Today I made great discovery after I got a haircut and walked into the comic shop nearby. I found this graphic novel called Vietnamerica by GB Tran and bought it without question. I'm excited to read it and listen to his family story.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Why Am I making this Film?
All the skills that I acquired during my studies in the animation program at Emily Carr would be put to the test in creating this piece. When I graduate I would have something to show for and that this student film would reflect everything I’ve learned and put to use in this very last year. Most importantly in making this film, I’ve learned there are times where there are a lot of uncertainty and there are a lot of things I have to search for and discover along the way. Animation is my chosen medium and in making this film I’ve set out to learn different techniques; different ways to approach this film. For me the most exciting part is finding a technique that works, executing it and learning from it. It is what pushes me forward. The hardest part for me is coming up with an idea and expanding that idea further which leads me to discuss the thesis of my film.
There is a saying that if you were to write that best place to start is to write from yourself because you know yourself best. I have never given much thought to it before but lately I’ve been thinking about my background, my family whom raised me, their morals, values and expectations. Living in Vancouver, being a multiethnic city as it is I realized there are a lot of families like mine whose parents don’t know a word of English and go through many struggles and hardships. I’ve been thinking about the background of where my parents are from and what it means to me. I wanted to share something personal, something that doesn’t come up regularly in a day to day conversation but I thought it would be appropriate to show in a film. Because I think this is the best way to express whatever it is I have to say.
In short, my film would be about my father’s struggle and hardship in escaping his home country, Vietnam, to come to Canada to give his family a better life. I carry this story throughout my childhood and it is very much a part of me. My parent’s language, culture, and values makes up my identity and it shapes the way I saw things, express things, and made sense of the world. My greatest difficulties are these questions that I ask myself, how do I want to tell this story? What does it mean to me? Even when pitching the idea to my class and to my teachers, it is very difficult for me to find the right words to fully express it. Usually my emotions would surface and I find myself struggling to get the point across. I’d rather show people what I mean rather than to tell it but I think the process of talking about my idea has a lot of value in itself. The more I talk about it, the clearer it is even though it has been hard.
There is a saying that if you were to write that best place to start is to write from yourself because you know yourself best. I have never given much thought to it before but lately I’ve been thinking about my background, my family whom raised me, their morals, values and expectations. Living in Vancouver, being a multiethnic city as it is I realized there are a lot of families like mine whose parents don’t know a word of English and go through many struggles and hardships. I’ve been thinking about the background of where my parents are from and what it means to me. I wanted to share something personal, something that doesn’t come up regularly in a day to day conversation but I thought it would be appropriate to show in a film. Because I think this is the best way to express whatever it is I have to say.
In short, my film would be about my father’s struggle and hardship in escaping his home country, Vietnam, to come to Canada to give his family a better life. I carry this story throughout my childhood and it is very much a part of me. My parent’s language, culture, and values makes up my identity and it shapes the way I saw things, express things, and made sense of the world. My greatest difficulties are these questions that I ask myself, how do I want to tell this story? What does it mean to me? Even when pitching the idea to my class and to my teachers, it is very difficult for me to find the right words to fully express it. Usually my emotions would surface and I find myself struggling to get the point across. I’d rather show people what I mean rather than to tell it but I think the process of talking about my idea has a lot of value in itself. The more I talk about it, the clearer it is even though it has been hard.
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