Irony

...And how.

Let's put a couple things on the table.

I grew up in Taiwan.

I speak Chinese.

I am white.

And one more.

China is not Taiwan.

Yesterday was a really long day. Met with the new guys from Shanghai that are taking over the business in China. While I don't answer to them - I do answer to them. Now there are three opinions as to what we should do in China coming from China. And then two more groups back in the States - not to mention my Chinese production partners.

I start to feel like taffy.


As a director - one of your best characteristics is decisiveness. You tell others what looks good - what you want - the quicker the better. Here - it's not to be.

While a part of my insides belong to China - I am still 98% a white guy who has spent a lot of time in Asia. My ideas of color and beauty and everything are not the same. To do a commercial here for Chinese audiences is not the same. So I spend a lot of my day taking what I like and throwing it out for what they like.

In the end we will hopefully have a product that no one likes... :)

Example:

Yesterday we held auditions. This is for Models - who are required to do some acting. The ones I thought were beautiful - they thought were ok. The ones that they thought were beautiful - wouldn't warrant a second glance in the States. The ones that could act usually had bad skin, the ones that had great skin couldn't act, and the pretty ones usually couldn't do much but smile.

One the the assistant directors were running the audition. Every time an actress would come in and do a really clean, relaxed and natural reading - he would direct them to over act and act cute.

This is what the Chinese want - or are used to. It makes me wanna puke.

But who is this for? It sure as hell ain't for me. And the guys from Shanghai want to go even further. Sillier and more emotional.

It's kinda like taking everything you love and subverting it to what you consider bad. But in reality it isn't bad - its what works for another culture. So it's not that its wrong or bad - its just different.

So all day every day - besides questioning every creative decision - I'm also working in two languages - and to top it all off, I can't sleep.

This is starting to feel like a Chris Nolan movie.

Still waiting for the big ironic twist...