Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyce Tzue.
Alyce, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I guess it all started when I learned to hold a pencil. I was two and couldn’t stop drawing. I’d sit in front of the TV and storyboard “The Great Mouse Detective” and string the pages together with yarn. When I got older, the desire for financial security drove me to pursue architecture at Princeton (funnily enough, the recession would soon, teach me that architecture was no more stable than any other industry!).
After working in architecture for a year in New York City, I realized I wasn’t being creatively fulfilled. I picked up my things and moved across the country to California, where I started with a blank slate. I pursued 3D animation at the Academy of Art University. There, I swore to do one thing and that was to make a movie. My 3D short “SOAR” (soarfilm.com) was the result.
SOAR went on to win the Student Academy Awards. It started me on this crazy filmmaking journey in Los Angeles, which certainly has its ups and downs — but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh, the challenges! I think it’s easy to look at a successful creator or founder and think they got there because they have “something special.” Like an innate quality that you don’t have. But while talent certainly helps, the key is really persistence. It’s the active decision every day to keep going.
Because there definitely have been tough moments. In this profession, so many things are unpredictable and unstable. I’ve had my heart ripped out of my chest from disappointment several times, even in the short time (1.5 years) that I’ve been in LA. Projects that could’ve changed my life — directing a feature, a TV special, a commercial — I came SO close to but failed at the last minute. It often boiled down to circumstances outside of my control: lack of funding, unexpected pitfalls, etc. I’ve learned to be patient. To be persistent. And to not blame myself.
One of my favorite anecdotes comes from my friend Chris Webb, a writer on Toy Story 2. After the film’s success, he threw a big party and invited everyone he knew in the biz. As he looked around the room, what struck him was what all these people had in common. It wasn’t looks. Or talent. Or even charisma. It was persistence. They had outlasted everyone, in spite of the challenges. And, they found success.
So the lesson I take away is: stick around long enough to find success!
Please tell us about Alyce Tzue Films.
I specialize in film development, particularly in animation. I love storyboarding, writing treatments and outlines, illustrating compelling, visual pitch packages, character design and development consulting. I’m here to tell your story the best way possible, in both pictures and words.
One thing that sets my work apart is that I seek to bring visibility to females and minorities in particular. I always make sure to have proper representation in my stories, including female protagonists, 50/50 gender representation, diverse and three-dimensional cultural viewpoints. You can bet all of them pass the Bechdel test because I am constantly thinking about this stuff. And the best thing is, the stories are incredibly entertaining and unique… because they come from a unique and authentic place.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory is from Taiwan, which is my parents’ birthplace. I remember I was about five, visiting my cousin who I’d just met for the first time. We went to explore the backyard of a cement structure — was that his house? Or just an abandoned place? The memory is so fuzzy but I remember the feeling clearly. We were digging in the dirt for something, the breeze in our hair, the feeling of magic in the air. I felt *at home* in a place I’d never been. And that’s what I want to do with movies. Bring audiences to a magical place far, far away… that somehow still feels like home.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.alycetzue.com
- Email: alyce.tzue@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/didin3d
- Facebook: facebook.com/didin3d
- Other: www.soarfilm.com
Image Credit:
The Waxing Moon – Yoon, The Waxing Moon Guardians – Abigail Dela Cruz, Lamplighter – Stewart Leith
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