Universal blues is a political film inspired by film maker Danny Loong's personal experiences with racism in Western Australia. After his experiences with racial abuse, Loong went on a journey to find out more about racism and about Pauline Hanson, the infamous politician whose maiden speech sparked a national debate on issues relating race relations and immigration in Australia. Since her emergence, reports of racially motivated incidents towards minorites and Aborigines increased.
Loong
while dealing with the hurt cause by the abuse, found refuge in the music
he loves, the blues. He then started a music club in his university bringing
people from different racial backgrounds to celebrate the blues and jazz music
in a collective mode. Through that experience, he discovered that blues music
has a unique quality that has the ability to bring people together in its
simple structure to express a universal feeling. He was the inspired and started
on a journey of studying and understanding of the history and roots of African
American music as well as the "feeling" behind the music. The further
understanding of the subjects also led him on his own personal journey of
discovering a resolution to his inner demons caused by the hurt, humiliation
and depression caused by his experiences.
Loong subsequently did his honours studies based on the two subjects. His dissertation "universal blues - film, racism and the blues" had two parts. The written component contains an account of his experiences as well as his thinking and research. The second part is this film. The script for this film was developed for three years and it was during his honours studies that he decided to produce his script in 16mm film format.
Loong
has since presented his film and spoken in several local and international
film festivals, university conferences and
seminars, and music festivals, such as the 1998 High Street Blues Festival and Blues at Bridgetown 2000. The film has been screened with the thesis as current reference material for Cross-Cultural Psychology at Murdoch University and Notre Dame University (Western Australia) and African American Popular Culture at La Trobe University (Melbourne). The film has also been screened along with the band's performances, treating audiences to a unique and well received multi-media event.
It is from these beginnings that ublues network has been created and taken shape, and the message of cross-cultural exchange and undertanding runs deep throughout the mission here at ublues network.
Universal
Blues™
(1998/99) - 15 minutes/16mm film on DVC Pro and Betacam SP
Danny Loong - Writer/Director/Producer/Co-Editor/Co-Sound Editor/Music Composer/Casting/Actor
Screenings:
The film has been part of reference materials and screened in the following university courses:
· Cross Cultural Psychology, Notre Dame University, Perth, Australia
· Cross Cultural Psychology, School of Psychology, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia (1st Semester, 1999) - Professor Alex Main (Unit coordinator), Dr. Anne Pedersen (Unit lecturer)
· Afro-American Popular Culture, an introduction, School of English, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia (2nd Semester, 2000) - Dr. Suvendi Perera (Unit coordinator)
· Murdoch Media Seminars, Dr. Martin Mhando, Perth, Australia
· Creative Thinking Workshop, Singapore Management University, Prof. Kirpal Singh.
Synopsis
Universal Blues™ is a 15 minute short film about two young men, Danny and Brett, who are racially different but are both passionate about the blues. Danny, who is Chinese, experiences incidences of racial abuse. One of the incidents leads to a misunderstanding between Danny and Brett. They do eventually meet and while other forms of communication fail, they lose themselves to music and unite within the rhythm of the blues.
Brett
Johnny
Bluesman
Railway Yahoos
Johnny's Mate
Girl at stairs
Noisy Asians
Loong's Mates
Guitar student
Family waiting for train
Loong
as himself
Robert Brett Turner
Daniel Richmond
Melvin J. Caroll
Don Smith
Alan Charlton
Dan Walls
Judith Marianne Tanfan
Pearl Tan
Jessica Sim
Simon Yeoh
Irazqn Zandl
Yao Tze-Hao
Muhd. Khairul Izad b. Ishak
Brett Chaudhry
Martin Mhando and
kids
Writer/Director/Producer
Director of Photography
Production Manager
Assistant Director
Art Director/Storyboard/Stills Photography
Casting
Camera Assistants
Second Camera Unit
Make-up Costumes
Lighting
Production Sound
Boom Swingers
Sound Editors
Music
Danny Loong
Mark Parish
Pearl Tan
Dave Esplin
Aaron Crooks
Danny Loong
Pearl Tan
Andrew Milner
Aaron Crooks
Ben Caine
Tammy Geddes
Dave Esplin
Mark Parish
Robert Martin
Patrick Noyelle
Damon Rollings
Danny Loong
Robert Martin
Owen Beck
Danny Loong
