Here’s Part 2 about my first experience as a producer for a film called SAIGON ELECTRIC (You can read Part 1 here), a hip hop, coming-of-age film made in Vietnam. It was released there in April and is set to be released in select U.S. cities on October 7th. We’re currently mounting an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for a small, but proper, theatrical release.  So without further adieu, here’s the latest chapter of the SAIGON ELECTRIC Journey:

February 2010: With the script done and most of the financing in place, we were dead set on starting production in May 2010. We figured it would be ready for a Christmas release later that year. There was only one problem. We weren’t well-versed in hip hop, especially in Vietnam. So, with some scratch in his pocket, we sent our intrepid (and younger) producer, Danny Do,  on a mission to Vietnam in March, to do some scouting and outreach with the various dance crews. Danny ventured to Hanoi first, where hip hop is actually a bigger scene (the dancers that populate Lenin Park on a daily basis number in the hundreds). That’s where he met up with Big Toe, the best dance crew in Hanoi, if not Vietnam. They were competing internationally, getting endorsements, and also acting in a daily TV soap called Buoc Nhay Xi Tin, which reminds me of a Viet version of Kids Incorporated. Danny made strides with the crew, but unfortunately, they weren’t going to be available in May because they were going to be out of the country.

Danny made it south to Saigon a.k.a. Ho Chi Minh City, where the film is based anyway, and met up with various crews, ranging from step up, hip hop, pop-n- lockers and actual b-boys. He was filming their practice routines and uploading them to Youtube so we could see them back in the States. Here’s an early example: The biggest and best crew in Saigon is Big South led by Northerner, Viet Max. Now, everyone knows that Vietnam was split into two countries and even though it’s unified today, North and South are very different, from language, attitude, accents, point of views, you name it. Hanoi and Saigon are like Beijing and Shanghai, Tokyo and Osaka, LA and NYC, Biggie and Tupac.

Who is Viet Max, you may ask?

An operator. A tastemaker. A badass. One can say, he’s the go-to guy for all things hip hop and street in Saigon. Danny had his work cut out for him!

This is how it is: Viet Kieu (Overseas Vietnamese) are looked upon as carpetbaggers — Viets who think they are the shit because they were raised in the West, who come back and throw money around, yadda yadda. Locals are somewhat weary of VKs and rightfully so. We’ve heard stories of VK filmmakers who come to Vietnam to make movies, and say they do it “the Hollywood or American way.” This obnoxious behavior takes a toll, especially in the burgeoning entertainment industry in Vietnam.

Viet Max was understandably cold to Danny. But, like Stephane, and all of the US team, we took the humble route, and worked on Viet Max for his endorsement and approval. When Danny met with Viet Max at his house, he would sit on the floor, while Viet would sit on the couch. But the Big South Crew leader saw that we weren’t assholes and eventually warmed up to us and in the end, became a major resource and ally in our goal to make  a hip hop movie in Vietnam. With Danny’s trip wrapped up, he headed back to the States and soon after, returned with Stephane and two other Vietnamese Americans: co-producer Elizabeth Ai and 2nd cameraman, Bao Nguyen. And soon to follow, dance choreographer Ricky Cole a.k.a. Rick Rawk, an African American dancer with sick moves and lots of TV play. Once he set foot in Saigon, and was part of the casting process, it was game on.

The dancers we recruited for the film immediately loved Ricky. Was it because he was black dude, so that he immediately imbues hip hop culture? Maybe. But I think it was more the fact that he had cred, was a dancer and many of these kids knew his body of work already.

Late April 2010: With the US team on land in Saigon, casting was set to begin. With me still Stateside (I was going to join the team at the tail end of production), I had one request for casting. Reach out to an Internet “hot girl” who was gaining popularity for posting her pics on Flickr. Her name? Elly Tran Ha.

So they did audition her. Danny was pleased!

We ended up casting her in a bit role as the evil rich girl. For some reason, it made sense. But the true find in the casting process was a 19 year old girl named Quynh Hoa, who had never acted before, but danced in a step up crew called Destiny’s Family. Stephane saw something in her and casted her for the main role of Kim, the street tough dancer who falls out of favor with her crew when she chases love with a rich boy. It was lightning in a bottle. I can honestly say from the many film festival screenings and Vietnam theatrical release, Hoa’s performance as Kim is universally praised. She can be a big star in Vietnam and I truly hope she becomes one.

In the next chapter of the SAIGON ELECTRIC Journey, I’ll blog about the post-production process, the lead up to the Vietnam release this past April, and how I will never forgive Justin Lin for making FAST FIVE and destroying us at the box office. Good times!