A Conversation with Beatrice King
Photo Credit: Kaoverii Silva
A Conversation with Beatrice King
By Aerin Fortes, Sally Nguyen, and Sabaitide
Sally: Hi, Beatrice. So, I just want to say congratulations on your directorial debut. Personally, I'm totally in love with your film and its message. Can you tell us more about the project and what you found interesting about the story?
Beatrice: Absolutely. So, ‘You Are the Blue’ is a short coming-of-age drama about a teenage girl, Kay, who needs to reckon with her identity amidst being challenged by this invisible illness and this all-consuming secret. It's a film that I wrote, produced, and directed. We shot part of it in the fall and then once again in the spring to really capture the changing of the seasons and to really showcase the journey that the lead character goes through. Not a lot of films have the opportunity to do this because of scheduling and budget costs, but it was something that was really imperative. I wanted to tell this very visual story that was ethereal and dreamlike, and had a very nostalgic quality to it to take the audience on a journey.
It was a personal project of mine that I had complete creative control over and at the time I was really challenged with an invisible illness and I turned to art. I tried to find anything on screen that could capture some of the more vulnerable and private moments that I was going through. When I couldn't find that, I really set out to make that change because I knew millions of people are impacted by having either a deep secret that they feel like they can’t share with anyone or they have a health condition that someone might not know about. So, that really was the inspiration behind it.
Sally: Great, thank you. My next question for you is, as a filmmaker, what have you learned about your Asian identity through filmmaking? And what is a starting piece of advice you would give to an aspiring filmmaker?
Beatrice: One of the things that I discovered on set through speaking with our crew members and our cast members was that I was a director who really knew what she wanted and who was very specific, and that actually helped them - that they were able to have such specific direction. I had to laugh because I knew this quality would come in handy one day. My mom is Chinese and I owe all of my attention to detail to her. When there is a task, I have never seen anyone so focused and meticulous and precise as her. Something that she really instilled in me was that acute attention to detail. She's someone who continues to inspire me daily. She moved over from China to Canada during the Cultural Revolution and has such an amazing mindset, and is incredibly resilient and I think I take her resilience into my life not only in my day-to-day, but as an artist.
Then, in terms of filmmaking, I really wanted to cast Asian and mixed Asian actors in my film. The supporting lead, Connor Wong, was important for me to cast and a number of the other actors because I wanted to really showcase them on screen whether it be a best friend, the doctor, the dance instructor, they are people just like the rest of our colleagues that can exist in that space without there being a need to have a discussion about their race. They are people that just exist in that space again without us needing to point to the fact that they're Asian or mixed Asian.
I guess for the second part to the question, for aspiring filmmakers, I think the biggest piece of advice I have is to determine what type of filmmaker you want to be. What are the stories that you're passionate about that really drive you that really connect you because I think that's the piece that's going to carry you through these projects where you're going to need the stamina for it. I think it's also really great to learn about the other aspects of the industry. So whether it be the screenwriting component, cinematography, or even taking an acting class and really diving into some of those other design elements, it really helps you understand how a film comes together. Even on the post-production side when you're dealing with the coloring and the sound design and figuring out what you'd like with the music. Those are all different artistic departments and I think if you have a better understanding of them, you'll have a more cohesive piece.
Sally: That's really amazing. Thank you so much. And I'll pass it on to Aerin now.
Aerin: Yeah, thank you for sharing those tips. I know that Sally and I are both aspiring filmmakers. I'm sure our readers as well will really appreciate that insight. It was also really fascinating to hear how your background and connection to your mother impacts your filmmaking creative process. Thank you for sharing that.
Our next question has to do again more with the actual subject matter of the film. So we were wondering, is there anything you'd like to say on the impacts of invisible illness and autoimmune disease and how can your film bring hope to the millions impacted by these health conditions?
Beatrice: Well, I think when you have a health condition, one of the things that it can have is an enormous impact on is one's identity. That is because when people aren't able to function at their normal level, it can be very disorienting because it really does leave them with the question of who am I? So who am I without being able to do X Y Z? Who am I if I don't have the ability to do the normal things that I was able to do before. In ‘You Are the Blue,’ we used a variety of different images to convey this experience, and I think for me that's the beauty of filmmaking and art because a picture is worth a thousand words. I think art really has a way of capturing our pain and releasing us from it without even needing to say a single word.
Aerin: Yeah, thank you. We also wanted to ask, what should our readers know about autoimmune disease and how can we as readers, as writers, how can we support those affected online and around the world?
Beatrice: Well, I think that autoimmune diseases can affect a person's thoughts, their movements, their activity in their day-to-day, and it can also be something that affects their physical energy as well as their mental health. One of the things I think would be the most helpful is just checking in with your friends and your loved ones because either invisible illnesses or autoimmune diseases affect such a large population, chances are you have someone in your circle who is affected by a health condition. So checking in with them, not just periodically or on a surface level, but from a real place of genuine honesty and connection, and being able to listen without judgment, I think is key. In my film, I wanted to showcase the strength of having a best friend who is there for you that listens without judgment, that accepts you for who you are because that's really where healing can start to happen.
Aerin: Thank you. That's such great advice. Those were our first four questions and we have a little bit more time left so I know I have some of my own personal questions I wanted to ask. I wanted to bring it back to Sally in case you have any that you wanted to add here?
Sally: I just want to say that I think it's great that you explored the mental health aspect of the immune system because the body and the mind really are closely connected. I just have a quick little question on the continuity. You said that like you started filming in the fall and then again in the spring. I know it's hard to bring the whole crew back because people have different schedules. So I don't know how you handled that process.
Beatrice: It is a difficult one. That's why a lot of filmmakers don't do it and in going into filming and speaking to our cinematographer and our producers, they were like, “oh I don't think we should break it up into these many blocks,” but I could not imagine telling the story in any other way. And so, I sought to find my people that I knew would show up for me that were invested in the project, and could understand why we needed to shoot it in the fall and then later in the spring. They were also very excited to do that because they've never done a project like that before. You just need to, again, find your community of like-minded artists that are there to create a piece of art. We came together on this project and none of us went into this project thinking that it was going to, you know, be a monetary gain for anyone. It was a different thing for us. We were here to create a piece of art and put it out into the world and when you have that kind of commitment you can make it happen.
Sally: Yes, yes, it helps if you connect to the message of the film instead treating it just like another job. That's why I love filmmaking because you know art connects people. I will pass it back to Aerin. Thank you so much.
Aerin: Thank you. I also just wanted to thank you for making this film. I found it really striking all the images and the feelings that I felt from it, especially as someone like myself who struggles with chronic illness. I was thinking about my own experience and how I have so much guilt for my caretakers and the people that live with me. I felt that the film illuminated that experience, the good and bad, and the complexity of the caretakers. And you already touched on this in a previous question, but I wanted to ask what lesson or message do you think people close to those with an invisible health condition can take from this and do you think there is such a thing as a perfect reaction to being told by a loved one that they have an autoimmune disease? You spoke about honesty and vulnerability.
Beatrice: So maybe I'll talk first about the reaction piece because I do think it is personal to the individual and what [reaction] they would like to have back in that moment. I think a lot of people are looking for someone not to pity them. I know that was a huge piece of my film and in one of the lines Kay says, “there's something that I need to tell you, but promise me you won't treat me differently.” And I think that when people are that vulnerable, they just want someone to listen and accept them and not fix the problem right away. And so just having someone be present with you. Who can breathe through those more painful moments without going to fix it mode right away, and who can actually say to you or ask you, “tell me what you need”.
And then, in terms of my hope for audiences and what they will take away from the movie, I think the biggest thing is that you are not your disease. ‘You Are the Blue’ is really the message and I hope to open up the conversation because a lot of people, and even in the support groups that I attend, there are people who are struggling with this burden or secret who feel like they cannot share with anyone and they've been dealing with this, sometimes for ten years plus.
Aerin: Thank you. That is such valuable information. I do have one last question if you have the time for it.
Beatrice: Oh yeah, I have the time.
Aerin: Okay. I read in the press kit that some of the key emotions you sought to capture were grief, loss, fear, and isolation. I was especially captivated by the sense of fear from Kay and the fear that pervaded the entire film. And I was wondering if there was anything you wanted to highlight, like filmmaking techniques or specific visuals or inspirations that you use to highlight these emotions when thinking about making the film.
Beatrice: That is such a great question and I love that it's such a creative question too that speaks on the creative process of it. So, you're correct in that I really wanted to highlight the inner world of the lead character and to put the audience right there with her in her shoes. And to do that, we used a variety of different techniques, which I'll get to, but I think for me, that tension started with coming up with the music for the film. I spent about a year writing poetry first before I started to write the music. And even as I was writing the music, I still wasn't really certain on what the story would be, but I knew these were the sounds that captured some of those emotions that you just talked about.
From there, by exploring that well of emotions, some of the characters started to come to life and some of the story started to take shape and that piece was beautifully played by our composer Ken Chan. He was able to create this theme song that was played throughout the film in different ways. So he would take the same notes and for example, in a moment in the film where things get really intense for her, he used different instruments but played the same notes. We really focused on what is the rhythm of the piece, where are we going with the tension, and also the types of instruments in particular that are going to invoke a very visceral response. So whether it be, do you choose percussion and drums in a section or do you choose a cello that can really have long tension-filled moments that allow the audience to go on the ride with the character.
I really tried to not follow any rules for myself. I didn't want to put myself in a box where I was like, hey, you have to be a specific genre that only falls within this box. So that's why, for example, in one of our scenes where we see the lead character in the bathroom, in kind of a dreamscape moment, it's bordering on horror. Things feel very elevated but because we still have those dreamlike qualities, it's still aligned with the rest of the film. Again, another thing that I encourage filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers to do is not feel so constrained by all the boxes that you feel like you need to fit into.
Aerin: Thank you. It is fascinating to hear that this film was born from poetry and sound. That's so interesting to me.
Beatrice: Yes, the sound piece was something that I hadn't even imagined for myself until I discovered that Darren Aronofsky uses a similar approach. He works really closely with his composer and through the music he's able to decipher what his shots are going to be, which I thought was so interesting when I was doing that research. And that's really what inspired me to work a different way for this particular piece. There's so many different creative ways in telling a story and if you're able to follow your gut, you're going to end up with something that will surprise you.
‘You Are the Blue’ a film by Beatrice King
‘You Are the Blue’ will be screening on Saturday Dec 2nd, 12pm at the Whistler Film Festival. Visit www.youaretheblue.com to learn more.
About the Director
Beatrice King is a mixed Asian Canadian writer, producer, actor, and emerging director. ‘You Are the Blue,’ is a story that has never been told or shown on film before, and was written by Beatrice to encompass elements of her own personal journey, lending it a uniquely authentic voice.
Contact
Instagram: @youaretheblue
Website: www.youaretheblue.com