LEVI AGEE: I loved this film. It's one of the best films I've seen in years and its style and story is so refreshingly unique. What do you think gives this film such a different quality or presence from other niche festival films in recent years?
JAMES CHOI: It seems festivals in recent years have been dominated by “mumblecore” and “darker, brooding” dramas, and while Made in China maintains the smarts and heart of festival indies, it also has a broad commercial appeal usually found in larger studio films. I also think Judi was able to create a style that fits somewhere between the emergent reality/improv style of filmmaking that’s been prevalent in recent years with a uniquely structured narrative voice. Finally, we were able to shoot in Shanghai, China, which provided a stunning canvas and backdrop for the film. Because of the incredible opportunities and new experiences that we were able to take advantage of, we were able to fully integrate our “set” as a third, dynamic character in the story.
LA: How did the idea for this film come about? Were you guys playing with a slinky one day and thought who the heck made this?
JC: There’s a funny story about Judi when she was eight years old, and so, I guess it did sort of happen that way, except then I think she was pondering the cocktail umbrella of a virgin margarita…
20 some years later, Judi and I were committed to making a film in 2007. Our first decision in the process was to identify a compelling location. We knew it had to be different and visually interesting. We initially flirted with going to Burning Man and setting a story there but subsequently decided on Shanghai. As I mentioned, Judi has always been obsessed with novelty items. She has a sort of child-like curiosity that’s strikingly similar to Johnson. This is one of the things I find so refreshing about her voice. She really does bring that child-like sense of awe to the world around her, and it translates in a really honest way on film. Dan Sumpter, Judi’s co-writer, also had a friend who was a novelty inventor so it was a very natural and obvious subject for them to write about especially once our location was decided.
Be sure to check out and “fan” the Made in China Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/MADE-IN-CHINA/62079448669?ref=ts
We’ll continue to update it with more cool stories like this about the film, cast and crew.
LA: I've heard stories that you guys were not filming with the help of the Chinese government, without permits, etc..., how did this influence the shoot? Was there too much bureaucracy or red tape to involve officials?
JC: It had a huge impact on the shoot. We had to become a really tight, really flexible and REALLY small crew. Because of all the obstacles we faced, we also had to learn quickly in a foreign city and be super efficient with our execution. The interesting thing about such challenges is that they bring out the best in everyone involved. Necessity is the mother of a lot of inventions, and shooting this film was no different.
We weren’t sure just how strict the local officials would be, so it was a pretty big leap of faith to take our chances and shoot in mainland China rather than a safer place like Hong Kong. There really was no other way to make our movie in our timeframe, since going through standard channels would require dealing with Chinese government censors, and that process easily could have taken a year AND resulted in editorial cuts that would have compromised Judi’s vision for the film.
LA: I love the actors in this film, everyone of them are so talented and perfect in their roles, which I think gives the movie its unique quality as I mentioned earlier, where did you find them, particularly Jackson Kuehn, Dan Sumpter (who co-wrote the film) and the young Chinese woman who Mr. Johnson meets on the train?
JC: Judi and Jackson Kuehn were both close friends of mine for years but hadn’t met each other before the film. Jackson is a talented young actor on the verge of breaking out big time. When Judi met Jackson they immediately bonded and she knew we had found our Johnson. Dan Sumpter has been a close friend of Judi’s for years, and believe it or not, he has never acted before! Judi had a friend who was a real life Magnus but when his schedule conflicted with our shoot, we needed to find someone who was well versed with the project and who better then the co-writer!
The production consisted of a group of close friends who truly believed in and trusted each other. We shot in some really harsh conditions, and I don’t think we could have gotten through it otherwise. Imagine shooting for 8 hours inside a limo when it’s over 100 degrees, 100% humidity, no a/c and a hot mini light kit inside. There’s no way you can get through that without strong relationships between all involved. We’re all still very close friends.
Judi and another producer on the film, Bronwyn Cornelius, casted the two girls in Shanghai. As in her writing and directing, Judi always has a clear vision of her characters, so when Dorothy (Deng Juan) and Olive (Syna Zhang) walked in to read, she immediately knew she found her girls!
That she got such fine performances, across cultural and linguistic lines, from the girls and from new, fresh talent such as we used (many of them friends, family and crew) is truly a testament to her strong capabilities as a director and communicator.
LA: How has winning the esteemed Grand Jury prize at South by Southwest impacted the film and your efforts to market or sell the film to distributors? Did you find yourselves giving out business cards to strange Scottish businessmen to sell the film?
JC: It’s funny but we thought we had reached the top of the mountain when we finished the film, got into SXSW and then won the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative. We thought we were going to get our big distribution deal, but that wasn’t exactly the case.
We had an idea but didn’t fully realize how strong the demand in the market is for “named talent”. While new technology provides certain opportunities for independent filmmakers, “brands” exert even more influence, as distributors want more coverage on their risk, so it’s still a huge challenge. But despite such obstacles, we believe a good story will always prevail, and we trust it will.
It’s our job now as filmmakers is to get out there and show distributors that there is an audience for our film. To that end, we appreciate all the film festivals that have supported Made in China. After SXSW, we won Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking at the Newport Beach Film Festival. That was great, and now we’re really excited to be screening at Little Rock in May.
Festival support really can’t be overstated. They provide such an excellent way to screen the film and connect with our audiences and fans. Unlike the studio process, indie filmmaking is more about developing conversation and going through the process in a more connective way. We don’t take audiences for granted and so we’re always very humbled by the opportunity to screen for audiences. So far, their responses have been overwhelmingly positive and nothing short of amazing. We only hope people will continue to support the film, spread the word and drive our film over the top!
LA: This was Judi's first feature film and the direction of the film, despite the highly stylized structure, feels very consistent and focused, how do you think she handled her feature debut and what did your working relationship with her consist of?
JC: Judi is just an amazing talent who is completely committed to her craft. I’d say it’s a pretty good debut when you can stage a World Premiere at a major festival like South by Southwest and win both the Grand Jury for Best Narrative and Chicken & Egg (Best Emerging Female Director) awards.
Our process is pretty exhaustive across conception, development, production and everything in between and beyond. However, when Judi writes, she disappears and writes. While we don’t always agree on everything, we have complete respect for each other’s opinions, and this is based in a deep trust we have in one another. One of my jobs as her producer is to constantly challenge her creatively, but that said, my ultimate purpose is to help her realize and support HER vision. Trust and respect is definitely the key to this type of successful relationship.
LA: Any future projects you guys are working on or involved with you care to mention?
JC: We are deciding between two scripts we’d like to shoot next and currently looking for financing, so if anyone out there is interested, please contact Mr. James Choi (james@beachwoodpics.com). He will personally tell you more about this exciting new investment opportunity…but this time he won’t make you fly to China!
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