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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Posted: 19 Dec 2011 01:07 AM PST

History Channel's television programme Hidden Cities came to Kuching not so long ago, and made its presence felt.

IT'S not often that Hidden Cities host Anthony Morse has a relaxing day while filming an episode. Normally he'll be on the road with the production crew for two weeks at a time, getting called as early as six in the morning to start the day's work, shooting in various locations and doing two interviews a day with different experts.

So it was a pleasant surprise when his first day of shooting in Kuching for the series' Sarawak episode turned out to be less hectic than usual.

He headed out at about seven to film some shots at the Waterfront and Main Bazaar in the historic heart of the city. Then it was lunch, and after that another piece to camera (that's when a presenter speaks directly to the viewing audience through the camera) and behind-the-scenes shot at the Museum Gardens, followed by filming at Fort Margherita and some walking shots back at Main Bazaar and Carpenter Street. The day's shoot wrapped up before 6pm.

"This was definitely not a normal day because it was very relaxed. We didn't have any interviews, it was basically me doing the pieces to camera as well as general pick-up shots of the city.

"We also had a few walking shots, which are my favourite, as there's very little pressure in shooting them. Those are a way of having some kind of kinetic energy in the programme. Also we use those shots to show different scenes and then do voiceovers to establish the story and get a sense of the place," Morse says in an interview after the day's shoot.

Dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, Morse is energetic and enthusiastic as he talks about the shoot in Sarawak, which is being featured for the first time in the series.

"The episode kicks off with James Brooke and his arrival in Sarawak. I'll be exploring the existing conflict that was here among the various indigenous groups, and then when Brooke came to power, some of the resistance that developed to his rule, such as the Chinese miners' rebellion in Bau," he explains.

From Kuching, the crew moved on to Sri Aman, where Morse learnt about the culture and history of the Ibans, and to Mukah to discover the healing rituals of the Melanaus.

The two-week shoot in Sarawak in September was the final stint for Morse and the crew in filming the second season of Hidden Cities.

Morse revealed that they'd been on the road since April. "Before this we were in the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Sumatra and China."

Sarawak is one of eight episodes in Hidden Cities 2, which follows Morse's adventures in search of Asia's forgotten treasures. He enlists the assistance of local guides, historians, archaeologists and scientists to unearth places and stories such as the Jewish ghettoes of Shanghai, where the Jews worked when China opened a treaty port in 1842, the lost temple city of Muara Jambi in Sumatra and the British military's disused underground facilities in Singapore, abandoned after the Second World War.

Morse describes Hidden Cities as a metaphor for stories or events under the radar which the series tries to bring to the surface.

"We're doing our best to communicate the story and document it, so that it's there for the interpretation of viewers. It serves as a springboard where they can do further investigation of their own if they want to learn more about the event," he says.

Morse usually has some background knowledge before going to a location to shoot but largely relies on local experts for more information. He also walks around and interacts with the locals to familiarise himself with each new location.

"I'll ask the same kind of questions that viewers might have. We might be slightly more informed in the sense that we have some background knowledge, but we're also in the process of learning about the place.

"I would say that I'm just the common element in the series as the host. I'm the point of contact to the different people that we meet throughout each episode, who the viewers might be familiar with," Morse says.

He adds that viewers of Hidden Cities 2 could expect to be "amazed at the ordinary".

"There are some scenes and stories that are larger than life but there are others that are very down to earth, and there's something beautiful in that as well.

"I would hope that viewers would develop a deeper appreciation for their heritage, the community they're living in and the country that they call home. I'd also hope that they would be inspired to explore the worlds around them and have fun in the process. If that can happen then I'd feel like we've done our job."

Hidden Cities is produced by Singapore-based media company Beach House Pictures with the support of the Media Development Authority of Singapore. The programme is presented by Canon and Maybank, in association with Caltex.

Hidden Cities 2 premiered on the History Channel (Astro Channel 555) last month. Episodes air on Wednesday 9pm. The Sarawak episode is scheduled to be aired on Jan 11.

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Hidden talent

Posted: 19 Dec 2011 01:17 AM PST

ANTHONY Morse would not have ended up on television if he hadn't happened to see a commercial one night. "I was watching a programme on the History Channel and during the commercial break they had a blurb asking: 'Do you like to travel, do you like history and interacting with people? You could be the next host of a new series History Asia is producing.'

"I thought, oh my gosh I would love to do that. Something within me said, hey go for it and see what happens," he recalls.

Still, he nearly didn't apply as a three-minute audition reel was required.

"But I just had a sense in my gut to give this a shot, otherwise I might look back and think: 'If only...' I didn't want to have that, so I contacted a friend, met him at a local market in Chiangmai to film the clip and submitted it the following day."

The rest, as you might say, is history (pun intended!).

Morse was called up for auditions in Singapore and selected out of the 12 applicants who made it to the final round, even though he was the least experienced.

"History (Channel) felt there was something about me and wanted to give it a go. I'm grateful that it worked out and here I am two years later in the second season," he says.

Morse, 31, was born in southern California but grew up in Chiangmai, where his family moved to when he was three. He returned to the United States for university and graduate school, then taught English in Thailand and Myanmar for a while.

He also took on a string of jobs, ranging from whitewater rafting guide and newspaper photographer to making sushi with his aunt, before landing the Hidden Cities host job.

"It's certainly not the most conventional work path, but I've always been someone who wants to learn. I believe in learning by doing, so if there's something I'm really interested in I figure the best way to learn about it would be to just do it day in day out," he says.

He's certainly been learning a lot on his current job. In fact, he describes the first episode he filmed in Beijing for Season One as a steep learning curve.

"It was the first time I was doing something like this and it really was trial by fire. But the director for that episode (Donovan Chan) was really patient and great with instruction. He helped me through the process, and to understand how to communicate for television. It's a process that I'm still continually learning."

For Morse, the biggest challenge in hosting Hidden Cities is finding the right word to describe the experience that's being filmed.

"Sometimes it's hard to articulate what you experience in that moment, because when you're doing a television programme you're confined to a certain amount of time in front of the camera. Then later you may have an insight or analogy that would have been better but you can't go back and redo it, because that moment's passed!

"In Season One I kept thinking I should have said this or done that, but now I'm at the point where I just accept it because that's life."

Having gotten a taste of being a television host, Morse would like to continue in the same line, although he previously had no such aspirations at all.

Now that he's filmed two seasons of Hidden Cities, comprising 12 episodes in all, he appreciates the experience and opportunities he's been given.

"I've learnt a lot and I know a lot more now than in the first episode. There are a lot of opportunities in this industry and I definitely want to keep and eye and ear out for future projects," he says.

He would also like to go into acting, maybe take up a few acting classes or try out community theatre, as he feels that his experience as a host has helped him become familiar with the camera.

But whatever he turns to next, it has to be something he enjoys.

"I'm not going to do something just for the sake of earning a big pay cheque because my heart and soul wouldn't be in it. For me, it's important to do things you believe in and be passionate about it." – Sharon Ling

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Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Ahad, 18 Disember 2011