Victor Vu is one among the new generation of independent
filmmakers rising from small roots and establishing
himself in the world of cinema. Victor graduated from
Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor of Arts
Degree in filmmaking. To his credits, he started with
his short student film entitled ‘Firecracker,’
a film about domestic abuse within a family through
the eyes of a child. The film won a few awards from
a variety of of film festivals such as the Hampton’s
International Film Festival, and the Newport Beach
Film Festival. In addition to winning awards for his
short film ‘Firecracker,’ Victor has directed
music videos and written feature length screenplays.
Later on, he and fellow Loyola graduate Philip Silverman
teamed up together to create their own company: Strange
Logic Entertainment. Under this label, Victor has
directed his first film ‘First Morning,’
which is still circulating film festivals everywhere.
I met Victor Vu at this year’s New Years Tet
Festival and after a few months of talking, we decided
to do an interview together. Now get ready for Victor
as he talks with me about his new ghost film ‘Spirits,’
(Oan Hon)
[Daniel Nguyen]:
Victor, I’m glad I have the opportunity to get
together with you today for this interview.
[Victor Vu]:
Thank you Daniel!
[Daniel]:
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about
yourself?
[Victor]:
Yes, my name is Victor Vu. I’m an independent
filmmaker and I’m getting ready for the release
of my film “Spirits.”
[Daniel]:
What other movies have you been behind, and can you
give us some information on them?
[Victor]:
Well, my first feature film was a dramatic feature
called “First Morning.” That is currently
playing at film festivals right now, and “Spirits”
is actually my second feature. That is actually going
to be released before “First Morning”
in theatres.
[Daniel]:
So, what’s the general response to “First
Morning” right now?
[Victor]:
Actually, “First Morning” is really well
received at festivals as of now. We’ve been
getting a lot of sold out showings at these film festivals.
The reaction from both Asian, and non-Asian audiences
has been very very positive. So, I have a lot of good
feelings about “First Morning,” and I’m
really excited about the future release of it.
[Daniel]:
How long has ‘Spirits’ been in production?
[Victor]:
“Spirits” actually began about a year
and a half ago. We were writing the script around
that time. It started out as a DVD project and it
turned into something a little bit bigger, and once
more people got interested and involved, we’re
actually pushing for a limited theatrical release.
As far as production itself, it lasted for about two
months, last summer. And then we went straight into
post production. And as we’re sitting here right
now, we’re still sound mixing. We should be
done in about four or five days. So it’s been
about a year and a half of a journey for us.
[Daniel]:
Could you tell us about the movie?
[Victor]:
Yeah! I can tell you as much as I can without giving
away any secrets. Spirits is actually divided into
three sections. The first part really sets up the
story, and it deals with a writer, “Loc”
who is looking for a place to finish his novel, and
stumbles upon an abandoned house. And there is when
he discovers all the dark secrets of the house. And
that story leads into the second part and the third
part which take on a different perspective, but in
the end, all three stories come full circle to become
one film.
[Daniel]:
Sounds good! How would this movie differentiate itself
from all other movies in the ghost genre?
[Victor]:
Well, you know, to tell you the truth, in the beginning…when
we wrote this script, part of the title was Spirits,
and the other part was A Vietnamese Ghost Story. The
reason behind that is that I think that what differentiates
this ghost story from other ghost stories… as
far as Western or even Japanese/Chinese ghost stories.
Vietnamese ghost stories are in a way, very melodramatic.
They have a very strong emotional content to them.
In this case, there is a tragic love story at the
heart of our story. And I think that that’s
what separates this from more traditional ghost stories.
This one is based more on traditional and spiritual
beliefs of the Vietnamese, based on Karma, Fate, and
Reincarnation and those sort of things that are…I
guess you could say are very much Eastern themes.
So it’s not your “wham-bam” slasher
type of horror flick. It really has a sentimental
quality to it, and that’ll be interesting to
see how people react to it.
[Daniel]:
So, how would you describe the scares in Spirits…are
we going to be jumping out of our seats?
[Victor]:
{Laughs} I think there’ll be definite places.
We’ve had a few test screenings, and I think
there’s definite spots in this film where you’re
going to jump a little bit. But I think that it’s
one of those ghost stories that really rely on the
mood and atmosphere of the film, and not just the
actual monster jumping out at you. It really is trying
to set up a disturbing, eerie, and creepy atmosphere.
And that’s where most of the terror lies is
in the unknown and that which you cannot see.
[Daniel]:
Is CG used in this movie…and is it a primary
focus on bringing the spirits to life?
[Victor]:
CG is definitely a small element in the film, but
for sure it is not a primary focus. I’ve never
really been a really big fan of CG. I think mainly
because I feel like CG nowadays is a primary focus
for a lot of films. It’s like an entire film
is based on a certain effect, and I think that that’s
a big mistake. I think that CG, like many elements
in film, should be a supplemental element of the film.
I think that story, and character development really
is the most important factors in a film. In “Spirits,”
CG is used very very minimally. I think the main focus
again, is really about the character’s journey,
and specifically their emotional journey and psychological
development throughout the film.
[Daniel]:
Now, a lot of the times, movies suffer from the problem
of “style over substance.” What is “Spirits”
like; does it focus more on the scares or do you create
a balance between these moments and the characters
and story overall?
[Victor]:
I think…for me, “Spirits” is definitely
character-driven. It does have it’s moments
of style but I’m hoping that for me…it’s
not a case of style over substance. I’d like
to think that “Spirits” is a very, very
character driven film. And I think that because each
story is so different from each other, each of the
stories was created to stand on their own. It was
very important that the story was very solid, the
characters were very solid, and taking us through
this journey from one, two, and three parts. For me,
it’s really a ghost story that’s character
driven.
[Daniel]:
Interesting! So, how would you compare your movie
to another horror movie like Ju-On, or the Ring?
[Victor]:
I think it’s completely different in style actually.
I’ve seen Ju-On. If there’s any film out
there that that I could compare this film to, it would
have to be “The Sixth Sense.” Mainly because,
again, it’s extremely character driven, and
also the scares are more psychological than anything
that is in your face and very direct. For me, films
like Ju-On are very very stylized. It’s a very
stylized horror film. I don’t think that Spirits
is that type of horror film. It’s almost told
in a very folktale sort of way. It’s almost
like sitting around a campfire telling ghost stories.
That’s really the approach of Spirits, so it
has that approach of storytelling quality to it that
is familiar to our people. That is how I would compare
it to The Sixth Sense. It’s a little bit more
low key and minimal than the horror/ghost films that
you mentioned such as Ju-On, or The Ring. It’s
definitely less abrasive than those films.
[Daniel]:
So…if any, was there an underlying theme or
moral that you tried to convey in your project?
[Victor]:
Definitely, I think the theme that people will walk
away with is the idea of Karma that is going to creep
up on you whether in this life or the next, and the
idea and possibility of Reincarnation and the possibility
of Fate taking over. All these elements become, I
think, pretty frightening in the film. As the story
develops, I think for me, it’s almost kind of
like, what you do right now, whatever it is, there
are going to be consequences, and you may not pay
for it right now, but you may pay for it in some way
perhaps in your next life, or some way down the road.
And I think that’s what the film really plays
on and whether people believe it or not, that’s
their own, I guess… deal. The film really explores
the possibility of an afterlife or a continuation
of your life into the next. The scary thing is really
about being unable to run from your past, even if
you reincarnate into another being or go to the next
life…somehow your Karma or your bad Karma from
this life WILL follow you and it WILL find a way to
get to you.
[Daniel]:
Now, do these morals or themes affect the main character
Loc?
[Victor]:
Hmm, I will say it will…but I’m not going
to tell you how specifically. I think the characters
in my film, their enemy is their own conscience…their
enemy is their own Karma. That’s really the
antagonist in the whole film because that’s
really the central theme of the film itself.
[Daniel]:
Okay, that’s fair enough. Who would you say
is your target audience, and if there is a target,
are you looking to bridge that gap and reach further
out to a larger fan-base?
[Victor]:
“Spirits” was made in Vietnamese, set
in Vietnam, and obviously the Vietnamese actors, so
naturally, the number one audience is Vietnamese.
I think that just like any other foreign language
film, this has its obvious market…which is the
Vietnamese market. But like every other foreign film,
there’s also the potential of crossing over.
And my hope is that “Spirits” will appeal
to a wider audience. It is a popular genre, and I
hope that other markets will be able to embrace the
themes and the styles of our Vietnamese Ghost story.
[Daniel]:
What was it like working with the cast?
[Victor]:
Half of the actors I worked with on “Spirits,”
I’ve worked with before on “First Morning.”
Everyone was really excited about the project from
the beginning and I think mainly because it’s
something different. I think in the Vietnamese entertainment
industry, and this might be the first Vietnamese ghost
story ever made into a film, so I think it was exciting
for a lot of the actors and actresses. I think that
for me, it was nice to work with familiar faces, and
be able to work with a lot of new actors and actresses
as well, but everyone was really dedicated and committed
and it made my job a lot easier.
[Daniel]:
What would you say is the most memorable experience
you and your cast had during the making of this movie?
[Victor]:
That’s a very difficult question actually. But
I think the memorable moment is basically, since we
shot in an open set, so that meant we had to shoot
night scenes at night and day scenes during the day.
For the night shoots, we had to shoot starting at
six in the evening until three or four in the morning.
So those, I think were pretty hard nights for everyone.
The most memorable thing was that everyone had such
good attitudes and such high spirits every night until
three or four in the morning; we were still joking
around and having a good time, at the same time, really
trying our best to finish the film. So I think that
for me is the most memorable experience in general,
just being able to work with everyone under a difficult
schedule and everyone still remaining as positive
and supportive as possible.
[Daniel]:
Budget-wise, can you tell us about the making of?
[Victor]:
The budget situation in this film was similar to the
budget in “First Morning.” It was a very
limited budget. Along with my executive producer Philip
Silverman, we worked at getting some financing for
the film, but compared to most big budget Hollywood
films, our film is probably still considered low budget.
I think the beauty of it though is, we were able to
pull off a lot of exciting things for the budget that
we had. This film was filmed entirely on a set built
outdoors. That in itself was a major feat creating
the set for the film. So even though we had a lot
of budget constraints, it sort of forces us as filmmakers
to be very resourceful and as creative as possible
with the budget that is allowed.
[Daniel]:
So, were there any tough times during the making of
the movie that you just wanted to stop filming, and
what kept you going?
[Victor]:
{Laughs} I never felt like I wanted to stop to tell
you the truth. I think that once the ball was rolling
on “Spirits,” for me it was a consistent
momentum. And I think it’s very important to
keep that momentum going, especially being the director,
I think that you gotta keep everyone’s morale
up, and yes, it was again a difficult shoot only because
of the scheduling and the fact that we were shooting
on an open set. So a lot of long days and long nights,
but I think we all really tried to keep a positive
attitude and move forward. And that was the thing
for me; we had gotten so far getting the financing
together, the script done, the cast and crew, and
the set built. I think that there wasn’t anything
that could have stopped us. I mean, a tornado could
have hit, and we would’ve rebuilt the next day
and just finish the film.
[Daniel]:
What’s the scariest Vietnamese ghost story you’ve
ever heard of?
[Victor]:
You know, I’ve heard so many. That’s what
really inspired me actually. Growing up in America,
I’ve been told so many stories from Vietnam.
Of course, the most haunting things that I’ve
heard were the ghost stories. I’ve heard stories
of shadows sitting at the edge of your bed, and ghosts
that choke you at night, and a lot of things that
I heard as a child that really had a lasting impression
on me. I can’t really name one specific ghost
story, there are so many. But for me, the most haunting
of all ghost stories were the ones that involved the
death of a loved one. Those really hit me because
those stories were not only scary, eerie, and disturbing,
but they were also very sad. And because they had
that emotional content, that’s what really drew
me in, and that’s what made me remember them
the most. A lot of these stories were told to me by
my grand parents and relatives who lost people, who
lost loved ones and family members, and that’s
what was really devastating is the fact that it came
from a personal experience.
[Daniel]:
Interesting… Out of curiosity, some actors and
directors say that they are haunted by images from
the movie that they last worked on… are there
any images from “Spirits” that haunt you
even after this movie has been made?
[Victor]:
{Laughs} Not really. It’s not really a haunting
image, but rather a lasting impression. There are
some images in this film that really came from my
own imagination when I heard these ghost stories from
Vietnam. There are some images in this film that when
I look at it, all I can remember is being a child
and hearing these stories, and remembering what I
saw in my head at that exact moment when the story
was being told to me. So I think there are quite a
few parts in the film that sort of remind me of that
part of my childhood.
[Daniel]:
Do you personally believe that a house can be haunted
by spirits after a traumatic experience occurs, or
rather simply put, do you believe in spirits?
[Victor]:
Yes I do, I believe in the other side. I believe there
is a whole other world existing that we cannot see.
And I think only a small select group of people can
see or have the sensibility to see. I myself have
seen a ghost before when I was young. But only once
and only once and it’s something that I will
never forget. But, I do believe there is a whole spiritual
side to our existence, and whether it’s in the
forms of ghosts, goblins, or monsters, I don’t
know. But the idea of it existing is something I really
believe in.
[Daniel]:
So regarding these childhood experiences or stories
that you were told, do you think they in any way influenced
the making of this movie?
[Victor]:
Yes, I think making this movie was an obvious choice
for me. I think that ghost stories are a big part
of Vietnamese culture because they deal with a lot
of daily Vietnamese traditions and beliefs. Because
it’s such a big part of Vietnamese culture,
I think I wanted to make something that Vietnamese
people could relate to and enjoy. I think the important
thing was making a ghost story that was specific to
the Vietnamese way of telling a ghost story. And definitely
my childhood experiences and fascination with supernatural
tales and ghost stories really had an influence in
the decision to make this film and to shoot it.
[Daniel]:
Was there anything that you learned during the production
of Spirits that you weren’t able to utilize,
that you would want to apply in your next project?
[Victor]:
{Laughs jokingly} I want a bigger budget! In all seriousness,
I think that as a filmmaker you grow each and every
time you make a film. I can’t really go into
specifics, but I think it’s a combination of
many things: the way I work with actors, the way I
shoot a scene, the way I covered a scene, the way
I plan out how a story is going to unfold. I think
that all those things, you kind of learn more and
more each and every time you make a film. So I think
there are a lot of technical and creative aspects
that I want to bring towards the next film.
[Daniel]:
Are there any other film genres that would you like
to get into?
[Victor]:
Most definitely. One of the reasons I wanted to make
“Spirits” was because move away from the
dramatic narrative, which is what “First Morning”
was. I wanted to try something different; I wanted
to try a different genre. I think that’s the
thing for me, I want to experiment with different
genre type of stories, because I think there are so
many interesting and wonderful stories out there.
I’m a big fan of thrillers and I’m a big
fan of dramas as well. But one area I’d love
to touch upon is something more action oriented. I’m
interested in maybe doing a crime drama of some sort.
That’s something I really want to work on next
actually.
[Daniel]:
Have you ever considered acting?
[Victor]:
Acting? {Laughs} I don’t know about acting.
I’ll leave that up to the professionals!
[Daniel]:
So, what do you do to unwind after a long day of work?
[Victor]:
Hmm, that’s a good question! I don’t know,
I haven’t unwound in a long time, but maybe
after the premier.
[Daniel]:
When Spirits is all done and through with, what are
your plans? Perhaps a nice long vacation, or are you
going to get to work on your next project?
[Victor]:
I don’t think I’m going to have a vacation
for awhile. I think that with the release of “Spirits,”
I feel like I’m going to get busier to tell
you the truth. We’re going to be touring this
film; I also have “First Morning” that
I want to release at the end of the year, then there’s
the DVD release of “Spirits” and then
there’s also my next project which I’d
like to get into pre-production next year Spring.
So there’s a lot going on, and for me, making
films is therapeutic and is really rewarding for me.
So in a way, making movies for me is a vacation in
itself!
[Daniel]:
So, when can we expect the DVD to be released?
[Victor]:
We’re looking at the Fall, probably around Halloween
time.
[Daniel]:
You said you had another project in the works; can
you give a hint at what that’ll be about?
[Victor]:
That, actually, I’m still actually pondering.
I probably won’t get started writing the project
for another couple of months. But it is going to lean
on that crime drama genre that I was speaking about
earlier.
[Daniel]:
Well, it’s been a pleasure Victor, and thank
you for meeting with me today to conduct this interview.
I wish you luck and success on Spirits and everything
that is to come in your life!
[Victor]:
Thank you very much Daniel!
Special Thanks: Victor Vu, Philip
Silverman, and Andy Ta
“Spirits” Official Website:
http://www.spiritsthemovie.com
Daniel
Nguyen
04/22/2004
