Cinespot : An Exclusive Interview with Hong Kong Director Oxide Pang

An Exclusive Interview
with Director Oxide Pang
(Part II)

Filmmaking

Cinespot: First, can you tell us how you became a filmmaker?

Pang: I started out by making short films. At first I let my friends see them, then I submitted to some short film festivals. What I believe is, have confidence in your stuff and audience should not be hard to find!

Cinespot: Is there any movies that are influential to your filmmaking career?

Pang: I actually love TV commercials more. I think TV commercial helps me to understand filmmaking in a different way.

Cinespot: When people talk about the Pang brothers, it is always about horror movie. Are you afraid that it will actually hinder you from making other movies, as everyone expects that the Pang brothers should make horror movie?

Pang: That's why Danny has directed Leave Me Alone, an action comedy. We will make movies of a larger variety in the future.

Cinespot: We all know that you began to gain your reputation in Thailand. Having worked in Thailand for so many years, how do you see as the difference between the filmmaking business in Thailand and Hong Kong?

Pang: Actually it is quite similar, there isn't really any big difference. It is only that we have different customs and cultures. Hoever, in Thailand, the movies generally have broader and more interesting subject matters to choose from, while in Hong Kong, most subjects have already been explored or even depleted.

Cinespot: We all know that in these few years, Hong Kong film market is having a hard time. As someone who just arrived to the market for not a long time, do you feel discouraged (considering that the golden day of modern HK cinema was 10~20 years ago)?

Pang: I don't really feel that way. Many people have been struggling in the business for a long time but they are still not discouraged yet. Compared to them, newcomers like us are just nothing.

Cinespot: From Bangkok Dangerous to Ab-nromal Beauty, great focus were placed on editing and cinematography. So do you and Danny have the same aesthetics standard?

Pang: Yeah, that's quite similar. Both of us really care about the cinematography, editing and sound effects of the movie. Regarding actors, we really want to make sure the actors know how to act, especially how to act according to what we demand. As for picking new talents, like for Ab-normal Beauty, we really count on our instinct, to predict what they can do, and what they cannot do.

Cinespot: Following the above question, in terms of storytelling, do you rely more on the script or visual/sound to direct the attention of the audience?

Pang: To put it simple, the script is really important. Visual or sound effects are merely an apparatus to help shaping the story.

Cinespot: In The Eye, The Eye 2 and Ab-normal Beauty, the protagonists are always very lonely and hopeless, it is just like they are being trapped in a closed environment. Why did you want to do it? Any specific reason?

Pang: It is just movie. It is just a way to intensify the situations that characters are facing. In another words, it can also be viewed as a fulfillment of the horror genre requirement.

The Future

Cinespot: Are you working on any new project recently? Can you tell us more about any of your future project?

Pang: Yes, the next project will be a horror with an environmental preservation theme. The lead will be Angelica Lee. As for the story, it is better to wait for the official announcement from the company. (According to Universe HK, the tentative film title in Chinese is Ghost Zone (translated literally from Chinese)). Another project that I have already finished shooting is The Eye 10. It will come out in March 2005.

Cinespot: What about the Hollywood project we have heard before?

Pang: Right now they (Hollywood company) are writing the script, and it will be a horror movie as well.

Cinespot: There are more and more Asian directors going to Hollywood. What is your view on that?

Pang: I don't really have any peculiar view. I guess John Woo has already talked a lot about it before, so there isn't much I wanted to add. It is not the first time of an Asian director working in Hollywood after all, so I don't really have very strong feeling. I just hope to see if I am able to make the kind of movie I want.

Cinespot: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions.

Pang: Thank you!

In conclusion, the interview was quite successful. Director Oxide Pang was very generous and answered all of our questions even though he was very tired on that day. Again, we would like to appreciate director Pang for taking his valuable time and sharing his insight with us. Please give a round applause to director Pang!

Special thanks to Universe HK for coordinating and making the interview possible.

Thank you!

Host / Text: Eric Liu
Planning: Eric Liu, K. Lui
Photos: Galy Lo
Translation: K. Lui

11/2004

Click here to go back to Part I.