"The Motel" poster

Karin Chien produced Greg Pak's films "Robot Stories" (with Kim Ima) and "Super Power Blues." Her latest two films, Michael Kang's "The Motel" and Chris Chan Lee's "Undoing," hit theaters this week. Read on for Pak's interview with Chien about "The Motel" theatrical release, what a producer does, and just why the heck she's worked with so many Korean American directors.

Greg Pak: Congrats on all the recent success! Tell us a little about what you're doing to prepare for "The Motel" opening this coming Wednesday in New York. What can people do to help?

Karin Chien: Bring as many people as possible to see the film when it opens on June 28 at the Film Forum, and then tell everyone you know how much you love THE MOTEL!!

But, seriously, we are working with Palm Pictures on the marketing campaign, and are also doing a grassroots campaign, which involves spreading the word, via events, posters, parties, merchandise and the internet, throughout the indie film and Asian American communities. If you're part of an organization or school or a very large family, you can invite us to speak to your group, or screen a trailer, or put up posters, or write us up in your blog. Every little bit of extra exposure helps.

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Michael Kang's feature film "The Motel" opens theatrically at the Film Forum in Manhattan on June 28. Read on for an in depth interview with Greg Pak in which Kang reveals how he worked with his child actors, what challenges he faced in making the film, and where to find his favorite motels.

"The Motel" poster

GP: Give us the quick rundown on what “The Motel” is about and what kinds of audience members will particularly love it.

Michael Kang: "The Motel" is about a kid who is growing up in a seedy hourly rate motel owned by his family. It's basically a story about the worst possible place to go through puberty. I think it will act as a healing force for anyone that had a terrible time going through those formative years (which is most likely all of us). It's a dark comedy in the vein of "Welcome to the Dollhouse." It also stars Sung Kang so I think teenage girls will really like it.

GP: Any special events around the opening that people should know about?

MK: In addition to our big premiere party being hosted by ImaginAsian, we are in the planning stages of working with groups like MK on throwing after parties every night. Basically, we think that after people see the movie, they will want to get drunk. The best way to find out about the venues and locations for these are if people sign up on our MySpace account at http://www.myspace.com/themotelfilm. There is also a podcast series of phone conversations I am having with key members of the film being hosted on the Film Forum website. We have a lot of fun stuff planned for the two weeks. Really, the best way to keep up is to sign up on MySpace or on our email list at The Motel website at http://www.themotel-film.com.

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Thanks to Visual Communications for the heads up about the June 30 deadline for the Fox Diversity Development program. From the official announcement:

The Fox Entertainment Group (hereinafter "Fox") announces a new chapter in its campaign to identify and support promising writers from diverse backgrounds. Since 2001, Fox has accepted submission of TV "spec" scripts towards the selection of aspiring writers for a six-week program at Writer's Boot Camp ("WBC") in Los Angeles. As a part of the Boot Camp experience the selected writers have written an additional "spec" script under the supervision of WBC instructors and Fox Diversity executives.

In the 2006 edition of Fox' writers outreach we do not wish to receive "spec" material based on series already on the air. In this new phase of our program, we are soliciting submission of original television pilot scripts.

This shift in focus represents our view that the television industry has at its disposal a large and growing population of diverse writers capable of assuming positions on series writing staffs. We will continue to seek and identify quality episodic writers through other outreach efforts and contact with talent representatives. But, in this new phase we hope to encourage more original thinking, and written product, by diverse writers and/or about diverse themes and characters.

Writers selected for this program will be enrolled in a concentrated course at Writer's Boot Camp where the writer will receive up to six months of instruction and personal guidance from instructors and Fox Diversity executives. During that time our hope will be to guide the writer through drafts of their original pilot towards the goal of a top-quality script that can be submitted to broadcast and cable networks for pilot consideration.

We encourage all diverse writers with a story to tell, or writers of any color with a diverse series lead character in mind, to submit their scripts per the guidelines described below.

Visit http://www.fox.com/diversity/submit.htm for rules and entry information.

This entry crossposted at AsianAmericanFilm.com.

From the official announcement from Asian CineVision:

Enter to win a flat screen plasma TV, ipod or a digital camera! And all you gotta do is send us your 15 second video.

V-Clip National Competition
Registration Deadline EXTENDED: June 23

Asian CineVision and Verizon announce the first ever V-Clip National Competition for the annual Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF). Filmmakers submit their 15-second video clip that highlights the Asian American film experience while creatively incorporating the Verizon logo, a sponsor of the 29th AAIFF. Submissions can be created in any format and can be live action, animation or motion graphics.

10 finalists will have their V-Clips screened at select programs during the festival.
Grand winner and two runner ups will be announced on AAIFF Closing Night.
Prizes for grand winner and runner ups may include flat screen plasma TV; digital camera or an iPod.

Visit http://www.asiancinevision.org/festival.html for complete entry rules and forms.

Ron Domingo in "Slow Jam King"

Steven E. Mallorca's award winning feature film "Slow Jam King" is now screening at the Imaginasian Theater in New York City. Click here for screening times. And read on for an interview in which Mallorca tells Greg Pak about everything from his set getting raided by police to his favorite slow jams.

Greg Pak: Tell us a bit about the film and who should go see it.

Steven E. Mallorca: "Slow Jam King" is an offbeat road comedy about JoJo Enriquez, a Filipino-American wannabe gangsta-pimp who, in his attempts to answer his call to the streets, carjacks Vance, a traveling perfume salesman with an affinity to country music. Stuck along for the ride is JoJo's friend, Devaun, an ex-funkateer and reluctant family man, who tries to talk sense into JoJo and diffuse the situation. The motley trio embark on an escapist roadtrip to Nashville, where they discover truth, love, and the dirty underbelly of the Nashville country music scene. Anyone that's looking for a good time, enjoys genre-bending films, and likes their humor on the irreverent side with a healthy dose of multi-cultural absurdity should come out to check out "Slow Jam King." I sort of equate this film to early '90s Native Tongues hip hop - it's fun and a little absurd, but with a conscious voice to it - like if De La Soul, or Tribe Called Quest were a hip hop movie.... or better yet Prince Paul. So if you're a fan of that kind of hip hop, you'll definitely get into "Slow Jam King." Also, I think that anyone who's a do-it-yourself filmmaker or musician can enjoy the film, too.

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Another quick reminder -- today is the last day to register for the AAFilmLab's 72 Hour Film Shootout. For more information about the event, visit the AAFilmLab website and/or read the interview with AAFilmLab president Matte Chi.

The Asian American Film Lab announced Monday that the general deadline for signing up for its 72 Hour Film Shootout has been extended until June 8 (receive by date). For more information about the Shootout, read on for Greg Pak's interview with AAFilmLab President Matte Chi. And don't forget the 72 Hour Shootout Launch Party in NYC on June 9, where the AAFilmLab will give away film supplies as well as "Robot Stories" posters and DVDs donated by Pak.

Greg Pak: Tell us who should enter the 72 Hour Film Shootout and why.

Matte Chi: This contest is open especially to any and all filmmakers on the brink - for anyone who's looking for a reason or excuse (if need be) to make a short film. As a novice myself, I needed something to push me into making a film and the Asian American Film Lab did exactly that. The AAFilmLab gave me a goal to work towards and the support I needed to take the first step. The experience of shooting my first short film was so incredibly fullfilling that I changed my career and decided to devote my time entirely towards creating more work.

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Film Talk is back! Read on for an in-depth interview with David Libby, the composer of the scores for Greg Pak's films "Happy Hamptons Holiday Camp for Troubled Couples," "Super Power Blues," and "Planet Hulk Trailer."

Greg Pak: We've worked together on three different short film projects now, but I'm realizing I have no idea how you work your magic -- I email you video and tell you some of my ideas for the score and you email me back links to gorgeous music. Walk us through the process a bit. First, the technicalities -- what kind of equipment and computer system do you use? Is all the music generated through synthesizers and computers or do you do any live performances? And how do you keep the neighbors from calling the cops with noise complaints?

David Libby: I have very cool neighbors, no doubt! I'm always playing piano and my wife is a singer, and we've never had a complaint. Actually, we've even gotten requests to play louder because they like it! The only down side to this is that I can never move.

Once I get the video file you email me, I import it into music production software called Sonar. I have a Kurzweil PC88 keyboard which is connected to my computer, but I don't use the keyboard for sounds. I only use it to trigger sounds that are generated on my computer by a software sampler called Gigastudio, which produces the most realistic sounds currently on the market. So, when I play my keyboard it triggers sounds that are generated on my computer by Gigastudio, and those sounds are recorded on my computer by Sonar. I also use Reason and Acid type loops for sound generation, and Sibelius for music notation when I want to write something out.

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