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ABOUT
ABOUT
2025
18-25 JUNE
The Magician
(Vanesse Tsang, 2025)
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Stories, regardless of forms, have always been constructed, edited, made up to entertain, educate and express particular messages, information, and ideologies. But did the audience know about the amount of editing and post-production put in behind the scenes to make imagery connect from one to another as natural as if it has not been intervened by creatives? Driven by this question, I decided to produce The Magician (2024). By exposing the nature of ‘film production’ from setting up to acting, then to editing; I hope to bring an alternative point of view for audience to explore on film and cinema through my manipulation on camera, visual and editing. It is a statement from me that film can be something other than the mainstream cinema’s immersive presentation, passive audience participation and reliance on dialogues to construct and deliver storytelling in film.
This film is produced as part of Experimental Cinema Module.
SYNOPSIS
The Magician (2024) is constructd by 3 main body parts – the ‘illusion’, the ‘manipulation’ and the ‘combination’. In this short film, you will be joining the director to experience the cinematic ‘magic show’, you will be witnessing how the actress on screen to manipulate time, perspectives, framing and visuals. By the end of this film, you will have the ability to ‘see’ the illusion, ‘hear’ the cuts and ‘feel’ the fun of filmmaking – the journey to creative process.
Role: Director, Producer, Editor, Cinematographer
Vanesse is a filmmaker who seek ways to be creative with storytelling. She debuts with the role of directing in reminiscence (2023). Later, she expands roles into editing, producing and cinematographing in horror short Silent Piece (2024) and The Magician (2024) She also produced a first-person action dissertation short film – Janet (2025) where she took up the role of acting.
Roles: Assistant Producer, Camera Assistant
Zoe is a MORSE student who rarely had opportunities to engage in filming production. Previously only a viewer, the involvement in The Magician (2024) marked an incredible shift to providing a firsthand experience of the filmmaking process. This opportunity not only allowed to develop new creative and collaborative skills but also sparked a deeper interest in exploring the world of film production further.
Roles: Assistant Director, Camera Assistant
Vanesse Tsang