Today we’d like to introduce you to Sche-Hao “Thomas” Wang.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a director and editor from Taiwan, and I am currently pursuing Film and Television Production MFA at the University of Southern California. Before embarking on filmmaking, I had double majors in Drama & Theatre and Philosophy at National Taiwan University. I believe every decision on my study in different fields came from my interest in exploring different forms of storytelling and the nature of humanity. I also thought of pursuing a career as a writer or an actor before making up my mind to work as a filmmaker.
Though I have always loved watching films, I believe the turning point was the gap year I had during my time in New York City after graduating from high school. I borrowed many DVDs from public libraries and watched a pile of films at home regularly. They helped me develop my aesthetic taste and perspectives on life. Career-wise, those films had such a strong impact on me and inspired me to consider filmmaking seriously as what I should do for the rest of my life. Even though I pursued my bachelor’s degrees in theater and philosophy, the films I had watched and my experiences of various film productions gradually convinced me that theater should not be the only medium for me to fulfill my visions.
Although my path was not as smooth as it could have been, I think everything I have done eventually contributed to who I am today. I also started to realize how helpful my theater background was to me through the past years of filmmaking. For instance, while working as a director, the experience of being an actor did help me tremendously to have a better understanding and communication with the actors. Additionally, besides designing shots, arranging mise-en-scène is definitely what I still value and feel sensitive to. I am certainly grateful for all my previous experiences along the way.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It is never a smooth road. Since I chose to pursue the path of becoming a creative, I have always been concerned about my financial situation. During the school years, for instance, it could cost considerable money to make your films, and most of them will not earn you back any financial reward. At present, as I am planning on my thesis, how to get finance definitely has become one of the biggest tasks. Due to those situations, I have been working as a teaching assistant and striving to earn scholarships in my pursuit of my degree.
I am also aware that after we graduate, the situation might not get better instantly because a film school degree will not promise you a steady and substantial income. As a creative, your work and your connections might determine whether you can get hired. Therefore, it might be a struggle for us to make ends meet and build our careers at the beginning. There is also always a balance to deal with in terms of what we want to do and what we need to do to make a living. How long can you endure before you get rid of your unsatisfactory situation? And what and how much can you sacrifice? Certainly, no one wants to be looked down on when they do not meet social expectations.
That being said, the unsmooth experiences have made me feel grateful for what I have. I constantly found the kindness and the beauty of humanity along this journey of challenges. For example, as every creative might have undergone the same struggle before, a lot of them are willing to help each other and offer opportunities to one another. And it is always nice to get to know other interesting creatives. Their stories are inspiring and constantly remind you that there is always hope if you do not give up. Because you might become like them one day.
Certainly, I am also filled with gratitude for my family. They never say “no” to my decisions and always show their full support for the career I want to pursue. In short, as I found out how challenging my journey was, I also realized how fortunate I was at the same time.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am currently a film director and editor based in Los Angeles. The work I have done ranges from narrative, and documentary, to music videos. Genre-wise, from drama and comedy to musicals. One of my interests is to show the feelings of human isolation and tell the stories of marginalized people in society, whether the isolation might originate from their physical disability, socioeconomic status, or sometimes from misunderstandings by their loved ones. Take the first narrative short I directed, “Stolen” (2018), as an example, it depicts a moral dilemma a disabled flower vendor faces. He is torn between whether to appropriate his customer’s missing wallet after his own money for his daughter’s graduation trip is stolen. In another short documentary I directed, “Bai-Yen” (2020), I attempted to show how a Chinese immigrant came to LA and struggled before owning her barber shop and becoming a mother.
In my recent works, I attempted to explore more of the different human relationships as well as the complexities of human nature. “The Fighter” (2020), depicts an ambitious young man struggling with pursuing his dream as a writer and running the stakes of his financial burden and losing his girlfriend. The rom-com short “Rendezvous” (2021), is about a depressed man who attempts to get his ex-girlfriend back after he believes he had a prophetic dream. “Down the Road” (2022), a documentary short I edited, depicts the relationship of a father and a daughter as they donate RVs to people who lost their homes due to the wildfires in California. “The Sound of Walking” (2023), another drama short I directed, focuses on a father-and-son relationship as the blind father struggles with realizing his son is gay. At present, I am editing an interesting documentary that tells the story of a monk who realizes he shared the same trauma with the inmates he has been visiting regularly.
In my opinion, a good film is a guide to life. Through the characters’ development in relation to others, it can make me reflect on my own life and the decisions I will make or have already made. A good film does not necessarily consider itself a guide. It would not tell the audience what is right and what we should believe. Rather, a good film will allow us to search for ways to reconcile the imperfect ourselves with the imperfect world.
I hope to continue telling stories as a director and an editor, venture into different ways of storytelling, and invite the audience to search for the meanings of what they care about. That is my expectation and motivation for what I am doing.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomas88044/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomas.wang.18
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sche-hao-thomas-wang-5a925468/
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm14986785/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6_tt_0_nm_8_q_sche
