Jul

2

2008

It was fun to talk with Jim Chu, who headed up Team White Rabbit at the Shootout. Smart man that he is, Jim has found a way to combine art with business--he owns the awesome lounge of the same name that hosted the Kickoff Party. Here’s a ‘lil piece of dim sum: famed AA director Michael Kang used to bartend for him. Many Shooutout participants were born in the 1980s, and a few precocious 90s babies joined the Shootout rank and file. But Jim, like yours truly, has done a little more living--and that colors his perspective on the filmmaking life.

Tell us who’s on your team, and what they do.

Nara Garber, filmmaker - currently co-directing and filming the documentary “Flat Daddies” about the families of US soldiers in Iraq.

Jim Chu - producing partner at Slew Pictures, featuring “Almost Perfect” by Writer/Director Bertha Pan; owner of White Rabbit Lounge

Joshua Furst - writer of Short People and Sabotage Cafe, published by
Random House

Rafael Latorre - full-time student and father of our star, Iñaki Kai Latorre - but trained as a lighting designer

Raal Stapleton - actor and photographer

Melisa McGregor - actor and writer

Beatsmiths - music producers Scott Provost and Corey Martin

What makes your team and its members special?

We’re old. So we can be kinda cranky, but we have a lot of experience.

Tell us about the technical side of your Shootout experience. What cameras and software do you prefer? For q quick one-off like this, what crew size is ideal?

Nara is the bomb - she called when she said “I would rather have fewer people who know what they are doing rather than a room full of inexperienced people.” She holds that rule up well, because she is a one woman army. We shot on Panasonic HD and Nikon lenses. That’s why
you see that beautiful soft background in a lot of the shots.

Software? Nara cut on FCP and no sleep.

What did you learn from your Shootout experience?

I will never have a story meeting without my directing partner ever
again. That, and I am completely addicted to making movies.

Given a “do-over,” what would you do differently?

Let’s see - no kids, no animals, no unlocked Chinatown exteriors in
the rain, and no four floor walkups.

What advice do you have for next year’s participants?

Make movies!

Tell us more about Michael Kang bartending for you.

I actually know Mike from way back in the way back machine. I could tell you stories, but then the kids get scared and ask about what it was like to ride dinosaurs to school. Actually, I got into the bar business right out of college because I wanted to act and couldn’t get a bartending job. At that time, every couple of days I came up with a new hairbrained scheme to put my life somewhere, like joining the Navy Seals or running for Congress. My friends would laugh themselves off their barstools. Basically, I opened a bar out of spite. Sixteen years later, I wouldn’t recommend
it as a path. It’s just too far from where I wanted to be. There are a lot of distractions that are dangerous to one’s ambitions, especially if that includes being monogamous.

Now, I enjoy the mix of having a place where creative people can gather, screen their films (we host a regular screening called The Can), and still be able to pursue the creative side.

But for real though...no one could have made a better Kickoff Party host.

Yes, Jim, you are the voice of experience. It’s great to see a variety of people participating in the Shootout. Asian-American film needs many perspectives to make it all it can be. What would any of our films be, were it not for the paths we took on our way to filmmaking. The journey, the journey, my friends. Okay, enough philosophy. Where’s the tapas menu?


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26 Comments »

Comments merged with the forum topic: After the Shootout: Are You Experienced? - White Rabbit - Miles Apart (2008)

I agree with the smaller teams. Less personality clashes and other differences to slow progress. The cinematography was beautiful in his movie.


very nice work!!!!!


Lol, I just watched their film. It was really good.


Who are you voting for Elena?


I wonder how many turtles were harmed in the making of this film...lol ;p


Haha How old are you Elena? You look young in your photo.


Just in case anyone is wondering, Cecil the Turtle was repatriated to Petco before the film was even finished getting cut. I actually had a friend who was a designated turtle wrangler for the day, so he would be run back to his temperature regulated, UV light rich tank between takes. The only problem was that the rest of the cast was jealous of the star treatment the turtle was getting!


Is the little boy the owner’s actual son? He’s really cute. raspberry


A bar owner and a filmmaker? Haha How cool.


khmersmily, rumor has it the DP was a vegan; Cecil the turtle left set in one piece and is now bragging about his star turn to all the less artsy turtles at Petco.  Observation of child labor laws, however, is a completely different story.


Everyone....I am adding recently-received pics to this post.

Nara, you’re funny.

Loverly, I could be age-secretive but I’lll blow my cover just for you wink I’m 31 years young, born in the year 1976 wink

FAYE 17, I have not watched the videos yet...wanna wait for the traffic to die down : )


Hahaha! Sounds like an amazing turtle. Are you going to bring it to the awards ceremony? I think it has a chance for best actor. raspberry


Yea...man. We’re going to upgrade our two servers sometime…

I’ve been so busy planning this charity event that it’s consuming all my time and I can’t babysit our servers.

Elena, you should know that it’s not the streaming that’s given us problems, it’s the database intensive parts of our site like forums and blog.


I liked it...simple, good dialogue, and the music in the background was good!!! I just have a few questions though...[blushing face]… 1.Why “Miles Apart”? 2.Moral of the story? Sorry, if I missed it. By the way my nephew is such a cutey!!! lol


Hahahahah! I squealed when the turtle popped its head out.

I really liked this film. Good job you guys! I can’t believe there was a turtle wrangler?!


Hey, guys, with the server problems last night I couldn’t upload the photos. But I just did....quality over quantity. Enjoy, everyone : )


Inaki!  You did great in the movie!  Love, Leelee

You were awesome Inaki!  Kaira


that kid was pretty goood is he sag?


two cute things: turtles and little boys!  aaaaw.  i love it. my favorite line is “woah, its like a 100 of them.”


sahntokey - 07/03/08 8:34 pm

that kid was pretty goood is he sag?

Woah big budget film!


Elena, thanks for choosing the photos that make us look old and cranky but still somewhat in possession of our faculties.  You’re a good editor!  Actually, Jim has aged really well.  You have no idea how long it took the make-up department to get the right blend of talcum powder and Wite-Out to frost his hair convincingly… As for all the turtle commentary, agreed: Cecil rocks.


The lil boy has to be cute...It runs in the family [wink]! I want a turtle by the way! lol


According to the department of labor, children under 15 can work in a family business. The thinking is that parents aren’t going to exploit their own children.  Obviously, this law was not written with Asians in mind.


ramonsgil - 07/05/08 1:42 pm

According to the department of labor, children under 15 can work in a family business. The thinking is that parents aren’t going to exploit their own children.  Obviously, this law was not written with Asians in mind.

hahahah so true!


Nice job Jimbo & crew!


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The Theme

A first goodbye


This year we've added a separate award category sponsored by The Museum of Chinese in America's (MOCA) Chinatown Film Project. If you include Chinatown as location or narrative device in your film, you are eligible to be considered for the "Chinatown Award" which includes post-production services worth $3000 from Deluxe New York, a brand-new state-of -the-art post-production house.