KUTA, Bali (BPN) – A film production company located in Los Angeles and Bali, Good Form Bali, premiered the science fiction action film ‘Anomaly’ in Bali, on February 25, at Hotel W Seminyak.
The film was shot in Bali with a mix of crews from overseas and Bali.
The film is directed by Brian L. Tan “BLT”, a director with experience working on Visual Effects for Hollywood blockbusters such as ‘Tron: Legacy, ‘X-Men’, ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’.
Salvita De Corte (‘Halfworlds, ‘Queen of the Dark Arts’) and Mike Lewis (‘Foxtrot Six’, ‘Dead Mine’) star in this Bali-produced film alongside Joseph JU Taylor (‘Monkey Man’, ‘Strike Back’), Quisha Saunders (‘American Gangster’, ‘When in Rome’), and John Walker Six.
The film ‘Anomaly’ tells the story of an elite soldier who leads her team of five into some ruins in the middle of the jungle. Their mission is to secure an anomaly that suggests strange paranormal activity. What was usually a routine mission became an unexpected mission for them.
“I believe that our own worst enemies often end up being ourselves. We’ve all been the victims of self-sabotage, overthinking, and self-doubt brought on by our very own minds. So being an action director, I wanted to make a film that represented that idea. So I had a chat with Zaike, our writer, and voila – Anomaly was born!” Brian L. Tan said.
For his genre approach where he mixes science fiction and action, he provides an explanation.
“The best things in life are often a ‘campur’ (mix) of two things that wouldn’t normally go together. I love sci-fi and action, and I figured: Why not try to combine them together to give us the best of both worlds with a tropical twist? I’ve always been inspired by ‘grounded’ sci-fi films that have a futuristic hook, but are still relatable and applicable to our current life,” he said.
Brian, who calls himself ‘Balifornian’ living in both California and Bali, shared the charm of Bali for him.
“Bali is such a unique canvas for Anomaly. Hollywood only knows it either as a party place, or a spiritual place. I wanted to explore a darker side of the island no one has ever seen before on film. Shooting at an abandoned amusement park in Sanur gave us a special backdrop that nowhere else in the world could match,” Brian said.
The challenging shooting process was also very enjoyable for Brian. “No one has ever attempted an action film of this scale in Bali before. We had to repurpose a bunch of toy Airsoft guns from Jakarta, build an entire portal that looked otherworldly in the middle of a jungle, find a second Red camera to match our own, work for 14 hours straight for a weekend in the middle of the jungle, and turn an orange helicopter into matte military black. It was an extraordinarily difficult film to pull off, but I’d gladly do it again given how it turned out,” he said.
Salvita De Corte, who happens to be half-Balinese, agrees with Brian’s words.
“I did so many things that I don’t usually get to do, go on a helicopter, paintball, I learned a bunch of things about the military. On top of that, it was really cool to work with a crew and actors who are based in Bali. It’s always fun to collaborate with people from anywhere. Everyone was really down to earth,” Salvita said.
While Mike Lewis said that it was fun to have all there with different backgrounds and experiences as actors.
“Everyone brought something to the table with them whether it be John’s US military experience or Quisha’s Hollywood background with actors like Denzel Washington. Joe’s an acting coach as well so he’s someone you can always lean on for advice,” Mike explained.
Cinematographer and Producer Austin Ahlborg who is a world-renowned Director of Photography for commercials, narratives, and documentaries worldwide says that working on a new island and culture has been incredibly unique and inspiring in all ways.
“We shot in some wild jungle locations with a crew mixed of expats and Balinese which made it super diverse and interesting. We were always learning and experiencing new things which made it incredibly fresh and inspiring,” he said
Executive Producer Patrick Tashadian who has worked with Kimo Stamboel and Timo Tjahjanto said that Indonesia has great potential.
“Indonesia for some time has had many international productions come through and have provided an indelible experience in which we can learn and grow from within the industry. I feel now Indonesia is proving to be highly competent and technically proficient in providing production support in an array of formats ranging from the narrative, factual and variety,” Patrick explained.
Producer Andrea Pasquettin shares his vision, which their goal is to have as many people see this as possible.
“The world needs to see how amazing Indonesia and Bali can be as a creative place. Films shot here can be made with such incredible culture, climate, landscape, and community,” Andrea revealed.
Patrick concluded by adding their hopes that this short can be adapted to be a feature film that can capitalize on the local talent available packaged with Brian’s direction and Austin’s photography.
“As a proof of concept we are confident that we are capable of executing an international action film that also can resonate locally,” he said.
