.

Genre: Fantasy, Coming-of-age, LGBTQ+

Target Audience: LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ youth and parents.

Our Team: We have our quirky Director Giang, witty Producer Syakirah, talented Director of Photography Zujing, meticulous Art Director Cordelia, and loveable Soundwoman Glenda!

Director's Statement

(type generated by Space Type Generator)

Human mind is an intricate yet simple moving maze that we'd love to get lost inside voluntarily. I myself am not an exception. With a profound belief in dualism, the philosophy whose belief states that reality is fundamentally composed of two polar opposite parts, I have always been trying to find the other side of every object, every concept, every idea. This makes me obsessed with the notion of mixing good and bad, light and darkness, reality and non-reality, to create provoking and surreal juxtaposition. Just like the Red Velvet cake, even its name implies a state of dualism: Red is a bold, harsh, dynamic color, and Velvet is always associated with softness, subtlety, delicacy.

On the other hand, I was born in a traditional Asian family with the common mindset of how a man should 'behave'. Therefore I realised that I am a special kid throughout my childhood. From liking girls to boys to both genders, I find every kind of person attractive. I don't want to restrict myself with any kind of limitations. I label myself as 'label-less'. As I grow up and experience different tastes of life, I slowly understand that sexual orientation and gender identity can be fluid, and we will and won't ever stop changing ourselves. All of these, as well as my inability to effectively express my inner feelings in words, result in the fact that I have yet to come out to my parents and relatives. Nevertheless, I know that I will one day, when I'm in a better and more stable state; and not being out doesn't make my identity any less valid, or less "brave".

As Bold As Red, As Soft As Velvet is not only my own coming-out story to the outside world and self-reflection on the endless journey of becoming a better self and understanding the human mind, but also a confession, an ode, a sentimental suicide note written hastily, a provocative piece of performance art to his, her, their, our, and everyone's perception of how one should label and define themselves. No matter what stage of life you are in, we are and will always be a work-in-progress to be developed, destroyed, built and rebuilt, and discovered. All of our emotions are valid, baby steps are essential, and process matters more than the end result.

Why Should You Fund Our Film?

(Photo by Tasia12/iStock/Getty Images)

As Bold As Red, As Soft As Velvet is a short film with an ultimate ambition of providing a different look into a human's mind, especially regarding one's sexual orientation and identity. As our protagonist Gary tries his best to gain acceptance from his partner Matthew, his mother Mrs. B, and himself, he slowly falls into a limbo space where the line between reality and subconscious starts to blur. By deciding that there aren't any ways other than to complete the maturity ritual, Gary realised the importance of embracing his own fluid sexual orientation and loving himself.

We hope that this story will be a safe space where struggling LGBTQ+ youths out there can find themselves and relate to, as well as a platform for other people to understand this particular minority better.

Having said that, our purpose can only be achieved fruitfully with your help.

With this campaign, we want to connect with everyone who believes that sexuality and gender identity can be both stable and fluid, or in other words, it is always a process, a journey for one to fully realise themselves. Join us through this coming-of-age trip of Gary and show the audience that they need to respect how people around them identify themselves, as well as to recognize the significance of one's process to be a better self.

What Are We Looking For?

We are looking at $1000 to fund our short film. All of the money donated will be used to fund in many ways as below that will help us express our vision and mission successfully:

• Location renting fees
• Props and Wardrobe for the cast
• Production expenses (including meals and transportation for our crew and cast)

'Do I Get Anything Back In Exchange?'

$10 and above: Special Thanks Film Credits (Your name will be written in the ending credits of the film)

$20 and above: Special Thanks Film Credits + A private Vimeo link to the film (before it is officially released)

$50 and above: Special Thanks Film Credits + A private Vimeo link to the film + A digital signed poster and digital script of our film

$100 and above: Special Thanks Film Credits + A private Vimeo link to the film + A digital signed poster and digital script of our film + Our digital production journal (which records everything that went behind the scenes)

$500 and above: Special Thanks Film Credits + A private Vimeo link to the film + A digital signed poster and digital script of our film + Our digital production journal + A secret one-of-a-kind prop from the set

Casting

If you are intrigued about this production, thinking of some interesting questions to ask, wondering about the inspiration or stories behind, or maybe just want to drop us some encouraging words, kindly contact our producer Syakirah at [email protected] :D

Our film will be out by the end of May 2021. Stay tuned (and don't forget to love yourself)!