Thursday, January 4, 2007
I woke up at 6:00 AM. I slept really well all night. Today we will be filming with all the children from Eric’s school. I love all of them. They are so focused and dedicated. Twenty five of the children in the scene come from his school and about eight of them are the children of various crew, cast and friends of our production company. The students from the NWTC are very disciplined. When Debbie tells them to stand still, none of them move. They stood in their positions with their eyes focused on their instructor, waiting for direction. The children were mostly around 9-11 years old, but there were some as young as 6. Whenever they addressed their instructors, they would say, “Yes, maam or yes, sir.” Eric and Debbie have four children in the scene, and their children even addressed them in this formal manner.
When I look at them, I am reminded of my childhood in Hong Kong. Our master treated us one thousand times worse than how these students were treated. Debbie or Eric would verbally correct the students when they did something wrong. They often had to repeat themselves. Our master wouldn’t even say one word. “Paaaat!” With one hard, painful slap, one’s memory would come back immediately. I am amazed at the dedication of these children to wushu. They must really love what they do to put in the amount of time and hard work it takes to train.
One little seven year old girl caught my eye because she looked so serious when she did her routine. When her instructor said that her legs needed to be straighter when she performed, tears started rolling down her eyes. She quietly replied, “Yes, maam.” Even after the teacher walked away, she continued to mumble, “Yes, maam…yes, maam…yes, maam” under her breath. I thought she was so adorable.
Today I feel like I am still on holiday because we are spending a lot of time filming the children. They can only be on the set for eight hours at a time so we need to film their shots first. I was surprised to hear that their hours on the set were limited because the baby actor I worked with on Rob-B-Hood, Matthew, would be on our set from 6:00 AM to midnight. Of course we allowed him time to nap, eat, and get his diapers changed, but he was on the set most of the day. Whenever we couldn’t use him, we always had other scenes to shoot. This is the difference between a Chinese film and an American film. In Hong Kong, we have no regulations when it comes to children. I have much to learn about American rules and regulations. Maybe some day, I will incorporate some of them in my films.
There are a lot of people on the set. Because there are thirty something children in this scene, they all have to be accompanied by their parents or guardians. Some of the children brought their siblings or other extended relatives. The atmosphere is so relaxed on the set, I feel like I am on a holiday.
Jamie called out today, “First shot of 2007!” I can imagine this making it as one of the quotes of the day for our call sheets (a schedule of what we will be filming every day).
I didn’t need to be onscreen for most of the day but I had to be on set to choreograph. In this scene, Chris’s character, Carter, causes a disruption in a martial arts school. I try and teach him to be respectful, but he learns the hard the way. His character always makes trouble and I always have to bail him out. This is one of the comedic elements in our relationship.
Today, Chris and the children are all filming more than I. The children who are not the students of the NWTC, are having a hard time taking direction. The Assistant Directors (Jamie, Schroer, Vern) and Production Assistants (Brad, Shawn, Anthony and Matti) have to keep yelling, “Quiet on the set!”
Even though I wasn’t on camera most of the day, I still felt rather tired. When I went home, I changed quickly and worked out for an hour. “Wow!” I felt really energized when I was done. I made a few phone calls and decided it was time for bed. I turned off the TV, the telephone and closed my eyes. Because I haven’t been sleeping well, I needed to rest.
Friday, January 5, 2007
When I woke up at 6:00 AM, I felt so refreshed. I came to the set but I still didn’t have much work to do. We still had to film the children and Chris. After going on the set to give my feedback, I went back to my trailer to watch some TV.
I recently discovered The Science Channel. I’ve never seen it before and was fascinated by the show. You can learn how to do so many things by watching this program. You can learn how to make a car, a boat, chocolate or soda pop. Even the simplest looking product involves a lot of complicated procedures.
I have learned a lot of interesting things because I watch educational channels. There are also a lot of channels with terrible programs. You can’t learn anything from watching these shows. When a person watches educational programs, you can really enrich your mind.
Although I watch a lot of television shows, I feel that I don’t waste my time because I am getting an education. I am learning about things I normally know nothing about. If you watch programs about junk, you will fill your mind with garbage. You will waste your time. I hope you fans out there are selective when you watch TV. Try to pick programs where you can learn something new and useful.
This past week, Diana shared some sad news with me. Her mother-in-law, Christine Wong, passed away. She was ill for a long time and Diana’s husband, Bryant, took care of her for many years. I feel very sad for their family because it’s always terrible to lose someone you love. It is cruel, but we must all accept that death is a part of life.
I don’t know if my fans agree with me or not, but when a person is suffering, sometimes life is too unbearable. My mother was also in a lot of pain before she passed away. I was really sad to see her go, but I know she’s now at peace. I know in America, it’s against the law to allow a person to commit suicide. But I feel if a person is really ill and it’s painful for them to even breathe, isn’t it cruel to let them continue living?
I know that Diana will have to travel up north to be with her family. This will be a difficult time for them. The people we love, whether they are here on earth or not, are always in our hearts, in our memory. My mother is no longer around, but she will always be a part of me.
I wished Diana a safe trip. She was flying home this time, but often I know she spends eight hours driving up north to her home in Foster City, which is near San Francisco.
I still had to stay on the set because I was needed for one more shot. It wasn’t a difficult shot, but it took time to prepare. We’ve had a short week and I’m sure everybody is eager to begin their weekend.
After we wrapped, I went to dinner with a small party of people. There were only four of us, but we had a good time. When I went home, I took a shower and went to bed. When I don’t have much to do on the set, I always feel really tired.
Text and photos ©2007 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.
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