EXCLUSIVE: Behind The Scenes With The DIRECTOR + PRODUCER Of BLOOD AND WATER
Written by Deborah Lau-Yu,
with Interview notes from Director Felipe Rodriguez & Executive Producer Yipeng Ben Lu
Images provided by Breakthrough Entertainment
SELENA LEE with ELFINA LUK in a scene from BLOOD AND WATER, 2021. Photography: Breakthrough Entertainment.
LORETTA YU, SELENA LEE, ELFINA LUK. Image: Breakthrough Entertainment.
Three weeks ago, we had a great Facebook Live conversation with lead actress and Co-Executive Producer, Selena Lee, and Executive Producer Yipeng Ben Lu to launch the first episode of Blood and Water 3. Today, we dive deeper behind the scenes with Director Felipe Rodriguez along with Ben to share some exclusive moments and thought process to inspire those who may be considering a career in film and television production.
Behind the Scenes exclusive view of Director FELIPE RODRIGUEZ working with SELENA LEE and ELFINA LUK. felipe, who always wanted to make movies, since he was a kid. Always dreamed of it, always created, always acted scenes out, always invented scenarios, PROCLAIMS THAT HE IS, DESPITE BEING BIGGER AND OLDER VERSION OF HIMSELF, STILL THE SAME KID DOING WHAT HE LOVES: MAKING MOVIES. IMAGE: BREAKTHROUGH ENTERTAINMENT.
Starting with the overall Canadian landscape, we asked Ben to share some of the biggest challenges of being in television and film production in Canada. What can improve?
“There are a multitude of challenges facing our industry here in Canada. Some are industry wide and some are specific to who we are, above-the-line creative personnel, including producer, directors, DOPs and actors from an Asian background.”
“Blood and Water is a rare trilingual production, which means that inevitably, language poses an extra challenge in production in comparison to a film or series that is in a single language. ”
ELFINA LUK AND SELENA LEE in BLOOD & WATER. Image: Breakthrough entertainment.
It was easy for Ben to identity industry-wide challenges, which include the lack of meaningful access to streaming platforms and broadcasters, and the willingness to take more creative risks by all networks. “Our industry is still very much a gatekeeper-controlled one. Assuming all things are equal, merit-wise, whom you know is still one of key deciding factors. That is one of the reasons why a lot of up and coming film and TV producers can’t have a serious go at getting their projects green lit. This barrier is more acute for producers from minority backgrounds.”
In speaking to creative risk taking (a requisite for outstanding work in my opinion as an editor), Ben shares that his demographic landscape of Canada has changed a lot over the course of several decades, “and yet, the stories seen on screen are still very much trailing behind what goes on in our lives and what’s being reflected in our social fabric.”
Therefore, these two challenges together cause a ripple effect on how projects can move forward, and in Ben’s words, “who gets to tell their story and what opportunities are available to other above-the-line talent.”
BLOOD AND WATER. For those who are hearing about this Canadian series, Blood & Water, for the first time, we are half way through this third season, which is broadcasted on OMNI Television. We asked both Felipe and Ben why they started working on this project.
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For Felipe, “Blood and Water is often presented or labelled as a “Chinese show,” but really it’s not... It’s an incredibly dense, impactful dramatic family story, that just happens to unfold in Chinese sometimes.” The themes and storyline in the show are relatable to people of all different backgrounds. Felipe shares his excitement for the project and what attracted him in the first place, “I jumped on when Season 2 was looking for a bit of re-branding. I watched Season 1 and got absolutely fascinated by the characters. When the season ended, I wanted to know where the Xie’s were going, and what would happen to them. And I just jumped at the chance to be part of telling that story.”
He recalls that the same happened with the character of Michelle, played by Selena Lee, throughout Season 2. Selena was a new addition to the cast at that point, and “we just all got hypnotized by her work." We all wanted to follow Michelle and see her redemption unfold... that’s kind of what spurred this season.”
Coming from the Director himself, he shares that “Michelle is on a quest to find her daughter who was stolen from her years ago. Her journey this season is an all-out rollercoaster.” What a thrill!
Ben began working on this project during its inception stage with Diane, the showrunner and the pillar of the team. “I was connected to Diane via a mutual writer friend Angus Fraser, who worked on the first season as our story editor. Given my heritage and background, I speak both Cantonese and Mandarin natively and am a keen student of our history and the Chinese diaspora, especially here in North America. Being an immigrant myself who has lived in three different continents, I share many of the angst and journeys we create for our characters. So when Diane and I first spoke, we hit it off right away and she had me on as a producer ensuring the cultural, linguistic and historic aspects are authentic to our experience as Chinese North Americans. I was impressed by Diane’s commitment to authenticity as well as her respect to our voices. I knew it would be a strong show and a unique moving forward. And Diane proved me right 3 seasons in a row.”
Blood and Water is a rare trilingual production, which means that inevitably, language poses an extra challenge in production in comparison to a film or series that is in a single language. Why would a production team choose a harder route? Wouldn’t it be easier to just go with one language, or perhaps pick just one dialect of Chinese to pair with English?
“‘Blood and Water’ is often presented or labelled as a “Chinese show,” but really it’s not... It’s an incredibly dense, impactful dramatic family story, that just happens to unfold in Chinese sometimes.”
Ben explains that the show and story reflects the reality of our community and how we function on a daily level. There are nuances in our everyday communication that blend different languages together in personal and professional settings. “It would’ve been a lot easier to stick to English but the linguistic authenticity —meaning using Cantonese and Mandarin as main performing languages— was established by us as the central tenet of this show, which is to portrait Chinese North Americans in an unabashedly realistic and complex manner, so that we don’t hide our characters behind the layer of a linguistic conformity and takes away the nuances and layered performance we can provide when our characters are expected to speak in real life. There is nothing more important to reflect and represent by making this show a trilingual one.”
For Felipe, who doesn’t share the cultural background in his own heritage, it was an increased challenge, but one that he also confirms was crucial to the authenticity of the production, “it might be easier [to film in less languages], but it would be less real! We went for a very grounded, real depiction of first and second generation Canadian immigrants. In our show the family is Chinese, but it will ring true to the Canadian diasporas at large. Kids speak Chinese with an accent, but they also speak English with a different ring than other cultures. They speak to their parents with a different tone than they do when speaking to each other.”
Therefore, the crew decided to go “for real” all the time. “Sometimes, it made for 3 languages in the same sentence. Broken up answers that switch language midway according to how off-the-cuff the moment was for each character. It’s kind of like what I do with Spanish at home and with friends. It created some very unique moments.” As a cultural platform at Fête Chinoise, we certainly appreciate that the Director and the production team and cast were all devoted to capturing the nuances of language and culture that is reflective in so many Canadian communities.
“...this season is about strong women and how they take the situation by the scruff of the neck and change things around by their sheer determination and conviction, while showing empathy and courage. It is our best season yet, in many ways.”
We asked these two industry leaders what some of their favourite scenes were from the previous two seasons, and had some quick and fun questions for them.
BEN: My favourite scenes are always surround the Xie family dynamics: between Ron Li-Rong (Oscar Hsu) and Weiran (Fiona Fu), Anna (Elfina Luk) and Paul (Simu Liu). The scene Li-Rong learned about his son Charlie’s death, told by Paul, with Weiran standing by the phone with the panic and grief stricken look of a loving mother; and the scene when Paul jumps off the bridge to his demise are two of the most gut wrenching scenes that seared into my mind. And the scolding scene by Victor Li (BC Lee) to his song Zhongchen (Telly Liu) was very culturally insightful. Great performances all around. Also, the chasing scene between Michelle Chang and Jimmy was great fun. I think Felipe had fun with directly it.
FELIPE: Season 2 is just a succession of favourite scenes, really. Every episode brings a bigger emotional moment for each characters. The season was up for many awards and i got a lot of calls about “which episode was flagship”... I think I never answered the same episode twice. So many good moments. The confrontation in the cemetery between Michelle and Evan. Jo Bradley’s realization that Evan is lying in the police station. SO big, yet played very quietly. Anna pouring her heart out to her dad asking him to help her. I could go on and on and on...
Now in season 3, how has the storyline evolved?
BEN: To me, this season is about strong women and how they take the situation by the scruff of the neck and change things around by their sheer determination and conviction, while showing empathy and courage. It is our best season yet, in many ways.
FELIPE: Everything got a bit slicker. The characters moved to Toronto and restarted their lives after the big events of season 2. But the past won’t let them rest. Ron chases atonement. Michelle wants to find her daughter. Anna owns a big Casino. It’s a very flashy setting of corruption, greed, and danger.
Season 3 was filmed during COVID, share some struggles and challenges that you have overcome.
FELIPE: We got stopped in the middle of shooting. The lockdown stopped production and derailed us technically, but we had to find a way to remain focused creatively for a FULL YEAR before we could go to camera again.
The Fire And Ice season brings talent from across the globe together on screen, and we had to arrange for actors in Hong Kong, L.A., Vancouver, Halifax, and Toronto to all be able to navigate this pandemic and find their way back to set... We did it. Mostly because everyone in this show is SO committed and invested in it.
BEN: I was not on set but I’ve heard many unprecedented challenges. Kudos to the cast and crews. They made it happened over the span of 13 months. This show is only made possible by their resilience and dedication.
What was the most rewarding part about working on this project?
BEN: The discovery of the talent we have in Canada. From Simu Liu to Fiona Fu, Loretta Yu and Elfina Luk; from Chris Chan (writer) to many behind the scene crew members that are BIPOC backgrounds.
FELIPE: How personal it became for everyone. No one involved will settle for “OK”. And when artists get together and one leads the way for it to be great, all the others start honing in their craft and raising the bar. And on, and on, until everyone is performing at really high levels.
It was an incredibly stressful, challenging, demanding set to be on, but probably one of the most rewarding ones of my career.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
We asked Felipe and Ben what is the MUST WATCH scene(s) in Season 3.
BEN: the fight scene. Say no more.
FELIPE was a little less decisive when it came to all the incredible moments he helped to direct. “ALL OF EPISODE 8. Oh, and 6. Actually 5 is incredible. And the first episode of the season, what an opener! Hmmm... episode 7 is a rollercoaster of a heist, so maybe I should have said that. But Episode 4 has that great moment with Ron and Weiran.” We understand that we should watch every episode!
“It’s very tough to chose. But let’s just say, every viewer will be touched by at least one of the events of 8. It feels like the end of the storyline for many key characters. Big things happen, that I wish I could spoil but I won’t. And if you stay unaffected by that scene in the candlelight, you are made of stone.” Felipe hopes that you will tune in and love what the team has created for the audience.
During the challenging time of heightened Anti-Asian Racism right now in North America, do you think Blood and Water plays a crucial role for Asian identity in the entertainment industry?
BEN: Oh yes. We normalize our presence here in North America, showing we are very much part of the societal fabric of this land. Popular culture is an extremely powerful tool to fight racism and cultural ignorance. By making Asians visible on screen is an important step, the final frontier on representation.
FELIPE: Blood and Water: Fire & Ice is built on the shoulders of the Chinese-Canadian film and TV community. So many collaborators have contributed to it, even beyond the on-screen performers.
It’s a real testament to the mountain of Chinese talent in Canada.
How will Blood and Water impact our future producers and filmmakers in Canada?
BEN: Our show can be a trailblazer for future producers and filmmakers from BIPOC backgrounds, especially from the Asian communities. Firstly tell a good story no matter what. Your craft needs to be top notched. You can’t win support purely based on our fight for equality. Our work needs to be just as good as anyone else’s, if not better. Secondly, tell the story in the greater context of our society. Embrace other voices and be authentic.
If someone were to provide additional funding for this series for future seasons, what's one thing you would use the resources for? Ben: The ability to film scenes in Greater China, including HK, Mainland, as well as Taiwan. It will make the show so much richer and visually intriguing for our audience.
Choose one character from the show that best represents yourself and why.
BEN: “Ron Li-Rong Xie. The patriarch of the Xie family, often misunderstood by his loved ones. He’s no afraid to speak up. He’s a good hustle that gets him this far. And yet when the penny drops, he’s willing to make the sacrifice for his family. He’s complex, driven, temperamental and deep down, a decent man. It’s a bit of stretch to call myself all that but there you go.”
FELIPE: “I would choose FELIPE. The character standing behind the camera, crying with the heroes on screen, pouring his heart out with them, living through the struggles of not only one of them but ALL of them at the same time... and coming out incredibly fulfilled at the end of this season.”
We thank both Felipe and Ben for sharing so many of the behind the scenes thoughts and process with us! If you haven’t tuned in yet, we are about half way through the season. You can catch it on OMNI Television on Sunday evenings at 10:30 PM ET.
P.S. Our exclusive facebook live interview with actress and co-executive producer Selena Lee and executive producer yipeng Ben Lu is now available on YouTube.
About the writer, Deborah Lau-Yu