Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘I Have a Boyfriend’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
I never went to film school. I certainly have the basic skills of using a camera and video editing, my real niche was storyboarding and animating, which gave me the confidence in visualizing the story worlds I am building when it came around to directing my first short film, ‘Flying Solo’, which follows an unemployed pilot having to come to terms with his wife during COVID. With limited resources, it came down to having to personally reach out to acting students as well as crew members who were passionate about film production, which was how I learnt to build a team through each project. Animation gave me a clear vision of the locations I will be filming at, and also how to sequence my shots. Prior to that, I created an animated coming-of-age web series ‘The Blonde Effect’, which satirizes the lives of narcissistic teenagers in a rich Private School.
After having some success with ‘Flying Solo’, which had a few official selections including a Finalist at the 2021 Stockholm City Film Festival, a Semi-Finalist at the 2023 US Student World Impact Film Awards, I took a big leap in working on a musical feature film, ‘The Wing Girl’. Featuring four original songs, the film follows a dystopian society where no one can survive if they are single, where everyone would depend on the dating tips of the titular influencer to land themselves a relationship. It was certainly a big jump from a 9-minute short film to a 66-minute feature-length project. I was thrown into the deep end of directing dance numbers with a large group of dancers, going through extended periods of song rehearsals and recording, and even having a go at VFX animation. I like to think this two-year undertaking made most of my subsequent productions less challenging, as I was working with limited resources and having to find solutions on the fly when shooting went overschedule.
Tell us about ‘I Have a Boyfriend’. How do you describe it?
The film is totally ridiculous in my opinion. It really just builds on a one-joke premise. It was about how far I can stretch the fact that this one girl thinks every guy she runs into is obsessed with her before every situation becomes more and more absurd. It is probably the only film I’ve made where I can get away with just pure escapism and laughs, and it certainly felt that way as we were making it. We had five locations, but it only took us two filming days to wrap, and there was a sense of momentum constantly moving and on our feet. While my setups have obviously gotten more elaborate and complex, this is the first time where I’ve established an efficiency with the wonderful team I was working with, and I do look back on this film fondly as it established a standard of how smooth a production can be when we knew exactly where to put the camera, how to block the actors, finding the right comic timing, etc.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
Just to name a few, Akira Kurosawa, as ‘Rashomon’ and ‘Seven Samurai’ are two of my favorites films of all time. Martin Scorsese is one that really influenced me in terms of his precision in controlling the camera, which he inherited from one of his idols, Michael Powell (Red Shoes is another masterpiece). But Scorsese has really inspired me in the way he elicits so many memorable performances. Steven Spielberg obviously for his versatility and how he can block a scene with so many oners, always keeping the frame interesting. I also love the films of Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig as they can make even the most mundane of New York lives interesting and cinematic. Luis Bunuel and Terry Gilliam for how they blend surrealism and satire. Other notable mentions include Johnny To, Christopher Nolan, Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson, Ingmar Bergman, Billy Wilder, Stanley Kubrick, and David Lean.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
There’s a surreal fantasy film I have developed for years now, which follows an angel who works in an advertising company in the soul world, and her job is to advertise different life options for unborn spirits. So far, it has taken me two years just researching spiritual and philosophical ideas as it’s a film where I would like to do justice to its deep existential themes. But the world of the story does demand elaborate art decoration and costume design, which is why it’s not a film I would make unless I have enough resources to make it look like it’s not just a student film project.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
I tend to make sure I’ve scouted the locations with the team plenty of times so I would know exactly what the shot list would look like and where I would place the camera. While I don’t like to over-rehearse as I think there is a lot of life for elements that don’t feel pre-planned, but when I do, I make productive use of it for blocking purposes and to answer any questions from the actors. This is why pre-production is crucial as it makes sure the whole production team is on the same page, and that I have taken on board any concerns or suggestions with scheduling, logistics and the shot list. This mitigates the possibility of having to stand around for half an hour and not being able to film anything while time is running out. At the same time, good planning provides the freedom for imagination and adapting to a different circumstance, such as on-the-spot decisions of a different way to film a scene. That’s why no matter how vigorous the planning, I like to keep an open mind for at least 20% of the unexpected to happen.
On set, I try to make use of the time during setups to communicate with the actors and address any of their concerns. The key is being clear and concise when you articulate what you want out of their performances. You never want to over-analyze to the point where it takes the actors out of the moment. Sometimes they only require one piece of direction in between takes or encourage them to have the freedom to try anything. Just one subtle note can inform a fresh take in their performance. At the same time, I never want to feel that I am only a director that sets up fancy camera shots while feeling that the actors are left behind or ignored. Occasionally, it may happen when say, a shot isn’t framed properly or it’s slightly out of focus, you become so consumed by getting the shot right while not ensuring the actors are replicating the performances in an exciting way.
What was the hardest part of making ‘I Have a Boyfriend’.
There were some locations where we worked with very limited time. One example was the café in the opening scene where the owner was closing earlier than expected. So, we only had about 45 minutes to set-up and go through the scene while they were cleaning up and doing dishes. That certainly gave us a lot of time pressure, especially when that was the very first scene. But it’s always better to be on the ball rather than relax too early.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
Currently, I am in the post-production of my second feature film, ‘Violet’, which is a character study about a playwright who recasts her leading lady, with the new leading lady constantly she seeking to unravel a potential feud that may have occurred between the enigmatic playwright and her predecessor. It’s a fascinating take on revenge and obsession and is by far the largest team I have assembled for any of my films. Hopefully that will translate to becoming a film that’s an evolution from everything that has preceded it, and it is the result of excellent collaborators I have accrued on my past projects over the years as well as many cool new kids that have joined.
I plan to take a ‘break’ from narrative films through collaborating on music videos, as it allows me to refine my craft by working with ideas from other artists as well as becoming more practical with trying shooting and lighting by myself. There are a few feature film scripts in the pipeline, but I would like to give myself perhaps a year to experiment in a different medium. Often, film productions can be demanding, sometimes becoming an exercise in execution rather than imagination, which is why I would like to rediscover the latter. While I don’t have a clear idea what exactly my next narrative film will be, I do look forward to using this time to write productively and collaborate with other writers, so I can receive proper feedback and guidance before it is ready for my full commitment.
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