I have had the absolute time of my life bringing Kilig to life. It's been both fun and stressful but most definitely worth it. Over the past few months, Jess and I have been doing constant work towards our final film at university and I can say it is really starting to pay off.

When Jess told me about the idea, I jumped straight on it. I didn't think for a split second about going back, but I knew we had a lot of work ahead of us. Amidst a pandemic, we brought limited cast and crew on board. Constant zoom meetings and late-night pre-production calls. Finally being on set, we got to both watch our months of work come to light.

Photo by @AiNarapolFilm / Shooting Scene 2

Onset, we went through challenges. From shooting late nights through tough winds to limited crew and COVID guidelines. One highlight for me personally would be when our lead actress Maria made everybody the most lovely hot chocolate ever. Maria was quite literally a mother on set and I loved it.

From this experience, I can say that I have had a boost of confidence. Growing up, I have had issues about people taking me seriously (probably because I look like a child lol), and for me to step up and direct, having people take my judgment seriously made me feel extremely welcomed on set.

I’d like to take the time to thank the amazing crew we had on set. Jess has pulled me through thick and thin with this project. I cannot stress how much pre-production she has gone through, not only that, she jumped in and sound opped the project! Jordan really helped transform this film, giving me the chance to focus on directing and camera a lot more while he sets up the lights. Ai, I mean what can I say about her? Partner in crime at Yellow Pocket, much love for her doing all the BTS, styling, and acting as Hazel. Last but not least, Shaun, an absolute legend in doing quite literally anything you tell him, (he was 1st AC by the way)!

I'm happy to announce we are beginning our post-production phase. I'm excited to share the final project with you all. I cannot thank everyone who has helped enough with this project. Whether you lent us props, donated, shared, volunteered, whatever. I love you ❤️. #film #project #university #sheffield #sheffieldfilmcrew #sheffieldhallamuniversity #kilig #kilig2021

With it being my final year at university, I had to decide what I wanted to do. I always knew I wanted to go out with a piece that would really stick out and utilize everything that I have learnt over my 5 years of studying film. And here we are, shooting the narrative film Kilig during a national pandemic. It’s going to be a challenge, but here I am sharing it with you all!

It was quite funny how this all started. Me and the producer and writer, Jess, were hanging out in a bar. We both were in that position where we didn’t know what we wanted to do for our final year. I had worked with Jess previously on serval occasions and she brought up an idea that she had brought up in the past. The idea wasn’t workable with our brief before so we didn’t do it, but now we have zero narrative constraints and we can do whatever we want.

When I heard the idea again, I instantly clicked. Having practised many years of cinematography, I’m starting to get to a point where I can see my style. Poetic and abstract is something I find coming back again and again. I could see the imagery for the film right away! We left with countless ambitious ideas such as fundraising, sourcing niche actors in the UK and getting together a large, yet COVID-safe, crew.

Thanks for reading my first blog post on Kilig, feel free to contact me if you have any questions as I’d love to chat!

Much love,

Darshan.

We did it, we shot Kilig!

How Kilig was Born.