Brian Yang shown in Vista Wow

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  Shanghai Rush
  8/31/2009

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  Work, Work, Work
  9/06/2008

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  11/20/2007

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  11/20/2007

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  9/16/2007

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  72 Hour Shootout
  7/24/2007

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  6/28/2007

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My blog More entries >

• reel stuff

  Wednesday, Nov 4, 2009 3:47PM / Members only

  Gonna post some reel stuff from over the years.  This isn't really a reel, but I suppose I should find a way to cut some of it up so it is.  If you've never seen Shanghai Rush, the season finale below sums it all up pretty well!
  
  

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• people

  Wednesday, Nov 4, 2009 3:19PM / Members only

  Thank you kind people who wished me a happy birthday last week!  Another year older, another year wiser - at least I hope...
  
  I can't wait to hit Asia again in a couple of weeks.  I've been back in the USofA since early September and to be quite honest, it almost feels like I don't belong here anymore.  It's weird, but I feel as if my time here is coming to an end and I really need to move my butt over to Asia, if not permanently, then on a prolonged basis.  I've been in NYC for nearly a decade now and after spending most of my time abroad in 2009, it's really setting in for me that both professionally and personally speaking - reasons for my staying Stateside are dwindling.
  
  It will be to my great interest to see what 2010 brings for me in terms of where I am.
  
  In the interim, while here in NYC, recently, I got to work on a film called NOMADS that stars Lucy Liu.  Crazily, I was cast as her father in a flashback scene when young Lucy sees her father doing something not so cool.  It was pretty surreal to think I was playing Lucy Liu and Tamilyn Tomita's dad, and meeting the two of them was a real treat.  I remember meeting Tamilyn in the early 90's in San Francisco at the now defunct Golden Ring Awards, so it's funny to see how things can sometimes come full circle. 
  
  I also just got back from a trip to LA and Hawaii where I spent time in LA developing a film I plan on shooting in China and Hawaii for the Hawaii International Film Festival where THE PEOPLE I'VE SLEPT WITH, a film our company 408 Films helped produce, had its world premiere.
  
  HIFF was great!  It went over better than I could have expected.  We had fantastic crowds, oversold audiences, good reviews, and even an added screening in order to satisfy the demand!  I was bummed to hear that one of the cameraman on Shanghai Rush who I worked with who now lives in Hawaii, didn't get into the final screening even though he went and stood in line!
  
  

  
  In Hawaii: With Archie Kao and Karin Anna Cheung, stars of the film at uber producer Chris Lee's home.
  

  
  I think one of the reasons PEOPLE worked so well in Hawaii was because the people of Hawaii are hungry for fare like our film.  Asian Americans, romantic comedy, gay and lesbian themes - I think the film spoke to the community there who rarely gets to see stuff like this.  And so it will be interesting to see how the rest of the North America and the world receives it.  Hopefully, people will find the storyline universal.
  
  Here was a HIFF review: THE FILM STAGE.
  
  From what I can tell at the San Diego Asian Film Festival the following weekend, it was well received too:  Facebook video from SD.
  
  We also got a pretty decent review from Variety which is encouraging:  Variety.
  
  They always say who cares what the critics think, but really, it does matter.  Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. 
  
  We're next off to the Vancouver Asian Film Festival as their closing night film and then Taipei where we will be playing the Golden Horse Film Festival and then following that, it will be the Hong Kong Asian Independent Film Festival at the end of November.  There's also a trip to Sao Paulo in there somewhere.
  
  If you're in TPE or HK, come down to one of the screenings and say hello, I plan on being in attendance!
  
  While I'm in HK, I'm hoping to get to work a little bit with my bud Jason Tobin and the talented Mr. Dax Phelan on a snazzy indie film called JASMINE that's about to go into production.  In TPE, I'm trying to also devise a way to meet the incomparable Shu Qi, who is serving as an ambassador for the Golden Horse Awards.  I want her to work on the film I'm developing in China.  So, if any of you have any bright ideas, I'm all ears!  (I'm only half-kidding...)
  
  Finally, I'll swing through Shanghai - which is shaping up to be my home away from the States to find out what the deal is with the future of SR!  There's a lot of talk about season 2 and turning it into China Rush, but is it real?  And am I even in consideration to host it?  I'm tellin' ya folks - show biz is a tough place.  Even the host of a successful show has no security!  At least right now, I do know SR is being broadcast in Malaysia of all places.  Random.  Really random.
  
  Can't wait to get "home" to you, Asia.
  

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• Angry Asian Shirt

  Tuesday, Oct 6, 2009 12:44PM / Members only

  Get your limited edition Jerry Ma shirt now!!!
  
  Quick Kick Shirt.
  
  (I get nothing from it, trust me.  Jerry just owes me drinks for life.) 
  

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• fallin' into autumn

  Tuesday, Sep 29, 2009 2:33AM / Members only

  I'm really lookin forward to what this Fall brings.  Been back in NYC now for over 3 weeks now (amazing, I've gotten to just be in one place for awhile), but gearing up to hit the road again soon.  In a couple of weeks, I'll be in Hawaii for the Hawaii International Film Festival for the world premiere of THE PEOPLE I'VE SLEPT WITH, a film I had a hand in producing.  Very excited about it as we are playing a half dozen or so film festivals coming up.  After HIFF, will be the Golden Horse Film Festival in Taipei - my favorite city in the world!  (Our entire list of fests is here on: Facebook - add us!)
  
  Before that, I will be in LA on a writing retreat for a film I'm working on with my bud Ted Chung.  I've talked about Ted a ton before and I probably will forever.  I just have so much respect for the guy.  We're working on a couple of project together that has me amped.  Check out this online film critic episode they did on his film A Thousand Words:
  
  
  

  [ critics ] - Webisode 1 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.

  His is the second film reviewed in this episode.
  
  With some other stuff happening, other than the PEOPLE premiere in TPE, back in Asia, I'll be hop-scotching back over there too.  Can't find me one place to live and settle down in and my back on all these flights is really feeling it... 
  
  If anyone ever needs a great DP for something, let me introduce you to Eunah Lee.  She's stellar.  Period.  And she has a great ear apparently for music.  I really enjoyed this montage from a film we worked on together:  MONTAGE!  The music is from this great NYC composer named Duke B.  Way to be, Duke B.
  
  Caught a great band this weekend and I gotta find a way to fit them into films I work on.  Hyper fun.  You guys will like: The Orion Experience.
  
  
  

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• when in rome...

  Monday, Aug 31, 2009 11:57AM / Members only

  I've heard all the nightmare stories from people who have worked on productions in China - crew who don't understand the technical aspects of shooting a show/film, ridiculous hours (there is no union to regulate things like this), directors who direct projects into the ground, sound (invisible) men, the list of complaints goes on and on like an angry wife nitpicking about her no good lazy ass husband who does nothing but sit around the house farting all day while she rakes the leaves, washes dishes, folds the laundry, all while holding down her own full-time job.
  
  Today, I can say I've had the pleasure(?) of having experienced all of this in its full glory.
  
  I have undoubtedly been spoiled silly working on projects in the United States.  Now, even what were some of the worst projects I was ever associated with there seems like Emmy/Oscar caliber stuff in comparison to what I've been going through.  Ugh.
  
  Earlier this year, I got to work on a reality show here in Shanghai called Shanghai Rush that was produced and shot by a Western production company called Fly Films (awesome guys if you ever need a team to do something out here btw).  While the crew consisted of some local Chinese people, the entire ship was directed by an American with an NYU Tisch pedigree.  A few incompetent folks were hired for that shoot and when they proved to be too life-sucking in terms of clearly not knowing what they were doing, they were let go mid-shoot and quickly replaced.
  
  The operation overall wasn't too far from that of working on something in the States.  I've never done anything reality contest show related in the US, but one just had the feeling that, throughout the production, Fly Films "got it".  I would entrust them to pull together a commercial or TV show/video and have it run smoothly and end with a nice product.
  
  I'm in Shanghai again currently shooting something and this time, it's being done by an entirely local group.  I just went through 2 weeks of education on how it's done here without any Western influence.  You know what?  I'm actually kinda glad I went through it because now I can say I truly know what it's like and, more than anything, I have learned to appreciate that much more the people who I've worked with on projects out West.
  
  I'm kicking around the idea of how to incorporate my recent experiences into a story somehow.  It would be comedy, high comedy.  I don't mean to do this to make fun of these people or China in general - and I realize that if this post was read by someone in command and they took offense, maybe I'd never work in this town again - but I do this in order, honestly, to challenge and maybe awaken Chinese production people to raise their game a little (okay, a lot) in order so that they can get to a world-class level.
  
  As a nation, China is entirely too concerned about raising their game across all industries.  Finance, energy, food and beverage, cars, apparel, media & entertainment too.  The Olympics tore through here last year and the World Expo is before them next year.  They know the world's spotlight is directly on this place and they want to capitalize on it.  More foreigners than ever are living and working here today.  Mandarin is becoming the most popular language to learn.  I love it, I love it all.  I totally dig the vibe here and the sort of history in the making moment that people here are living in as this communist country becomes ever more capitalistic.  Sure, there are severe problems here that we will forever have to deal with and come to accept as Westerners living in this world, but insofar as doing business on a global scale, China definitely needs to beef themselves up.  I wouldn't expect China to sell itself out and do everything exactly as everyone else does.  They rightfully should maintain their own practices and methodologies, especially if it's already working, but when it comes to certain things, like producing world class entertainment projects, there is a minimum level of competency that one should have.
  
  Experienced in my last 2 weeks, in no particular order:
  
  - One lighting man, split between 2-3 projects, taking off during our's to work on another one, leaving us to our own defenses, before returning a few hours later to pick up.
  
  - One lighting man, not really understanding scrims or angles of lights, shining big spotlight directly on my face, creating a REALLY bright Brian and awesome shadows all over the place.
  
  - One cameraman walking away from the camera to another room as I delivered lines, leaving no one behind the camera.  I had to stifle myself from breaking out into laughter from the ridiculousness of it all.
  
  - One cameraman behind the camera shooting me with one eye in the lens (good) and one finger up his nose digging for gold (not good.)
  
  - One cameraman falling asleep literally every moment he wasn't shooting something.  He would lean up against the wall and doze off, sit on the sofa and snooze, get yelled at to start shooting, and wipe his mouth and press record angrily.  Same goes for lighting man whenever he wasn't actively engaged in something.
  
  - Different directors not really knowing what they wanted at all and just winging it.  Granted, this isn't a feature film or a tv series, but another hosting segment, but, still, having some semblance of order and vision is definitely encouraged.
  
  - The "set" we were on was a floor model unit at a luxury high rise building.  I guess nice they let us use it, but with it, so too did we have to endure random families coming traipsing in through our set with a sales agent showing them the unit.  Seriously?!?!  Don't even get me started on the drilling and hammering we had to endure from the floor above us by workers working on the still unfinished complex.  I couldn't exactly be irritated by them as they were just doing their job.  I say to the producer of the show, "Who picks such a place to shoot???"  Is this not common sense 101 that you secure locations that are favorable to you?  How much time (and ultimately, monay?) did we waste waiting for the families to finish looking or for the noise above us to pipe down?  1,000 hours, at least.
  
  - Directors/cameraman/anything that had a pulse in the room would answer their cell phones right during me delivering lines.  I'm not sure what that's all about, but I guess in a country where picking up your cell during a movie or a business meeting and just gabbing away is acceptable, I just have to eat it?
  
  Look, I realize I'm harping on the edge here of coming off as a prima donna, but trust me, these are basic production points that should not be happening, no matter what the project is.  And this says nothing to the fact that I had to wear a visible external microphone while delivering lines or the incessant scheduling changes (line producers and call sheets don't exist here) we had to just accept. 
  
  At least my days were relatively short.
  
  Look, I love this place.  It's definitely grown on me, and to a large degree, you have to learn to live with a layer of numbness around you in order to survive cause lots of things will frustrated you to no end.  I appreciate the opportunities and I realize these things happen not because the people don't mean well or aren't trying.  They just don't know any better, even when you tell them.  It's a process and I'm hoping as this industry evolves here, crews/producers/etc. will develop with the times and bring themselves up.  I think a great place to start would be by making sure everyone went to a production school boot camp if not film school itself.  I'm not sure many of these people working in this world ever had a formal hands-on training process.  There are people here who know how to do things on a world class level (both Westerners and some really savvy Chinese), use them as your resources.  If you want to be the best, you've got to learn from the best.
  
  I'm never going to expect things here to be exactly the same as back in the States, but I say this respectfully, because I think it would behoove us all if it were the case, the vast gap needs to be closed considerably.  Other nations will take you more seriously and your filmed/televised product may stand a better chance of being exported/accepted.  This is your goal, isn't it?  You keep saying so anyways.
  

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• More entries >

My forum More threads >

• Hola Mr. Yang!
  toinky on 5/25/2009 12:13AM
• welcome brian yang to [alive not dead]
  rottendoubt on 6/28/2007 3:24PM
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My guestbook More comments >

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• 
   rottendoubt

  posted on Saturday, Nov 7, 2009 3:53PM  [Report]

  big island!
• 
   elle75

  posted on Wednesday, Nov 4, 2009 4:27PM  [Report]

  Brian, thank you for dropping by. Have fun with Jasmine and good luck with all the projects that come with that long list of..."people" (^_^)
• 
   rottendoubt

  posted on Tuesday, Nov 3, 2009 3:53PM  [Report]

  see you soon!
• 
  mykan

  posted on Wednesday, Oct 28, 2009 10:41PM  [Report]

  happy burpday!
• 
   elle75

  posted on Wednesday, Oct 28, 2009 2:37PM  [Report]

  Happy Birthday!!!
• 
  Belkie

  posted on Wednesday, Oct 28, 2009 9:24AM  [Report]

  Happyyyyy Birthdayyyyyy !!
  Hope you have a wonderful day full of fun and gifts !!! :)
• 
  medo56

  posted on Wednesday, Oct 28, 2009 7:28AM  [Report]

  Happy Birthday !
  Best wishes !
  Enjoy your life !
• 
  MissScarlett

  posted on Wednesday, Oct 28, 2009 12:21AM  [Report]

  Happy! Happy! Happy! Happy! Happy! Happy! Happy! Happy! Happy! Happy! Happy! Happy! Happy! Happy Birthday!!
• 
   rottendoubt

  posted on Monday, Oct 26, 2009 10:54AM  [Report]

  happy birthday! =D
• 
  bangteer

  posted on Monday, Oct 26, 2009 12:27AM  [Report]

  生日快樂﹗
• 
  sumrey

  posted on Sunday, Oct 25, 2009 8:53PM  [Report]

  happy birthday!!
  Have a good day .
• 
   Kit Hui

  posted on Sunday, Oct 25, 2009 5:12PM  [Report]

  happy birthday Brian! hope you have a good week. BTW, just read "when in rome...", i've been there man, being trained in the US and tried to work with local Chinese/Cantonese could be so frustrating... just have to think "it's all a learning experience"... x
• 
  reimundo

  posted on Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009 7:47AM  [Report]

  welcome visit my pagine ok
• 
  Marilena

  posted on Monday, Aug 31, 2009 9:06PM  [Report]

  hello
• 
  Melly

  posted on Friday, Aug 21, 2009 4:14AM  [Report]

  Heard about you from Loan, nice to meet ya :)
• 
   Jason Tobin

  posted on Friday, Jul 31, 2009 1:47AM  [Report]

  Yeah, I'm Cali for the summer! You headed this way at all?
• 
   Loan Trinh

  posted on Friday, Jul 10, 2009 6:18PM  [Report]

  Hey Brian it was nice meeting you yesterday night ! Hope we will have another english french vietnamese chinese conversation soon =D
• 
   rottendoubt

  posted on Monday, Jun 29, 2009 1:05PM  [Report]

  glad you like it! =D
• 
  beingrosy11

  posted on Wednesday, Jun 3, 2009 6:04PM  [Report]

  What are you busy with these days?
• 
   Ian Powers

  posted on Thursday, May 7, 2009 2:21PM  [Report]

  alls well, where are you these days?
  any plans to come back?
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