Ah, the seasons are changing from beautiful autumn to the cold, brutal and death-worshipping icy winds of winter. In the spirit of change CreativeFluff is boldly moving towards new horizon’s instead of lying dormant this year. We’ve had the opportunity to connect with amazing, up-and-coming artists all over the world who deserve exposure for their work. If you keep up with CF you’ll notice a heavier emphasis on promoting talented artists, designers, film-makers & writers to ensure that they get a successful start in their creative endeavors. The first of these awesome artists is filmmaker Dan Chan of Brooklyn, New York. I would like to say that I’m personally impressed with his creative & experimental vision and I want to share a brief look into his work along with an interview so you can get to know more about him, his process & his vision.
Keep tuned for an in depth analysis & critique of his work: “Midnight in NYC”
Midnight in NYC from Dan Chan on Vimeo. – Music: Si Tu Vois Ma Mère – Sidney Bechet
Q: Tell the audience a little bit about what makes you tick
What really makes me tick is the urge and almost need to express what I see in my mind to the world around me. For a person such as myself, I sometimes find it hard to communicate how I feel with words, and I feel very comfortable showing my emotions through a more composed medium, such as film. What gives me the most gratitude and appreciation for film is when people connect to my work and understand how I’m feeling and the emotions that I’m trying to convey.
Q: Can you describe yourself for us in 5 words
Empathy for your fellow man.
Q: What’s the process behind creating your work?
I’m personally very moved by music and people who are strongly convicted to their causes. When I feel inspired by a message, or when I feel the need to share how I feel, I think about ways I can capture my thoughts onto film and I do my best to replicate my vision with the tools I have. The beauty of film is that it’s not tied to the limitations of the world, and I do my best to exploit that fact in my expressions.
Q: How would you describe your style?
I would label my style as experimental. Just like my thoughts, they sometimes aren’t wholly complete, and don’t have a beginning, middle, or end. Sometimes thoughts flow into your life, and they exist as short jolts of creativity and inspiration. I’m doing my best right now to transition into a more traditional film role, but I don’t want to lose the creative freedom I enjoy with experimental cinema.
Q: Do you have any artist that influences your work?
My two biggest influences in my work are Andy Warhol and Francis Ford Coppola. Andy Warhol once said, “Art is what you can get away with.” and I agree completely. It speaks to me in the sense that art is subjective. There is no right or wrong, only opinionated conversation. I think Warhol really struck the nail on the head with what he was doing, and was very welcoming for other people to join his world of thought. Francis Ford Coppola, on the other end of the spectrum, is a brilliant director and I admire the breakthroughs of cinematic vision that he has brought to the silver screen. My personal favorite, “The Conversation”, interweaved audio and video in ways that opened my eyes to what film could really be.
Q: Do you have any new films or projects you would like to show us? If so could you talk a little about the creation process?
Right now, I’m working on a short piece that involves echoes and the remnants of a passing moment. There are times when you wish you could save that passing glance or the fleeting gaze of a stranger. The past is something that a lot of people are infatuated with, but it’s just that; the past is something that you can absorb but not hold on to physically. If I were to stay living in the past, I would never grow as a person, so I always look forward to the future.
Q: Do you find it hard to get feedback from critics about your work?
Not at all. I appreciate all feedback, positive and negative, from any of my peers. I don’t believe there is such thing as bad feedback, only people who don’t understand how to incorporate feedback into their own work. I’m always inspired to create better things by looking at other creatives and what they’ve accomplished because it makes me feel as if I can be somebody that others look to for inspiration.
Q: When you’re not making art, where do people usually find you?
If I’m not making art, I’m most likely at my job, which is lead QA engineer at Behance (http://behance.com), where I’m creating test automation scripts for our massive codebase. We’ve really exploded into the creative world in these past few years and have been trying to change the way that the world looks at art. My job is to make sure that our code is up to quality and does not break down for any of our audience.
Q: Are there any tips you’d like to share with aspiring film makers?
Keep shooting film, and make it for yourself. The best films come from filmmakers who make films that they want to see. It’s just like anything in life; the more passion you have for something and the more desire you have for such a thing to exist, it will ultimately yield in a product that is better than any corporation could ever dream up.
Its nice to see an interesting and topical interview for a change in stead of a massive list of interesting texture or backgrounds like so many other blogs do. Keep up the good blogging!