"White Frog" Comes to Town

QUENTIN LEE'S LATEST TURNS VC OFFICES INTO COMMUNITY CENTER

The Visual Communications offices shut down for three manic days back in late July to accommodate principal photography of key scenes from WHITE FROG, the latest feature-length narrative by director and longtime VC “lifer” Quentin Lee. Written by the mother/daughter team of Ellie and Fabienne Wen and Executive Produced by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (M. BUTTERFLY), WHITE FROG is a family tale centered around Nick (Booboo Stewart, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE), a high school freshman with mild Asperger’s Syndrome whose life is challenged and ultimately changed when tragedy hits his family.

The film boasts a veritable A-list cast of Asian American acting talent including Joan Chen (THE LAST EMPEROR, HEAVEN & EARTH, SAVING FACE, MAO’S LAST DANCER, LUST CAUTION), BD Wong (M. BUTTERFLY, SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET, LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT), Kelly Hu (NASH BRIDGES, THE SCORPION KING, SHANGHAI KISS, ALMOST PERFECT) and Harry Shum, Jr. (GLEE, STEP UP 2: THE STREETS, LXD, 3 MINUTES). Just about all of them and a small army of film technicians and producers descended upon Visual Communications, transforming our headquarters into “The Firehouse,” a community center for at-risk youths that served as a crucial meeting point for all the principal characters in the film.

Also present in the office were veteran producer Chris Lee (JERRY MAGUIRE, LEGENDS OF THE FALL, GODZILLA, THE PATRIOT) and screenwriter/producer Ellie Wen, whose experiences as a volunteer youth mentor at downtown L.A.’s Las Familias del Pueblo lent her debut feature screenplay (penned with her mother Fabienne) a welcome dose of gravitas.

In the first of two installments exclusively for Visual Communications supporters and followers, we sat down with director Quentin Lee and screenwriter/producer Ellie Wen to get their takes on creating topical, character-driven dramatic films that speak incisively to broad audiences as well as those from the various Asian Pacific American communities.

Interview with Quentin Lee (Director, WHITE FROG)




Interview with Ellie Wen (Screenwriter/Producer, WHITE FROG)





PICTURED ABOVE: Director Quentin Lee points out blocking angles for actors BD Wong (far left) and Joan Chen on the set of WHITE FROG. Visual Communications’ conference center was transformed into “The Firehouse,” a community center for at-risks youths, and played host to a small army of over 100 actors and crew members during the course of the three-day shoot.

Interviewers: Abraham Ferrer, Alexis Kim
Videographer, Still Photographer: Woody Somvichai

CLICK HERE for Exclusive Interviews with actors Joan Chen, BD Wong, and Booboo Stewart

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