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Interview with Justin Calen Chiang

When I chose to have “Cinema will save us” as the slogan for my blog, I had the least idea really how far reaching that phrase was. In a succession of four words, it says how one can put all their trust into cinema and how they will never be let down. We’ve known so many instances of young filmmakers putting everything they have into their first film and how they eventually reached a place where they belonged. A 23-year old Robert Rodriguez signed himself up as a guinea pig for experimental medication just so he can get paid $7000 to make his first feature. Kevin Smith was a convenience store clerk who maxed out his credit cards to make his first film. Jim Jarmusch dropped out of film school and used the rest of his scholarship money to make his first movie. These are just three of atleast a few thousand instances where men and women sacrificed themselves, their lives, their comforts, their prospects, their relationships and more and for what? What made them do it? The ones who have done it know exactly why, the ones who are doing it right now will find out soon and the rest will never know!

Justin Calen Chiang is a fighter. My first meeting with him was in late 2007, through a filmmaking forum where he had posted a thread with a link to his recently completed film. The title “The Way of Snow” had a curious vibration to it I thought and went onto read a brief account of what he had to endure to get it made. I was touched by his honest narration and identified with his efforts. I had emailed him asking him for an interview to share with us his experiences but he gracefully declined asking me to wait until he had taken his film to the festivals and an audience. Shortly after, “The Way of Snow” premiered at the 2008 Bradford International Film Festival and went onto score another showing at the International Film Festival of South Africa.

I took up on Justin’s pending promise and got him to share some thoughts.

Justin, in your own words you’ve said “if you look closely, you can see the blood and vomit drops stain the celluloid”. How many jobs did you have to endure to fund your film and what were they? What did it take to finish what you’ve started?

Jobs. Wow. I’ve had my share! The jobs I had or have done, in no specific order, were a shady cell phone salesman, a gym receptionist and janitor (men are ALOT dirtier then women, I’ve learned), a teacher’s assistant, a librarian, a member of my art school student government (good money), and lastly, a media warehouse attendant (rented out cameras, lights). And it took EVERYTHING I had to finish this film. Firstly, it was already tough to learn each facet of film, but during production,I had to keep changing the way I had planned to do things because alot of different things kept happening (no details). As a result of all the physical work, I sustained a neck, hip, and knee injury during filming, but I fought through it, even though I could barely sleep because of the neck injury, and it was causing me to have severe headaches and vomiting spells. Have you ever tried to act, direct, and grip while you can barely walk, your nose was bleeding, and your head is throbbing at 1000 beats a second? OUCH. So indeed, the blood and vomit drops. It wasn’t a metaphor, I was sadly being truthful.

Tell us about the story of ‘The Way of Snow’and how much of it is autobiographical?

When I think about this film, I have to admit that it was very autobiographical to me, almost to the point of where I sometimes thought, “wow, justin, this is getting personal.” But as contrived statements fly, art is personal and I had not thought of doing this film any other way but personal. So essentially, it’s my story. All of it, with only a few minor story snips here and there. It’s all about me. Not that I’m so crazily interesting, but that’s the film I wanted to make, no matter what.

What is the significance of the title?

I had an original title before The Way of Snow, but this is funny.I was SO positive I was going to get into Sundance, so I changed the title to its current one to make it more “Sundancey.” But a foolish novice filmmaker got knocked on his butt and I didn’t get in. Haha! But to answer the question, the title is referencing how snow is and can be. One day, it can be white, pure, and soft like our emotions when we are content, but the next, snow can become dirty, polluted, hard, and bitter, like who we become when we let pain into our hearts and let it stay there and fester. So The Way of Snow is mainly a metaphor for human emotion and the different ways we handle it. Would you like to know the original title? Hmm. I’m not telling. Haha.

How many people were there on your crew? What was a typical day like on the shoot?

Oh wow. In the end, TWO, me and my best friend. In beginning, there were probably 30 people that dropped out on me, including friends and family, people I trusted. That was a heartbreak, but I understood since a bulk of them weren’t into film and they had their own lives to tend to. You have to remember, I didn’t know film students, or people that were into film, so to them, it was just a silly guy making a silly movie. Imagine trying to act very depressed right after running around and setting up everything. That was what it was like every day of the shoot. Our shooting schedule was erratic over two weeks because both of us also had to go to school during the day. Everything had to be planned right down to the very detail because we had no time and money to do otherwise.

How did you want to tell this story? How important a role did the Super 16 format play in the visual style of the film?

I had the typical hard headed mentality in the beginning where I felt the film wasn’t REAL if it wasn’t shot on film. I wanted to be a TRUE filmmaker (whatever the hell that means). I chose Super 16 firstly because it wasn’t as crisp looking as 35, but also because it was the most cost efficient. I did a few tests for different stocks and ended up going with the Kodak 7229, because it had the lowest contrast and made things quite muddy, which was the world I wanted to create for the film, a world where everything was flat, muddy and just plain dreary. In some shots, I ended up under-exposing even further to get that dark, murky world I wanted and the rawness of the Super 16 enhanced that even further. I wanted imperfect, so that’s what I got, so I was happy.

What was it like at your first ever festival screening? What was the response from the audience?

My first festival screening was in Bradford, England. Have you heard of it? Probably not, I hadn’t either. But it turned out to be a great experience. For the screening, I got the jitters and ended up leaving and waiting outside. Also, when I was sitting in the theatre, a man got up and left! But the co-festival coordinator, who so graciously took care of me, said that the rest of the medium-sized audience stayed and watched the entire film all the way to the very end of the credits. He also said that the people around him had expressions close to “being blown away.” He was probably just trying to make me feel better, but I appreciated it none the less.

What is the most important lesson that you’ve learnt from this experience?

I think the most, most, most important thing I learned from this experience was that I wanted to pursue this as a career. Prior to that, I was still in illustration school, and unsure if film was the right thing for me. But after completing the film, and seeing it, I decided. And for the record, I did end up graduating from illustration school anyway just because I always finish what I start, even though making a film and going to illustration school was EXHAUSTING.

Let’s rewind back to the start, you’ve spent most of your childhood growing up in a Southern California Motel with your family. How do you think that affects you as a person now and did anything from those days make its way into your film?

I think it’s made me look differently at many things. I was always afraid growing up, because the schools I went to, all the kids were well off and rich and the neighborhood was known for being upscale. It always made me feel not good enough and unworthy. But as I grew up, I realized that the motel experience also made me stronger inside and different. So I am slowly learning to use that to my advantage now as I grow more as a person.

It was your love of illustration that took you to The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where you had spent 2 years before you opted to drop out. How important was that experience?

I actually didn’t drop out. I stayed on and finished it in three years. I am very insistent on finishing what i started, as I stated in a previous question. I don’t quit. Ever. So even though it was backbreaking to make a film and do all the illustration work, I shut up and did it because I wanted to prove to myself that I could. I had worked too hard to get into illustration school, so I wasn’t about to just leave it behind. Film had become my new “passion”, but to me, I couldn’t just up and leave even though I didn’t like it. That seemed a bit childish and spoiled to me, like a little baby who doesn’t like his toys and now wants new ones. Goo goo, ga ga?

There was a point of time in your life where you would go to the cinemas everyday, sometimes three films a day. You’ve said the darkness of the theatre provided “comfort”. How so?

When I was sitting in the matinees during the day and rarely anyone is in the theatre, I felt peace because everything was so silent. I didn’t have to be a certain person or say a certain thing. I could just sit there in the dark and watch a movie, no pretenses involved. And at that point in my life, when was a chaotic time, being in the dark just kept me calm. It gave me one hour and fifty five minutes of peace before I had to go back to the “hell” that was every day life. I know. I was so dramatic. Thank God I’m not now, though I still love sitting in the dark.

What are your plans now? Do you feel you’ve told your story in its entirety with this film? What other genres/ subjects would you like to deal with?

I have plans to fly to the moon and befriend an alien. But before that, I plan to continue my career in film, writing-directing. As for my story, I’ve felt that I told it the best that I could, and that is going to have to be good enough because that time in my life is DONE. I’m ready to move on and see what other cupcakes life has for me. The main genres I plan to tackle in the future mostly revolve around science fiction and fantasy because the possibilities are endless in what you cam dream up and I think there is so much you can say with that genre. I have dreams of making blockbusters, and 100 million dollar films, so that’s where I’m aiming. Also romances and musicals because I’m a sucker for those kind of films. My Fair Lady, anyone?

What advice would you offer to other aspiring filmmakers- those obstinate independent bravehearts such as yourself?

Well, thank you for calling me a braveheart, I really appreciate that. I’m not so sure I’ve done enough so that I can offer advice to anyone, but ask me in ten years! As for now, I can just speak from what I know. Don’t let anyone ever tell you you’re not good enough to do anything. If you think different, follow your scent and be different. I’m the kind of person that when I want something, I deadeye go for it, and when people laugh and say I can’t do it, I get more energized by it. I’m not saying be like that, but that’s just how I am.

Oh! Don’t make a film if you have compressed vertabrae (it’s dangerous) and especially don’t make one if you have to do everything, especially if you have to ACT. I was naive, so that’s how it got done. And lastly, whenever you need a breather, remember, the darkness of the matinee will always be there to take care of you. Thanks alot for the opportunity, Gautam! I’m so flattered!!!

Thank you so much Justin, you’ve certainly given us a fine example and a lot of motivation. We wish you all the best for your upcoming adventures with Cinema.

Justin can be reached at his website and his film “The Way of Snow” can be reached here.