My fascination about how this magical world ends up on the silver screen is what motivated my quest to find out just how the process of movie making works. I wanted to explore the road that a script travels from the imagination of the screenwriter to how the final product translates into a movie through the vision of the director. I recently attended the screening of an independent film starring one of my favorite actor's Booboo Stewart whom I had previously interviewed about his experience as a member of the Twilight Movie Saga's Wolf Pack and again on the red carpet along with his songstress sister Fivel Stewart at the Youth Rock Awards Winter 2011 where we spoke briefly about me coincidentally getting called in by the casting director, Brad Gilmore, to read for a part in White Frog, so I was already quite familiar with the script having had it sent to me to prepare for my audition. I agreed to audition for the part after I read the synopsis that described the movie as being about a teen boy named Nick who suffered from Asperger's Syndrome a form of autism which causes him problems recognizing human emotions which makes him become isolated who through a tragedy that occurs in his family is forced to overcome his social issues and deal with the real world.
I recall reading through the script and getting pulled into a world that I wanted to be part of. A world filled with a perfect family with an older perfect son and a younger not so perfect but still loveable son who lived in a perfect world filled with expensive homes and cars and a set of friends (played by MTV Teen Wolf Star Tyler Posey, Gregg Sulkin of Wizard of Waverly Place fame, 90210's Manish Dayal, & High School Musical 3's Justin Martin) who shared a tight knit camaraderie with the older son (played by Glee TV Star Harry Shum Jr.) that would make any loner teen envious. Well I did not get the part, but I did not lose heart because I had fallen in love with the White Frog, and I was excited to see the script come to life on the big screen. Months go by while I continue the audition route to getting cast which I soon find out is a numbers game. The more auditions I went on the more I got booked on some pretty amazing TV, Film, Commercial, Print and even a Voiceover Project(s). So just a side note to aspiring actors. Never take a "no" you are not right for the part answer as an insult. Rejection... It's just a part of the casting process. It may as simple as you may look too young or too old for the part or you were too short or too tall based on others already cast. Who knows why. Just understand that if you do your best every time, casting directors do notice and you will be the first one they call back if you fit a part they are casting based on your previous great audition for them.
Now back to my love affair with the White Frog. I made a note to myself to keep track of when the movie would premiere in my hometown L.A. via the movie's Twitter and Facebook. Summer 2012 rolled around and an announcement was made! White Frog would Premiere at the L.A. OUTFEST FILM FESTIVAL on July , 2012. I immediately bought my ticket. I just had a feeling that this would be a sold out show, and I was correct! My goal was to meet the woman creator behind the story, Ellie Wen, White Frog's Screen Writer who I later found out wrote the script with her Mom Fabienne Wen. And the director, Quentin Lee, the man who decided how the movie from beginning to end would look, feel, and sound. He is responsible for bringing Ellie's words on paper to life on the movie screen. Otherwise, we would be left to use our imagination without any pictorial direction from the film's visionary, Quentin, who does this in an intriguing way to entertain us in a format we are used to that elicits certain emotions from us and even can control our opinions. And, Quentin Lee is a master at setting up scenes to make us laugh, cry, go into shock and so on. You will definitely feel refreshed at the end of the movie as if you just got off a crazy emotional roller coaster ride. I don't want to give too much away as I want you to see the movie for yourself and react to what you see naturally. All I can say is the movie will make you feel happy and grateful that you saw it as it has a very important message that everyone can learn from: We are all different and that is what makes us human. In other words, accept others and yourself for who you are and do not try to fit into someone else's mold of who you should be for fear of being an outcast.
I am proud to present to you my interview with the talented screenwriter Ellie Wen who has already made her mark in Hollywood with success of her first attempt at a screenplay White Frog and my interview with the amazing film director Quentin Lee who adds the success of White Frog to his stellar list of must see movies born from his talent to see through the purpose of the screenwriter's storyline and characters and give the actors scenes to work with that drive home the motivations that make the characters blend into the scene as if they really belong there to the point that the actors are no longer acting; instead, they are living the part. And, this is why I feel Quentin Lee is a great director! I hope that once you finish reading both interviews, you will have a better understanding of how complicated the process of filmmaking is by taking this little peek into the making of White Frog Movie from Script to Screen.
XOXO Tatiana Mclane
Queenie4ever
WHITE FROG
| CAST BOOBOO STEWART as Nick Young HARRY SHUM JR. as Chaz Young BD WONG as Oliver Young JOAN CHEN as Irene Young GREG SULKIN as Randy KELLY HU as May Chung TYLER POSEY as Doug MANISH DAYAL as Ajit JUSTIN MARTIN as Cameron AMY HILL as Dr. King TALULAH RILEY as Ms Lee PHIL ABRAMS as Ira Goldman |
CREW QUENTIN LEE director ELLIE WEN producer & writer FABIENNE WEN writer DAVID HENRY HWANG executive producer CHRISTOPHER LEE producer JOEL SOISSON producer CASTING by Brad Gilmore |
ELLIE WEN - Stanford
Grad & 1/2 of the mother/daughter screenwriting duo who created the
storyline & characters of the White Frog movie.
Q: Every great movie
has to begin with a great script one that has clear motivations for the
characters to come to life on the big screen as well as great dialogue between
the characters to capture the viewer's attention as engaging, educating,
emotional form of entertainment. White Frog achieves all those
elements and more. Can you describe the writing process you took to come up with
the storyline, characters, setting, etc. & how you finally decided it was
ready to be shopped?
Thanks for the kind words about
the script! My mom and I started writing the screenplay together right after I
graduated from Stanford and moved back to LA. We did it as a fun hobby and
didn’t even realize it might one day be made into a movie. I was lucky to have a
great mentor in Joel Soisson, my former boss from an internship, and so I sent
him the finished script for feedback. He read it immediately and said he wanted
to help me produce it! I was also fortunate to have playwright David Henry Hwang
as another amazing mentor and when he came on board as Executive Producer and
script advisor, he really helped us get the script to where we wanted it to be.
It was a very collaborative process – we got notes from everyone on the team and
worked hard to incorporate them in subsequent rewrites.
Q. You obviously have a
very close relationship with your mom in order to collaborate on such a big
venture. I can imagine it took a lot of coordination and time because this was a
team effort. Please describe how you allocated your writing
responsibilities? For instance, who came up with the idea that you
would write about Asian teen male characters Nick ( Asperger's) & Chaz ( A
closet gay) the brothers who each had a problem that caused them to be socially
ostracized by peers, family, & mainstream society. And, did you have writing
sessions or just pass notes back on forth?
It’s really fortunate that my
mom and I are so close, and I’m really lucky that she let me work with her as an
equal partner. The fact that I had moved back home after graduating also helped
the writing process because I would come home from work and we could literally
sit together at the computer and work through the script. We first outlined the
story and then we’d take turns on the scenes until we were both satisfied. A lot
of elements in the story were inspired by different parts of our lives. We had
both lost dear friends at a young age who weren’t able to fully be themselves
before they passed away, so we wanted to do a story in honor of them. Also, the
Firehouse where Chaz and then Nick volunteers was inspired by a center where I
used to do community service in high school.
 |
| Actors Justin Martin and Phil Abrams with Screenwriter Ellie Wen
receiving a phone call from the star of White Frog Booboo Stewart who wanted to say hello to everyone who came out to the premiere since he was filming out of state & unable to attend. Q & A White Frog Premiere Outfest Film Festival Los Angeles, California 2012 Photo Credit: WilkiIMAGE |
Q. I really like the
way Chaz then Nick tells the story that their grandmother used to tell them
about the white frog who as a tadpole was put in a coconut shell until it's skin
was milky white and its' flesh was soft & flavoring of sweet coconut
considered a perfect delicacy in their culture (which was Vietnamese?) to make
the point that not everyone can be a perfect white frog and that it is Okay to
be "different" because we all are "different" and this is what makes us human.
Is this a story you heard about growing up or did you make it up yourself? What
does it mean to you?
It was a story my mom grew up
with when she lived in Vietnam. And it was a real thing that happened, it was
(and maybe still is) a delicacy there.
Q. What inspired you to
become a screenwriter? When you were a little girl what did you dream of
becoming when you grew up? What types of education and training did you take to
prepare to become a screenwriter. What advice would you give an aspiring
screenwriter?
I’ve always loved reading and
when I was a very little girl I think one of my many dreams was of being a
writer. My mom had studied English at Yale and always loved writing but never
actually pursued it, so I nudged her to try screenwriting and she fell in love
with it. White Frog was both of our first screenplays. As both the producer and
co-writer of White Frog, I really enjoyed being able to work on both the
creative and business sides of the project.
 |
| Cast and Crew of White Frog Movie Justin Martin, Ellie Wen, Phil Abrams, Harry Shum, Jr., Quentin Lee, Tyler Posey. Q & A White Frog Premiere Outfest Film Festival Los Angeles, California 2012 Photo Credit: WilikIMAGE |
Q. If you could work
with any famous film director living or dead who would that be and
why?
That’s too tough of a
question! I have such great respect for all directors J And it’s
been amazing working with Quentin.
Q. What was your
favorite part/scene to write for White Frog and why?
Wow I can’t even remember! The
whole thing has been a joy.
Q. If you could step
into the lives of Chaz and Nick what would your conversation with them be about.
Would you try to give them advice that could possibly change the outcome of the
movie or just have a friendly chat. If it were me, I would warn Chaz not to ride
his bike, so he could have the chance to tell his parents and brother that he
was gay. But, I guess the movie would lose it's dramatic impact without a tragic
death of someone who died way before his time without fulfilling his own
dreams.
Another tough question! I’d just
say whatever I could to make both of them feel loved and
appreciated.
 |
| White Frog Screenwriter Ellie Wen with Queenie4ever Celebrity Reporter Tatiana Mclane. Reception White Frog Premiere Outfest Film Festival Los Angeles, California 2012 Photo Credit: Venice Wong |
Q. Why
did you chose to write this story as a screenplay and not a novel which could
later be adapted as a screenplay version such as Amy Tan's "Joy Luck Club"? If
possible, would you consider writing White Frog as a novel
including photo stills from the movie?
My interest has always been in
film, so it was just the natural thing to do. We haven’t yet considered writing
a novel version of the film.
Q. After watching the
premiere of White Frog. How close to how you envisioned your story
did it get? Did it live up to your expectations?
I’ve always heard how
drastically things will change from script to screen, and I have to say that I
was very amazed by how close White Frog turned out to be to my original vision.
We were lucky that everyone on the team was on the same page and that Quentin
understood the heart of our story. It definitely exceeded my
expectations!
 |
| Queenie4ever Celebrity Reporter Tatiana Mclane with Booboo Stewart'ssisters Fivel Stewart & Sage Stewart Reception White Frog Premiere Outfest Film Festival Los Angeles, California 2012. Photo Credit: Venice Wong |
Q. How about the cast?
Were the cast members especially those who played the family members of the main
character BooBoo Stewart ( Nick with Asperger's) that is, B.D.
Wong (father), Joan Chen ( mother) and Harry Shum Jr. (older gay brother) what
you had in your mind as you wrote the script and were you involved in casting
process?
We got incredibly lucky
with our cast…They were all our top choices!! Dream cast come true J
Q. Why did you chose to
set it in the modern day and not sometime in the past or the
future?
We wanted it to be
current.
Q. So far you have had
2 premieres one in San Francisco and one in Los Angeles at the OUTFEST.
What would you like to see happen next for the White Frog Movie? How can
my readers get a chance to see the movie? or at least learn more about it?
The first two premieres have
been amazing! We are currently working on finalizing distribution and hopefully
it won’t be too long before the whole world can watch it!
We are always updating our website: whitefrogthemovie.com,
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/whitefrogthemovie,
and Twitter: http://twitter.com/whitefrogmovie.
Please like and follow us and spread the word!! In the meantime, people can also check out our festival trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDxa1fdSybQ.
We are always updating our website: whitefrogthemovie.com,
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/whitefrogthemovie,
and Twitter: http://twitter.com/whitefrogmovie.
Please like and follow us and spread the word!! In the meantime, people can also check out our festival trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDxa1fdSybQ.
 |
| My (Queenie4ever celebrity reporter Tatiana Mclane) ticket to the sold out premiere of White Frog Movie starring Booboo Stewart & the cute button Ellie Wen gave me featuring the movie's All Star Cast Manish Dayal, Greg Sulkin, Booboo Stewart, Justin Martin, and Tyler Posey. White Frog Premiere Outfest Film Festival Los Angeles, California 2012 Photo Credit: Venice Wong |
Q. Since this is also a
fashion blog, I am sure my readers would love to hear you describe your personal
fashion style, name the label who designed the beautiful & very in trend
color block dress you wore to the OUTFEST premiere, and why did you chose to
wear that particular outfit to the premiere? Also, is there a particular item in
your wardrobe that you like to wear which makes you feel like a
Princess?
One of my brands is Free
People – everything of theirs is so pretty and I love the free-spirited,
laidback feel of their clothes. My dress from the Outfest premiere was from
French Connection and I loved it immediately because it was colorful, fun, had
great movement, and was formal but not too formal. It was the perfect dress! I
have an Alice + Olivia dress that my mom gave me which I love and makes me feel
like a total princess J
Q. What
does the future hold for Ellie Wen?
I’m developing a couple
projects right now, so we’ll see what goes next! I’m also still working a
full-time job at CBS Films. I just hope to continue making movies that have a
positive impact on the world J
Thanks for coming to
the premiere and for interviewing me, Tatiana!
Xoxo,
Ellie
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUENTIN LEE - UCLA Film School Grad &
Director of the young adult drama movie White Frog
Q. Just like the screenwriter is the
visionary for the original script, you as the film's director becomes
the visionary for making the story come alive on the big screen. As
the director for The White Frog Movie, can you please describe your
creative thought process to prepare to film the movie beginning from
the first time you read the entire script, meeting with cast and
crew, and finally what thoughts & emotions went through your mind
the night before the first day of shooting?
First, I had to decide on what and who
this movie was about. I felt it was important to see the world from
Nick’s perspective, played by Booboo Stewart. As I was conceiving
the movie, I started looking at things from Nick’s point-of-view
and saw where it took me. I imagined what it would be like to lose
someone you were close to at Nick’s age. It so happened that my
good friend Jason died unexpectedly about two months before the shoot
in April of 2011, so I tried to make use of all the feelings and
confusion I had felt toward Jason’s death on the movie.
 |
| Quentin Lee director White Frog with actor Tyler Posey Q & A White Frog Premiere Outfest Film Festival Los Angeles, California 2012 Photo Credit: WilkiIMAGE Interview Credit: Tatiana Mclane |
Q. You mentioned at the OUTFEST
premiere cast and crew panel Q & A that your youngest sister was
diagnosed as having Asperger's right before shooting began on the
White Frog Movie making this movie become very personal for you since
the main character coincidentally suffers from Asperger's. Describe
how you felt when you heard that your sister had Asperger's knowing
that you were about to direct an actor (BooBoo Stewart) who plays a
teen with this syndrome. Do you believe that your first hand
experience with your sister's behavior affected your directing
decisions on how you wanted BooBoo to portray his character Nick?
I was completely surprised because it
happened literally 2 weeks before shooting. She had been diagnosed
with manic depression for years and was taking the wrong meds. My mom
and sisters were in Hong Kong and had no idea that I was making a
movie on a kid with Aspergers. Looking back at my interactions with
her over time I realized that her diagnosis made a lot of sense
especially comparing notes with the research that I had done for the
movie. Thinking about my interactions with my sister gave me a good
model of how to work with Booboo on his performance.
Q. Which character in White Frog do you
identify the most with and why?
Definitely Nick, because for me it’s
Nick’s movie.
 |
| Actor Harry Shum, Jr. with Quentin Lee director of White Frog Q & A White Frog Premiere Outfest Film Festival Los Angeles, California 2012 Photo Credit: WilkiIMAGE Interview Credit: Tatiana Mclane |
Q. What was your favorite scene to
direct and why?
The second last day of the shoot we
were filming this 9-page scene in the poker room. The lights
overheated the ceiling as a torrent of water came down from the
sprinkler and flooded the set. The fire department came and people
were like there was no way we could finish the movie on budget. As
the producers were calculating the possible overage, I was looking at
the scene to see how we could simplify it creatively with the
expectation that we might be shut down. Miraculously we dried out the
set in three hours and we were ready to shoot again. I simplified the
script and conferred with my DP Yasu Tanida. We decided to put the
camera on a circular dolly track and shot out the scene that way. And
that turned out to be my favorite scene. We even wrapped an hour
before schedule after losing three hours. I felt awesome going home
that day.
Q. We all have someone whom we can say
inspired us to be who we are. Who is or who are those persons that
inspired you to become a film director?
It was Ingmar Bergman, Brian De Palma,
David Cronenberg and David Lynch who inspired me to be a filmmaker.
If I have to essentialize them into films, it would be Fanny
and Alexander, Dressed to Kill, The Fly,
and Blue Velvet.
Q. If you were given the opportunity
to remake any movie which one would you chose to direct and why?
Dario Argento’s Tenebre.
It was one of his most fascinating and underrated works that got
butchered in its initial release in America.
 |
| Queenie4ever Celebrity Reporter Tatiana Mclane with Quentin Lee director of White Frog Reception White Frog Premiere Outfest Film Festival Los Angeles, California 2012 Photo Credit: WilkiIMAGE |
Q. Why did you chose the color "Blue"
as the only color that the main character Nick was willing to wear?
Is there a special significance to using "Blue" vs. another
color?
Blue was the writers’ choice, and I
liked blue. If it had been red or any other color I might have
requested to change it.
Q. You mentioned that you went to UCLA
Film School after attending UC Berkeley as an undergrad. What made
you chose to attend UCLA Film School? UCLA is a highly competitive
film school to get an acceptance. Can you remember what you were
doing when you learned that you were accepted and what was your
reaction? What is the most important thing that you learned during
your UCLA Film School studies that you feel has been an invaluable
asset to you becoming such a successful film director?
I knew I wanted to come to LA for film
school, so it was between USC and UCLA. At the time that I was told
that at USC you might not be able to make your own thesis film. UCLA
was more a school for independent filmmakers where you got to do
whatever you wanted to. Of course, I went to UCLA.
Going to film school gives you the
opportunity to carve out a few years to really develop yourself as a
filmmaker. It would be close to impossible to do that while having a
day job or working in the industry.
Q. If you could give one piece of
advice to aspiring film directors what would that be?
Just go out and make a movie. Don’t
think about it.
 |
| Queenie4ever actress/fashion designer/celebrity reporter Tatiana Mclane. Red Carpet White Frog Movie Premiere Outfest Film Festival 2012. Photo Credit: Venice Wong |
Q. As you know I am a fashion designer
and this blog is also about helping others to create their own
personal fashion fairytale. What special piece of clothing do you
have in wardrobe that makes you feel like a Prince Charming when you
wear it?
It would be one of the sweaters that my
late grandmother wove for me. She made me feel like a prince.
Q. When you are sitting in the theatre
at the premieres, do you take notice of the audiences' reactions such
as laughter, crying, shock, etc. to see if you did a good job
directing the scene that was meant to elicit those particular
reactions and emotions in the viewer?
Of course I do. And it was music to my
ears when the audience laughed and cried.
Q. Describe your childhood. Where did
you grow up and what was your favorite thing to do as a child. What
was the first movie that you can recall watching. How old were you
and did you enjoy watching it? What do your parents and family
members think about you being a director? Is anyone else in your
family work in the entertainment industry?
No one in my family is in the industry.
In fact, they are not even here in America, but they are very
supportive to me being a director. One of the first movies I watched
was Robert Mulligan’s The Other on television with my
best friend and neighbor on television when I was six. It scared the
shit out of me and I was having nightmares for the whole night.
 |
| Queenie4ever Film Critic, Yogi, my yellow sided conure says "GO SEE WHITE FROG the MOVIE!!!" White Frog Premiere Outfest Film Festival Los Angeles, California 2012 Photo Credit: Venice Wong Bird Trainer: Tatiana Mclane |
Q. What was your proudest moment
throughout your entire career as a director?
I was screening an experimental film
called “Anxiety of Inexpression and the Otherness Machine” at the
Pacific Film Archive. The entire audience was puzzled and then one
graduate student came up to me and said “You’re brilliant” with
the utmost sincerity.
Q. If you met a stranger on the street
and you only had a quick minute to tell them why they should go see
White Frog the movie, what would you say to convince them it's a must
see?
Come check out White Frog.
It’s my latest and most favorite.
Q. What is next for Quentin Lee?
I just produced a feature called Chink
about the first Asian American serial killer that’s in
post-production. And hopefully I will direct a smart horror film
where I can work with my favorite cast from White Frog
again!
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