Interview conducted on 24 July 2010 at Rendezvous Hotel, Singapore.
Q: What is the concept behind "Au Revoir Taipei"? Arvin: We have a few concepts. The first is the process from dusk to dawn and the progress of a blooming relationship. Those who experienced love for the first time would remember the feeling of sleepless nights. The second concept is the comparison between Paris and Taipei. In many European and American films, Paris portrayed to be very amiable, romantic and atmospheric. So we used some European and American shooting style to bring out the charm of the place and the people of Taipei similar to Paris. The other concept is for the audience to find a new or romantic feeling from the little place where they see everyday. Q: What is your impression of Taipei if compared to Paris? Arvin: Paris, for many people is already a concept or a symbol of romance, whereas Taipei is a place doesn't give you a significant sense of romance. For Paris the moment you reach there, you will see the Eiffel Tower, so I took the time to create the feeling of romance, rather than using a place that looks exactly like it's from a postcard. Q: Arvin, you mentioned that you found it most difficult to cast Susie's character, so what is the characteristic Amber possesses that resembles the character? Arvin: By appearance she looks bubbly and amiable, but on the other side, you can feel that she's quite sullen and lonely. Therefore there are not many girls of this age that can give you this contrasting feeling. This is what the character needs, not just the look.
Q: Jack, this isn't the first time you've worked with the director, what's it like to work with him again in "Au Revoir Taipei"? Jack: When we worked together in his short film ("Mei"), it was very pleasant and harmonious working with the production team, a very enjoyable experience. So from a short film to a full-length feature film, the stress is higher and the storyline have expanded, but the working environment is the same. Everyone is happy working together from dusk till dawn, even though it was exhausting to work overnight. It's a rare experience that everyone is so devoted into the same thing; the working environment is great! Q: Arvin, the night market scenes looked extremely hard to shoot, especially with the swelling crowd. So what were the difficulties that you faced during the shoot? Arvin: The main difficulty is the lack of effects. We actually filmed some of those scenes discreetly. For the night market, only certain scenes that are in front of the camera were pre-planned, other than that, it was all improvised. There were too many people, so we couldn't arrange from our side. We shot it in a documentary style, for example throwing in both Jack and Amber into the crowd and shoot them from a hidden angle, or try to keep as low profile as possible. We had to hide at the side alley and then come out every 30 minutes to one hour to capture another shot. It took us five days to shoot at the night market alone.
Q: There was another big scene too; the scene at the mass transit station. Arvin: At the mass transit station we cannot shoot it discreetly, as we want to plan the idea. We've got 300 - 400 people to shoot that scene. It was quite difficult to shoot that as we only had four to five hours to film there. Although we used the similar idea of implementing documentary style, as in throwing them all in to the scene, at the end I actually forgot that they are movie extras; I thought they were the real crowd! I didn't think of it is as a planned scene, and just continued shooting. Q: Have you ever thought of letting Amber sing the theme song, as she is also a singer herself? Arvin: After the production only I thought of it. I think the Singapore version should have the song that Amber sang when the credits roll. We want to give Susie an opportunity to express her character's feeling even though there are some dance scenes for her. The song is a platform for her to express more of her emotions, as in the movie she was more of an introvert. Amber: This is a whole different experience for me as a singer because the song that I sang for this movie is different from the type of songs that I've recorded previously. This is more of a jazz music, to correlate with the jazzy style of the movie. In Susie's interaction with Xiao Kai and others in the movie, her feeling is not being expressed. In common, Asian is not so expressive of own feelings. So I use the different way to do so, by writing the lyrics for this song from Susie's perspective.
Q: There were a few dance sequences you had to do. Was it tough? Amber: It was pretty difficult, but every start of a dance scene symbolises the romance blooming. Arvin: It is a traditional European and American way of using musical to expressing emotions. The love relationship between the characters is simple and light, so through their interaction during the dance number, you can see the sparks and the eye contact. That's the reason why I love dance, I don't really like to use words to express emotions. I think dance is a really good way as it takes two to tango at the same pace with the same tune. Q: Meantime, what are your future projects? Arvin: I am currently writing for two movies. If there is funding, I would want to shoot an 80's movie with some scene in Singapore. It will involve the era of the economic flight in Taiwan. It'll be a historical and cultural movie, so I am still thinking how to shoot the film. Another movie is a comedy about an Otaku. I love Otaku culture. Q: Are you going to use jack again? Arvin: (Laughs) He is too old for it, the story is about a high school student. "Au Revoir Taipei" opens in Singapore today!