It's been two weeks since I started writing captions related to this subject for my work. The first time I was approached, I was surprised since I have been asking myself the same question for a few years, and the opportunity to slightly answer that question had just presented itself.
Three weeks since I relocated to Saigon, I have met so many interesting and inspiring people who either accidentally or intentionally inspired me and guided me. I met Ms. Kay Nguyen, I've known her for years but I wasn't impressed by her work. I changed my mind when I met her in person and after being taught and inspired by her, I'm so grateful for her arrival in my life. I know what my passion is. I can answer the question of "Will you be willing to work for your passion for free when you have nothing and when you have everything" easily. It's cinema, I may not want to dive too deep into this subject now but I may come back later. Ms. Kay Nguyen taught me that it's hard to follow your passion (which is obvious) but it's harder to do it in a market like Vietnam. I respect filmmaking and I feel so betrayed when the filmmakers decided to renew their product for the money and sell it cheap. I also believe that each filmmaker has the right to tell the story they want, from their vision. However, according to Ms. Kay, 15 credits on her IMDB profile are all "ordered projects" and after a very long time struggling in this industry, she is still trying to tell her very own story. Doesn't it make you think? That Vietnamese audience only comes to the theater for entertainment, many people I know have the same answer and it's fine, it's just not for me. After the workshop, I know I love cinema but I also know I don't belong here.
This brings me back to the subject of this post, that I think I'm in my Paycheck phase. I don't really enjoy my major but I like it and I can live with it for a long time, for money, of course. One of the four panelists at the workshop about Passion or Paycheck that day said that do small things first, with love. Life is a big picture and I tend to draw every line with passion and love
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