On Set with Life Lessons from Ah-Ma and Ah-Gong
I am so grateful to have grown up within a Taiwanese American community that has not only nurtured my own creativity but also connected me to many fellow creatives who have charted their own unique paths in the world. This summer, several friends joined forces to start working on an ambitious documentary project: Life Lessons from Ah-Ma and Ah-Gong. It’s a documentary feature film capturing the wisdom and practical knowledge being passed down from first generation Taiwanese Americans to their grandkids.
When Life Lessons came to town to begin filming, they invited me to come join them on set for a couple days. I was delighted to stop by and watch them work.– and of course, capture a few behind-the-scenes photographs too.
It’s always fun to see how different a film set is from wedding photography. So much gear! I’ve always loved being able to watch a production from behind the scenes, and I’ve been lucky enough to have the experience on a few of Theresa and Jason’s previous projects.
The subjects for the week were the Liangs behind Liang’s Village, a Taiwanese restaurant in Cupertino. Part one involved filming some of the instructional videos where our ‘ah-ma’ teaches us how to make a tofu noodle dish, and part two would be an interview about the family’s story of immigration from Taiwan.
Delicious!
After filming for the day, team dinner at a Chinese bbq spot.
Four summer camp friends! Contributing back to our community in our various ways.
The production team originally planned to film part two in the house they rented, but it turned out to not be a viable option. Thank goodness for the Garrisons who so graciously stepped in and let this whole film crew take over their house completely for the day! Here’s baby Sydney seeing us off in the morning.
Before…
… and after!
So wonderful to spend time with the Liang family! They are incredibly gracious and of course make delicious food over at Liang’s Village too.
And thank you to Theresa and Jason and the rest of the crew for having me on set.
Super speedy break-down and an impressive system for getting everything back the way it was!
Just in time for our baby boss Sydney to return home and continue her afternoon nap.
Best of luck with the rest of this project! Can’t wait to see the final product (but just so everyone knows, it’s likely at least another year away :P).
To support or learn more about this documentary film project, visit lifelessonsmovie.com.
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She compulsively documents and blogs all of her daily adventures. Follow her on instagram and view more of her professional work at annawu.com.
