film portfolio
An Le
Title: Cuop Vo
Role: Director, Sound Editor
Running time: 01:00
The style of this work is inspired by La Jétee by Chris Marker, a film told entirely by black and white stills. As a director, I wanted to construct a narrative that is heavily based on factual information about bride-taking, a tribal practice in Northern Vietnam that forces young girls who are captured by men to become their wives. I selected a filming location and a set of props that resemble Northern Vietnam’s geographical characteristics to establish this cultural context.
As a sound editor, I deliberately imitated traditional Vietnamese drums’ rhythm using low-pitched boomwhackers with equal pitch increments every 8 beats in the non-diegetic layer. The ambient layer was a mixture of on-set recordings, and the foley layer included birds chirping to give a sense of space.
Title: A Drop of the Ocean
Shortlisted Documentary at International Ocean Film Festival 2019
Role: Director, Editor, Cinematographer
Running time: 04:16
This is a short documentary about fish sauce production on Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam, an industry that preserves the renowned reputation of Vietnamese cuisine. Amazed by the process while traveling on the island, I collaborated with local tank houses and underground music artists to finish this documentary.
Title: You
Role: Director, Editor, Cinematographer
Running time: 01:00
In this project, I wanted to explore the Fantasy genre, which usually deals with the theme that our thoughts create a parallel world of imagination. To effectively highlight the juxtaposition between the real world and the imaginary world, I decided to primarily use camera transitions with objective perspective and detach from the main protagonist Fiona.
I took inspiration from Pan’s Labyrinth for my camera transitions and editing style by moving through objects and utilizing in-camera edits.
Title: Coolie's Meal
Role: Editor
Running time: 02:57
This silent film explores the social issue of discrimination in the caste system in India, where mistreatments against lower classes are prevalent and can be seen through small details such as meals. Inspired by Roma, I want to edit the film in black and white to evoke deep emotions experienced by different classes and accentuate the connection between humans and space. I also utilize Indian-style music to set time and context.
Title: Ky Vong, Xi Wang (excerpt)
Role: Set Designer
Running time: 00:45
For this project which is set in modern-day Singapore, I took on the role of transforming a Japanese- styled home to a Singaporean home, and transforming an empty classroom into a multi-purpose room for arts club and biology lab. Taking inspiration from my Singaporean peers’ description of red- themed interior, I scouted for decoration items that fit this color scheme and represent Singaporean culture like dragon sculptures and local snack containers. The decorations for the classrooms were either handmade or taken from various classrooms in my school.
I also chose costumes to fit characters: the female protagonist as a stylish and ambitious teen and her mother as a traditional and conservative woman.
Title: Earth Cooking Tutorial
Role: Director, Editor
Running time: 01:10
A short stop-motion about the process of global warming, inspired by the Oscar-nominated Fresh Avocado by PES.