|
| MY LA ASIAN-PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL EXPERIENCEFRIDAY, MAY 2, 2008
Five days after the Console-ing Passions conference, I was once again heading down south, this time to attend the LA Asian-Pacific Film Festival.
Friday night, on my way to my brother’s place in LA, I decided to stop by at a party in Santa Barbara. Somehow, I always find myself visiting Laura Jean’s house on DP, even when it’s not my main destination. It’s great. I happen to see the same people who visit there, as well. This time some filmmakers were celebrating the completion of principal photography of their Reel Loud short film, “BeautyVulgarity.”
SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2008
For the LA Asian-Pacific Film Festival, I planned to see three seminars. The first about screenwriting with Iris Yamashita, the second about Harold & Kumar with the writers/directors, and the third about cinematography.
Upon arriving at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Theatre, a girl wearing a festival t-shirt and a walkie-talkie headset saw me and asked if my hair grew (quickly overnight).
“Uh…Yes,” I said with a mischievous smile.
Then she said something like, “Wait, you’re not Russell. You’re his twin.”
“Are you sure?” I said.
She knew I wasn’t Russell because of my hair, and my brother had mentioned having a twin. The girl’s name was Junko, and she was the volunteer coordinator of the festival. I was impressed by how perceptive she was. I usually don’t meet people who could tell the difference right away.
Junko proceeded to walk me to the greenroom to give me a volunteer shirt. I told her that I wasn’t volunteering. She then asked if I could volunteer on Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. I agreed without a moment’s thought. Easy. I had always wanted to volunteer at a film festival. I came to this one just to attend the seminars, and I somehow got recruited as a volunteer. Even better.
How to Write an Academy Award Nominated Screenplay…The Asian Way!
10:00 A.M.
At this screenwriting seminar, I listened to Iris Yamashita (Letters from Iwo Jima) and two screenwriting professors talk about screenplay writing. I also happened to see my UCSB short film professor there in the audience. Much was said about the craft of screenwriting. If there was one important thing to remember from this seminar, it was that finishing scripts is the only way to learn.
Break
12:00 P.M.
While I had time to kill before the next seminar, I wandered around in the DGA building and met some cool people. One of them was Lillian, who informed me of some useful leads when it came to looking for jobs and housing. I also met Jeremy, a cool guy who was promoting a short film he appeared in. He also knew Josie from Projekt Newsspeak.
Toke 2: The Harold & Kumar Story
2:00 P.M.
Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, writers/directors of “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” talked about how they got into the film business and shared anecdotes about the making of the Harold & Kumar movies. The talk was similar to the podcast found on iTunesU, except instead of listening to them in the car, I got to see them live, in person. I asked them how they approached directing friends (John Cho and Kal Penn), as opposed to high-class actors. They were lucky to work with people who understood the story and were passionate about making it good. I wrote down something Hayden Schlossberg said at one point during the talk. “In order for Asian-American movies to be made, somebody has to write them.” These guys grew up with Asian-American friends, so they totally understand Asian-American issues in the media.
Yours Truly, Miss Chinatown
4:00 P.M.
Having been involved in a Miss Chinatown pageant a few months back, I couldn’t resist watching this documentary about two contestants in the Miss LA Chinatown 2003 pageant. The stories were interesting, but I didn’t like the movie very much. Something about it bothered me, even disturbed me. I also thought it was biased and not comprehensive enough. For what it’s worth, there were some good moments that actually got captured on video and were included in the film.
Some court members from Miss LA Chinatown attended the screening. At the post-screening reception, I actually tried talking to them, to recruit them for MAA. Still, I felt intimidated and couldn’t carry a conversation with them for very long. I guess when you’re on the outside, as opposed to being an escort on the inside, they treat you differently, with their armor on.
In other news, I saw Rex Lee (Lloyd from “Entourage”) at the reception, as well. It would’ve been funny if somebody yelled out, “LLOYD!” I didn't talk to him because he was busy talking to other people.
A Hit or Miss
9:30 P.M.
I met up with Ehsan and watched a program of short films. I wasn’t very fond of many of them. Neither was Ehsan. During the post-screening discussion, some animosity was apparent among some of the filmmakers who knew each other, but worked on their own separate shorts. They talked about some bitter drama that went on during the making of their films. I thought, “Who are these people? And what film school did they go to?” The good thing that came out of attending this program was meeting the WongFu guys. My brother and I found out that one of them competed against us during high school cross country. I think he went to Mills High School.
Clubbing at V Lounge
After Midnight
Sometime during the day, Kelly Wong finally got in touch with me and invited me to go clubbing at V Lounge on 2020 Wilshire Blvd. After having finished a day of festival-going, I decided to go. I even got Johnny Chuidian, a friend I met at CCSF, to meet up with me there. It was late, and by the time I got there, Kelly was just leaving. Still, there was no cover charge, so Johnny, his friends, and I spent some time in the V Lounge. It’s interesting to see that Johnny and I were still the same losers from three years ago. (I mean that endearingly.)
To Be Continued…. | | |
| CONSOLE-ING PASSIONSOn Wednesday, April 23, 2008, the day after I had my conference call with two Fox Diversity recruiters, I read an E-mail from Joe, my film studies advisor at UCSB, announcing that the producers and writers of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” were going to speak at UCSB on Saturday. I had to go.
One of the producers, a UCSB alumnus, had spoken in my Hollywood Industry class before. Two years ago, she talked about working on “Battlestar Galactica,” which inspired me so much that I wrote her a thank you card. Weeks later, she sent me a script of the episode she wrote. This time, I’d try to talk to her again and maybe find a way to work for her on the new season of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.”
After reading Joe’s E-mail, I struggled to find co-workers to cover my shift for Saturday. Thankfully, after talking to a number of people and making some negotiations, my shift was successfully covered. Knowing I was able to attend the seminar, I proceeded to catch up on the “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” episodes that had been put off in my computer for months.
Friday, after work, I hung out with Michael for a bit, and departed for Santa Barbara at around 9 p.m. I arrived at Brian’s place within five hours.
SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2008
9:30 a.m.
The seminar was to start at 10:30, so I had time to catch up on the season finale I hadn’t seen yet. I had to watch it, not just for pleasure, but to do the research and be prepared for questions I might have. Plus, I didn’t want them to spoil things I should’ve seen already. Surprisingly, the finale had a tear-jerker moment that, thankfully, wasn’t spoiled for me.
10:30 a.m.
WORKING ON TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES
I arrived at the Corwin Pavillion to find that it wasn’t crowded at all, as I expected it to be. I guess people didn’t know about it, and it was a Saturday morning, anyway. Constance Penley, a former professor of mine, was there. I remember her confronting me over a year ago when I fell asleep in front of some Hollywood guest speakers. Thanks to her, and Rose, I’m more precautious about that. I drank some free coffee provided in the lobby.
The audience was small, and I didn’t know anyone there, except Joe, and two other students I met before.
Throughout the session, I was annoyed by a cynical artsy girl sitting behind me. She kept talking, whispering, scoffing about certain things about the show. The things she said sounded like they could be found on Internet message boards. So damn annoying. She said that she didn’t like Sarah Connor’s voice-overs, which I thought were really insightful and brilliant. Having the voiceovers stays true to James Cameron’s Terminator 2.
After the panel discussion ended, I stuck around to talk to the co-executive producer and writers. The annoying girl stuck around, as well. While I waited, I said something to her.
“Are you one of those people who talk in the movie theatres?”
She realized that she was really annoying and apologized for it. I was gracious about it. I told her that if it was my mom, I’d yell at her.
The co-executive producer was free to talk, and I let the annoying girl talk to her first. She said that she was a fangirl and wrote her a fan letter, but got no response. This made me feel better, because I actually did get a response when I wrote somewhat of a fan letter.
Eventually, I got to talk to the co-executive producer and told her that I was the one who sent a thank you card two years ago and got a script in return. She remembered me because I was the only one who actually did that. I asked if there were any openings for assistants on the show, but there were none. If one opens up though, she’d consider me.
I also talked to Ian, one of the staff writers on the show, who happened to be the youngest one. He’s about my age, maybe a year or two older. It was good for me to meet him because now I know that people my age can get on the writing staff on such a high-calibur show.
2:00 p.m.
PLENARY SESSION: THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
Panelists in this seminar talked about the state of the television industry, and how it’s changing. The most interesting panelists at this seminar were Dana Walden, Chairman of 20th Century Fox Television, and Toni Graphia, a writer/producer for “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” I discovered that one-hour dramas now have a six-act structure, as opposed to the four-act structure. This means there are more commercial breaks, and more cliffhangers in a single hour. I’m not very fond of that, but television executives justify it because they need to find a way to prevent viewers from leaping from one channel to another. I really have to pay attention to the behaviors of the television industry in order to play it well.
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
After the panel, I looked through the program book and realized that I was attending an INTERNATIONAL conference on television, audio, video, new media and feminism. Wow, I drove all the way from the San Francisco bay area just to talk to the writers of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” and I inadvertently ended up in a big international conference. People from England, the Middle East, Switzerland, and other parts of the world were in attendance. The fact that UCSB was hosting such an event was a testament to the development of UCSB’s film department. I believe it will be at the level of UCLA and USC.
4:30 p.m.
CONFERENCE BEACH PARTY
The conference closed with an afterparty at Goleta Beach. I drove there by myself and hung out with Gavin and Heather. There, we ate picnic food and drank wine and beer among the conference attendees. It was very pleasant. We schmoozed and mingled. Dana Walden of 20th Century Fox Television wasn’t there. She bolted right after the last panel. To our delight, the co-executive producer of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” was there, and we talked to her some more. From this interaction, I acquired the privilege of directly E-mailing her my feedback on each episode after it airs. Yeah, it certainly beats going through Internet message boards. And I’d be constructive and understanding with my feedback, not brutal or harsh at all, the way fanboys are.
Gavin and I noticed that we were the only UCSB film students attending this conference. Actually, we were former students, but still! Not one single UCSB film student was there. What does that say about the UCSB film majors? That they’re not serious? To be fair, the filmmakers were busy working on their Reel Loud projects.
7:00 p.m.
THE GREATEST PORNO EVER MADE
My last stop of the day was at a house on Del Playa, where a Reel Loud short film was in production. Yes, I made a surprise appearance, except I had let slip to Kevin that I was coming. Everyone else there was surprised to see me. I saw Kevin, Nick, Sara, Joey, Cindy, Laura Jean, Irene, Justin, and many others. Being in Santa Barbara around familiar film major friends was a delightful escape from my life in the San Francisco bay area.
Nick and Kevin were producing a short film called “The Greatest Porno Ever Made” and they were looking for extras with wacky costumes. I happened to have a banana costume in my trunk, so that was my character for that film. I also happened to have rabbit fur handcuffs, which came in handy for the actors who played police officers. Other wacky characters in the film included a pizza deliveryman, a plumber, a dildo salesman, a cowboy, a doctor, etc.
INSPIRED
My experience at the Console-ing Passions conference and helping out with a Reel Loud project in Santa Barbara inspired me. I was inspired to write a great television pilot and spec script. I was inspired to keep going.
A week later, I’d carry that momentum to the LA Asian-Pacific Film Festival.
| | |
| MY SFIAAFF EXPERIENCE - PART TWOSUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2008
I had a dream that Connie finally called me, at around 7:50 a.m. I wished her a happy birthday, wondering if she got my present, and we had a pleasant conversation for over 20 minutes. Ironically, that’s at least 20 more airtime minutes than I ever had with Tiffany. A few hours later, I woke up and checked my call log. It wasn’t a dream, after all.
A CONVERSATION WITH IRIS YAMASHITA
This time, I went to another day of SFIAAFF events by myself. The first event I went to was A Conversation with Iris Yamashita, the screenwriter of “Letters from Iwo Jima.” When Paul Haggis felt that he didn’t have the authority or voice to write the story for Clint Eastwood, Eastwood ultimately hired Yamashita, a shin-nissei with a Japanese perspective on the Battle of Iwo Jima. This project enabled her to quit her computer programming day job. Yamashita talked of the hardships of screenwriting, and even though she was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay, she still had to sell her ideas to get the next writing job. She is currently working on projects with Wayne Wang and Hideo Nakata.
TURN ON THE BOX!
The next panel I attended was called “Turn on the Box! Diversity and Television’s New Reality,” moderated by SF Chronicle TV critic, Tim Goodman. Panelists Phil Yu (of angryasianman.com), Janice Tanaka (of Fox Network), Kathy Lo (of PBS), and Kay Wilson Stallings (of Nickelodeon) talked about the Asian-American faces seen on television in recent years. It was said that many educated Asians need to join the system so that they can move up along the ranks and make the decisions, even if it takes starting at the bottom for low pay. This resonated with me, because I’m trying to do that. After the panel ended, I put myself out there and introduced myself to the panelists. Perhaps I was changing my life at that moment, stepping up and making my own destiny.
WEST 32ND, FEATURING JOHN CHO
I knew that “West 32nd” was sold out, but I decided to drive to the Castro Theatre to try to get in, anyway. In the rush line, I had the confidence to converse with some girls who looked nearly my age, without being awkward or whatnot. John Cho arrived on the red carpet, and the girls took turns to check him out. I didn’t get to see him this time, so I asked if he seemed heavily guarded.
The girl said that somebody asked if he minded taking a picture and he said, “Yes, I do mind.”
This reminded me of a conversation I had with Connie that very morning. Connie told me a story about Hilary Duff at a shopping mall. A girl asked for her autograph, and Duff said, “Can’t you see I’m shopping?”
Nothing against John Cho. I just think that maybe there are certain celebrities that you should never encounter, because they might disillusion your perceptions of them and their characters onscreen.
Soon, the girls I was talking to got their tickets ahead of me and went inside.
DO GOOD THINGS
Another girl in line behind me didn’t have enough cash to pay for her ticket, and offered to write me a check if I gave her money. So, I paid for her ticket, trusting that she’d pay me back. Inside the theater, she showed me her ID to reassure me that she wasn’t scamming me.
As she was writing the check, she said something like, “Oh, but now you’ll know my address.”
Before I could respond with a clever joke about stalking, she said something like, “I trust that you won’t stalk me.”
Upon hearing that, I decided to use my discretion and not joke about it. After all, she wasn’t Tiffany.
“Of course not,” I said in my usual polite, sincere, sophisticated manner.
Later, I met her friend, and we sat together on the balcony. She gave me the $15 owed to me, in exchange for the check, and I cooperatively obliged. I never had any intention to stalk, anyway. After the movie ended, she tapped me on the shoulder and thanked me for the helpful gestures. I bid them a goodnight.
Director Michael Kang, star John Cho, and some producers went onstage after the show to do a Q&A session. Grace Park wasn’t there. In that Q&A session, I learned that John Cho was a graduate of UC Berkeley. Majored in forestry or something. Nice.
LIMO
After that ended, I exited the theatre and saw a black limo in front, with a chauffeur waiting with the door open, like an escort. This image interested me, and I waited to see how this was done. Soon enough, I caught John Cho entering the limo in a quick, sneaky fashion. If I wasn’t watching, I would’ve missed that.
Star-struck girls went up to his window, taking pictures and requesting autographs. I was amused by this. John Cho didn’t even have bodyguards or escorts to protect him from crazy fans. But, all he had to do was roll up the window and he was fine.
LAST CALL
Since I was on Castro Street, I decided visit my aunt and uncle before calling it a night. We had some good conversations about growing up and how things have changed.
Today turned out to be another good day at the film festival. The good thing about going by myself was that I got to make my own destiny, doing what I wanted to do and going where I wanted to go, at my whim. Kinda like shopping by myself. I didn’t have to be concerned about anyone but myself. Still, I would’ve liked it if I had a companion.
Now, I gotta follow up on my contacts.
Oh, and finish writing my pageant stories.
| | |
| MY 2008 SF INT. ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL EXPERIENCESATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2008
Before this day, things weren’t going my way when it came to planning my San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival experience. I couldn’t find anyone to accompany me on the days I wanted to go, and the events I wanted to attend were sold out. However, despite these obstacles, I somehow found a way to step it up.
After making a few calls, I finally landed on Denise to come with me to the Fox Diversity Casting Workshop, the only event I had successfully RSVPed for that day. Ironically, Denise was the one who went with me to San Diego’s Asian Film Festival at the last minute last October.
So, the next morning, I bought the OneRepublic “Dreaming Out Loud” album so we could listen to it in the car. Yeah, I actually bought it because of “Smallville.”
On the way there, Denise and I heard a familiar song, “Apologize,” which we heard too many times during our trip to San Diego last October.
FOX DIVERSITY CASTING WORKSHOP
At the Fox Diversity Casting Workshop, Denise and I watched some talented Asian Americans perform their monologues. The one I liked the most involved red spandex. The guy hit every beat and was extraordinarily entertaining. Too bad he left early. I didn’t even get to meet him and ask where he got that monologue. At least I got to introduce myself to the actors who stuck around. One of them was actually in the show, “The Suite Life with Zack and Cody.” I was happy to be able to talk to these young actors. It was a much more successful experience than I had with Rose at Julie Fong’s press conference.
STEPPING IT UP: PUTTING DESTINY IN MY CONTROL
After the workshop, it was almost 3 p.m., and I knew that two significant events occurred at that time.
1. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, followed by a Q&A with John Cho
and
2. Dialogue: The Hypersexuality of Race with Celine Parrenas Shimizu, one of my favorite professors at UCSB.
Both of them had been sold out for days. But for some reason, I was determined to try to get into the Hypersexuality panel to see my former UCSB professor and say hi. Even if I had to hang out outside the door.
So, I had Denise tag along with me as I tried to get rush tickets, and fortunately, we got in. Professor Shimizu saw me, and I was happy to see her. She had just released a new book, but she hasn’t decided whether or not to use it in her class.
THE HYPERSEXUALITY OF RACE
So, Denise got a taste of what it’s like to be in one of my Asian American film classes at UCSB. I’m sure she didn’t fully understand the lecture, because Shimizu was using terminology that only film majors (or people who had been in her class) would understand. Surprisingly, Shimizu also showed us some porn, which she never ever showed in my class when I was at UCSB. At that moment, I wondered what it would’ve been like if I had brought someone else other than Denise with me. Aw man, watching porn on the big screen next to a girl? Oh yeah, I’ve done that before...in Santa Barbara, but that’s another story. I wonder how Denise felt about seeing it.
When the panel ended, I said to Denise, “Wow, I felt so happy to be here. It was like I was back at UCSB, and I miss it.”
Shimizu overheard me say that and said, “You can always come back (to visit).”
In the auditorium right next to Shimizu’s talk, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay was just finishing up. And I saw a familiar face at the door.
Johnny Wu! He was volunteering, and I was happy to see him. He even let Denise and me go inside to catch the end of Harold and Kumar. Of course, I didn’t want to watch the ending of a movie I hadn’t seen, so I decided to wait outside for the Q&A session with John Cho.
While waiting, I decided to buy Shimizu’s book and had her sign it. Before saying goodbye to my former professor, I gave her my business card and agreed to keep in touch. While this was going on, I heard Johnny say to me out loud, “There he is!”
I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw
JOHN CHO
Whoa. I was star-struck, and I knew I shouldn’t have been. I remembered Emily telling me at the 2006 San Diego Asian Film Festival, when I saw Grace Park, that I’m a film major and that film majors don’t get star-struck.
By the way, I’m not the kind of person who puts celebrities on a pedestal and drops their names like it’s a big deal. I know it’s not cool. It’s just that I missed him at WonderCon, and I missed him at the South By Southwest Film Festival, both of which I did not attend. And I thought I was gonna miss him here. But thankfully, I got a break.
John Cho approached the auditorium wearing a fancy coat that made me think of GQ, and he exuded a nearly snooty aura in the way he walked. He looked like he was under a tight schedule, because he was a bit reluctant to take pictures. It was clear to me that he had grown, not only as an actor, but as a Hollywood figure. The way I rationalized it, I said that he looked guarded.
Thankfully, Johnny let Denise and me into the Q&A, and we sat near the front. Taro was there to moderate the Q&A.
I asked, “I heard that Harold and Kumar was made because of the success of Better Luck Tomorrow. Can you elaborate on that?”
Cho wasn’t able answer that question because he wasn’t the authority on such a statement. He said if he had to venture a guess, he’d say no, (that Better Luck Tomorrow had nothing to do with Harold and Kumar being greenlit). Ironically, Denise and I remember somebody at the San Diego Asian Film Festival saying that Harold and Kumar was made because of the success of Better Luck Tomorrow. I think it was Roger Fan who said that.
The Q&A session with John Cho didn’t last very long. It went by quickly, and he was out. He seemed like a cool guy, though.
SPONTANEOUS BERKELEY VISIT
We had some time to kill before Denise had to meet up with Garin at 8. So, Denise and I had dinner at Mifune, where I usually eat with Federico. We still had time to kill after we finished eating, so Denise and I walked through the mall, continuing the conversations we had earlier that day.
Then, it occurred to me to follow up on Tiffany’s text message, which she sent me right before I saw John Cho. So, I called her, and it also occurred to me that I had never talked to Tiffany on the phone before. She said that she was at a men’s gymnastics meet and intimated that I could come by, if I wanted to, but didn’t have to. I decided not to.
We were done for the day, and I found myself driving Denise to nowhere, listening to OneRepublic, particularly “Apologize,” again. Something came up, and we had about an hour and a half to kill. Then, I decided to visit Berkeley after all.
So, we arrived at Berkeley shortly and briefly met up with Tiffany for a minute at the Haas Pavilion. I introduced her to Denise.
“This is Bossman’s girl. Yeah, I’m hanging out with Bossman’s girl.”
“Ooh, you’re gonna get in trouble.”
Yep, that was the banter of the day.
Since we were at Berkeley, Denise and I decided to visit Julie. Julie had some hot friends in a picture on her dorm room door. Her room was messy, but not that messy, in my opinion.
MISSING OUT, REGRETFULLY
After dropping off Denise in Chinatown, I wanted to go to the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival After Party at the Poleng Lounge. Unfortunately, no one was available to accompany me. Not even Federico. So, now, I’m at home blogging and wondering what I’m missing…and who I’m missing.
My life could be changing right now if I were there.
But it’s not good to think like that. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Denise for such a good day. Thank you very much, Denise, for being the receiving end of my words. And thank you very much for allowing me to drag you around to events that I wanted to go to. I don’t know what it would’ve been like if I had brought somebody else to accompany me.
Check it out, Denise. You're the star of this entry. Your name is mentioned here more than...everyone else. Relish it. Ha, ha, ha.
| | |
| Daly CityThursday, March 13, 2008
In the past 24 hours, different people representing different time periods of my life came to my store, or within its vicinity.
Rosalind from middle school/high school six to eleven years ago.
Kim from Jamba Juice five years ago.
Peter and Sophie from Century three years ago.
Stephen Chan from kindergarten to present day.
Seeing Kim was actually the highlight of my shift, because it was so ironic. When I worked at Century five years ago, she was one of the Jamba girls I saw all the time when I was a customer. In fact, I remember one time I reported my credit card lost because she forgot to give it back to me after a transaction. Anyway, now, the roles have reversed. She was the customer, and I was the Jamba guy. It reminded me of a situation in Wong Kar Wai's "Chungking Express."
Now, if only certain former Jamba girls came to my register to fulfill my "Chungking Express" scenario. That would totally make my day. Even better if she was in a pageant.
| | |
|
