Empowering Voices: Insights from director Nicole Goh on International Women’s Day

THE celebration of International Women’s Day today aims to inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion.

In conjunction with the special day, TVS spoke with Nicole Goh of Threemendous Films, director of an all-female production crew who has produced acclaimed shows on TVS such as Inside Out: Niah Cave, Take Me To Sarawak and Homegrown, which recently earned a Silver Award for Spotlight Documentary Film Awards.

TVS: Share with us the origins of Threemendous Films and how it grew to become what it is today.

Nicole: We’ve been around since 2011. What keeps us going and growing is our dedication to storytelling. We find balance between work and play, we definitely know how to have fun. Being like-minded and compromising with each other also has made us a stronger unit. There’s a saying, “Too many cooks spoil the broth” – that’s why we don’t cook. We often give each other the freedom to create and each of us has different strengths when it comes to creating. Most importantly we understand that strangling each other wouldn’t work. (Laughs)

TVS: Speaking of cooking, what was your favourite recipe made by Chef Achang in Homegrown?

Nicole: Terung asam pie. That episode was also the hardest to shoot. We were out in the field with no roof, enduring the heat. There were oil palm trees everywhere, so we got lost in the jungle trying to find the shooting location.

TVS: Can you share any significant challenges or obstacles you faced in your journey as a filmmaker?

Nicole: Budget vs timeline (laughs). In general, we often need to find a balance between creativity and budget. During the production of Take Me To Sarawak, the entire country was under lockdown, impacting the filming schedule, subjects’ availabilities, and causing delays. This eventually affected the team’s morale, but fortunately, our producer, Prisca, managed to troubleshoot the situation and finish what was started. For Homegrown, due to the objective of the show featuring local produce, we could only feature certain items because most of them were off-season. But I personally feel such challenges are needed in order to shape us into a better filmmaker or creator.

TVS: What do you think you could’ve done differently for Homegrown and Take Me To Sarawak?

Nicole:Personally, I would not want to change anything. I feel that we should embrace whatever situation we are facing and troubleshoot issues as they arise. In fact, for Homegrown, we had to add and write new content or lines on the spot on set in order to maintain continuity between scenes, or sometimes to slot in new discoveries during the filming process. I often do paper-edit prior to filming day, and that helps because when an intriguing subject arises, I could just paper-edit the content to get a better flow and proceed with the filming.

TVS: Filmmaking often involves immersing oneself in the subject matter. How did your team approach building relationships with the subjects of Homegrown and Take Me To Sarawak, and how did this impact the final product?

Nicole: Trusting the process and the people was key. By valuing every perspective and embracing consequences, we built connections with these individuals. We don’t just create products; we immersed ourselves in the process, learned the culture, traditions, language, and their stories. Some connections are built to last, helping preserve the integrity of the show.

TVS: TVS: Representation in media is a significant topic today. How did your team ensure diverse representation, both in front of and behind the camera, throughout the production of Homegrown and Take Me To Sarawak?

Nicole: We embraced the fact that we are diverse. Our subjects are vibrant and dynamic. The main goal wasn’t to achieve an equal representation of race, skin colour or gender, but to capture stories and connect. Diversity pre-existed; it all boils down to skills, professions, and experience.

TVS: In what ways do you believe an all-women perspective influenced the storytelling and production process of your team’s projects?

Nicole: I believe in a team where everyone plays an important role regardless of gender. When it comes to creation, every thought and opinion matters. However, we’re grateful that over the years, women’s voices and work are more heard, seen and appreciated.

TVS: What were some of the most surprising or impactful discoveries your team made during the research process of making the programmes?

Nicole: Our land is full of surprises, every discovery could bring positive impacts on oneself if you’d let it. Some of the most impactful values we learned during the process are to never forget your roots and to take only what you need. On another note, I feel sometimes we just have to let our inner child takes the lead – learn to play and have fun, be surprised by discovering things and absorb.

TVS: Do you have any advice for productions who want to pitch for TVS?

Nicole: You have to understand TVS as a brand, strike a balance between TVS and your own creation, and stand by what you truly believe in. – TVS

Watch full episodes of Take Me to Sarawak and Homegrown on TVS Entertainment YouTube channel.