Reflections

A year ago during this time, I was seven months pregnant with my fourth child. I was working on a film with a company called HYK Production and a man named Sue Vang. But before all that, we were just two complete strangers who happened to be in film business. If you rewind two years ago, Sue and I probably stepped on each other's foot and didn't know. But getting to know Sue, working with him, and getting to meet the cast and crew, has been the most wondrous time of my life. 

When I first met Sue, it was through email. He contacted me because he'd gone to the premiere of Opposite Blood and I had too. See what I mean by stepping on each other's feet? We both went to the premiere. Him, to support his fellow film maker, and I, because I was there to write a review on the film. A few days later, I released my review and we had a good discussion on it. Then, he shot me an email and asked me if I would consider joining him as a writer. He had a story to tell, but was stuck, and needed a writer to help him out. He sent me a draft. I read it. I was awed at the power of it and I sent him another email to tell him, I was ready to join. Had we met in person yet? Nope. 

We began working on the film and I sent him copies of what I wrote through email. I worked long hours and when he returned home from work, we spent a large amount of time chatting online to discuss the process of the story, where to go from one point to the next, and how to develop a story that would attract audience members. The work itself took about four months to develop. In January, we met for the first time. We'd been talking together since September. And I finally got the chance to meet the leading role actor, Leng Yang. They both came to my book signing of "Tomorrow: Tag Kis." It was an honor to meet both of them in person.

When we began working and developing characters, we both had envisioned Leng as Tiaj Lim and no one else could really fit the character, but him. As I wrote and designed the emotions around it, I suddenly realized that this character could only be played by Leng. Why? Because he had the charisma, the package, and the magic to bring Tiaj Lim alive. He was athletic, suave, and canny. He fit it perfectly. So we knew we had Tiaj Lim covered. Sue told me that he had a person in mind when it came to Nkauj Huab. I first met Qaim Hli through a clip that Sue took of her and it captured me because she had the same mournful look that Nkauj Huab carried in the script. 

When we had the two main roles cast, the rest came by pretty fast. Pretty soon, before we knew it, we had an entire cast and crew put together. The very first time we all met together was in March of 2013. We sat around Sue's house and introduced ourselves and what our role was. I remembered, I was so nervous because I was sitting right next to my idol, Song Vang. I kept looking at her and wondering if this was real because she'd been my idol since I was a kid. And here I was! Within touching distance of her and she was so beautiful and so talented and I just wanted to smell her and tell her how crazy I was of her voice. Ok, a bit scary, but it was and is the truth. 

The weather wasn't kind to us when we first began to film. We had a scheduled agenda of what was going to happen, what scenes we were going to film, and who was supposed to be where. But as the weather wasn't kind to us, we ended up behind schedule in the early stage. One of the nights we were filming was extremely cold. The cast and crew members who weren't in the shot were wearing two, three layers of clothing and the cast members in the shot had to wear summer clothing for the shoot. It was a very long day of production, from 8 at night until 4 in the morning. We all stood out in the cold. The cast members on camera, tried to smile and look as if the cold wasn't bothering them, but it was freezing! Then, of course, we've got rain, wicked wind, and ticks. It wasn't as how we'd predicted it to be when it came to the weather. But thankfully, we were lucky enough to have good days to shoot as well. 

Production took half a year. It's harder to shoot here in the US than it is to shoot in Thailand. Most people in Thailand ask, "Why don't Hmong Americans shoot films? Is it because they don't know how to act?" Truth is, we're way ahead in technology and mindset, but we make a living here in the US. It's not that I am being judgmental, but the truth is that, while they can film 7 days a week; here, we're only able to film 2 days a week. We have to work around everyone's schedules. People here have work and school they can't be freed from. The weekend is the only time available to shoot films. And when you disappear from weekends too much, your relatives begin to think that just because you're in a film, you're way above them. What they don't know, is how hard you have to work to get a film done. 

After production was the editing stage. It took another three months. Audio needed to be fixed. Special effects had to be added. And most of all, the smooth transition from scene to scene had to be perfected. After editing, came marketing. We rented theater space from AMC theaters to premiere our film. Because of Transformers coming out, we weren't able to rent out the weekend. We had a Tuesday and a Wednesday. We were afraid that people would not show up, so we decided to promote it a few weeks ahead at Hmong Village and Como flea market. Turns out, we were a full house both nights. 

The night of the premiere was probably the biggest event of my entire life. I was so nervous. I'd always been to theaters to watch others' films, but this time, it was a part of me. I was so nervous, giddy, and nauseous. Yes, nauseous! I had butterflies floating around in my belly, wondering what people would think of our project. That first night, we were sold out. We stood in the hallway watching and as I listened to the audience members laughed and cried, it struck a cord in my heart that we did it. We finally crafted a piece of performance that made them weep in joy and cry out in happiness. The second night was an encore and once again, I was left feeling as if a part of my center had been fulfilled. I was no longer limping in life. I was finally whole. 

The film got amazing reviews from moviegoers. It was amazing to hear it. The days we finally released the dvd to the public, it was so heart pounding to see so many fans come to support us. It was an amazing two days of watching the fans ooh and ahh over the handsome cast. It was the perfect cherry on top. We had interviewers buzzing all around us.

What did I learn? I learned so much and I've still got so much to learn. But most of all, I've learned that in order to achieve something, you've got to have a great team. Our team at HYK Production has been so dedicated in helping each other launch this project. Our director, Sue Vang, who once again, is one of the biggest hearted person I know, has been so wonderful through this entire time. He's so wise and most of all, he shares that knowledge with all of us. He doesn't look at himself as higher than anyone else just because of his title. He looks at everyone with equality and he treats everyone with the same respect. A great man with such a loud vision of film making that makes me hunger for it. I am so blessed to have had this opportunity and I hope to maintain that relationship with him. 

Check us out at www.hykproduction.com. Our film has English subtitles and we also have the soundtrack available as well. Thank you for your continued support. 


HYK PRODUCTION TEAM