EVERYONE IS A GREAT STORY

It's the same reason all of us who have worn the No. 4 uniform recall with more than a tinge of nostalgia the guys with whom we shared bumpy three-tonner rides. We all knew a siao-on guy, a No-Action-Talk-Only dude and a Keng King. In fact, some of us even vied for those titles.

My job was to let those stories unfold, accentuate the key moments, then insert the series title.

That brings me to the title. Lest it isn't obvious enough, ESS is about National Service (NS).

There's something about NS, and particularly, doing the grunt thing in the Army that brings out the best - and worst - in all of us. The reason, I believe, is beguilingly simple. We're all fish out of water as we step into the abyss that is NS.

I mean, seriously, what did you do before NS that remotely resembled waking up at 2am so that you could strap on a 20kg backpack and walk 24km? Then when you finished and while you were still sweaty, you poured talcum powder onto places that don't see the light of day too often so your family and girlfriend wouldn't cringe when they hugged you at your graduation parade?

And as if that wasn't dramatic enough, toss in themes of sacrifice, ambition, camaraderie and an element of risk, and it's hard not to tell a great story.

I've spent 20 years of my life, first as a Regular, now as an NSman (Operationally Ready National Serviceman), steeped in such stories - some uplifting, some sad, but always engaging. You would think that I've seen it all. But how could I?

As much as there are similarities in themes and situations, every Singaporean son is unique. I never cease to be amazed by the nuances that flicker in the editing room between frames. In fact, NS is probably one of the best hothouses for storytelling that a filmmaker could ask for.

As I complete and exhibit my first feature film, Red Numbers - a madcap dark comedy about lottery numbers that couldn't be further thematically from the military - I'm grateful that my foundation in storytelling didn't come from only film school but from the soldiers I once stood with, and now have the honour to document.