Last year around this time we first got an email from a company called FremantleMedia. After a quick search we learned what a big deal this was. This was the company that makes American Idol, and distributes countless other mainstream programs here in the US and abroad. We thought, what could such a big company like this want with us?

Our first meeting with the team of developers went really well. We clicked and could tell they understood Wong Fu Productions and the possibilities in new media. They had a track history of taking successful shows or series from the web and bringing them to television and they saw that potential in us.

So our goal with them? Create a web series like a tv show pilot episode. If it did well, they might be able to show networks its success and try to pitch them to turn it into a real television show. With this in mind, we set to come up with ideas with the destination of TV in mind, not just YouTube. The idea of HANS was among a few that we pitched them, but the concept came about because we thought, why has there not been a show on tv with an Asian family? There are African Americans, Hispanics, why not Asian? Without getting into the politics, we decided to create a story that melded the two cultures, in an effort to make seeing Asians in not such a strange light as the general TV audience might see it. Fremantle liked the idea and wanted us to go with it. They agreed with us that an Asian American cast has a place on television and wanted to support it.

Fast forward a few months of developing the outline and scripts and we were shooting out first “meant for tv” web-series. Hopefully that gives you some insight and understanding as to how this idea came to be, and why we made it. We’re really glad we had this opportunity and hope you enjoy the coming episodes. Who knows, if we get some great response and views, this might have a chance to go to TV! How amazing would that be? But it’s up to you, so please share the video and series with your friends of all backgrounds. Hopefully you don’t just see this as an Asian show. Yes It has Asians in it, but it’s not just Asian jokes and stereotypes. It’s about emotions everyone can understand and a family trying to reconnect. Of course, with a Wong Fu Productions twist Thanks for watching!

Here’s the trailer for our upcoming mini series! We haven’t given much information about it, so this might be unexpected, but we’re glad to bring you something new and different from us, family comedy!

Derek has been away from home for 2 years, distancing himself from his mother and life back home. But in the end, his dreams have gotten him nowhere and he reluctantly decides to return home. To his surprise though, his new step-dad and family are not what he expected, and this new life might just be what he needs most.

Our goal with this series is to show a general audience who might not be used to seeing Asians as a typical TV family, that seeing our faces in these roles should not be strange. We have a place among everyone else and we can all get along and make great content. We’re excited to be working with FremantleMedia who sees the potential for Asian Americans in the mainstream media. We hope you can share and support this new project.

Soooo, everyone who made new year’s resolutions… how are you doing on them? Exactly! Heh, just kidding, not that we don’t have faith in you, but let’s admit that most of us who make these resolutions don’t last long. That’s what this new video is all about.

It’s our first video of the new year and a perfect start to 2012. We got to work with so many great friends, bringing new and old to cameo. This is just the beginning of what’s to come this year, and we promise it won’t be a resolution we drop!

HUGE thanks to everyone in the cast for being a part of this fun “quick” video. Support them by checking out their links and other work. Pass it along if you can relate to any of these resolution FAILS! =)

OUTTAKES AND BEHIND THE SCENES

Our website was down over the new year’s holiday, so we forgot to post this special video, but here’s a special recap we made of our entire 2011.

We know a lot of you might get busy with your own lives and forget to keep up with everything we’re doing, so this video is for you. There’s so much going at Wong Fu, even those who follow us on a consistent basis might forget everything that happened this past year!

2011 was definitely our biggest year ever. From meeting and working with great new people, new and challenging projects that pushed us to the edge, and amazing events and accomplishments, none of this could have happened without you. Thank you so much for being there for us and believing in what we do. 2012 is going to be an even more amazing ride, and we can’t wait to share with you everything that we have planned. Make sure you follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook so you don’t miss a thing!

Whenever we make a short that stars the 3 of us, we always think it’s getting crazier and crazier. First with Phil dressing in drag for “Screen Test”, Wes b**** slapping a “fan” for “1 million’… we definitely took it even further for our very special holiday presentation “The End of Wong Fu: A Christmas Story”.  Just watch and you’ll see.

So, were you expecting that? Tell us which was your favorite part! Wes as a model? Chris as a ghost? Did you cry at Ted’s death scene?? What about the open ending??? What happens in the future?!?

We had a great time making this short. It was fun to play different characters and imagine a time (albeit a very absurd time) when WF no longer existed. There were various emotions that were fun to play and deal with, and we’re really glad with how it turned out.

BLOOPERS, OUTTAKES and ALTERNATE ENDING:

BEHIND THE SCENES

Be sure to share the holiday fun and pass this video along to your friends! Happy holidays from Wong Fu Productions! We’ll make sure Phil never ends up in rehab and that WFP will stay around as long as possible! =)

We’re proud to present our latest music video for our very talented friends and musicians Magnetic North (Derek Kan and Theresa Vu) and Taiyo Na, featuring Sam Kang! Take a moment to watch and reflect. What is home to you?

Shot last month in New York City, this is a special project because it reunited us and MN after 5 years, it was our first time shooting in NYC, and the story within the video is unlike any of our other music videos.

PREPRODUCTION
Derek from MN first asked us to do a music video of this album over a year ago. We were instantly drawn to the song “Home:Word” not only because it’s a great melody and song, but because the lyrics are so meaningful. We wanted to make a video that touched on a different topic from the typical “boy-girl-relationship” songs. As the months passed and we worked the shoot into our schedule we shared ideas with the artists.

There were actually several concepts we had for the video, but in the end, MN and Taiyo chose this one which involved a family and the hard times they go through, mainly because they could related to it the most, and also because it featured the parents roles, burdens, and strengths. We also agreed that we wanted to give spotlight to what our parents mean to us.

PRODUCTION
Since this was our first time shooting in New York there was a lot we weren’t prepared for. Actors had to be chosen via email (MN and Taiyo found some great people and friends), locations were scouted the day before (much like our Leehom video in Taiwan), and even parts of the story line were adjusted the night before to accommodate scheduling and locations.

The entire shoot was 2 1/2 days. A huge challenge was that there were so many performances (3 rappers and 1 singer!), each of them requiring a location, and the story line also involved 4 characters that each had their own set of locations and cast. We traveled all around New York City, and huge thanks to Nom Wah restaurant in Chinatown for letting us use their establishment. Jumping from location to location, hoping in cabs and subways, looking out for security guards and stopping traffic, it was extremely tiring and stressful, but everything worked out as planned. Definitely wasn’t a walk in the park, thankfully we got everything we needed in New York before flying back to LA.

One more shot was needed once we got home though. Sam Kang, who sings the chorus, lives in LA. We’ve actually made a music video for him before, in 2009. We grabbed him for a couple hours and shot his performance in LA…think anyone noticed?

DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY
We’re extremely glad we were able to create a video to a song which deals with many feelings that don’t usually get addressed. We believe there is something everyone can relate to in this video.
Like the mother and daughter, we all have those moments where we neglect our parents, too busy living our own life and caught up in what we think is important, we often forget that on the other side our parents are working hard and have struggled to give us as good a life as they can.
Like the son, pressures from school can be the biggest struggle for many young people. While it is important, sometimes stepping away to find a bit of peace can keep us going. Whether it’s in photography, making videos, singing, dancing, or even video games with friends, whatever brings you joy can feel like home too.
Like the father, jobs and financial worries can bring us down, and make us feel like it’s the end of the world. Especially in these tough times, when so much is uncertain, the greatest gift we have is knowing that there is one constant, family, who will always be there to support and comfort.
We really hope you got something special out of this entire project, we know we did.

BEHIND THE SCENES Video:

BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS:

It’s the holiday season, and what better time to be reminded of what’s most important in our lives. Not our job, our finals, or material things…but family, home, peace.

We’re proud to be releasing our latest music video on December 7th. “Home: Word” by Magnetic North and Taiyo Na ft. Sam Kang. We shot it at the beginning of this month in New York City (or first time shooting there), and you may already know our history with Magnetic North, so this is a very special project to us. Not our typical boy/girl stories, but still just as meaningful and often unsaid.

The past month we knew we were coming close to hitting the 1 million subscriber mark, so we made this special video to commemorate it. Initially premiering at ISA San Francisco and Los Angeles, we’re finally able to share it with the world because, we finally hit it! Please help us by passing it along to all your friends, reposting and blogging, so that we can say thank you to all those who have ever watched WF even once. We’re extremely grateful for your support, without you, our lives would be very different and we won’t ever forget that.

OUTTAKES

At the end of the day, it’s not about the numbers, it’s about affecting peoples’ lives and reaching others with our work. We’re glad to have reached 1 million, but we just look forward to making more videos and films for you to enjoy. Thank you!!

Wow, a Wong Fu Productions and Wang Leehom collaboration.

First and foremost, it’s been an honor working with Wang Leehom and his team. We are big fans of Wang Leehom here at Wong Fu Productions so when we first saw the email in our inbox about the possibility of working with one of the most highly visible celebrities in Asia, we were really excited but kind of skeptical about the legitimacy of the email. It didn’t take long until we were talking to Wang Leehom himself and hashing out the details of the music video.

This project moved very fast, and if we wanted to create a finished product worthy of Wang Leehom and mainstream media, we had to give it our all – and we did. We worked tirelessly for three weeks, developing the concept for the music video, traveling to Taiwan for the actual production of the music video, traveling back to California to finish up the edit and visual effects. We couldn’t have done it all without the help of Wong Fu Productions’ very own Christine Chen (Assistant Producer) and Derrick Lee (Visual Effects). Special thanks to Phenomena Productions and Wang Leehom.

We hope you enjoy the music video!

** Wong Fu Productions is grateful to be busy with many exciting new projects. Ted stayed behind to make sure we remained on track and didn’t miss a beat during the international portion of the project.

The idea behind “Shell” is based on a larger concept I’ve had since 2005. For my senior project at university, I created a mock website for a future company. The idea was that, in the future, people would be able to buy memories– real or not. This technology would allow people to buy the ultimate human gift. What is more intimate and touching than a memory? I always thought the implications of such a company were really intriguing. I tried to make a very convincing website– complete with products, ad campaigns, and testimonials. But the idea itself never extended beyond that senior project. That is, until “Shell.”

When SESIFF (sesiff.org) asked us to create a new short for their festival, I thought this might be a nice opportunity to share the idea. The problem was that the concept seemed so grand in my head and it would take an entire feature film to dive into all the details. Since the festival was based on short films, I needed to somehow condense the concept into a tightly-packaged short film. Somehow capture the essence of the original concept in a short and compelling story. I decided to structure the short around a conversation. Since I was introducing a new idea, I wanted to keep the scene and setting relatively simple. That way, viewers could more easily digest the new information. A quiet conversation is a familiar enough vehicle to do just that.

Even though the original idea was about a company that created technology to sell fake memories, “Shell” takes a more pure approach. Before the business and technology, there was always a central concept– “What if we could remember things we didn’t experience.” One challenge was preventing the dialogue and vocabulary from being too technical, confusing, and unbelievable. But even more tricky, was figuring out how and why two people would talk about such an abstract subject. To develop characters and their histories in less than ten minutes is pretty difficult. I decided to write about a single moment between two very different friends. He is a quiet dreamer and romantic. She is challenging, pragmatic, and realistic. He always had feelings for her but never acted upon them– either because of his insecurities or outside circumstances. In their talk, when she points out his passiveness (again), he finally takes a chance on her. He introduces the notion of “remembering anything” in order to confess his feelings, in his own unique way. He describes something he wished had happened. A memory of both of them that never actually took place. Ultimately, the motivation and inspiration for sharing the peculiar idea is rooted in his hidden feelings for her.

The space between reality and fiction is always an interesting area to explore. The great thing about creative freedom and fiction is that we have total control over what happens, how it happens, and what the ending will be. Unfortunately, the common bittersweet tragedy is that no matter how perfect that ending is, it will remain fiction. Since there were only two locations in the short, I wanted them to be direct contrasts– one as reality and the other as fiction. You’ll see that the real life conversation takes place in a metropolitan environment where everything is angular and man-made. Lights are artificial, colors are dark and cool with shades of blue, purple, and grey. On the flipside, the scene that Chris’ character describes is a more untouched, natural landscape. The atmosphere is warm, comforting with the hazy yellows and greens. Aside from just a visual juxtaposition, I wanted to convey how the visuals we imagine are often more brilliant than truths and reality we experience.

There are a few symbols in the short. The shell is a protective housing that shelters something fragile. Not only that, but it preserves it. As we know, when we put a shell to our ear, it sounds like the ocean waves. It is an experience we can recall. Now imagine if you had never seen the ocean– if you lived too far from a coast. What would the experience of listening to a seashell mean to you? Would it be any less real? Other symbols include the glasses that Chris wears and the window that he looks out of. They are both barriers between what he wants to see and what he really sees. When his glasses are taken off, he has a new perspective on his reality.

If you haven’t guessed already, the production of “Shell” was extremely basic. There was no budget. Basically, the only prop that I had to find was the shell itself. We had two days of shooting– one night in the downtown apartment and one afternoon at the field. The apartment was actually Mimi’s, so that made things very convenient. Once I saw her gorgeous view, I was determined to use it as a set. The field was a very special spot I had stumbled across about three years ago. It took me a few hours of driving just to find it again. But once I did, the field and tree looked just as magical as the first time I saw them. The “crew” consisted of myself and Philip. As for the cast, they are no strangers to Wong Fu Productions. I wrote the dialogue with Chris Dinh in mind. After his amazing voiceover work in When Five Fell, I was eager to cast him in another serious role. Many of you may know Chris as a talented comedic actor but when we met him, he was actually doing more drama than comedy. I’m glad we got to showcase a different side of his ability with this short. It’s been a few years since Mimi Chao been on screen, but like Chris, she was a natural choice. After working with Mimi on previous projects, we’ve developed a sort of trust. Many times, my direction to her would simply be “Do it the way you would do it.” This short relied on subtle performances. Since the amount of dialogue is not extensive, it is the timing and reactions that are crucial. For instance, when Chris’ character is called “neutral and safe” I wanted to see that comment resonate in him, as if he’s heard it far too many times than he’d ever want. It sinks in and really irks his otherwise calm character. All in all, both actors are extremely professional and more importantly good friends of ours. I couldn’t be happier with their performances.

Musically, I felt that it was important to let the two characters talk in silence most of the time. There is subtle piano piece that plays when Chris explains the shell. This was composed by George Shaw. He makes all kinds of amazing music that can fit a variety of scenes. I chose his piano piece because it was thoughtful and worked with the dialogue instead of being too overbearing. You can download George’s “A Single Memory” here. The “main theme” is Jesse Chui’s “Origami Airplanes.” He composed it several years ago for a different short of ours. To me, it captures the ethereal feel of memory and imagination. It’s very memorable and complemented the shots wonderfully. You can download the song here.

Personally, I don’t believe endings truly exist. But if they must, then I’d prefer endings that allow room for possibility and interpretation. The ending of “Shell” is no more than the ending of a moment. As if we turn away at a specific point in time. It’s not that nothing happens afterwards, but rather, we just don’t see it happen. I’ll admit that “Shell” is an extremely romantic ideal that can rarely be matched in real life. It’s not meant to reflect real life experience. But like the line in the short goes, “It’s about the feeling, that’s what matters.” And the feeling I hope you come away with, is one of hope and encouragement to pursue dream and fiction until you reach an even better reality.