Meet North Chen | Sound Person, Director, and Screenwriter

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

Hi North, how do you think about risk?
I grew up playing sports. For a while, I even had dreams of making it pro. Risk was a natural part of my life for at least a decade. There was always the looming shadow of a potentially season-ending injury, a shadow that caught up to me more than once. But that didn’t mean playing scared; coach would put me on the field and I would give it my all. If I didn’t, I would’ve been a bad teammate. An undependable one.

Risky endeavors in sports went beyond injury; every time I took a three-point shot in basketball or attempted to dribble past a defender in soccer, there was the chance of losing possession. Over the course of a game, I must have made hundreds, if not thousands of risks. Who to defend, where to run, to take the shot or hold possession and pass.

At the end of the day, risk-taking is about trust. Trusting that the girl charging at me doesn’t want to hurt me, she just wants the ball. Trusting that my teammates won’t give me crap about shooting wide. Risks shouldn’t be taken–maybe even cannot be taken–without trust. It’s the same with film. One thing I’ve learned making films is that it will never look the way it’s been imagined in my head. To transport a film from my mind and into physical being is to risk it becoming imperfect, sometimes even becoming terrible (for all ideas sound great in people’s own head). But does that mean we should never make anything, ever, for fear of ruining what is perfect? Of course not, that would be absurd. I’ve learned to trust that someone, somewhere in this ever-connected world, will get what I’m putting down and feel moved by my work, even if it’s less than perfect.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
While good communication in any creative field is given as a requirement, I feel one aspect often overlooked is the ability to speak up and speak out. I’m deeply protective of the crew I lead and the talent I work with; I will not hesitate to go to war for their safety and well-being. It’s unfortunate that transgressions against cast and crew still happen, but I pride myself in knowing I will stop them as best I can. Reading this, some might say that I’m overstepping or performing outside of my assigned role. To that, I say this is how accidents and tragedies happen; the industry has many examples for me to learn from. Why would I reject their teachings?

But being outspoken and being kind are not mutually exclusive. Communication can only be effective if both sides respect and understand one another. As much as I’m a staunch defender, I also try to be a friend to everyone on set so that when it is time for those difficult conversations, I’m approaching them as a friend, not a foe. The reality for much of student and independent filmmaking is that it’s all quite new for those involved. These first few experiences could be the key to unlocking a filmmaker’s passion for the craft, but could also drive them away from the field forever. I recall my first time boom operating; it was on a USC Graduate Thesis with a 5 AM call time, and I’d never held a boom pole so heavy before. I was about to cry after the third “boom in shot, reset” from video village until the Steadicam operator tapped me on the shoulder and told me, “it’s okay. It’s a really difficult shot, and I’m messing up too. You’ll get it.” That day was the start of my sound journey, and I’ve never looked back since. Nowadays on set, I aim to be that calming presence for newcomers and experienced crew alike. We’re all in this together, at least until we wrap.

After three years in film, I’ve had the pleasure of working with professionals and students. I’ve mic-ed DJs, mural artists, and even one car show promoter. I love every part of my job–even the difficult conversations–because at the end of the day, I know I’ve made an impact.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ll begin by saying that I’m far from qualified to give a tour of LA to anybody. I spent most of my first year in this city cooped up on the USC campus in my dorm room, and it took a couple of friends who owned cars willing to shuttle me around in my sophomore year before I really began to experience the city. But nonetheless, if my sister were to visit another time, these are some places I’d take her:

We’ll head to Santa Monica like all the tourists, but with one major exception: I’d take my sister there on the Metro E line. There’s something endearing about the LA Metro; despite its infamous reputation, I find that it–or at least, the E line–encapsulates the feel of the city perfectly. So many different walks of people ride the metro–grandmothers, middle schoolers, artists, skateboarders, office workers, and more. Within each train car is a tiny community of people. As an artist, I find them all fascinating.

For another day, I’d take my sister to the Original Pantry Cafe. Despite the long wait time, it would be worth it. My sister would likely gawk at the portions and stuff herself with french toast, potatoes, and eggs. The Pantry is a place where life slows down. For about an hour, life is about great food and lovely people. I was devastated to hear recently that the Pantry might close down permanently. If it does, I might need to try and replicate the Pantry experience in my kitchen for my sister, although we both know it won’t be sufficient.

Finally, I think I would take my sister on a driving tour around LA. After I got my license earlier last year, I promised to take her on a drive the last time she visited, but a sickness took me out. This time she’s not escaping my passenger seat. I’d drive her around the city and point out locations where I’ve participated in film shoots, and then maybe take her for a spin in Beverly Hills, a place she enjoyed the last time she was there. We’d probably end the trip in Koreatown, because my sister loves Korean food, and Koreatown is famous for its delicacies. I only hope my wallet doesn’t wind up empty by the end of her trip.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I must give my thanks to my twin sister, Anna Chen. Our relationship is layered and we have what my roommate calls “attachment issues” (we once spent five minutes starting and restarting a goodbye hug in front of TSA), but despite being more than 2000 miles away from one another, we’ve never been closer. She’s a longtime supporter of my storytelling efforts and I can always depend on her honesty. Conventional wisdom says to never trust friends and family to give notes and critique because they’re likely to lie to preserve the relationship, but I’m never worried with her. If she texts back “it’s gud”, then the writing is good. If her text starts with “um”, then I know the writing needs work. The only thing is, my sister gets distracted easily. To remind her of her beta reader responsibilities, I made a version of the Bernie Sanders “I am once again asking you” meme to spam her with.

I did once get frustrated by her response to a piece of writing I’d spent weeks on. “Bad news,” she’d written in her message back. “I think you have a lot more to fix this time around.” I felt ire rise in me. Didn’t she know how long I’d worked, I grumbled to myself, how much time I’d dug out of my packed schedule to write this. But I slept on it and asked for specifics the next day. She sent back her detailed thoughts in a series of voice memos. When those didn’t sufficiently address the issue we hopped on a phone call. A week later, while rewriting, I penned the best line of my writing career. The moral I learned here is to always trust my sister’s instincts; unless it’s when she’s promising me she can come back from her loss streak when we’re duo-queuing in Team Fight Tactics.

My twin sister is currently completing a fine arts degree at the University of Michigan but plans to make the move out here once she graduates. LA, I hope you extend the same warm welcome to her that you did to me.

Website: https://northchenfilm.carrd.co/

Instagram: @nchen.film

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nchenfilm/

Image Credits
Ging Chen Sow