The Last Thieves Producer Gary Tseng: This Film Captures the Feelings Millennials Have Towards Society
Gary Tseng is the director of film production company Film Mall, and is a renowned producer across Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan. His works include Winds of September (2008), The Killer Who Never Kills (2011), Machi Action (2013), and A Journey with Invisible Friends (2018), all of which have won many Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards.
A New Director Senior Producers Can Admire
“The first time I heard Jack’s story, it left a deep impression. It is rare for a young director to able to efficiently and concisely describe the story he wants to shoot. It’s not easy, as a story typically has many plot beats, and to condense it all into a 90-minute film is surely a feat in of itself. Without a solid grasp on the story you want to tell, it would be difficult to shoot.” Gary, who is also a director, understands that a director must communicate with many different departments, such as actors, lighting, photography styling, set design and more. “Jack’s clear and logical arrangement will allow the crew to fully understand the world he wants to present in his script.”
One of the many reasons why Gary chose to produce The Last Thieves is that the storyline is related to the hot topic of “blockchain.” “Although I didn’t know anything about blockchain and cryptocurrency, I would really like to try something fun!” The SELF proposal integrates blockchain technology to cover a range beyond just movies and introduces a new digital asset. “The idea that the story will continue to live after the movie is over is simply too cool. In the Asia film market, this is a brand new kind of story!”
A lot of team members have also intrigued Gary. Having never met the SELF team before, he notes that “they have two heavyweight producers, a director, venture capitalists, blockchain experts, promoters of innovative industries, economists, and partners in other food and beverage industries. If each of us is a finger, then five of us make a fist. This type of team is filled with innovative potential.
The Last Thieves Hides What Jack Wants to Say the Most
Movies have a multitude of genre, and one of Gary’s favorite is real drama: “When the same things happen in real life, when there are real events and emotions, people will be moved and the emotions of the audience are projected onto the screen!”
In recalling the story of the Last Thieves, Gary notes how he “feels a fire, a burning flame that is both anger and passion, coming from the younger generation to change society despite the numerous setbacks. This is a feeling Jack has felt himself and now desires to portray into a film, where it would be the most touching part overall.” Gary notes what this film must mean to Jack: “The first film of a director must be what he wants to say the most…”
The SELF Ecosystem Creates a New World
As a Taiwanese film producer, Gary believes that there are many stories worthy of telling, but because of the structure of the industry and the overwhelming reliance on investors, new directors and new ideas find it hard to stand out from the crowd. When Jack and Gary brought up the SELF proposal, the two men immediately hit it off. In addition to their common language of “film,” they also saw the opportunity to change the structure of the industry with “blockchain.”
Gary explains: “Now everyone has encountered blockchain at some point through ‘hearsay,’ but has yet to feel the practical impact and changes in society that it could bring. The coolest part about the SELF proposal is that blockchain’s practical usages will be introduced through the ‘entertainment industry’ that most people interact with, starting with The Last Thieves. After leaving the theaters, viewers will acquire SELF digital assets that they can use in real life.” In the film Ready Player One (2018), the main character can only fulfill his wishes in the virtual world, as reality is much bleaker than the pretty and escapist OASIS. However, the SELF proposal plans to break such a division and improve life whilst introducing people to the virtual world, thus making it a “immersive entertainment ecosystem that links virtuality and reality.”
Gary then mentions: “We are building a world around the film. The scenes that show up in the film are from real life locations that will accept the SELF digital asset for consumption. Isn’t that cool?” To Gary, SELF is like creating a new universe. It makes him excited to exchange the film’s box office profits into SELF digital assets to participate in the ecosystem, to experience firsthand the changes that The Last Thieves can bring about. In the future, audiences can support directors and stories they like through SELF. Gary says “The direct interaction with the audience and the immediate, transparent nature of blockchain are what I’m looking forward to the most.”
Come and join us! Take the first step into this new world through The Last Thieves!
SELF website: https://selftoken.co/
