We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bruce Puyu Wang. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bruce Puyu below.
Bruce Puyu, appreciate you joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of being an entrepreneur or creative is the kind of crazy stuff that happens from time to time. It could be anything from a disgruntled client attacking an employee or waking up to find out a celebrity gave you a shoutout on TikTok – the sudden, unexpected hits (both positive and negative) make the profession both exhilarating and exhausting. Can you share one of your craziest stories?
I’d love to share a crazy filming experience I had in 2021 while shooting in Guangzhou, China.
On May 30th, 2021, I arrived at the airport two hours before the Guangzhou lockdown. I sat in the corner of the waiting room, facing the window. It was drizzling outside. The floodlight on the airport apron made the raindrops in the sky even more visible. I looked at the city covered by rain, the city where my second project as a director was born, the city where I worked with a team of brilliant filmmakers for two whole months. I looked at the city that carried all those fond memories.
Without a shadow of a doubt, this is the most satisfactory and prideful project I’ve created so far as a director. The cooperation between the producer, DP, and actors carried as smoothly as butter. The team’s concerted efforts brought the project to fruition.
Shooting is not all smooth sailing we encountered many situations we had no control over. That was the case with one of our shooting locations for example. Guangzhou is geographically close to Hong Kong and therefore populated by gangs residing in certain areas and streets. Our shooting location was in such a place. We found an oil painting studio in a residential building where we wanted to shoot a fundamental scene for the film. The studio owner was very cooperative and flexible with our schedule. When the shooting day arrived though, the building manager and many people showed up. They drove our entire crew out of the building, including our equipment and the camera. Even the studio owner was kicked out along with us and they forbade us to enter. We called the police but unsuccessfully. They couldn’t help us as the people that drove us out didn’t commit any illegal action.
Time was running out and we could only rely on ourselves in that situation. What made me proud was that none of my crew members faltered, we reacted quickly and took action. I decided to split the whole crew into two. Crew A was responsible for keeping those people busy and de-escalating the situation, Crew B in the meantime took the camera and changed clothing in a store nearby. The studio owner proceeded to lead us to the location from the basement while those people were being distracted by our other crew members. Ultimately we finished this important scene and it worked very well. From this incident, we all learned that no matter what would happen in the future, we were ready to face it. Solving problems became more pleasurable as we all collectively worked together towards a solution.
We went to a beach near Hong Kong on the last shooting day. That’s a sunny day. The beach is so beautiful. We only had three more scenes to wrap, and therefore we thought it was going to be an easy day. When we walked to the beach with the cameras, we saw a line of people walking towards us in the distance. They were getting closer and stood in front of us in an orderly manner. They are the People’s Liberation Army, the team leader standing in the center, and two soldiers standing on each side. We were kind of nervous because we did not know what was going on. “You guys cannot stay here with the camera.” The team leader talked to us. Then we know this beach is the border between mainland China and Hong Kong. Any media record is forbidden here, so we have to leave. We cannot leave with empty hands on the last shooting day.
We must finish the shooting. Then we got a plan after the soldiers left. The beach is lean on hills. There is a sentry hall in the middle of the hill. That place can get a bird’s-eye view of the whole beach. Fortunately, there is a large cemetery close to the beach. We took the camera with a long zoom lens and hid behind a giant tombstone. After investigation, we found that this is the most hidden place. I sent two actors to the beach. They are free to stay because they don’t have any cameras with them. Ultimately we finished this scene and wrapped the whole film shooting. This process is very thrilling and exciting.
No matter the outcome, we learn from both success and failure. In this successful experience, I learned about teamwork. Teamwork is at the core of every crew and for it to work, each individual member must have mutual respect, a necessary element to create a film that shows the creativity of a collective group. In failure, I learned how to communicate with crew members and make the right decision. Doing things on my own defies the concept of “team” and being a one-man crew greatly limits the final product. To feel pride in my work, listening is key. Making films is a long-lasting process and therefore these transformational experiences are needed in order to further better myself. These experiences help me grow and serve as teachings for the next project I will take on.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’ve been working as a director and cinematographer for around seven years. During this time, I’ve directed and shot music videos for well-known music companies in China, a wide range of commercials, and numerous narrative films.
“Emotion is all we’ve got.” This is what Jong Lin, the Director of Photography of the Ang Lee trilogy, taught me. He has been the most influential teacher throughout my life. We worked together as part of the same crew. He taught me that cinematography always serves to convey emotions and stories and, as a cinematographer, how to help the director complete the work. Mr. Lin has been an inspiration to me in this field. I will never forget his words of wisdom.
I keep shooting films to reach this goal. The stories I’ve been telling are about ordinary people. I am passionate about shooting on-location productions, so most of my time is spent scouting alongside directors. Locations allow the story to unravel on its own in front of the camera without the need for further explanation. When the characters and scenes are combined, we can achieve a level of realism unreachable otherwise. I have shot stories portraying dancers, musicians, cleaners, medical personnel, firemen, painters, and veterans so far. The themes revolve around family relationships, friendship, love, the pursuit of self-worth, depression, and death. They are just the tip of the iceberg in real life, but they are themes that can be magnified in movies if put under the spotlight. I am planning to shoot more realistic themes in the future.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
We’re always thinking about what we can get instead of what we can leave behind through our lives. Everything I create is based on this concept. We won’t be able to take anything with us after our short stay on this planet but the work we create is eternal. I, therefore, cherish everything I create, whether it’s films, songs, writings, or photographs. They are all different yet meaningful to me. They show that my brain is not a playground for other people’s thoughts. They are the proof that I have existed. We will keep changing, but they won’t; they become the light marks in the tunnel, and that is time. The world is a dream, and everyone treats this dream differently, but for me, it’s not how the world sees you but how you see the world, and I have been working hard just to provide all with a unique perspective of it.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
I believe the reason many clients keep reaching out to us and maintain long-term relationships is we provide what they want, tailoring our services to their needs. Second, our professionalism ensures the work remains at a high standard, both artistically and in terms of execution. Finally, we maintain strong communication, ensuring effective and timely feedback throughout the process.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.puyuwang.work/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bruce_wang_lee?igsh=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4EZ20siduhOzYuFWSI9RGq?si=IrGPRGxlRESUFIxxdkJYwA
Image Credits
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