Meet Mason Ma | Actor & Filmmaker & Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mason Ma and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mason, what inspires you?
I had the opportunity to study acting at age 19 and have been sticking to the film/theater industry for the past 10 years, doing acting, directing, writing, editing, trying to be a solid storyteller through filmmaking. I also had the pleasure of working as an acting teacher for young children, bringing out their interest in the performance arts, hoping to inspire them to become young acting talents.

As a child, my grandparents would leave me alone in the bedroom with the TV on while they spent their entire day on a game of Mahjong. I was so young at the time and do not remember exactly what I saw, but mostly they were Hong Kong 80s – 90s films starring Jackie Chan, Yun-Fat Chow, Andy Lau, etc. Those films definitely made an impact on me and I started writing my own little “action hero” stories, until my grades started to drop and I had to stop writing my fantasies. But I guess I had an interest in storytelling ever since then, and that was also my first writing attempt.

Every night during dinner, I would watch a Hong Kong film from the local TV channel, which wasn’t as censored as it is today in China. Therefore, I saw films of literally all genres. One in particular was Category III movies, which are essentially R-rated films in America but with more violence, more nudity, and more profanity. I was about seven years old, but I was intrigued by those materials. Category III movies are almost extinct nowadays, and I hate to see them gone. More or less, this genre has influenced my writing style today – to have over-the-top violence or sexual content in my stories, because they are fun to watch. Not only that, since I went through my childhood with Hong Kong cinema, it basically shaped me into who I am today. My sense of humor is adapted from Stephen Chow, my ideal hero is Jet Li, and the most gorgeous woman to me is Veronica Yip, and all of those resonate in my screenplays, give me a clear image of the characters I come up with. The themes of typical Hong Kong movies are usually Family, Revenge, Brotherhood, or Justice, which not only resonate in my scripts but also as my life principles.

My grades were suffering hard in high school because that’s when I started watching Hollywood movies. There was an after-school activity called the Film Club, and I joined without hesitation. Turns out that club was about movie making instead of movie watching. It was my first time in front of a camera, acting as a victim. I just did what I thought looked best for the camera, and it was a fun time. A schoolmate/co-star gave me a compliment for my seriousness towards acting, which enlightened me to take acting as my major in college – in Los Angeles. Once you are doing it professionally, there’s no way back. Acting for stage and film are equally important to me; they are just different forms of storytelling, the same with screenwriting, and I like them all.

With the Acting Bachelor’s degree, I found a job in Beijing, China, as an acting teacher for kids aged 7-14 years old. I taught them how to perform on stage with simple acting techniques and using English. It was a great story itself, but Covid ruined it. Now I’m back on track, creating, writing some screenplays, trying to be a part of any project, finding friends who have the same taste in movies or the same goal as a filmmaker, and making the use of my time in Los Angeles worthwhile.

In conclusion, the things that inspired me are Hong Kong Category III films, the Film Club, and honestly, life experiences. I take whatever happens to me and transform them into stories, expressing them through paper or camera. So, if you also want to be a filmmaker, I’d say go watch movies from all over the world, any genre; it will re-shape your perspective on movies. And if possible, write your own story and make your own film.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Since I’ve talked about my movie obsessions, I’d like to share my experience as a background actor, both in America and China. Before I start, I must say this is only my personal experience. There’s no comparison in my story, and I’m sure both good and bad sets exist in every country.

In America, I was fresh off the boat when I graduated. Backstage is the only site I use. I had the chance to work without payment for several movie sets, most of them were chill, people mingle, the on-set environment is usually very professional and friendly. While working for money with major studios, it’s less friendly but still fun enough. I knew I was in Hollywood; not every Chinese dude out there is able to do that.

In China, it was lovely to work for Beijing Film Academy student projects, although the director still calls me today to delete his shameful work. For major production, especially in Hengdian where they shoot those historical TV shows, being an extra there is like being in hell. I truly believe there are good crews out there, but not this one I ran into.

In Hengdian, it’s quite difficult to find an acting job when you are below 5’10”, or you do not look like a Korean idol. On top of that, my English is useless there. I booked a gig and had to follow the crew, among about 40 other extras. The duration was a month and the pay was about 400 dollars. I am not kidding.

It took us hours to arrive at Xiangshan without a break on the road; I almost peed myself. It was cold as hell. The first night after dinner, I found a huge ass tarantula in my room and one of the extras tried to poke it with a chopstick. The spider crawled away and vanished in my room. That was not a good start.

At 5:30 a.m., before sunrise, we were back on the road to a hotel, putting on wigs and having breakfast. Then we sat by the roadside and waited. Just wait… maybe they will take us someplace else, but we do nothing but wait until 6 p.m. It turns out to be an overnight shoot. I was lucky enough to be upgraded as a Kung Fu master and had a chair to sit on, but my roommate at the time had to play the Beggar. It was so hot by daytime and we all had to stand by in costume, and it was so cold at night but people aren’t allowed to wear shoes because they play Beggers.

Everybody was sick, and we bought our own meds. I went through the entire fever process on set. At some point, I had to stand next to horses under scorching sun, and witness it pooping right in front of me. It was crazy. The shoot is in the middle of nowhere, so if your phone dies and you happen to be the guard on the watchtower alone, you are screwed.

That was one of my biggest challenges in my career, and I quit after 12 days. It’s been six years and that show is never released. There are also a lot more stuff going on on set, such as stealing and threatening. Again, this set does not represent all Chinese movie sets, but it’s one of those that put dirty on the Chinese movie industry. I learned that I don’t need to be an extra in China, it was a waste of life and I’m better than that. Therefore, I start writing my own stories and try to make movies in a fun, healthy environment. I recently got back to American and experienced one of the most professional movie sets ever. I love my country, but maybe America is a more suitable choice when it comes to filmmaking.

People often assume I have no struggles in life because I can afford being in America. Honestly, I’d say on the contrary. Over the years, I’ve always been alone, without really being with my family or finding a life partner. Plus, as a foreigner, it’s not simple at all. But I chose this way, gotta hang on till the end, right?

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Depend on what they like and who they are! I do want to recommend something in Los Angeles where I am now, but I need a tour guide myself.

After some deep thinking, I realize I have no answer. I’ve always been here and there so often, like a passerby anywhere I go. I don’t even know any good hangout spots in my hometown because I was barely there.

If anything, I’d recommend Bob’s Big Boy Burger in Burbank and Amoeba in Hollywood that sells records and DVDs. Also, do yourself a favor, drive up to the Hollywood Hills and watch the night view of Los Angeles, it’s the best.

For me, the most fun thing to do is just stay home alone and watch films or play video games. I’m not a people person at all.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve met plenty of friends and supporters throughout my life. I do appreciate all of my family members, all my friends, all the companies or people I’ve worked for, good or bad. I enjoyed those times when I look back and am very thankful for all my growth from them. I’d like to specifically thank my students back in China, as they were all angels and the most wonderful people I could ever meet. I grew up a lot with them, both as an actor and a man.

I do want to use this opportunity to recommend a few movies about filmmaking or acting:

King of Comedy (1999) – Hong Kong, China
One Cut of the Dead (2017) – Japanese
The Disaster Artist (2017) – USA
My Name is Fame (2006) – Hong Kong, China
Living in Oblivion (1995) – USA
Ah Kam: Story of a Stuntwoman (1996) – Hong Kong, China

Those are some movies that I think inspired me, and maybe will inspire some upcoming filmmakers too.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/immasonma?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw==

Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4735694/ IMDb