Thirty seconds

For once…

I am not selling anything or pleasing anyone

There is no Four-Quadrant demographic, no studio branding.

Just what I can capture in thirty seconds. 

I am allowed to fail, and there will be no notes

And certainly no endless meetings on those notes.

Just what I can capture in thirty seconds.

My value is not defined by someone else’s metric

There is no box-office projection, no viewership number 

Just what I can capture in thirty seconds. 

I have long forgotten why I do this

Is it for comments, like and share 

Or to search for my soul?

Nevertheless,  all I know is what’s before me 

And what I can capture in thirty seconds. 

From the cutting floor

This panel, among many other abandoned ideas, were us attempting to find the specificity in Po and Zhen’s relationship.

Dueling Dumplings

An original Kung Fu Panda short that I wrote and directed will be included as a bonus content on the Kung Fu Panda 4’s digital release. 

Dueling Dumplings is a love letter to my home and a tribute to all my favorite Hong Kong filmmakers and action choreographers. I couldn’t have done it without the most amazing crew. Despite the turbulent times in the studio, our crew went above and beyond. Every frame is a labor of passion and I am so grateful to have them on this short.

I would like to thank my producer, Angie Howard and the production team for their support and endurance of my naiveté. Big shout out to Thomas Grummt, Steve Vallino and Osamu Takehiro for fighting alongside me all the way. Johane Matte, Phillipe Le Brun and Pablo Valle — Thank you for sharing your wisdom and giving us that extra push when we are low on steam. 

We hope you enjoy the short as much as we enjoy making it.

Perfect first draft?

“This script involves a brilliant first 35 pages…Though this would be something of a Terminator ripoff, it’s what is set up with the beginning, and expected by the reader as a result…But it doesn’t happen; the bizarre, spiritual, artsy, imagery-oriented script that follows from page 35 is what does. There are so many confusing points that go unanswered…Therefore, it’s very difficult to recommend this script. If it were available for a low price, perhaps we could pick it up and develop it, but it would take total rewriting job, and seems as though it has those difficulties in it that would doom it to box office bomb status. As a total script, it is a pass; the first 35 pages are very good, good enough for us to consider the merits of developing this project.”

This was part of the script coverage for Matrix back in 1994. Good screenplay takes iterations; there’s no perfect first draft.

Countdown starts now!

In three days, watch this villain and his sidekick go metal.

Nimona is coming to Netflix in June 2023

We often say it takes a miracle to get a film made, but this is especially true for Nimona because this project has went through so much setback and production nightmares. But nothing can stop Nimona because her voice is destined to be heard. This film will always have a special place in my heart and I am very happy and honored to be part of the Blue Sky family.

Film study vs. Studying the filmmaker

Film study is absolutely essential to any visual storyteller, but we must understand the purpose behind these exercises. In another word, what are you trying to get out of it? Is it the composition? The editing? Perhaps the writing and the character development? Yes, you can learn all the above by studying film and you should watch as many films as you can. But if we only replicating the finish product without understanding the thought process behind it, we are destined to fail. I often have seen students drawn pages of film study, yet their own work remains mediocre. Film study is more than copying beautiful visual image. It’s about developing your own sensibility. More importantly, it’s about developing your own voice. 

Someone once asked which Kurosawa film should he studies. I’d say all of them, or none of them. It’s up to you to find out what Kurosawa films means to you. The journey of discovery is a learning process itself. My first Kurosawa experience was Seven Samurai(1954).  After watching a couple more of his films, I learnt Kurosawa attempted suicide after he finished Dodesukaden (1970), which led me to his autobiography. As I learnt more about the master’s life, I read more books from his collaborators, such as his writer, Shinobu Hashimoto and Teruyo Nogami, Kurosawa’s production manager for 40 years.  

Through this process, I was able to examine Kurosawa’s film from different angles. Not only I studied Kurosawa’s precise blocking or stunning composition like everyone else; I also learnt what influenced him, what was his aspiration and most importantly, what mistakes he made. Who knows, maybe what I learnt was nothing but furthest from the truth,  but at least it was my interpretation of Kurosawa’s style.  As I moved on to other filmmakers such as Kubrick, Wong Kar Wai or Michael Bay, this repeated process builds my taste, which leads to becoming my sensibility, and ultimately, defines my point of view. 

This is just my process. Just like anything else in life, what works for me might not necessary works for you. Great film is more than just beautiful shots. Perhaps next time when you see something interesting, dig a little deeper. 

(Notes from StoryBoardArt Mentorship Class - 12/03/2021)

Storytelling Roundtable with The Pros

I had a wonderful conversation with all these amazing artists for the Lightbox Expo this year.