By Dov Kornits
“I’ve always been a visual person,” Henry Thong tells us. “As a kid I consumed comic books like no other kid at the time and was always drawing my favourite superheroes. I think the love for documentary started at a young age too: I remember watching documentaries with my grandparents from when I was very little.
“I started properly making films for the first time in high school as part of my media studies class. I took it as a bludge subject – almost didn’t because I was worried I’d have to act in front of the camera – but ended up really loving it. A film I made in Year 11 won a film festival in Portland Oregon which was judged by Don Hahn (producer of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Maleficent and The Nightmare Before Christmas) and Tom DeSanto (producer of X-Men and Transformers). Ever since then I’ve kept making films, and my work’s been screened at festivals around Australia and the US.”
His latest film is part of a series he created called Makers Who Inspire. Its subject is New York City Ballet’s principal dancer and choreographer Lauren Lovette, with the film premiering at the 46th Dance on Camera Festival at Lincoln Center, home of the New York City Ballet, Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic and Juilliard School.
“I’ve always been interested in other forms of artistic expression and the creative processes of other artists,” Henry tells us. “My favourite films are La La Land, Birdman, The Artist, Whiplash and Black Swan… I figured a good way for me to capture this and learn from other creative practitioners was to interview them and document them at work.
“To date I’ve profiled a wide range of creative practitioners, including fashion designers, photographers, painters, chefs, theatre directors and dancers.”
These include Paul Vasileff of Paolo Sebastian, a 27-year-old fashion designer from Adelaide who was awarded Young Australian of the Year in 2017, South Australian but US based hyperrealist painter Robin Eley, and Australian political portrait photographer Ben Baker.
Henry tells us that he was inspired to make his latest documentary after stumbling across a screen test video she made with the New York City Ballet a couple of years ago.
“Her effervescent and bubbly personality really radiated through,” he says. “I knew she’d make a great subject because her vibrant energy really comes through in her work – whether in interviews on film or in her dancing. When I finally met her in person, she was exactly as I expected: like a ray of sunshine.”
The Lauren Lovette film premiered at Dance on Film’s prestigious opening night alongside Hulu documentary Ballet Now, from director Steven Cantor (Dancer) and executive producer Elisabeth Moss, about New York City Ballet ballerina Tiler Peck.
Soon after, Henry put the film on YouTube. “I think the demand for content these days is bigger than it’s ever been, and because of that there’s more competition than there’s ever been,” he answers after we ask him about why he quickly placed the film online for free. “I think that in order to succeed in this day and age your work needs to be available online. Digital distribution is key, and platforms like YouTube and Netflix are very important. For me personally, I draw inspiration from the model that filmmakers like Issa Rae, Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobsen, Michael Shanks and Nicholas Issell have used with Awkward Black Girl/Insecure, Broad City and Wizards of Aus respectively. Starting a concept out online as a web series before using it as proof of concept to develop into a TV show or film is what motivates me.”
And what of the future? “I’d like to continue working with amazing people among a wide range of industries to produce interesting films exploring art and the creative process. My dream is to be the person known for telling the stories of the most inspiring artists and creators in the world.
“I’m really liking the short-form format, although I’m starting to find the 5 to 10-minute runtime a bit limiting. My upcoming projects are starting to get into the 10 to 20-minute range though, so I guess it’ll be a slow transition into longer-form content.”
Photos by Barney Cokeliss
