Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘Shaka, A Story of Aloha’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
Steve Sue, producer/writer/questor: This is my first film. I was a production designer of theme parks, resorts, casinos, live performance sets and other designed environments. I also produced, wrote and directed live shows and corporate theater events. These experiences taught me how to compose visual experiences and create storylines.
Tell us about ‘Shaka, A Story of Aloha’. How do you describe it?
On the face of it, my film is about the origin, meaning and uses of the Shaka gesture, but the underlying message is how people in Hawai’i created and maintain the notion of paradise through cooperation, consideration, collaboration and connection. Itʻs a 110-year old story that involves multiple ethnicities adding layered meanings to what became a globally recognized gesture including Japanese (the word and first meanings were from Shakyamuni Buddha), a local Hawaiian man who lost three fingers, North Shore haole surfers, Brazilian surfers (added “Hang Loose”), a litany of local Hawai’i residents adding meanings and multiple extreme sports enthusiasts taking it around the world.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
Iʻm new to all this and never watched film critically. Like most, I watch a lot of movies, so I have a library of images and ideas from others, but I donʻt worship or study any particular artists. Iʻm a big believer in not having a house style but rather using elements that best serve the story.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
Like many, I wish to produce stories that are unique (non-formulaic) and have a positive impact on the world. Stories with unexpected payoffs and are eye-opening interest me.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
I have produced live performance and events. In those media, you only get one chance at delivering the story. This means supreme writing, storyboarding, budgeting, and run/shot lists ~ all of which I employed in my first film. On this point, Iʻm reminded of my father who was a building contractor who preached the adage, “Measure twice, cut once.” This certainly applies to filmmaking. Further, assembling and managing a team with clear vision so that all parts of the body know the dance is key to ensure production capture, editing efficiency and a distributable product.
What was the hardest part of making ‘Shaka, A Story of Aloha’.
Many elements of my film were non-typical setups and my team had to learn to trust my instincts. For example, I wrote the documentary as a ʻwho dunnitʻ and wanted to leverage the theme by embedding a recurring ʻcrime boardʻ throughout the film. While many initially felt it would be an off-color elements to a story about paradise, I stuck to my guns and audiences now clearly respond to it as a key highlight of the construction of the film. Another example is I interviewed a General who offered my anything I needed for the film, so I requested to fly a drone over a battalion of enlisted soldiers to reveal a giant Shaka formation. It too is a high watermark of the film and a memorable scene that reinforces the message. Doing things that are hard are essential to pushing the art, creating unique reveals and staying ahead of future AI scripts.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
Iʻm writing a script called “Ono” that examines the disappearance of family-owned restaurants in Hawai’i (“Ono” food) while generic chain restaurants pop up in their place (“Oh-no!”). Iʻm also writing a script called “Rainbow” that examines various cultureʻs meanings from around the globe, centering on Hawai’i as the most rainbowed place in the world and showing the many colors of it as a melting pot of cultures.
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