Van Ditthavong, Filmmaker/Photographer: How do you get a sitter to give you a pose that you like?
It took a lot of time, it deals with trust and how you gain that is like giving something
from yourself to the sitter. You can't always take, take, take.
Film Courage: What have you found is the best way to make money as a filmmaker?
Van: Get involved in anything that's possible that will help you get better as a filmmaker whether
it's editing, PAing, writing. Shoot…taking any job because that helps you as a writer.
Be a security guard be, a bus driver be an Amazon Prime delivery because you're building
different experiences and you could write about that and still have a living and
there's only until you reach that kind of threshold where you can make a sustainable career
with your art or with your filmmaking but when you're starting out you take as many jobs as
you can. Teach if you can (teaching helps), any kind of thing so I think you just have to hustle.
Find any job to survive, pay the bills and if you can do that that actually teaches you how to get a
film made because it's not getting a film made is the exact same way because it's not easy you have
to use every little ounce of your creativity, your experience, your inexperience just combine it and
will it to happen. So if you have to Uber drive for two months so you could write for two months,
you have to make those sacrifices. Film Courage: What was one of your best part-time jobs that
really helped you actually be creative and then maybe what was one of your worst? Van:
I always said the two things that made me become a better photographer
not a filmmaker photographer was being a waiter and being a wedding photographer
you see people at their worse it's like if you can handle that if you can handle the pressure
of those things that that would help I think it's like because what happens plan a never works I
was playing b c and d so if you could get that in your DNA and your bloodline to always have plan d
ready that's what I found filmmaking is about is adjusting adjusting so the job that I learned was
because how to read folks read people if if they're happy with the food or not food or if they
don't want you to come near their table those are those are great instincts to learn so when you're
making a film are you giving the actors enough space or do you think does this person need more
direction this person doesn't need any direction you have to know each does this crew member
need that do we need to sit down so each one you have to read people differently and under stress
stress is caused by lack of time and lack of money so that's what happens in filmmaking so people get
it's like bees running around like ah so if that's going to happen and
and immediately find the solutions so they say never let them see you sweat but
I try not to let people see me all riled up but I'm also crying in the
inside and I just I'm just smiling through but but being a waiter helped me doing that
you will learn to think on your feet oh yeah any customers any kind of customer service thing
your second part of the question what what job that I didn't like or yeah well I mean what was
maybe and maybe they're the same ones that was the toughest because I was wondering what was one that
actually helped your creativity which sounds like learning how to read people yeah the other two
yep it's being empathetic that's why any job that could could get you feeling what the other
person is going through the more you can do that I think that will help with your writing
they'll help with your direction you your producing skills because once you kind of
could train yourself to walk in other people's shoes you gain empathy different perspective
and then you you gain an understanding it might not always be the right understanding
but you gain a different perspective so you don't be so narrow-minded on your particular review and
I think that start then that that breeds creativity that's the spark that kind of
whoa now I could create this because this person feels that way you you try to get all that energy
and form something yeah yeah and maybe to learning how to de-escalate a situation and so whether
you're working in food service or at someone's wedding or supermarket there's going to be people
that either going to try to test you or they're really angry and just learning how to de-escalate
before the blow-up exactly I think that's it's a skill I was a portrait photographer
and to get someone to trust you to to relax to to get you to do what you want
or then what how how do you get a sitter to to to give you a pose that you like it
took a lot of time it deals with trust and how you gain that is like giving something
from yourself to to the sitter you can't always take take take so that I take that on
with me working with people with with the crew we talked about how can I help how can we help
you what could I tell myself that would make me vulnerable and for you to for us to gain that
trust and that respect because I think that's important that's important that's important
just important way to treat your neighbor this is with respect and you want to understand
how what their life's about and I like that giving of yourself while you're on set so if
you have an actor that maybe they can deliver but maybe for whatever reason it's a tense situation
and you're not sure why I mean that was it another person we interviewed talked
about sets being pressure cookers and sometimes there's personalities on sets whatever it's just
getting that person to feel comfortable I like that giving yeah and that's and it and that takes
it's like chess it's like two three you have to think like two or three steps ahead like
and I hate to say it's like almost knowing the situation and how to diffuse it or manipulate it
and calm things down if you want someone riled up what would get someone riled up if you need that
reaction if you want someone in shock like this this is an interesting story
I forget who the photographer was but they had to do like a shoot of let's say I think it was
like the queen of england or something like that right and then they're like oh she always gives
the same look how you want something different so their shooting at the end was like oh she she knew
like queen was like a dog lover or something at the end was like oh how how how was your ride
here and she was oh it was great until we ran over a dog and then it clicked and then so it all these
stories and when I was younger I was naive to think like photography is the truth but no there's
three truths your truth my truth and the truth so if I wanted you to to pose a certain way if I want
to light you in a certain way the sin would never know it's so it's so odd to me to that power later
like oh you could kind of manipulate light and story differently so I try to hold that kind of
that kind of like knowledge kind of precious in terms of like understanding and and and one
like if we're on the same page and this scene is about pain how can how do we go there and you need
some extra help on on that that's where I think I could come in and maybe help and go
let's talk that out or maybe we don't need to talk about that out just feel it just let it rip so
each actor is totally different the same with working with a dp you you got to trust each other
that's why it's fun being a director you hire you work with people because they know what they're
doing you just get out of the way and maybe just like could you try it this way and they're like
okay it's easy now it's like for me I because everyone who you're working with you I trust them
to just do their what they're there to do and and that's the best part I think that's where
magic happens and just going back to when you talked about working at weddings
yeah and they can be pressure cookers too sometimes it's not actually the bride
that's the problem it's the family oh yeah it's the family did you make sure did you get that oh
were you a wedding photographer too because I got that same thing this uncle was like
i've worked yeah well I got about 300 photos of them twirling you need another one yeah I got but
again it's the client and clients are always right and you gotta like suck it up but
I did 14 weddings and that was enough that was enough for me and I knew that's that skill set is
totally different it's it's definitely great and there's some great wedding photographers out there
I think I got a glimpse of it and remember I told you I was a quitter I quit all the time so I
quit when photography yeah when did it was right was it the last one
when I had anxiety and going I don't want to do this anymore
so I think when you have that feeling of like
like I think I made a point if I and if it felt off I’m going try my best not to feel that bad
even if I have to get another job and become a floral assistant whatever it is I didn't
mind going backwards because I didn't think it was going backwards I think it was safety in terms of
I want to get used to to being where where I want to be I didn't know where I wanted to be I knew
I didn't want to be that remember we talked about like I knew what I didn't want to do and I didn't
want no I want to be a filmmaker and that was like only until I was 35 years old I didn't know that's
that's that's the path so so when I would quit when when it didn't feel right and
for too long I just didn't want to waste a year or two years being somewhere I didn't want to be
yeah weddings are tough for almost like high school reunions yeah there's
there's a lot of ego and sometimes it's not coming from the writing room yeah
yeah and and and there's certain there's only certain kind of I’ll be in a church and
the photographer is not allowed to use their flash but everyone else is allowed to use their flag and
I'm like oh I can't eat it so but that's minor I enjoy I value the 14 weddings it gave me that
learn how to deal with pressure and because you've missed the moment you don't go back to another I
do hey could we take two let's do another take and like that was it sir so if you get used to
that pressure and the pressure to it's okay if you do fail because what's the worst thing
for me the worst thing in life is to die so
if when I if it's not going kill me I could survive it I might not pay rent the next month
but I could survive so that that would I just tricked my brain to to do weird things.
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