HOW IT ALL BEGAN
In one’s search for success, our desire for this relentless pursuit is often complemented and fueled by passion, which ignites the fine flame in our hearts that guides us to success. Every person has their own story to tell, and that is no different for Mr Yusri Shaggy Sapari, the founding director of Paradise Pictures. The present day success of his award-winning film company is not without numerous struggles and uphill battles, but the inspiration and the spark behind it all takes us a long way back in time. As a child, Mr Yusri often fiddled with his audio casette tape recorder, recording his grandmother and TV shows which transcended from a mere pastime to a lifelong passion. After obtaining his diploma in filmmaking, he worked in a theatre company for 5 years where he amassed a wealth of experience compiling video archives for The Necessary Stage. His experiences and appreciation for show recordings kindled his desire to build a company dedicated to preserving the efforts of film artists.
As such, Paradise Pictures was incorporated in 2016, a film production company focused on factual programming and documentaries. As a production house with state of the art technology, Paradise Pictures delivers efficacious results in their filming, pre-production and post-production works. Since then, Mr Yusri and his team produced groundbreaking films that revolutionized the local filmmaking scene. His documentary “Trailer Boys” about young truck drivers in Singapore, went on to premier in 2018 as part of the Freedom Film Festival in Petaling Jaya. It also won the Audience Choice Award for Viddsee’s Juree Awards in 2019.
“Every film is a time capsule. Every time we approach to customers, our focus is to capture them in their best story. We don’t like to stage things, we like to capture things as organically as possible.”
Not Always A Bed of Roses …
When we define or measure success, we often notice the tangible, material achievements and statistics. However, we tend to overlook the intangibles, such as the amount of effort and dedication; the heart and soul poured into the development of Paradise Pictures over the years. In contemporary Singapore, there is tough competition within the film industry with existing industrial players who are experienced and equipped with know-how, as well as new filmmakers with a thirst for success.
In the early stages, networking was a huge challenge for Mr Yusri and his team. He had to establish a solid foundation of clientele and build a reputation for his company to drive its demand, which was further compounded by skeptics. Nevertheless, Mr Yusri joined multiple associations, both formal and informal groups such as Association of Independent Producers (AIPRO), Singapore Associations of Motion Pictures Professionals (SAMPP) and J Rental Centre (JRC) to build connections. He and his team also went to the recent Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) where they met many decorated Asian filmmakers as part of their networking efforts.
What also makes Paradise Pictures stand out from the crowd is their authenticity and dedication to archival videography. With many young and aspiring filmmakers presenting new ideas that challenge theatrical convention, Mr Yusri believes that theatre has its own place and does not wish to change that. “Theatre is a traditional experience, its not about changing what the theatre director works on, but to preserve its vision”. In the spirit of filmmaking, Mr Yusri appreciates art for what it is, to capture and preserve the very soul and essence of theatrical productions.
An Inspirational Figure
With his impeccable knowledge and expertise, Mr Yusri has garnered the respect and support of many under his guidance. As a seasoned professional with over 11 years of experience, Mr Yusri comes across as a humble and kind-hearted individual who goes the extra mile to impart his skills to his staff members.
“You have to recognize that filmmaking is never a one-person show, and everyone has a part to play, it is often not as glamorous as people make it out to be”.
As a team player, Mr Yusri shared that one must have the humility to acknowledge that there is a limit to what he knows and believes in empowering others to have a voice of their own. “It is always important to keep an open mind and be humble, because everyone you meet can be the next collaborator”. Despite producing numerous award winning films, his diligence and determintion to stay grounded rings true to his humility that has brought Mr Yusri to where he is today. Being no stranger to the film industry, Mr Yusri still remains open-minded and receptive to feedback in the spirit of lifelong learning. “It is imperative to open yourself wide, don’t keep to yourself and always make new friends. We should be open to people from all walks of life and listen to their advice, even the unsolicited advice”
Moving Forward
“Rome wasn’t built in a day”, an old adage which attests to the essence of time and effort. For the flow of time is ceaseless and unrelenting, Mr Yusri is continually aspiring to better the ambitions of other competitors. Moving forward, Mr Yusri seeks to create more original content with his team. Together with Jannah, who works as a producer at Paradise Pictures, Mr Yusri aspires to create informative series that serve to educate others about various fields such as science and technology.
Additionally, Mr Yusri has already set his sights on creating a short film that can be submitted to film festivals on an international platform. With various ambitions in place, his interpersonal skills as well as his steadfastness in the face of adversity over the years has undoubtedly developed a robust foundation for Paradise Pictures. With that, the future of Paradise Pictures appears promising and propitious with Mr Yusri at the helm.
“Today it is just a performance, but to the clients, it is a story they could look back and reminisce on in the future, even just to track their progress.”
