Unless you have been living under a rock over the past few weeks, the Asian blogosphere and YouTube featured lists have been buzzing about the most recent additions to Wong Fu Productions' original shorts collection - and this time, they have brought some star power along for the laughs.It's one thing to not already be a follower or subscriber to one of the most popular Asian acts in all of the interwebs, but it must be quite a huge rock to live under if you don't know Wong Fu AND have no idea what Glee is. As one of the winningest and most popular shows of this generation, Glee has propelled many young artists and stars to the limelight through the power of music; and with his 'pop and lock' moves that have already been featured in many Hollywood dance films like Step Up, Harry Shum Jr. has been no exception.
When you put all of this creative power together, it's easy to see why this is a big deal. And you can find all three of the shorts here.
On Glee, Harry Shum Jr. plays one of the club's - and, interestingly enough, the whole school's - few Asian students. Like a number of the characters found in the show and as is often a trait found in television's high school students, he exhibits a comical naivety that nonetheless comes secondary in lieu of main characters like Rachel and Finn.
Back in January, the first meeting of the minds occurred between Wong Fu and the Glee star, and the announcement that one day they would make videos together was a move that brought YouTube fans to Glee and vice versa.
On Wong Fu's YouTube stage, the story largely remains the same - Shum Jr. continues this act in a number of different situations: a buffet, as a would-be hero that witnesses a mugging in progress, and finally during a date. A rather uncanny ability to act like the only one in the room without a clue is primarily to Shum Jr.'s role in these shorts.
I will not spoil what happens in each situation, and a couple million people have already gotten some good laughs from these shorts. If you haven't seen them yourself - or if you just can't get enough of Wong Fu or Harry Shum Jr. - then here are the three videos!
Let us know what you think in the comments!
Should be noted that Wong Fu started in San Diego, and SDAFF premiered their first ever feature A MOMENT WITH YOU in 2006.
ReplyDeleteI remember the first Wong Fu video I ever watched was "Yellow Fever" and thought "Dang, these guys are good at camera techniques and coming up with creative stories." From that one video, I was so curious on what kind of impact they would have in the media arts in the future and if they would continue to inspire others. Today, they have become not only YouTube stars, but inspirations for those who wish to improve beyond the limits of filmmaking. I am so grateful that these people have come to light because they represent and strengthen the Asian American community and they have also shifted the way we see entertainment. And +100 brownie points for bringing in Harry Shum Jr. into their works! Not only is he the hunk of Glee, but also a reminder that us Asians can make it through this culturally imbalanced society.
ReplyDeleteseriously. i'm always secretly proud that the wongfu crew graduated from ucsd. i've seen some of the 'fun' videos they made on campus while they were still students. i also know that one of their shorts screened at Cannes. "A Peace of Home"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.channelapa.com/2008/05/wong-fu-productions-and-far-east.html
I think that the work Wong Fu and Harry Shum are doing is great! Now that they are adding another face to their organization, it will only help them expand more! I love all of their videos and I think they have done an amazing job educating and entertaining audiences. I remembered when I watched "Yellow Fever" and I couldn't help but think how clever and funny it was to bring such a message up to audiences.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really great that this collaboration happened! Two great talents came together to entertain and do what they do best. It's really awesome that Harry Shum Jr. has taken the time to do this with Wong Fu... since he is more affiliated with mainstream television (kudos to him for that!), it will definitely give way for greater exposure and bigger opportunities for Wong Fu.
ReplyDeleteApparently I've been hiding under a rock -- I haven't kept up with Wong Fu for a whiiiiile, I think since their One Day HK shorts. But they've come a long way! I have to say that they've upped their game especially with a production crew and great actor/actress connections. They definitely worked from the ground up, investing all they had into their equipment and having their friends act in their videos for free. It's crazy to think that these guys went to my university and so many students (including me) here have no idea what to do once they graduate. For Wong Fu, everything worked out! Proud of them. :)
ReplyDeleteI am always really excited when Wong Fu videos come out on YouTube, and the fact that it's so widely recognized is a great step forward in recognizingAsian Americans in the nation. It's nice to see Wong Fu doing so well, I guess I have some pride since I'm from San Diego too <3 ! They are an inspiration to me to just do what I love and everything else will fall in place.
ReplyDeleteA couple of SDAFF interns and staff went to Wong Fu's conference panel at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival on the rise of Asian-American filmmakers and vloggers on YouTube and I found the Wong Fu guys to be really charming and endearing. It was inspiring, as they were telling the audience that they were just regular guys making videos which happened to be viewed by millions of people. I remember when they came to my high school in San Jose to screen "A moment with you", and had an event at UCSD (their alma mater) with Far East Movement as part of SDAFF's college tour in 2008. The guys definitely work hard touring all over the place so that the presence of Asians in the media isn't only online and on the computer screen, but can be translated into more mainstream outlets too.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think these guys are hilarious, and it will take me weeks to catch up on their videos.
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