GOOD STUFF, 3min., Hong Kong
Directed by Edwin Lai
Good Stuff is the lead single from Joya’s third EP, “What If It All Works Out?”, written just before her daughter arrived, when the world felt paralysing. The song is the moment of deciding to turn toward the small things instead, choosing hope and love as an act of rebellion against a world that encourages us to feel numb.
https://instagram.com/sheisjoya
Get to know the creator / originator / artist Jodie Chan:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
The life I live now and the art I make as an openly queer and married singer-songwriter and actress are what I wish I’d seen more of growing up. I wanted to show a relationship between two Asian women who were simply living, with joy, love, domesticity and warmth. That kind of narrative and representation is still rare, and at some point it struck me that as an independent artist I had the ability and the voice to make it myself. I felt it would be extraordinary in its ordinariness, and that it could be relatable to anyone who has found safety and love in a relationship.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
2 months! I had the song written and produced for some time, but from the decision to make a music video for it and to make it from idea to finished product the process was about 2 months. If anything the execution of the filming was just 1 day, 2 with travel. The longest part of this process besides the incredible editing work done so efficiently by director/editor/colorist Edwin Lai was in thinking of the concept and coming up with references that would allow this music video to feel more like a short film and cinematic, but also convey the simple idea without being overly flat and on the nose. I had spoken and spent time with a few good friends of mine and felt like it was really important to get this right with feedback even prior to production.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!? Queer joy.
4. What was the greatest obstacle you faced in completing this film? Getting out of my own head was the biggest challenge. Even though I was closely involved in the concept and vision, it was another thing to execute it in front of the camera, especially as the “storyline” had no planned dialogue, more a set of vignettes of an intimate home life. I had acted before, but I’d never kissed anyone other than my partner on screen! So it was a real challenge to stop watching myself in the third person and trust the team instead. If anything, I felt more nervous doing that than performing in front of thousands. Now that I’ve done it, I feel much more empowered and excited to do it again, because it’s so satisfying to take something imagined, make it real. But I have to say with this project, the most moving part is receiving direct messages from strangers about how this moved them individually, and how they felt like they could resonate with it – both those in the LGBTQ+ community but also those outside. That’s the best possible outcome I could’ve hoped for.
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution. What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
Though, tight close calls with production because I love working with my team and that collaborative energy is probably my favorite part of the whole process, and best felt during production itself. That camaraderie, challenge, and coming together of ideas.
Close second to that is distribution! I love putting and sharing the completed works out there, even if I wouldn’t say I’m the best at marketing – I think I’m of the camp that the right people are drawn to what you’re doing when it’s real and made with sincerity. It’s also just so satisfying at that stage because it’s being able to see the finished product but through the finished product, have memories of the behind the scenes that it took to get there.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films? Accidentally, and incidentally not until I started making them at the end of last year! It was by doing that after being tapped on the shoulder to act in a short film as lead, that I’ve slowly started to really fall in love with the incredible artform that is filmmaking beyond just as an audience member.
Who would you like to work with?
I feel like I’d have to answer this by role and also my evolving list would probably be too long but…as of today,
Directors: A close tie between Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, or The Daniels, because they’ve held onto their indie instincts while telling deeply human stories, and they can communicate something fundamental at scale through the absurd and the specific.
Writer-performers: I’d love to work with Rashida Jones or Jane Fonda. Witty, powerful women who command and communicate so much both on screen and behind it. My dream is to be involved on and off screen, front of house and backstage, and they’re the example I’d point to.
Actors: Olivia Colman, Jodie Comer and Paul Mescal all jump to mind. They’re mesmerising to watch for completely different reasons, and they seem like they’d be great company on and off set!
I imagine I’d learn so much just from being up close, or better yet from being directed by or collaborating with any of them.
8. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experience been working on the festival platform site? Smooth!
9. What is your favorite meal?
Cheeky answer would be one with my favorite people, though that’s not entirely untrue.
10. What is next for you? A new film? Yes, I want to get involved in the script writing process and maybe even writing a musical. But most immediately, it’s actually putting out my EP “What if it all works out?” coming out.
