Interviewdatum: 06. Mai 2020.

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Dewey Darko von OmegaBetaZeta.de führte am 06. Mai 2020 ein Interview mit dem Filmemacher und Schauspieler Nick Neon.

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Kommentar: Ein talentierter, offener Filmemacher mit einem Auge für eindringliche Erzählstrukturen. Seine Werke sind wie Türen die zum Inneren von Welten der Gesellschaft führen die sich oftmals nur dann entfalten, wenn die meisten tief und fest schlafen. Die Vielfalt und die Schönheit in der oft widersprüchlich unschönen Welt werden fesselnd dargestellt, von Anfang bis Ende faszinierend und wahrlich wie eine innere Reise nicht nur die des Regisseurs. Zudem ist Nick Neon ein hervorragender Schauspieler den man seine Verletzlichkeit und zugleich seine Stärke in jeder einzelnen Sekunde abnimmt.

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Nick Neon’s Seite mit allen wichtigen Informationen:

https://www.nickyneon.com/

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Sein Kurzfilm „Ultra Bleu“ kostenlos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lD9hIuMXy0

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Die Fortsetzung “Zero One” (Ab 07. Mai 2020 auf YouTube):

https://youtu.be/YtN7xu8OcYU

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INTERVIEW!

OBZ: Thank you for taking the time for us. You are an actor and also a filmmaker. Please tell us a little bit about your art and what you would like to express.
NEON: Foremost, I consider my art to be a vehicle for exploring my feelings and thoughts. I’m on a constant journey to figure out why I feel the things that I do. Acting and storytelling help me to know myself better. And the more you know yourself, the more you know what it is to be human.
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OBZ: How did you get into acting? Have you always wanted to be an actor and filmmaker?
NEON: I actually wanted to be an actor before I became a filmmaker. But back in 2008, there were almost no Asian or queer actors in lead roles within mainstream cinema. So I just assumed it would be impossible to make a career out of acting. After college, I moved to South Korea and began directing films and music videos, but my desire to perform kept bothering me. I finally decided that if I couldn’t get work as an actor from the industry, I would just create my own work and be the star. Ironically, the moment I did this, I got my first taste of success as both a filmmaker and actor. And I’ve been riding this wave ever since.
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OBZ: You also write, edit and color your films. All in all, you do a lot yourself. What does such a development process look like for you?
NEON: Because I operate on feelings and emotions, a lot of the work is about intuition. I go with my gut. I may not have the best technical skills as a writer, editor or colorist, but I have a very strong grasp of the overall feeling I want to achieve in a film or scene. So my development process is feel first, think second.
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OBZ: Your short film „Ultra Bleu“ is available online on YouTube. Please tell us something about the project. About history and how it came about.
NEON: This French boy broke my heart and I wanted to take a deeper look at why I self-destructed. We were only together for three months but I wanted to marry him. It took a lot of self-reflection to realize that I was was running away from myself and my ex-boyfriend was a perfect distraction. Most people in their 20’s are unsure, we are newly discovering adulthood and the freedom to make our own choices without the supervision of parents or school. And many young adults feel uncertainty on how to lead their own lives, myself included. I wanted to explore the concept of being 20-something and lost but using my voice and lens as a queer Asian man living in Seoul. So I created the character of Jimmy Park that I could use as a vehicle to explore my past traumas and experiences.
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OBZ: And about „Zero One“? Can you tell us a bit about this?
NEON: Zero One is a sequel to Ultra Bleu. Jim is visiting home when he realizes that everyone is doing better than him and he has nothing to show for his life abroad. It’s a much more dense film, and I made it to explore how powerfully our thoughts can affect us. Sometimes, we think the people around us are stopping us from pursuing a happy and fulfilling life. But the truth is that, sometimes, we are the ones stopping ourselves. This film is about giving yourself permission to start again from zero.
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OBZ: What is the meaning of the two films for you?
NEON: I would say Ultra Bleu is a film about self discovery and Zero One is a film about self worth. I am working on the last film in this trilogy now. It’s called Electric Mars and it’s the first feature-length film following Jimmy Park. Three years after Zero One, Jim’s still broken but he’s going to meet the love of his life. This is the last year of his 20’s and he’s going to have a difficult time growing up. It will be my love letter to the joy and loneliness of being young and lost in the world.
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OBZ: How can fans support your projects, what are the possibilities?
NEON: I think the strongest way fans can support my work is to share my films with other people.  The more people who can see my work, the more support I can receive in the future from people who enjoy my voice as an artist. You can also review the hell outta my films on Letterboxd, IMDB, Amazon Prime, and Dekkoo to share your thoughts and help me keep a good score (laughs).
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OBZ: Would you also be interested in German productions? Have you ever been to Germany?
NEON: I’ve never been to German. I only know what I see from movies, but I really want to visit! And I would love to be involved with German productions as an actor. But if one day, I have a film idea that could work in Germany, I would be extremely happy to shoot a movie there too.
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OBZ: Do you have specific goals? Do you want to achieve something specific with your art?
NEON: My ultimate goal is to work consistently as a queer Asian actor in Hollywood, but also protect my independence as a filmmaker. This way, I can continue to tell stories that are authentic to my own voice, life experiences and desires. I definitely see a future in which I’m making genre films for the mainstream that put queer people, transgendered people, and people of color in lead roles without drawing attention to their identities. Expect monsters, robots and space sagas, but queer and filled with colors.

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OBZ: Where do you get your inspiration from? And do you have idols?
NEON: It’s all from music videos! Sound, music, imagery, color, performance. I am so inspired by the music video format. And directing music videos really gave me my voice as a filmmaker because I got to experiment with cinematography, editing and color. Even with the process of writing, I am more inspired by songwriters than screenwriters. Filmmakers can be very technical but I’m the type who needs to feel my way to the finish line. In terms of idols, I think Quentin Tarantino, Ridley Scott and Guillermo Del Toro are really special humans. As for actors, I really enjoy watching Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger, Kristen Stewart, Kurt Russel, and Charlize Theron.
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OBZ: You now have the opportunity to thank everyone or to say more. Friends, family, the audience. What would you like to tell and tell us?
NEON: I’m so grateful to all of my supporters around the world. It has been an incredible journey to tour with my films in many different cities and cry/laugh with audience members about sharing the same experiences or to receive messages from complete strangers. I make these films with my whole heart and I send them into the world trusting they will find their audience. Thank you and much love to you all.

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OBZ: How can everyone get information about you and your work?
NEON: You can follow me on Instagram (@nickyneon) and Twitter (@punk). And you can watch my films at www.nickyneon.com.
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Kleiner Steckbrief von Nick Neon (persönlich ausgefüllt):

-Geburtsdatum: April 12, 1987

-Geburtsort: Queens, NY.

-Hobbies: Fishkeeping, playing my PS4, movie marathons, researching skincare, curating my online shopping carts with items I can’t afford.

-Lieblingsfilm(e): Kill Bill (The Whole Bloody Affair), Jurassic Park, Eternal Sunshine, A Date For Mad Mary, Parasite.

-Lieblingsmusik: Jeremy Zucker, Grimes, Drake, Marilyn Manson, Roosevelt.

-Lieblingsessen: Street tacos, kimbab, vegan ice cream, fried chicken, avocados.

-Lieblingsbücher: Calvin & Hobbes, PUSH, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hollows, Notebook 2014 by Kobayashi Kei, The Art of Asking.

-Lieblingsstadt: Seoul.

-Lieblingsland: Canada.
-Lebensmotto: Nothing good gets away.

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© Nick Neon.

© Dewey Darko.