Austin, Texas
I'm here in Austin, Texas, with other staff and board members of TaiwaneseAmerican.org as we hold our parallel conference with ITASA Midwest. Wide open spaces, lots of pretty buildings, beautiful blue skies. I'll be online less this weekend, but I leave you with these images for now.
Behind the Scenes of Census 2010: Write in “Taiwanese” | Passion Project
It's been a week since the Census 2010: Write in "Taiwanese" video debuted on YouTube, and it's already garnered over 120,000 views. Produced by Slideshow Pictures in conjunction with at least seven Taiwanese American organizations, the public service announcement is part of a larger campaign to get Taiwanese Americans to self-identify on the US Census by checking "Other Asian" and writing in "Taiwanese."
If you know me well, you may know that I love being behind the scenes of all sorts of projects and productions. So I was very lucky to find myself a last-minute addition to this project. Five days beforehand, we worked it out for me to fly down to Los Angeles for a day and a half, just to help out a tiny bit. Let's be honest-- I basically had an very fun day just hanging out with the various cast and crew members, but my official capacity was to serve as the behind-the-scenes photographer on set of the video production. Later, I pulled my own weight by designing the accompanying website for the video campaign (http://taiwaneseamerican.org/census2010). But now I get to bring you behind the scenes with me!
We got an early start on the day, rolling out of bed around 6am and heading over to the studio in Alhambra.
Three Slideshow Pictures producers and a makeup artist relaxing a bit before shooting begins: Jon Lee (CEO, Slideshow Pictures), makeup artist Yuriko Bondies, Alex Yang (Slideshow Picture), and Howard Chen (Slideshow Pictures). Jon has been working in Hollywood for a couple years now. He was an associate producer on Formosa Betrayed. So between him and director Karen Lin, they were able to make this a first-class production with sound, photography, and editing professionals up and down the production chain.
Byron Werner and his crew sets up the backdrop, lighting, and camera.
They test the setup on Howard. Looking good in both frames.
Jon Lee with Alex Wen, owner of KCW studios.
The famous "Taiwanese" Census 2010 shirts. Order yours today from TACL!
Harrison and Haley are third generation hapa Taiwanese Americans. Adorable! Harrison just kept on munching away at his fruit while he was waiting, and Haley was a natural star, delivering lines flawlessly!
Love the giant pencil. Love.
Politician and lawyer Ted Lieu gets some pointers from director Karen Lin.
Two sets of sisters! We had a few really great families who came to the shoot. On the left are Japanese-Taiwanese American Muramoto sisters. On the right, Agnes Hsiao and Elena Ling.
If you've been following me or Taiwanese American news, you might recognize these two as the killers from Formosa Betrayed: actors Henry M. Chu and Adam Wang (links to previous shoots with me). Keep an eye out. You'll be seeing them more in the near future!
You may recognize actress Michelle Krusiec from Saving Face, amongst other projects. And on the right, a 96-year-old a-ma, Mrs. Ray-Yun Tsai Huang.
There were many, many more interesting people who participated in the video, but I don't have space to show all of them here, so head on over to the Census 2010: Write in "Taiwanese" website to meet all of the other cast and crew members.
Singer-songwriter Alice Tong fills out some information for me-- my other job that day was to collect bio information from everyone.
Director Karen Lin wraps the shoot at the end of the day-- 8am to 5pm. A full day's work.
Alex works on the giant pencil.
Breaking everything down-- the scene outside.
A wider view of KCW studio.
I don't know what they're thinking! You tell me.
Lastly, a word about the campaign-- I could launch into an argument about history and politics validating a Taiwanese identity. But for me, it's also about upholding the right to identify ourselves rather than be defined by others.
So share the YouTube video and the website. Tweet this. Go after one of the many other ways to take action. And tell every Taiwanese American person in the United States about the campaign.
But as Ho Chie says, no matter how you identify, whether Taiwanese or not, be sure to represent your own identity and community. This is important for all of us as Americans, and this is our only chance this decade.
Be Counted. Be Recognized.
Above, my latest web creation. Their bios display on hover! You can also learn more about the campaign and ways to help by visiting the website.
Formosa Betrayed, Now Opening
Five years ago, in 2005, it was just an idea. A passion project being born.
Starting today, February 26, 2010, the feature film Formosa Betrayed is playing in select theaters across the country. The Taiwanese American community has done an amazing job emphasizing the importance of this weekend (everyone and their mother should go see it-- twice-- bringing friends each time), but I'm zooming out a bit further to describe what the journey has been like in the last five years-- from my perspective as someone only loosely tied to the production but very strongly supportive of it. If you don't know much about the film, scroll to the bottom for a better synopsis and links to more information. And if you're in a major city, take it upon yourself to GO AND SEE IT TODAY!
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Back in 2005, Politician-turned producer/writer/actor Will Tiao wanted to bring Taiwan's story to the big screen via a Hollywood feature film. And so he began traveling around the country to drum up support in the Taiwanese American community.I remember my initial excitement (and skepticism) hearing him speak at the 2006 ITASA conference at Illinois. The initial synopsis that he circulated went something like this:
Inspired by the murders of Professor Chen Wen-Chen and journalist Henry Liu, as well as countless other Taiwanese democracy and independence activists and their struggles during the "White Terror" period, Will Tiao with his team of Hollywood screenwriters created a fictional story based on the real events.
Synopsis:
In 1983, during a routine small-town murder investigation of a Taiwanese professor, a disenfranchised cop – suffering from an identity crisis and a loss of faith in the justice system – slowly unearths a spiderweb of international secrets that has been thriving within college campuses across America for decades. With the help of the outspoken widow and a Taiwanese spy, he finds himself on a head-on collision not only with his own personal demons, but also with the U.S. State Department, the Chinese Mafia, and ultimately to the highest levels of the Nationalist Chinese Government in Taiwan.
My initial reactions are mixed. If this guy can actually pull it off, well, the possibilities are amazing. On the other hand, he could be full of idealistic fervor, and this could turn out to be a sad little movie that no one wants to watch.
But in the next several months, Will hits fundraising hard. Before you know it, he's raised over $6 Million for the project. It's starting to look like this will really happen.
Early 2007, one of my good friends Jon Lee embarks on being an assistant to Will for the project. All possibilities still ahead of him, Jon reflects on doing something for the love, and the potential he has for making an impact.
I am actually very excited for this job. I look at it as an immensely satisfying opportunity to do what I want to do and staying true to myself while being paid for it and hopefully keeping the parents happy.
While working on commercials in Hollywood has been a great experience, the final product of my work lacks the positive impact on humankind that I wish my work to have... I remembered that one night and promptly wrote a post-it note on my desktop saying, "stay in california until formosa betrayed gets made." And as fortune would have it, I ran into Will at a Taiwanese event that weekend, and we spoke about the possibility of me helping the project, and here I am now.
Over the next year, production gets underway. We (those of us on the outside) aren't holding our breaths so much any more, but getting involved tangentially and keeping an ear on what's happening with the film. Actual filming begins in Chicago and later, Thailand. We learn that the lead is James Van Der Beek. Dawson? Yes, Dawson.
Fast forward to last year, 2009. Word is, the movie has been cut. It exists! And critics are saying it's actually pretty good. I get myself invited to the cast/crew/investors-only premiere in Los Angeles as an official photographer. It's timed to coincide with the historically significant date February 28, known as 228.
Click to view my posting from last year.
It's pretty surreal to be mixing and mingling with the cast on the red carpet: Wendy Crewson, James Van Der Beek, and Leslie Hope.
The audience settles in to view this passion project as it comes to fruition. For me, it was a mixture of awe and relief seeing the movie for the first time and realizing it's actually good. Words cannot describe what it was like to see this story, so near and dear to my heart, projected on the screen.
And afterwards, with producer/actor Will Tiao, director Adam Kane, myself, and actor James Van Der Beek.
As amazing as the premiere was, and as gratifying as it was to see the movie, it was never made just for people like me who already know the story of Taiwan. The goal has always been to bring the story to mainstream America, and so here we are now.
2010. After buzzworthy attention at several major film festivals, Formosa Betrayed got picked up by distributor Screen Media Films and set out to get into theaters nationwide. Again timed for the weekend of February 28 (228), the film's opening day was set for February 26, 2010.
Cast and crew set out to promote the film around the country. Last month, they were in the Bay Area for a Lunar New Year event cosponsored by TaiwaneseAmerican.org.
Actor Tzi Ma speaks about the film as Will Tiao looks on.
Two Taiwanese American actors in the film, Adam Wang and Henry M. Chu, play the killers.
Apparently, Adam is a very funny guy!
Again, I am the one tangentially involved as official photographer, and this time, I get to spend a bit of time with all of the cast and crew at the event: Adam Kane, Tzi Ma, and Will Tiao.
Adding in Ho Chie Tsai, creator of TaiwaneseAmerican.org, sporting Census 2010 shirts.
Ok, so it's been a really long journey. But now, it's the main event. From one man's passion project to an amazing, collaborative production, this film has huge potential. From Will Tiao himself:
The Taiwanese people have suffered at the hands of many over the last century, but these stories have rarely been told or heard. As a second generation Taiwanese American, I feel it is my duty to educate my generation, as well as the world, about the struggles and suffering of the Taiwanese. We cannot allow our country's history and our people's hardships to be forgotten. Once that happens, it only becomes a matter of time before it is repeated. This is precisely why I spent the last five years of my life working on Formosa Betrayed.
As the turbulent reaction to President Obama's recent arms sale to Taiwan shows, US-China-Taiwan relations are still a hot button topic that is greeted by fleeting interest, faint support, or --worst of all-- indifference by the American media. I am hoping the release of Formosa Betrayed will help spur greater awareness and wider discussion about these important matters in the United States and abroad. The Taiwanese people deserve to have an equal voice in affairs related to our country's future. We cannot sit quietly and allow others to decide our fate. This is why I am urging you to see Formosa Betrayed with your children, family and friends...
No one else is going to do this for us. We must do this ourselves and we must do this now.
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Formosa Betrayed is out in select theaters today, February 26, 2010. It is a "political thriller" about Taiwan's democracy movement in the '70s and '80s based on actual events. The film stars James Van der Beek (aka Dawson of Dawson's Creek), an FBI agent who investigates a murder in the U.S. that leads him to Taiwan and a deeper understanding of the political turmoil there. It's incredibly important for independent films to have a strong showing in their opening weekend, and with your help, we're aiming to top the box offices for indy films this weekend. View the full list of theaters here (NY, NJ, Bay Area, LA, Orange County).
More information, visit the Official Website of Formosa Betrayed
View the official trailer here (Note: Rated R for "some violence").
Formosa Betrayed also featured in San Jose Mercury News (backstory), New York Times (Arts section), ABC News (interview with "Dawson" - recommended); MTV, (same).
Passion Project: TaiwaneseAmerican.org | Webdesign
Every so often-- more often than not, actually-- I get to spend my time working on projects I love. It's not just a coincidence, but a conscious effort to pursue what I find compelling. And while the idea of pursuing your passions is a common enough sentiment, I think many people perceive it too difficult to actually live this way. For one thing, doing something 'for the love' often means doing it for free. But in reality, doing something out of passion will drive you through all of the tedium and the long hours of work much more effectively and rewardingly (yes, I made up that word) than the allure of money ever could.
So take a look at my latest passion project: the brand new face of TaiwaneseAmerican.org. I created the new look and functionality for the site with the help of many, many generous friends. Read my post from behind the scenes of the revamp: Behind the Scenes: A Word from the Designer. And because I love a good 'before and after', here are some screenshots of the website, pre- and post- makeover. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment here or there.
Before:
After:
3 Shoots in 3 Cities in 3 Days | Bay Area, Los Angeles Photographer
Miles driven by others: 37
Miles flown: 390
Miles driven by myself: 150
____________________________________
=577 miles traveled, and that's just today.
Sometimes exhaustion is the most gratifying feeling in the world. In that moment when you finally sit down and have a chance to rest, you can feel the very essence of gravity as it pulls your every muscle down toward the Earth. The soreness in your bones and the slight dizzyness in your head are almost overwhelming, but somehow, none of it is worrisome. Instead, the feelings are reassuring. Because when you've put yourself that wholeheartedly and whole-bodily into your work, the tiredness is not a feeling of emptiness and depletion, but your body's evidence of what you've done and what you can do, and it's all the more encouragement to recharge yourself to do it again.
I couldn't think of a more gratifying way to close out January 2010.
Before I describe my weekend, I'll give the disclaimer that this might make my life seem much more glamorous and exciting than it really is. My life is not like this all the time. My bed is often my favorite place to be. But because I want to remember these adventures, I will capture what I can in a quick summary. Ready? Start.
Friday morning I had a great session with the members of the San Francisco Guitar Quartet. Right after work, I took off for the Oakland airport. After landing in Long Beach (thanks JetBlue!) I was driven back up to Los Angeles by my friend Vince. Saturday was the big film shoot-- the reason I flew down-- for the "Taiwanese American" 2010 Census Public Service Announcement. We arrived in the Alhambra studio by 7:30 am. Ten hours, several celebrities, an Olympic athlete, and a California State Assemblyman (amongst others) later, we wrapped on shooting, had a celebratory dinner, and eventually called it a day. By the next morning at 9am, I had gone back through Long Beach and arrived back home in Oakland, but only briefly, as I then drove up another 70 miles to Sebastopol for an engagement shoot at an amazingly cute family farm.
You'll have to come back and visit again to see the fruits of all these labors. But for now, I leave you with this picture:
Long Beach Airport, the tiniest airport I've ever flown through. This one building is the entire terminal, with four airlines from beginning to end. This came in handy when I almost missed my flight but discovered it only takes 5 minutes to get from front door to airplane seat and thus made it with time to spare.
And now, it's time to sleep.
Good night, world!
Alice Tong | San Francisco Headshots Photographer
It comes upon you and envelops you. It’s so warm and rich that you want to pull it around you and curl up in it. I'm not sure how such a sound comes out of her petite frame, but one thing is certain-- Alice Tong has a beautifully capitvating voice.
I got ten thousand ways to say I love you and nine thousand times I’ll never tell you.
When I arrived at Alice's place in San Francisco's Haight district, her sister was still helping out with makeup. Alice seemed ready to slide out of the chair and begin shooting, but her eyelashes had to be fixed up properly, and Lance and Momo (her two beloved dogs) were still busy scoping out the new stranger.
As we began our shoot, I could see Alice's personality unfurling; she has an open spirit and a gentle, laid back aura matched with a quirky twist, a sense of humor and such a strong voice with so much to say. Wandering from living room to windowsill to Buena Vista Park, we found amazing shots all along the way.
Check the bottom of the post for more information on Alice's music and her upcoming gig at Hotel Utah in San Francisco.
Alice Tong's first album, Small, is a beautiful collection of jazz tunes available on Amazon, Blacklava, and iTunes. Her second album is in the works; it's a selection of all original compositions set to be released in early 2010.
In the meantime, check out Alice Tong two days before Thanksgiving at Hotel Utah in San Francisco: Tuesday, November 24, 2009, at 8:30 pm.
Taiwanese American Cultural Festival, SF
Wow. It's been a year.
At this time last year, I was visiting the Bay Area and interviewing with Oakland Teaching Fellows. It's amazing to think how quickly life moves by. The week I was visiting also happened to be Taiwanese American heritage week, and I got to be here for part of the Taiwanese American Cultural Festival in SF. The post from last year can be viewed here.
Even though I knew that the Taiwanese American Cultural Festival existed because Ho Chie had asked me to design timeline banners for an exhibit in the festival, I still didn't quite know the scale of the event until I experienced it firsthand. Taiwanese American performers, booths, tents, and food vendors take over Union Square, San Francisco, a popular destination right in the middle of a shopping area that's constantly filled to the brim with tourists.
This year, I was an official photographer for the event, so I was there from 10am to 6pm. And it still blows my mind that there can be this much visibility and legitimacy attributed to Taiwanese American culture and identity out here in San Francisco.
Perfect illustration: Taiwanese culture looming large with Macy's in the background, and a glimpse of my banners revived from last year, hanging in the tent.
The second most powerful man in San Francisco: David Chiu, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Chiu declared his pride in being Taiwanese American, and he presented the festival a proclamation on behalf of the City of San Francisco. For more on David Chiu and his power in SF, check out this article, "Is David Chiu Mayor?" With Mayor Gavin Newsom traveling so much to cities like DC and Chicago, "right now, it feels like David Chiu might as well be the Mayor."
Shawna Yang Ryan, author of Water Ghosts is spotted and flagged down for a book signing in the Taiwanese American 2nd generation tent.
Ladies of the Taiwan Tea tent, brewing oolong and jasmine for the crowds.
Hard at work in the food tent: bah tzang, tea eggs, mochi, and more.
Gorgeous orchid show, part of the "Green Taiwan" theme of the festival. Orchids are my absolute favorite, and I almost bought one, but I let the opportunity slide by, and they quickly sold out.
Students from South Bay performed in various configurations and styles. The kids from the brand new Taiwan Center in San Jose were especially adorable.
Young Lee! Broadcaster Band makes its second annual appearance at the festival. Young gave a very amusing interview with Taiwanese American NBC reporter Stephanie Chuang.
Other performers of the day, not pictured: singer-songwriter Alice Tong (featured here previously), cellist Stephanie Lai, rock band Johnny Hi-Fi, singer-songwriter Jenton Lee, and more!
And just to top things off, a cute dancing kid holding a yang-le-duo yogurt drink in his hand. I LOVED drinking those things when I was little!
For a full overview of the event, visit the SF Taiwanese American Cultural Festival website.
Shawna Yang Ryan
Shawna Yang Ryan is a talented hapa Taiwanese American writer whose debut novel, Water Ghosts, was just released on Thursday. This week, I met up with Shawna for a late-afternoon shoot on the UC Berkeley campus. Read the spotlight article we just posted on TaiwaneseAmerican.org and visit Shawna's website at shawnayangryan.com to learn more.
Last, but not least-- this is probably my favorite image from the shoot.
If you ever want your very own photo shoot, email me at anna[at]annawu[dot]com.
Cynthia, Alanna, Alice: Singer-Songwriters
Three Taiwanese-American Female Singer-Songwriters
It was an epic meeting as three Taiwanese American female singer-songwriters converged upon Berkeley and were introduced to each other for the first time. From left to right: Cynthia Lin from New York, Alanna Lin from Los Angeles, and Alice Tong from San Francisco. I was lucky enough to enjoy performances from all three of these musicians within a one-week span.
This is a photo of Cynthia Lin and Alice Tong chatting with Ho Chie for the upcoming TaiwaneseAmerican.org spotlight series. In the meantime, check out the brief look at each artist below.
Cynthia Lin
Born in Chicago, currently based in New York City, Cynthia Lin is a singer-songwriter/actress/writer, and more. Her sound is jazzy-folky, and her songs are quirky and intimate. On a Saturday afternoon in Berkeley, Cynthia Lin gave a special living room concert at Ho Chie Tsai's apartment, and Jenton Lee set up a live webcast of the performance.
Cynthia's set list.
Click to listen to Doppelganger, the title song off Cynthia's second EP:
For more on Cynthia, visit CynthiaLin.com.
Watch the whole living room concert at ustreamTV.
Become her Facebook Fan
And watch more videos on Youtube.
Alanna Lin
Alanna Lin, a.k.a. Fascinoma, is perhaps best known for the hit single "I'm Walking This Road Because You Stole My Car (Don't Go)," which was aired in full on FOX's animated show, American Dad. Alanna grew up in Ohio as part of the TAF family, and I mostly knew of her because her younger brother was always my counselor growing up. Now she's based in Los Angeles, temping and working on a long-awaited album.
Fascinoma flyers outside the SF Academy of Art venue where I watched Alanna perform.
Fascinoma, kickin' it atop Ho Chie's roof deck. (That's Alanna keeping drummer Brian in line).
Performance in San Francisco.
Click to listen to a clip of the popular single, "I'm Walking This Road Because You Stole My Car (Don't Go)."
Visit Fascinoma on MySpace.
Alice Tong
I posted briefly on Alice when I went to see her perform at a small cafe in San Francisco. Her voice is immediately captivating because it's unexpectedly deep and rich, full of jazz and full of soul.
Alice Tong - Now from Kevin Wang on Vimeo.
Visit Alice Tong on MySpace.
Check out her interview on TurtlistMedia.
View more videos on YouTube.
Purchase Alice's Jazz Album "Small" from Blacklava.
Henry Chu
I seem to have let myself get backlogged with all my daily adventures! These images are from last week when actor Henry Chu came up from Los Angeles to do a second photo shoot with me. I met Henry over Thanksgiving dinner at Jon Lee's; Henry's one of the killers in Formosa Betrayed-- Taiwanese American talent on the rise! Check the end of this post for more of Henry's links.
On the agenda for this shoot: fitness and dance shots.
Location: North Beach (little Italy), San Francisco.
Highlight: krumping shirtless on the sidewalk as pedestrians passed by. haha.
Henry M. Chu's website: www.henrymchu.com
You might remember our first photo shoot: don't mess with henry.
Photos from the first session have been serving well as headshots, getting Henry booked for gigs such as this extremely dope Jadakiss video: Can't Stop Me (check around 25 seconds for Henry's closeup).
Support Taiwanese American artists! Look out for upcoming posts on singer-songwriters Cynthia Lin and Alanna Lin and the epic meeting of all three female Taiwanese American singer-songwriters Cynthia, Alanna, AND Alice. In the meantime, go hang out at taiwaneseamerican.org.