P.O.V. WORKSHOP – FILM IN THE HANDS OF APA YOUTH
By: Amanda Andrei
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Crowded around the tripod and jeep, the seven
students do not seem to mind the fact they have been standing for hours in
90-degree weather without a lunch break. One girl translates script
directions to an actor as a boy balances a reflector, highlighting the actor's
face. A couple of students discuss their ideas with the instructors as
they try handling the audio equipment. The other students take turns focusing,
zooming, and panning the camera for the perfect shot.
These teenagers barely knew each other a few weeks ago
when they arrived at their first Point of View (POV) Workshop in early
July. Developed from an idea by two of the instructors, Vincent Huang and
Chris Tsou, the workshop serves as a six-week crash
course in filmmaking for APA youth between the ages of sixteen and
nineteen. Each Saturday morning, the students
metro to the Georgetown Day High
School in Washington D.C. to learn a different element of cinematography.
"We're fitting a year's worth of information and experience into just six
Saturdays!" exclaims Nguyen Nguyen, a film/video
teacher at GDHS and POV instructor. The end result: a five-minute
student-produced film premiering at the 8th Annual DC APA Film
Festival.
"It takes a couple classes for teens to get
comfortable with strangers," notes Mike Song, another POV teacher and
member of the festival's programming committee, "but once that happens,
the creativity just gushes out of them." After the third teaching
session and hours of brainstorming, the students already began arranging
meetings independent of the workshop in order to further develop their script
and storyboards. Most important to them was the message of their
film.
"It was difficult to find the story that we were
going to film because there were so many good ideas, and it was hard to choose
one," recalls George Yeh, a sophomore at the University of Maryland. Between the seven participants, ideas tossed around included
everything from a detective mystery to a high school romance, from an art
documentary to a coming-of-age story. The students wanted a film that
would convey a message from their perspective as APA youth and dramatize issues
they dealt with on a regular basis. Finally, they chose a storyline
depicting the dynamics between a son's passions and his father's
expectations.
With mainstream media's tendency to under-represent or
stereotype, the film industry needs more artists and visionaries to build
positive and realistic images of Asian Americans. POV's
emphasis on teaching youth adds a new facet to the APA film experience.
Grace Yeon, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High
School for
Science and Technology, says, "Teaching young Asian Americans how to make
films gives us a different way to express ourselves in a way that we're not
accustomed to." Vincent Huang, a member of the DC APA Film Board of
Directors and programming committee, adds, "We knew that if we put a
camera in their hands, we'd create a story that drew upon their experiences
that would be channeled through a powerful medium." The more
individuals involved, the more voices heard and stories told—and a more
complete picture of the APA community emerges.
After intense hours of learning the nuances of the
cameras, plotting a story, and filming around GDHS, students felt confident
when it came down to recording the action for their short film. "I
was under the impression that the only type of filmmaking was the huge,
expensive undertaking I'd seen on DVD behind-the-scene segments," admits
Joanne Mosuela, a second-year at the University of Virginia. "Because of POV, now I can wrap my mind around the
prospect of making a movie on my own." In this way, the POV Workshop
accomplished its mission of empowering APA youth and giving them a voice
through film. "Hopefully by demystifying the production process, we
can encourage more APA youth to consider film as a legitimate and accessible
tool of expression," remarks Chris Tsou, a
producer for Ventana Productions.
So far, one of the most challenging parts of the
seminar is the lack of time to produce the film. Vivian Yun, a freshman at James Madison University, suggests, "I would extend the program, or have
more guest speakers to teach us." Another difficulty included the
shoestring budget of the workshop—all of the equipment was borrowed from GDHS
and Ventana, and most of the props were brought by
the students. "My dream is that one day this workshop will be
sponsored by Canon and Apple and some random billionaire and we'll be able to
rent helicopters and blow things up," jokes Mike Song. Despite the
time and monetary obstacles, the students poured their energy and creativity
into making their short movie. "Their willingness to dive head first
into every stage of the script-to-screen process has been humbling,"
acknowledges Chris Tsou.
Before the POV Workshop, most of the students had
little or no experience working with film. After the last Saturday, all
of them remain optimistic about future involvement with moviemaking, whether on
the professional or amateur level. "I look forward to the near
future when invites to each others' film screenings begin to circulate,"
Joanne Moseula quips. As for the workshop
itself, "Hopefully more Asian Americans will apply for this program and
bring more positive influences in media," Vivian Yun
remarks.
Even though the summer and workshop have both ended,
the students heading back to their high schools and colleges leave with
valuable skills and unique friendships. But POV has not ended
completely. "I hope to see this as part of a sustainable
process," Vincent Huang explains. "Kids come in to learn, they
come back to help, they return to teach." With such creativity
and enthusiasm from the APA youth this year, there is no doubt that next year's
POV Workshop will be in good hands.
The students' short film, Stage Right, will
premiere at the DC APA Film Festival on Thursday, September 27. For more
information on locations and times, go to www.apafilm.org.
POV1:
Students check their camera before filming as the instructors supervise them.
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