Me in The Last Airbender

This is a still shot from my screen time in the M Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender where I played an Earth Bender. You can see me holding a jar of flowers while standing next to Noah Ringer.  It actually looks more like a jar of cheese puffs though. It took us at least half hour to setup the shot and we were staring in front of the sun and additional lighting equipment. I had a blast being in the movie and the cast and crew were a lot of fun and nice to be with. Noah is a nice kid and I expect him to have a bright future.

Download the Before My Eyes (New Order Remix) for FREE (Right click, Save As…)

You can download the original here

Jed and his band Bass Bandits live in UK. We collaborated via the Internet by using SendSpace. I exported the stem tracks from ProTools (vocals, acoustic and lead guitars, synth lead) and he did his magic.

You can visit Jed and his Wax Dolly podcast http://waxdolly.comoj.com/podcasts.html

Edie Sedgwick (Sienna Miller) is a young heiress studying art in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She moves to New York City, where she is introduced to Pop Art painter and film-maker Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce). Intrigued by the beautiful socialite, he asks her to perform in one of his underground movies. Soon she is spending time with him at the Factory, his studio and also the hangout of a group of eccentrics, some of them addicts. Her status as Warhol Superstar and success as a fashion model gain her popularity and international attention. Love, jealousy, drugs eventually lead to her downward spiral and she dies at the young age of 28 from an overdose.

She’s a tragic figure and the lyrics I wrote many years ago was about taking life opportunities for granted.

ONE DISTANT MEMORY – LYRICS
How many times must we take
this life for granted?
How long must it take
to end this violence
But will you take my hand
for now
And we shall not walk right into the rain
And I will not feel
the pain

Too many words unspoken
in all of our dreams
Sentiments for someone
are made and then broken
But can you give what you take
and not throw it all away
And will you hold my hand…again
And I cannot….
feel the pain.

The song title and atmosphere were inspired from the trip hop duo Mono and their song “Life In Mono”. I really like mixes that have depth and 3D elements. Music with good melodies and atmospheres where every time you hear the song, you discover something you haven’t paid attention to before. Mixes that immerse you into the song’s world rather than just being heard through speakers.

The lyrics came to me in a lucid dream. I remember dreaming I was in a valley at night and this angel floated towards me with the lyrics written in a scroll. I knew I was dreaming so I took the scroll, closed it, and opened it back up. The lyrics were still there. The melodies were the stars in the sky exploding randomly.

I was looking for a female singer that had an innocent but melancholic voice and Wendy Emerson was perfect for it. She recorded the first verse in one or two takes. The second verse was a lot more difficult. Her southern twang all of a sudden came out and it took something like 45 takes to get it right. Her timing was also off from the beat at times, fortunately however, with the marvels of digital recording, you could simply splice the vocal track and move the clip to the right location.

The drum sample you hear at the end was originally going to be the foundation of the entire song but I thought it would be better if it was “more if less” if I added it as accent at the end instead. It basically serves as a song within a song. If you hadn’t noticed, there are a lot of reversed sounds in my music. I’ve always loved them because they create wonderful and weird atmospheres with creepy rhythms.

Sony records wanted to buy the full copyright for Dream In Stereo for an electronica compilation CD called “She” featuring various trip hop/electronic music with female vocals. The offer…A whopping $500. I gracefully declined. I mean. Really? Years later I saw the compilation at Virgin records in New York and smiled knowing that the quality was good enough for major release even though the monetary value was not equitable.

The story behind the first remix Dream In Stereo (Paris Trip Hop Mix) was that it was sparked by an accident. A friend came over and I was playing the original version through my studio setup. The settings for the sound banks on my keyboard were not set correctly but when the sequencer (Cubase VST at the time) started playing, it sounded different but I thought it had a lot of potential as a more stripped down track. Dream In Stereo (Video Mix) took the Paris Trip Hop Mix slightly more modern with more syncopated hi hats and melodies.

I’m not sure if Dream In Stereo will ever reach cult status or become culturally relevant but I really cherish this song because it’s one of the few that I’ve done where I felt nothing more needs to be added or taken away. It stands the test of time. Maybe we can all dream in stereo once in a while.

LYRICS
Coffee spills in cafe bars
Misplaced faces and conversations
Talking to a Flaming June
I had almost forgotten you

Moonlight fades in the dark
Autumn leaves settle in the park
And I walk the streets guided by their light
Don’t walk away this time

The trailer for my film How Do You Know Trailer (2010) which I am acting in is now released.

How Do You Know is directed and written by Oscar winner James L. Brooks (he’s also co-written 463 episodes of The Simpsons). I must admit, I’m not a big fan of most romantic comedies but this film does look pretty good. There’re also rumors in the film industry that it is a major contender for an Oscar. The cast on board is excellent in Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and of course Jack Nicholson, who previously worked with Brooks on “Terms of Endearment” and “As Good As It Gets” – for which he was awarded Best Actor Oscars both times. How Do You Know is set for release December 17th.

How Do You Know is a new romantic comedy about a love triangle between professional softball player Lisa Jorgenson (Reese Witherspoon), a failed corporate exec (Paul Rudd), and a major-league baseball pitcher (Owen Wilson).

Please note: There is a history of this film name being changed quite often. Originally, it was titled “How Do You Know”, then it was titled “Untitled James L Brooks” film on set. The studio then forced the director to pick a name to which he chose “Everything You’ve Got”. So it looks like now it is finally officially titled back to “How Do You Know”. How do we know the title for this film will not change again? We don’t. I guess we have to just give it everything we’ve got.

See you at the movies!

Quang.

Everything You've Got - Jack Nicholson, Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, and Owen Wilson

The film is about on a love triangle between Paul Rudd (George), a white collar exec and Owen Wilson (Manny), a professional baseball player who both find themselves smitten with Reese Witherspoon (Lisa Jorgenson), a woman suffering from a major break-up who comes from a sports crazy family. I played the computer tech guy in a scene with Paul Rudd and Shelly Conn’s character Terry. Brooks is known for making his actors do a lot of takes and I have to say that was true in my experience. I think we must have done up to 50 takes for our scene in an office room at the University of Penn which coincidentally is where I am currently attending graduate school.

Brooks spent five years working on the Everything You’ve Got to come up with a story “rooted in an encounter between two people who meet on the worst night of their respective lives.” The story also presents conflict between a person’s sports career and romantic life.

Brooks researched extensively and interviewed hundreds of women who play sports as well as many different people who run companies in order to figure out which elements will work best in the film. He also became fascinated by the dilemmas of contemporary business executives, who are sometimes held accountable by the law for corporate behavior of which they may not even be aware. This sounds like a film to watch out for around awards time, like several of Brooks’ former endeavors, and I’m definitely excited to see how it turns out.

Brooks’ five previous directorial efforts are “Terms of Endearment” (which won Brooks three Oscars — for best director, best adapted screenplay and best picture), “Broadcast News” (Oscar-nominated for best picture), “I’ll Do Anything,” “As Good As It Gets” (Oscar-nominated for best picture) and “Spanglish.”

You can also read my previous post on Everything You’ve Got that I worked on here.

Robert De Niro and Hunt Bradley Cooper In Dark Fields

Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper are shooting the suspense thriller Limitless directed by Neil Burger (‘The Illusionist’) with a screenplay by Leslie Dixon (‘The Thomas Crown Affair’). The production has been shooting in Philadelphia and yes I am a part of this film! De Niro plays a financial mogul, Gennady, hot on the tail of Cooper’s character, Eddie Spinola, who discovers a designer drug that makes him smarter and basically better than the rest of us.

The film will also feature a phenomenon called “trip-switching” where time moves with a stop-motion quality which will be interesting to see on the big screen.

De Niro has several films being released this year, including ‘Little Fockers,’ the indie drama ‘Stone’ and Robert Rodriguez’s ‘Machete.’ Bradley Cooper will next be seen as Lt. Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck in ‘The A-Team,’ opening June 11th.

Limitless will be released March 18, 2011.

I’m very excited to see this because it looks very good. I’m hoping Shyamalan didn’t edit my scenes out. He’s very easy to work with. Shoot most scenes in just a few takes and moves very fast. There are rumors about The Last Airbender being a trilogy depending on the success of this film. So make sure you go and watch it so I can be in the sequel!

iTunes | Amazon

THE STORY BEHIND THE SOUNDS
I have been asked before if I write music visually or emotionally. The creative process starts off visually and then emotionally. It is important for me to tell some kind of story with movement. The story doesn’t necessarily have to be dictated by words but also sounds. The song also needs to have some kind of conflicting emotional tension. The mood of a lot of my songs tend to be melancholic but will always have an uplifting ending to them. That is very important to me to have light at the end of the dark tunnel.

When I Close My Eyes overall has piano, strings, pads, music box, effects and a steady beat. There is a subtle harp and fluge horn during the verses. The harp represents the lighthouse guiding the ship while the fluge horn is the fog that dampens the light. I felt that the ending of the song had to have an uplifting crescendo to take the ship out of the storm. I was in the zone while recording the synth lead heard at the end. It was recorded in one take. Its purpose was to add a lot of tension in otherwise a very harmonic arrangement. Who wants to hear an ultra clean song anyway? The tension is then climaxed by the reintroduction of the string arrangements, arpeggiators, LFO effects, and reversed drums. I tend to love reverse sounds because they add a lot of psychedelic movement that doesn’t exist in the real world.

What do you see when you close your eyes?

TRUE STORY
I was in Toronto, Canada visiting friends and family on the weekend I got the call to be in the film. I “smoked” for the first time thinking that it would make me a better actor by expanding my creative muscles. While we were watching I Love You Man starring Paul Rudd, I get a call from the casting director that James L Brooks wants me to be in his new film starring, ironically, with Paul Rudd as well. I thought to myself, this must be some really good weed. Maybe I should try crack next?!?! My call time was the upcoming Monday at 7:15 am. My flight back was at 9:45pm on Sunday anyway so it would have worked out perfectly. When I got to the airport at Sunday 7:40pm, the receptionist told me I almost missed final check in by 5 minutes! I would have had to rent a car and drive down 8 hours from Toronto to Philadelphia just in time to be on set Monday.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY
I almost missed my first big gig by 5 minutes by being away on vacation. It is a very difficult lifestyle having to choose between spending time with family and friends over acting. Fortunately for me, I have been very lucky so far. Mostly because I choose projects and time commitments very carefully. I always put family and (close) friends first. You have to prioritize people who prioritize you. It is difficult never the less.

The release date for the James L Brooks film is set for December 17, 2010

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This film looks pretty good. We shot on a very cold day in January at City Hall in Philadelphia. Law Abiding Citizen, written by Kurt Wimmer, is about a brilliant sociopath (Gerard Butler) who orchestrates a series of high-profile murders that grip the city of Philadelphia – all from inside his jail cell – and the prosecutor (Jamie Foxx) assigned to his case who realizes he is the only one who can end the reign of terror.

Coming summer 2010!

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan.
Cinematography by: Andrew Lesnie.
Music by: James Newton Howard.
Produced by: Frank Marshall and Sam Mercer.

and of course, you’ll see me in it!