Saturday, September 26, 2009

Showcasing Silat to the world





Unlike other martial arts documentaries, Fight Masters: Silat is a cut above the rest. It tells the story of Joel Champ, an American Navy serviceman who has become an exponent of Silat during his free time.

Khairun Lamb and Justin Ong (Photo courtesy of the National Geographic Channel)

Khairun Lamb and Justin Ong (Photo courtesy of the National Geographic Channel)

The documentary chronicles Joel’s journey to Malaysia, as he fights his way to gain recognition in the art that he has devoted 14 years of his life to. Using computer-generated imagery (CGI) to study Silat's arsenal of techniques, this documentary also explores what makes the martial art so deadly.

MSN Entertainment caught up with the guys behind the documentary, director Justin Ong and producer/cameraman Khairun Lamb.

Can you briefly tell us what Fight Masters – Silat is about?

Justin: It’s actually a story about Silat but in this story, we feature a character, an American Silat student who is a Navy officer. He has been learning Silat for 15 years under his guru, Cikgu Sam. He has always had this desire to take the next step but his guru said no, until now. His guru finally allows Joel to travel to Malaysia, the birth place of the art (to get) tested. Joel’s always trained in the US but had never received recognition from the real guys, the true warriors. That’s what he wanted to do: come to Malaysia, go through the tests and be tested like never before. The documentary also talks a lot about the history and cultural aspects of Silat.

Khairun: Also, to take Joel out of his comfort zone, bring him over here, go through all the training and for him to experience it. Also, for foreigners to tell the story backed by the locals, so there is a good balance there.

Justin: We believe that with a character like Joel, he brings a different perspective of things, you know. We have the local gurus explaining why they do certain things, for them it's all very normal, but for foreigners, it’s like "Whoa, this is like nothing I have done before!"

Khairun: This documentary, to us, is going to be an eye-opener as it’s going to educate people on what Silat is actually about. It’s not just a flowery dance. If it gets to (that) point, it (can) become really, really deadly.

Joel Champ (Photo courtesy of National Geographic Channel)

How did you guys find Joel? Did you hold auditions for a non-Malaysian interested in the martial art?

Justin: No. We started out with the idea of doing a documentary on Silat and we decided on what kind of story we wanted to tell, and we figured it would be interesting to get a foreign perspective on it. So we started doing research and we found Cikgu Sam first, because he teaches Silat in the US. From there, we spoke to him about this documentary and what we expected to achieve. And it was great because he said, “I have the perfect candidate for you” and he introduced us to Joel. It’s interesting how we found Joel because not only is he from the Navy, he works in the law enforcement side of the Navy. So he actively uses Silat in his daily life.

Khairun: He has actually used it a few times.

Justin: Yeah, so it was kinda interesting to see how our culture travelled all the way to the US, to this guy in the Navy who was using Silat. So from there, we spoke to him and found out that he is truly into Silat. He’s not just some random white guy we found; he really lives and breathes Silat.

Did you guys have a tough time convincing Joel to do some of the stunts on the show?

Justin: Yeah, some of it. (laughs) I wouldn’t say it’s a tough time.

Khairun: He needed a little bit of convincing.

Justin: He wanted to be tested, he wanted (his skills) to be put to the test but at times he found it really challenging. That is when his guru, Cikgu Sam, came in and gave him a little bit of confidence. Even during the final fight, you could see that his face turned white, and Cikgu Sam was there (cheering) “Come on, you can do this!” I think it took him a lot of courage to just step onto the mat. But once he was on the mat, (his) instincts took over.

Khairun: For him the problem was holding back because he was used to the deadly art. But in Silat Olahraga (Silat sparring), you can only do certain stuff. Holding back was his only problem. He just wanted to let go but he couldn’t because of the rules and regulations.

Did Joel reach a breaking point during filming? Did he ever feel like throwing in the towel?

Justin: He thought about it. He considered it, actually. I think (that was) a part of his journey, a part of his test, you know. He knew he was going to get tested, but he didn’t know he was going to be tested like this. (Laughs)

Fight Masters - Silat (Photo courtesy of National Geographic Channel)

What inspired this documentary?

Khairun: I am a cameraman and I have been filming for 15 years. I always travelled overseas to do stories about other countries, and it came to a point where I want to do a story about my own country at an international level. I have always had a fascination with Silat but I’m always put off by the dances and all that. But then again, being Malaysian, I think it’s a strong culture that has never been (explored) to this extent, so I saw the opportunity and we managed to do it.

There have been countless documentaries on Silat. What makes yours different?

Justin: I think one of the new things we have explored through this documentary, which has never been done before, is the scientific side of Silat. Gurus have claimed “If I do this, this will happen to your body. You’ll die or you’ll faint.” But no one has ever proven it until today. So, we used motion capture technology. We suited the guys up, gathered the data and we actually consulted medical experts. We have this doctor from Universiti Malaya who has done research on this and has verified that if this happens to the body, this will break, this organ will be damaged.

How did the idea to use CGI to paint a clearer picture of what Silat can actually do to one’s body come about?

Justin: Well, these guys claim everything. "Yeah, I can do this and that." But we were like, "Are you sure?"

Khairun: If you want to (talk about Silat) like that, you can't relate it to your viewers? The only way you can do it is to break it down and go through the various steps.

Justin: One of the aims of this documentary is to give a really comprehensive exploration of Silat. That’s why we wanted to take it a step further and break some boundaries there. That’s where the idea came about. Also, the CGI was done by Malaysians. We have a team of graphic artists working on the animation side of the documentary. When people look at it, they (might) think it was made in the US, but it’s all Malaysian made.

What was the most exciting part of filming this documentary?

Khairun: The fights!

Justin: The fights, I guess. We all wanted to see the fights and when they showed us the weapons, it’s kind of like an interesting journey for us too. In a sense, we knew he was going to be tested, but not this way. They didn’t tell us the full story.

And what was the most challenging part?

Khairun: I think there are different challenges at different stages of the filming.

Justin: Before filming started, even just convincing the Silat gurus to give us access. The Silat community is known to be very, very secretive. They don’t publish books about it. Look at kung-fu and taekwondo, they have so much information out there, but for Silat there’s none.

Khairun: Even the research part, just to find the research material, it’s so difficult because there is nothing on it.

Justin: And once we got the access from Cikgu Sam, we still have to do a lot of convincing with the local gurus. But yeah, that kinda made it exciting also.

Fight Masters - Silat (Photo courtesy of National Geographic Channel)

What do you think makes Silat so appealing?

Khairun: It’s deadly. (laughs) To me, its deadliness.

Justin: For me, the most appealing thing about Silat is the mystery behind it. Everyone talks about Silat and what it does, but nobody really knows. It’s never really been documented like this before.

Do you think this documentary will be able to promote Silat at an international level?

Justin: Definitely! The good thing about having Joel is that he is literally 'The Chosen One' by Cikgu Sam to continue this tradition and the credit goes to the Silat community for recognizing the need to open the doors for the art to survive. For the art to survive, to blossom, you need to share.

Khairun: When we talked to Cikgu Sam, he told us he wanted this art to spread to the world. So this (documentary) is an opportunity for him to relate that and spread Silat so that the masses can see what it's all about.

How do you think Silat would stand against the more popular martial arts like Kung-Fu and taekwondo?

Justin: This is a tricky one. I think every martial artist would claim that their art is the best. But when you talk to these Silat gurus, they won’t claim that we are the best. They would say, "we are different." It really depends on how the Silat gurus take it. It's really up to them to see if they would want to share it. I hope this documentary is the first step, the encouraging step, for them to open their doors a little bit.

Khairun: I’m sure after watching this documentary, people will start asking about Silat. It will open the doors and people will question and maybe come here wanting to learn. So it will be interesting to see if Silat (wll become) as popular as other martial arts.

Tell us one thing no one knows about Silat.

Justin: There’s always a reason for something in Silat. (Like) the ‘bunga’, there’s a reason for the ‘bunga’ as well. It was developed during the Colonial times. At that time Silat was banned because they didn't want anyone to practice the martial art. It was used as a (symbol of) nationalistic pride, so they banned it. So (the pesilats) had to invent these dances to camouflage the moves. They (the gurus) were explaining this to me that it is the soft side that camouflages the hard side.

Last question: Why should people watch Fight Masters: Silat?

Khairun: For me, I think it shows what Silat is all about. It’s not a song-and-dance type martial art. It (can be) a deadly form of martial arts.

Justin: It’s Malaysian. It’s an art form (tied to) history, culture and tradition. It’s something that we were naturally curious about but could not find any information on, so we have decided to do something about it. I think that is why people should watch it. See Silat like it has never been seen before.

Fight Masters: Silat premieres on the National Geographic Channel (Astro Channel 553) this Merdeka Day, August 31st, 2009 at 9pm.

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