Famous director Ang Lee's advice for film students: "Don't do it."
Mr. Lee may not really mean to deter students from becoming filmmakers, but it is a clear warning that lying ahead of them is a bumpy road.
The warning was sounded during the director's November 26 visit to TNUA, where he gave a talk about his experiences – and hardships – throughout his successful career.
He said that for him, there has always been a strong sense of insecurity to film art. That sense will still persist even though one's last film may have been a success.
Unless one is determined to continue regardless of the consequences, one should stay away from a film career, he said.
He stressed that what a filmmaker really needs are not words of encouragement, but talent and perseverance.
Techniques and cultural savvy could be cultivated through learning, but success relies on talent and determination.
In practice, he explained that passion alone is not enough to make a good film. It is not right for a filmmaker to claim that the world does not understand him when he indulges in his own idiosyncrasies.
The first thing a director must do is to establish the structure of the story and then constantly examine the tensions between different elements. But Taiwan's filmmakers generally fail to do sufficient work in this respect, he remarked.
Personally speaking, Mr. Lee said the biggest charm of film is that it allows such a "shy" person like him to play different roles while making films – which is also the biggest reason keeping him in the film industry throughout the years.