​Thanks to a generous grant from the New York Department of Cultural Affairs, the Film Lab has commissioned a special project to highlight the works and voices of amazing new filmmakers across the country.  I am thrilled to be able to use this blog to help.  This innovative project involves sharing the works, stories and voices of diverse filmmakers using their art in ways they feel will effectuate positive social change.  The featured artists have independently created works and are committed to sharing and collaborating with other like-minded artists. 
 
Last week, it was an honor to share the insights of musician and aspiring filmmaker Sean Lea and, this week, the fifth featured artist of What's Your Story? is Myra Sito Velasquez, a New York based, award winning playwright, filmmaker and director.  I have met Myra before!  In fact, I've even had the privilege of working under her direction as an actress in one of her amazing plays (read about it here), which made it a special privilege to speak with her for this project.  Here is what she had to say:
 
1   In a short paragraph, please tell us a little about yourself, your background and your work 
I am an independent filmmaker and playwright of Chinese, German and Mexican heritage born and raised in Tokyo.  NYC has been my home now for over 30 years.  My first film MOTHER’S BLOOD centers around my mother’s strange habit. The film is the winner of the Lawrence Kasdan Best Narrative Film Award among others. Some of my other works are: KUNG FU GRANNY, winner of the Best of the Fest Golden Honu Award among others, my award winning feature screenplay DIANA, a coming of age story set in 1970’s Tokyo, and most recently the play THE ASTONISHING JOURNEY OF MABEL LI AND THE MYSTERIOUS WAYS OF LORD BA THA ZA. This play is a Eugene O’ Neill Finalist and was also a selection of MU Theater’s New Eyes Festival. 
 
 2.  What are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of your work and why? 
The most challenging aspect is that as an indie filmmaker, I wear the hats of producer, director and writer which somehow always extends to set design, props, craft service and then some. On KUNG FU GRANNY, I had a producing partner named Sunah Kim. The workload that was lifted off me as a result was heaven.  PR is another aspect that I find challenging. I’m simply not good at it. As for the rewards, it’s hugely fulfilling to actualize projects that are deep to my heart that also resonate with others. And artistic recognition by way of awards and/ or a rich film fest circuit: awesome! 
 
3.  How do race and/or gender and/or diversity play into your work? 
The protagonist of my award winning feature screenplay DIANA is a 12 year old girl of mixed heritage who, from all that she observes in the world around her, is convinced that men are the superior sex and that the “best” race is white. The challenges she faces are ones that I too faced at that age: how does a child, neither white nor male, make her way in a world which seems to tell her that she is a lesser being? As for my film KUNG FU GRANNY, while it is an action comedy, it was borne out of my displeasure at the shabby treatment of older people as well as my hunger to see more Asian female heroines. Re: casting, because much of my work is set specifically in an Asian milieu -- ( e.g.my play THE SOLDIER is set in 1930’s military Japan) --my cast has been generally all Asian. However, my playThe Astonishing Journey of Mabel Li and the Mysterious Ways of Lord Ba Tha Za does not have to be an all Asian cast. As this play is a fairy tale in a make-believe land, the more the cast reflects the world in all its wondrous diversity: great!
 
4.  What are the best and worst things that have happened to you, within the context of race or gender issues in entertainment, and what did you learn from them?   
My film THE LOVERS is about a Japanese man and a Chinese American woman whose passion for each other forces them to confront the dark legacy of the Japanese invasion of Nanking in 1937. It’s ultimately a story of love and hope transcendent but all the same, the subject matter was highly challenging for me. I was also highly aware how sensitive this subject is among Asians. To cut to the chase, no Asian American festival took the film. One Asian American festival went so far as to say my film was the worst of the worst. This was one rejection letter I wish I still had especially because shortly after, I received the notification that the film was an official selection at the academy award qualifying Palm Springs SFF followed by another and another, including the prestigious 26th Mill Valley Film Festival and NonViolent FF. The film is not perfect by any means --I see many things I’d like to change -- but I believe it could have generated a rich dialogue among the Asian community and the lack of support was disappointing. Lesson here being that everyone has their own agenda & issues and not to take things personally.  I’m delighted to share that one prominent person of Asian descent swift to support the project was none other than Iris Chang, author of the groundbreaking bestseller “The Rape of Nanking”. She is a hero to me on so many levels. 
 
5. If you could share a single sentence of advice or insight for others in the entertainment business, what would it be? 
Keep to your vision and integrity and do your best. 
 
6. As you know, AAFL TV promotes works that seek to effectuate positive and constructive social change through the medium of film. Do you think filmmakers have an obligation to create diverse and/or morally and socially conscious content? Why or why not? 
As an artist, I am uncomfortable with the word “obligation” as it feels like a straitjacket. Having said that, I strongly object to any work that promotes hatred and cruelty against any race, gender and animals. 
 
7.What are the most sage words of advice you can offer to new and emerging filmmakers? 
Choose your cast and crew well. Don’t rush this part! You want the drama to be in the film not on set. Also, do your best to have as thorough and tight a pre-production as possible and have a great editor in place. 
 
8. Does your advice change at all if I ask you to focus on women and/or minority filmmakers? If so, why and how.
No, it does not.  
 
9. What is the single most fun moment you've experienced in the entertainment industry? 
 Pure bliss when -- on one of my shoots -- the harmony, focus and dedication from my DP, cast and crew was so palpable, you could taste it. Our location was gorgeous too, so that added to the luminous vibe of it all. I was on Cloud Nine for weeks after. 
 
10. What is the single most obnoxious moment you've experienced in the entertainment industry? 
“Your film is the worst of the worst.” The other is festival related. I’d promised that my film would be the premiere of a certain festival but then got into another great fest in which I was a contender for Awards. When I asked permission to screen at that festival, the guy said : ”But that would mean your film won’t be a premiere at our fest as you said!! I mean we’ll still screen your film, but....” Which had me immediately making nice, reassuring him that I would not enter the other festival. This pleased him. I subsequently discovered how utterly inconsequential the premiere factor was at that fest and to this day, I still get unhappy when I think how I missed out on the other--( and that possible award!!)-- because of the weird, power play snotty attitude of that guy. Lesson here being: if your film is a short, don’t get too wound up about “premiere.” 
 
11.What lies ahead for you in terms of the entertainment biz? 
I am working on a new play based on a short story. It’s my first adaptation, very much enjoying the process. 
 
12. What does the phrase "Ethical Is Beautiful Be Beautiful" mean to you and your work, if anything? 
What it says to me is: Try always to walk the higher ground. Be honest, kind and compassionate. Make the world a better place. Hatred, violence and cruelty is never the way to go.

For anyone that has hyperpigmentation, especially those little brusie-like marks blemishes can leave behind and/or for anyone with dull, stressed skin, this toner is wonderful!  I found a DIY recipe for a "Refreshing Mist" using sweet orange essential oil, eucalyptus essential oil and water.  It was fine, but I found the more orange I used, the more brightening but the less hydrating it was.  I switched out the water for rose water and adjusted the oil level so...ta da!  Try it out and enjoy!

You will need:
1.  A small spray bottle or atomizer
2.  Sweet orange essential oil (my favorite is Aura Cacia - https://www.auracacia.com.  It's cruelty free and has no synthetic ingredients
3.  Rosewater
4.  Lemon (an actual lemon)
(Possibly also lavendar, rose and/or geranium essential oils - see directions below, based on skin type)

Directions:
Mix 4 oz. rosewater with 14 drops sweet orange essential oil and a single squeeze of lemon juice (less is more as lemon can be drying).
IF you have blemished skin, add 1 drop lavender essential oil 
IF you have really dry skin, don't use the lemon and add 1 drop essential rose oil
IF you have dry skin AND breakouts (uhg!), don't use the lemon and use 1 drop essential rose oil, 1 drop essential lavendar oil and 1 drop essential geranium oil.

Feel refreshed, brightened and invigorated.  You can use this as a toner after cleansing and also as a makeup setting spritzer or general overall refreshing toner mist.

Thanks to a generous grant from the New York Department of Cultural Affairs, the Film Lab has commissioned a special project to highlight the works and voices of amazing new filmmakers across the country.  I am thrilled to be able to use this blog to help.  This innovative project involves sharing the works, stories and voices of diverse filmmakers using their art in ways they feel will effectuate positive social change.  The featured artists have independently created works and are committed to sharing and collaborating with other like-minded artists. 
 
Last week, it was an honor to share the insights of filmmaker Kiyun Sung (you can watch a portion of his interview here) and, this week, the fourth featured artist of What's Your Story? is Sean Lea, a New York/New Jersey based musician and aspiring filmmaker.  Listen to one of his musical pieces here.  Connect with Sean on Twitter @xelsior.  Now, in Sean's words:
 
1.  In a short paragraph, please tell us a little about yourself, your background and your work.
My name is Sean Lea. I’m an Englewood, NJ native.  I’m an indie filmmaker enthusiast. I studied at New York University.  I produced and directed an indie test film entitled, “The Beer Runner”. It involved casting several of my friends and co-workers. I directed and did the film editing. I also composed the entire film score. It gave me my first taste of directing. I really wish I had a better camera for the recording of the film. But it just showed the potential I had by using a $60 Kodak camera and iMovie on my Macbook Pro 13 laptop. Also, with that same camera, I filmed a documentary on the after effects of Superstorm Sandy when it hit the North New Jersey area. That project was a self directed and self recorded documentary.
 
2.  What are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of your work and why?
 The most challenging aspect of my work has always been finding participants to include in my projects. Any time someone hears that it is low/no budget, they run like the wind in the opposite direction.
 
3.  How do race and/or gender and/or diversity play into your work?
In my film The Beer Runner, I had Caucasians, Puerto Ricans, Syrians and African Americans in the film. I think any film should be reflective of the society in which we live.
 
4.   What are the best and worst things that have happened to you, within the context of race or gender issues in entertainment, and what did you learn from them?
Any negative feedback. Or maybe perhaps getting the “brush off” from entertainment people has usually been a money/ success/ experience issue. I would try not to make the determination that my race would have anything to do with it. But it’s not something I would rule out. 
 
5.  If you could share a single sentence of advice or insight for others in the entertainment business, what would it be?
Be original and be unique.
 
6.   As you know, AAFL TV promotes works that seek to effectuate positive and constructive social change through the medium of film.  Do you think filmmakers have an obligation to create diverse and/or morally and socially conscious content?  Why or why not?
Yes, I think it’s an entertainment industry objective. After all the fiction that is produced, it’s always refreshing to have a project that deals with reality as we encounter it.
 
6B.  What are the biggest challenges you face as a filmmaker and how do you deal with them?
I find just trying to find content to produce is a challenge. How many films can I make of New York City, or animals in the park, or traffic on the streets. I need better equipment (I’m saving money) and I need to find other like-minded creative people to collaborate with.
 
7.  What are the most sage words of advice you can offer to new and emerging filmmakers?
Work outside of the box. Don’t worry about taking something that’s already been done and trying to perfect it.  Create, create, create!
 
8.   Does your advice change at all if I ask you to focus on women and/or minority filmmakers?  If so, why and how.
No, it doesn’t change. Simply because I believe the fact that a woman or minority filmmaker proves what we already know. When you watch a film/tv show/commercial that is entertaining, you don’t typically say, “Hey, this film was created by an Asian, a woman, a gay citizen, a minority, an atheist, an ex-convict.” It does however prove that good quality entertainment can come from any creative person.
 
9.  What is the single most fun moment you've experienced in the entertainment industry?
It was more of what “might have happened” instead of what actually happened. A film producer in NYC asked me to meet with him to discuss doing a film score and soundtrack work on an upcoming film. Auditions were held for the film and everything. However the producer fell ill, suffering a stroke and the project was postponed indefinitely. But just for the several weeks of doing my independent work for this project was very exciting. 
 
10.  What is the single most obnoxious moment you've experienced in the entertainment industry?
Having to fire my entire crew (of friends and co-workers) for losing interest in finishing my film, The Beer Runner.  No budget/no pay seems like it meant, “Well, we can work on this film whenever we feel like it. Even if it takes 5 years to finish it.” I fired the entire crew, then realized that I would have trouble finding more people to complete the film.
 
11.  What lies ahead for you in terms of the entertainment biz?
Trying to get better equipment and branch out for more people to see my work/talent/skills. 
 
12.  What does the phrase "Ethical Is Beautiful Be Beautiful" mean to you and your work, if anything?
Be true to yourself and in doing so be true to humanity. That’s a beautiful feeling.

​Thanks to a generous grant from the New York Department of Cultural Affairs, the Film Lab has commissioned a special project to highlight the works and voices of amazing new filmmakers working to create shifts in perception through their art.  I am thrilled to be able to use this blog to help.  This innovative project involves sharing the works, stories and voices of diverse filmmakers using their art in ways they feel will effectuate positive social change.  The featured artists have independently created works and are committed to sharing and collaborating with other like-minded artists. 
 
Last week, it was an honor to share the insights of filmmaker Alex Chu.  This week, the third featured artist of What's Your Story? is Kiyun Sung, a New Jersey based filmmaker.   Here is what he has to say (and you can watch a portion of his interview here):
 
1.  In a short paragraph, please tell us a little about yourself, your background and your work
 
My name is Kiyun Sung. I am a Korean-American filmmaker based in northern New Jersey. I graduated with a degree in International Relations and, following a study abroad in Korea University, became the Graphic Design Manager of Teach North Korean Refugees, a Seoul-based NGO.
 
I originally began my foray into cinema by making short VFX-heavy videos, inspired by Freddie Wong, Brandon Laatsch, and Corridor Digital, and releasing them on YouTube. Then in 2014, I decided to invoke my love of Korean history and culture and made 운명의 왕: The Destined King; the first U.S.-made Korean fusion-historical short film. Since then, I’ve been making high-concept short films and projects that feature Korean or Asian culture and history through my production company, Baek Ho Productions LLC.
 
2.  What are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of your work and why?

The most challenging aspect of my work is finding multilingual talent that can also do specific accents and dialects. For example, in one of my projects, there were Korean characters that spoke in a much older style of Korean (사극톤). Consequently, I had to do a more extensive casting process to find talent that could comfortably perform and speak in that style.
 
However, the most rewarding aspect is being able to work alongside extremely talented people in both cast and crew. I am always blown away by the immense passion and dedication that people bring, and I am always thankful that I am able to work with such individuals.
 
3.  How do race and/or gender and/or diversity play into your work?
Race and diversity do play heavily into my work. A lot of my projects center on stories that are or are based on a specific history and culture. Consequently, I try to make sure the casting is appropriate and do extensive research to help ensure the film is authentic and respective to the respective culture and people.
 
4.  What are the best and worst things that have happened to you, within the context of race or gender issues in entertainment, and what did you learn from them?

The best thing that has happened to me was discovering there are a lot of people in the American entertainment industry that are open to Asian culture and working on projects that are based on that. However, the worst thing I learned was that there was also a lot of people with misinformed conceptions, especially in regards to cultural practices and the history that has led to modern-day Asia.
 
However, I learned that it is no use to be angry or upset. Rather, I have found that it is better to practice patience and understanding, then - when appropriate - to gently teach people and help them understand things that - while understandable to us - are not easily translatable to the West.
 
5.  If you could share a single sentence of advice or insight for others in the entertainment business, what would it be?
 
I would advise people in the entertainment business to be patient and supportive as much and as often as possible.
 
6.  Do you think filmmakers have an obligation to create diverse content?  Why or why not?

I don’t necessarily believe filmmakers have an overriding obligation to create diverse content. I think filmmakers should develop films that they want to see. If they are forced to tackle content that they are not familiar with or uncomfortable with tackling, then the end product may seem disjointed, forced, or inauthentic.
 
7.  What are the biggest challenges you face as a filmmaker and how do you deal with them?
 
As a filmmaker, the biggest challenge I face is whether or not I have the artistic ability to tell the stories and create the films I want to make. However, I’ve found that so long as I surround myself with a dedicated and passionate team, that many of my fears and concerns can be overcome and the end product often exceeds my own expectations.
 
8.  What are the most sage words of advice you can offer to new and emerging filmmakers?
 
I would advise new and emerging filmmakers to open themselves to the social sciences and history; to learn the historical and social processes that have come to shape the human experience and form the diverse array of cultures and nations that we see today. But perhaps more importantly, it is from these processes that we - as a species - have come to develop stories and by learning them, your work can resonate with audiences across the globe.
 
9.  Does your advice change at all if I ask you to focus on women and/or minority filmmakers?  If so, why and how?
 
No, I don’t feel that my advice would change if I was asked to focus on women and/or minority filmmakers.
 
10.  What is the single most fun moment you've experienced in the entertainment industry?

In the course of filming one of my projects, we were on-location and our art director was pinning up the flag of the Joseon Dynasty. I had just briefly stepped out to talk to my co-producer when the location owner came by to look around. He asked our assistant director about the flag, to which he (accidentally) responded that it was the flag of a reunified Korea.
 
11.  What is the single most obnoxious moment you've experienced in the entertainment industry?
 
So far, I haven’t experienced anything particularly obnoxious. I’m only usually confronted with curiosity and questions, and those are from crew members who are not familiar with Korean culture and history and want to learn more.
 
12.  What lies ahead for you in terms of the entertainment biz?
 
In the immediate future, I am currently wrapping up post-production on a Korean alternate-history short film, A New Age: Clash of Civilizations. I’m also developing a semi-animated film about Yang Manchun, a Korean general that defended against the Tang Dynasty in the 7th Century. Otherwise, I hope to continue making films and videos that feature Korean and Asian history and culture in unique and prominent ways!
 
13.  What does the phrase "Ethical Is Beautiful Be Beautiful" mean to you and your work, if anything?
​
I feel that “Ethical is Beautiful, Be Beautiful” means to be morally principled, and that by being morally principled, we can naturally make works that appeal both to us and audiences across the globe.

Thanks to a generous grant from the New York Department of Cultural Affairs, the Film Lab has commissioned a special project to highlight the works and voices of amazing new filmmakers across the country.  I am thrilled to be able to use this blog to help.  This innovative project involves sharing the works, stories and voices of diverse filmmakers using their art in ways they feel will effectuate positive social change.  The featured artists have independently created works and are committed to sharing and collaborating with other like-minded artists. 
 
Last week, I was honored to share the interview of filmmaker Paul Leach.  This week, the second featured artist of What's Your Story? is Alex Chu, another amazing filmmaker working to make a difference in Hollywood.   Here is what he has to say:

1.  In a short paragraph, please tell us a little about yourself, your background and your work.
I am a filmmaker who grew up in Canada and Libya. I had a short stint working in investment banking in Asia right after college, which sowed the seeds for how I became a filmmaker today (short answer: if all you have is money and nothing else, you don't really have much to begin with). I grew up a musician, from playing classical cello in orchestras to guitar in a heavy metal band, and had parents who encouraged me to pursue any and all creative arts. I fell into filmmaking after many years of pursuing a professional acting career, when my first short film FORTUNE COOKIE MAGIC TRICKS, a gay zombie musical martial arts mashup, screened at a bunch of festivals worldwide. I'm currently in the midst of working on my second feature FOR IZZY, a drama filmed in a mixed media format that I'm really excited about that should be completed in 2017.

The teaser to the film FOR IZZY can be found here (which is currently in post-production and set to be finished in early 2017):  https://vimeo.com/186195812

2.  What are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of your work and why?
The most challenging is precisely the most rewarding: experiencing that feeling of seeing a story come to life as a result of the cast and crew. Even on the smallest and simplest of projects, there's a million moving parts, like an old fashioned watch, all working intricately together in translating words on a page into something that an audience sees on screen. It requires the collective skill, tenacity and focus of everyone involved to make it happen, and that in itself is the most gratifying aspect, because it cannot be done alone.
 
3.  How do race and/or gender and/or diversity play into your work?
It's not a separate thing that I comment on in my work. Or to put it another way, race, gender or diversity isn't the reason for the project's existence. If I have a female lead character, it's not because I want to comment explicitly about gender politics in the film industry - it's simply because of creativity:

We have 2,000 years of mostly white straight males as lead characters in their stories. We kinda have that locked down already!

That's why I'm surprised why more filmmakers are NOT going out of their way to write stories featuring anyone but straight white males, simply just to get the creative juices going. But then again, it comes back to the white privilege thing (particularly with straight white males) who have been conditioned to be completely unaware of how their own experiences are particular to them.

So if you're coming from simply a place of creativity, the diversity aspect is organic and not tacked on. That's how I've always approached my storytelling.

4.  What are the best and worst things that have happened to you, within the context of race or gender issues in entertainment, and what did you learn from them?
Best: working with veteran Asian-American actors like Elizabeth Sung and Jim Lau, who have been working actors since the 1980s. Actors and artists like them who have had to undoubtedly overcome much greater prejudices and obstacles because of their cultural background have helped pave the way for my generation - this is what inspires me, and it's an honor to have worked with them and have met many of their contemporaries. Even though there's still a long way to go, we can't forget the progress that has been made so far as well, and that is in large part due to these very veterans of the business. To recognize progress is to honor their experiences and struggles.

Worst: honestly I have a hard time coming up with something specific within the entertainment context. I have experienced my share of prejudice in other contexts (on the street, in the corporate world, in school), but thankfully not within entertainment. That does not invalidate anyone else's experiences or the reality that there's still deep seated problems, but my own comparative experiences tell me that progress is being made.

5.  If you could share a single sentence of advice or insight for others in the entertainment business, what would it be?
If you're able to laugh at yourself, you're more likely to have the honesty about yourself and where you need to grow.

6.  As you know, AAFL TV promotes works that seek to effectuate positive and constructive social change through the medium of film.  Do you think filmmakers have an obligation to create diverse and/or morally and socially conscious content?  Why or why not?
Obligation? No. Encouraged to? Yes. 

Creators should have the freedom to pursue whatever ideas they want. It shouldn't be reductive.

But some of the most compelling projects you could work on is if you have something to say. It's the "why am I working on this?" that can be a rallying cry to build a fantastic cast and crew, to find crowdfunding backers, and audiences. We are all looking to be involved in something that is bigger than ourselves beyond the paycheck.

You want to encourage people, not force them. That's how you get folks fully invested in what you have to say because they want to do it, not because they have to.

6B.  What are the biggest challenges you face as a filmmaker and how do you deal with them (please list only non-criminal means of dealing with said problems)?

Building a team of cast and crew. It's hard enough to put together *a* cast and crew, let alone a *great* cast and crew that sees the same movie/show in their mind. Biggest challenge is being patient and diligent about finding the right people.

The other is leadership. Filmmaking is inherently collaborative, and if it's your project, you are expected to be the leader. And as that leader you are entitled to nothing, yet expect everything from your cast and crew. No one is forcing them to work on the project (regardless of how much they're being paid). And no one is forcing the audience to watch your film. And being able to get your cast, crew and audiences to *want* to see the same movie you see in your head is hard. I have no easy answers for this, other than to try and stay honest with myself about why the project is meaningful to me, to do the best I can to communicate that to everyone involved, to get better at finding the right people for the right project, to learn from my mistakes, and to be accountable for my screw ups to set the example for others to follow.

7.  What are the most sage words of advice you can offer to new and emerging filmmakers?
Be disciplined about everything - your craft, your business. Because motivation and inspiration are wholly unreliable since they will ebb and flow. And when you feel low, you have your discipline, habits and the people you surround yourself with to keep you going.

8.  Does your advice change at all if I ask you to focus on women and/or minority filmmakers?  If so, why and how.
No. In fact even more so. You will have even more reasons to feel discouraged. But it's your discipline that will make you better.
9.  What is the single most fun moment you've experienced in the entertainment industry?
Being a director on a project may be the most gratifying work, but being an actor is by far the most fun job one can have, bar none.

On one of my first acting jobs, I was cast in an industrial video for a power company. It was one of those sexual harassment videos that HR would show to new employees about what is NOT appropriate behavior. In one of the scenes, I was asked to play strip poker in a control room that looked like a real life version of Homer Simpson's at the nuclear power plant. When you're half-naked on set at midnight in a control room at a real power plant, you know you've made it.

10.  What is the single most obnoxious moment you've experienced in the entertainment industry?

Dealing with cynical people.
 
11.  What lies ahead for you in terms of the entertainment biz?

Working on my next film project. It's one project at a time. I can't afford to think beyond that.
 
12.  What does the phrase "Ethical Is Beautiful Be Beautiful" mean to you and your work, if anything?

Being kind, gracious and compassionate when you aren't expected to. That is beauty.

Thanks to a generous grant from the New York Department of Cultural Affairs, the Film Lab has commissioned a special project to highlight the works and voices of amazing new filmmakers across the country.  I am thrilled to be able to use this blog to help.  This innovative project involves sharing the works, stories and voices of diverse filmmakers using their art in ways they feel will effectuate positive social change.  The featured artists have independently created works and are committed to sharing and collaborating with other like-minded artists. 
 
The first featured artist is a volunteer whose work I'd never seen before!  He kindly offered to be our guinea pig so here goes.  The volunteer is filmmaker Paul Leach.  You can listen to Paul here.  As always, the views expressed by the filmmaker do not necessarily reflect those of the Film Lab or my own views.  Here is what he has to say:

1.  In a short paragraph, please tell us a little about yourself, your background and your work
 
I went to conservatory in western NY for theatre, music and dance.  While there, I did my first professional jobs (a run of “Godspell” in Canada and shows at SixFlags Darien Lake) as well as wrote an original musical that was invited off-Broadway called CANVAS.  Since that time, I have been in several equity theatre productions (including “Equus” starring George Takei from Star Trek), appeared on Days of Our Lives and just wrote/directed/scored my first indie feature thriller called: “The Woodsman”.
 
2.  What are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of your work and why?
 
The rewarding aspect is in the privilege it is to create and perform art.  As artists, we have the unique experience of feeling what creation is like.  The challenge can be finding a platform, as being Asian, we really don’t have one and the industry is largely closed to us.  That’s the heart breaking part.  I’ll read Sam Shepherd and realize I’ll never get to play these parts.
 
3.  How do race and/or gender and/or diversity play into your work?
 
They play a part subtly.  I believe if you try to make a statement, say an all women western or an all Asian film, it becomes a niche project  and the people you want acceptance from (the broader public) will never see your work, so it is ultimately defeating in assimilating more Asian faces (for instance) into the public consciousness.  I choose to integrate in a way that has broader appeal, like using an Asian strong supporting.  It’s the only way to re-propagandize.
 
4.  What are the best and worst things that have happened to you, within the context of race or gender issues in entertainment, and what did you learn from them?
 
I’m not sure there’s a “best” as my race has never been an asset (which is very, very sad).  The worst would be when a big music manager passed on me ONLY because I was Asian.  She loved my music, my voice and my look, but said she couldn’t take me because of my ethnicity.  Also in worst are the stereotypes I face daily.  I was just cast in a film where the Asian character was diminutive and gets rejected by the hot girl…c’mon.  What I’ve learned is that we need to do something about this…as a community.  We need to speak up and demand better representation in the media.  It starts with the writing.  Write better roles.  Then with the producing.
 
5.  If you could share a single sentence of advice or insight for others in the entertainment business, what would it be?
 
Go to conservatory and be freaking good at your craft.  Whoever says they want to be a concert pianist and never trains or practices?  How would that person sound?  Well, that describes almost every actor, writer and director in Los Angeles. If you don’t start with talent, go to conservatory and become educated, or work your craft constantly afterwards, then you don’t really love the craft, you just want to be famous. If all you want is fame, you should then find something else to do / pursue because you don't have the discipline or love of the craft needed to become good.
 
6.  Do you think filmmakers have an obligation to create diverse content?  Why or why not?
 
No, your obligation as a filmmaker is to make exceptional  art.  Now does that art necessitate diversity?  Absolutely.  However if your focus is diversity, then anyone can do that…poorly.
 
7.  What are the biggest challenges you face as a filmmaker and how do you deal with them?
 
 1).  Funding.  Having the resources to make a film.  I’ve been waiting on investors for years, so ultimately, me and my friend spent a combined total of $15K and made a feature because I didn’t want to wait around.  So if you don’t have money, don’t let it stop you
 
2) Actors.  Like the above point, there are very few actual trained actors in LA and casting was horrendous because of the lack of talent.  Almost everyone I ended up casting had a background in theatre and we had extensive coaching sessions before shooting.  Guys, if you make a film, especially low budget, you have no where to hide bad acting.  Go to local theatre and find talent.  It’s better to have an average looking person who can act, than a beauty who can’t.  Nothing says low budget like the hot girl who can’t act.
 
3) Get a DP and sound person who have experience and know what they’re doing.  A movie comes down to two physical senses: sight and sound.  I had a two person crew, and neither the DP or sound guy had experience on a feature (I thought I could monitor them through it….I couldn’t).  I spent an extra 6 months in post having to re-cut my film because so much footage was unusable and so much audio had clipped.  Save yourself the headache, find people with experience, or you yourself learn and practice before you do it.
 
4). Music is more important in some ways than the visuals.  Sound is actually 70% of the information you take in from a film.  Think about it.  You can take the same video clip and change the soundtrack, and the movie becomes a horror, a comedy, a drama.  So why do we spend only 5% of our time on 70% of our project?  It’s backwards.  Start with sound and music first.  I wrote most of the score BEFORE we shot my film and my actors loved it because they could get the tonality of each scene.
 
8.  What are the most sage words of advice you can offer to new and emerging filmmakers?
 
See earlier point.  Education and then further study.  My training in music, art and dance definitively affects my style in my directing in a way that is uniquely me because of my background.  Additionally, I watched days of films from diectors I liked and studied them, like Fincher, Mallick, Innrutu.  I can tell you what makes their styles unique, etc.  Study your butt off and be great, or else your piano playing is going to be horrible.
 
9.  Does your advice change at all if I ask you to focus on women and/or minority filmmakers?  If so, why and how.
 
No.  Again, the focus should be on being technically and artistically great.  If you aren’t, no one’s gonna care what you do.  No one cares what the worst salesman in an office does.  Now if you’re the BEST, you have influence!
 
10.  What is the single most fun moment you've experienced in the entertainment industry?
 
Too many to name.  I think every night when you do a curtain call, it’s the moment of justification you look for.  Surprisingly, often you don’t even hear the cheers.  Odd.
 
11.  What is the single most obnoxious moment you've experienced in the entertainment industry?
 
Anytime other people are affected by one person’s lack of skill or lack or preparation.  Learn your lines.  Learn your gear.  
 
12.  What lies ahead for you in terms of the entertainment biz?
 
So I plan on trying to change the perception of Asian males by creating content that I or maybe others can be in.  Additionally, my little indie thriller has been picked up for distribution (yay)! I want to direct more.
 
13.  What does the phrase "Ethical Is Beautiful Be Beautiful" mean to you and your work, if anything?
 
Oh guys….I already think you’re beautiful.