Documentary Film Award-Winning Producer Savory Liu Offers Up Problem-Solving Answers for Clients
“When I commit to do something, I will try my best to make it happen. I always think ahead, planning everything in my head in advance, so that when things happen, I won’t panic and I can solve the problem at the very beginning. Additionally, communicating is key for producers, and being multilingual can definitely be helpful in the modern world of international co-productions.” — Savory Liu
The fact is that a film’s inception to completion is shepherded by the film producer. Which intrinsically entails a whole lot of responsibility. Indeed, Savory Liu, who produced the inspirational film Silicon Valley Chinese, which earned the Best Documentary award at the San Francisco New Concept Film Festival, notes that the Best Picture Oscar award is presented to the film’s producer, not the director, writer, main actors or even the production company.
Why? “Because the producer oversees the entire film production process, including: planning, finances, coordination, casting, directing, editing, marketing, and distribution.”
China-born but multilingual (Mandarin, Korean, English and German) Liu aspires to work on international co-productions like Netflix does, and thinks of herself as a problem-solver, a producer who does major prep and planning, keeping on top of everything, in service of the story.
Producing Award-Winning Documentaries
Even though she’s been the producer of several vertical miniseries like Don’t Fall in Love with Me Husband, The Returns of Billionaire Mom, and My Husband is a Big Shot, among others, another area of storytelling that particularly attracts her is the documentary format. Those include Silicon Valley Chinese, Persevering in Pandemic, and Know Their Names, and Liu explains:
“They’re all about Asian/Chinese Americans. Different life experiences, different stories. Asians have a quiet image in the US. It’s rare to see Asians speak up for themselves since this is what we were taught when we were young. Film is one of the best ways for Asians to express themselves.”
Growing Market for the Asian American Experience
Indeed, filmmaker Liu observes how comedic/drama stories involving Asian families are increasingly popular in the U.S., explaining, “Multiple Oscar-winning Parasite was definitely a cool movie. It’s super famous and everyone knows it. But I also recently watched the feature, Didi, directed by Sean Wang, which has already earned two awards at the famous Sundance Film Festival — the Audience Award, and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award. It’s a more independent film than Parasite, much lower budget, smaller crew. But it’s also a family story, shot in the States, so, it’s about an Asian American family — during late summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him. Like my documentaries, it deals with immigrants and their various stories.”
Along with the Best Documentary award, she’s earned personal accolades, and had films she’s produced appear in several film festivals, explaining: “Earning awards or being selected for film festivals are definitely not just about being honored, as it’s also about getting seen. More and more people get to see the story you want to show. For example, another movie I produced, Kando at Fang, was selected for the Sony Experia One Film Festival. It’s also an Asian American story, about the restaurant owner Peter Fang, and his daughter Kathy Fang. They run two restaurants in San Francisco, House of Nanking and Fang. The story is about how Peter built up the restaurant in the 90s and about their family heritage. Sony gave us the Xperia One phone to film the story.”
Liu’s storytelling expertise also extends into social media where she creates fun content — travel vlogs, self-organizing tips, and self-reflection — with millions of combined views on her channels on YouTube and on Bilibili.
But with big ambitions to create and produce a feature film that can get into “name film festivals like Sundance, Cannes, and Venice,” producer/filmmaker Liu talks about her strengths and what she brings to the table:
— What issues or topics do you like to dig into in your documentary productions?
— I like exploring immigration and the emerging voice of Asian Americans. Our documentary Preserving In Pandemic is about how Asian American kids pursued their dancing passion during COVID-19. They are American born Chinese, or they moved to the States when they were little. They’ve been sent to learn dance since being young. The dance they learned is Chinese dance, and it’s also a chance for them to learn their original culture. Covid breaks this balance apart, and they can only learn dancing online. But, they didn’t give up or stop, and they kept dancing virtually and even attending virtual competitions. The short was also selected for the Poppy Jasper Film Festival, along with earning that Best Documentary award from the New Concept Film Festival.
— What are some of the evolving responsibilities of being a producer today?
— The producer is responsible for all the elements that serve the story, whether it’s a documentary, drama, comedy, or commercial. I have worked as a production manager for various commercial projects for clients like IWC, Carlsberg EVE, SUVA, and Migros. I also worked with a client, Tencent WE Summit, on a project involving a Nobel Prize Winner, Didier Queloz. As a producer on such projects, my job is to build a bridge between the client and the creatives, making sure the story is told in a client-approved way. I’ve done similar work for other commercial clients including Elle Men, and Longines, featuring celebrity actor/singer Eddie Peng. Overall, the producer will ultimately try to accomplish the client and director’s wishes.
— Explain how your assets, like problem-solving and being prepared, have contributed to a filmed project’s success?
— As an on-set producer, I will always think ahead. I will go over everything for the set in my head the day before, so things go smoothly. But, there are always accidents. During one of my projects, the makeup artist called me one night at 10, saying he double booked himself, and he couldn’t make it the next day. I asked around all the makeup artists I knew, but nobody could make it the next day. Thirty minutes later, the previous makeup artist called and said he found someone, he already forwarded everything to the sub and she could come tomorrow.
— But, it seems even that became an issue, right?
— Yes, but you have to be prepared for anything as a producer. The next day, the call time is at 11 am, and the makeup artist sub is not there. When she finally picked up the call, she said it was going to take her more than one hour to get there since her car broke and she needed to Uber. I immediately discussed with the director and changed the schedule of the day, moving most of the “bed scenes” up to the top. Then also looking for another makeup artist to substitute for the morning. I thought of a lot of ways to solve this problem, but it didn’t seem fixable. She was now over two hours late, but still said she would arrive. So I prepared for the possibility of overtime and waited for her. She eventually came three hours after the call time, and thanks to the director and first AD, we didn’t have any overtime on that day. There are some situations that you have no control over, and there is no good way to solve them besides spending more money. And, getting lucky.
— With your ambitions to work on international productions, what filmmakers inspire you, and who would you aspire to work for?
— I have lots of films and directors that I love and admire. Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), I love his creativity and how he creates his own way of storytelling, Denis Villeneuve (Dune, Blade Runner 2049), makes the frame so powerful and beautiful, and he is a professional sci-fi storyteller. I have a recent favorite, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which earned a Screenwriting Oscar. The story is very well developed, and complicated, but easy for the audience to understand, right on point. The director Michel Gondry did a very good job of directing the actors, they are all well-developed characters, especially the female protagonist Clementine played by Oscar winner Kate Winslet. She had her charisma, but also she’s sincere when facing love. What I get from the story is, that the ones who are meant to be met will meet. This is destiny. It’s how I look at my future in the entertainment world.
Check out Savory Liu on YouTube, the trailer of the award-winning Silicon Valley Chinese, and her IMDb page.
