On Dreaming and Enduring: An Interview with Student Filmmakers from Silpakorn University

Whether it is to be a guitarist for a headliner at the Coachella band, or to be an in-house lawyer with a 6-figure income, we all have some kind of dream that we would really like to see ourselves achieving. ‘Brick by Brick’ and ‘Dream On, Storm Chasers' explore different perspectives of what exactly our aspiration is. In this interview, I had the pleasure of speaking with an eight-member student team that was grouped for a film project from a Thai university named Silpakorn University, famous for its art and creative disciplines.

Brick by Brick 

Brick by Brick sets us off with the quite melancholic life of a high school student, Pim, who failed to enter her dream university despite an all-out effort into studying and working towards that goal. With a despondent mind, she tries to find her purpose in pursuing this path. The film sets out its tenor of a despondent yet persistent sentiment of a struggling art student.

The most daunting thing to happen to an art student would be seeing ur companions go far ahead of you while you are stuck behind. Punnod Bunkittibhakdi, the director of Brick by Brick, has expressed his inspiration for the plot. “This film is inspired by a friend of mine who bore the pressure of trying to get into his target university, while having to retake the entrance exam. I could really see that he was running on fumes most of the time. It is something that resonates with all of us.” 

“We came up with this name, inspired by an idiom ‘building things brick by brick’, which represents the work and portfolio that we, art students, laboured away to be the best in our fields; be at a prestigious university; and yet failed despite trying so hard,” said Paranee Temsiripong, the production manager (Also my high school friend!).

The film is uniquely infused with silence and ambient sound to intentionally underline the endless and hopeless days of studying away. The filmography can express its thoughts and feelings with a humble gimmick with ease.  Much of the film is filled with silence and rather restrictive cuts in between the scenes. To me, though, its style invokes quite a feeling of calamity, with an aftertaste of what it is like to fail, a feeling that we reluctantly have all the time.

Scenes from Brick by Brick. Image supplied by @nnamtanns YouTube

The film also serves as a criticism of overexhaustion faced by students in trying to achieve what they have desperately hoped for. “We all have our own critiques of the institutions. I don’t really understand why you would only pick the geniuses who are already the know-it-alls, despite the objective being to educate everyone who strives to be a better artist?” He continued. 

A person who has experience in academic art may find it easier to comprehend Pim’s character. “It resonates with us because it is borderline impossible to be unique enough to be in the best university. Frankly, we do not have an ‘objective’ standard in our creations. It is what pleases the authority (professors, or whoever reviews the work) that counts.” Paranee added. This raises the question, if the forms of our originality could be fluid and its style limitless, then what exactly determines that our work is subpar?

 Surely, there are minimum qualities to pass what constitutes ‘art’. But with the formal academic requirements and the aim of satisfying the critics, have we truly created what we consider to be a true representation of our sensibility and identity, or is it simply a self-devolution for appeasements of others?

Scenes from Dream on, Storm Chasers. Image supplied by @nnamtanns YouTube

Dream on, Storm Chasers

But maybe optimism is all we need to see a clearer picture of what we truly enjoy, in certain circumstances. ‘Dream On, Storm Chasers’ tells us the story of a boy who dreams. This film underlines a whole different tone, with a more optimistic spin on the youthful days, accompanied by a rose-coloured dream. It tells a story of a middle school boy who wishes to hunt after storms in his whimsical pursuit. This film offers much more positivity, with its uplifting soundtrack, bright colour corrections and abundance of dialogues; painting the mood more ‘vibrant’, a fitting description of most adolescence.  

 It is definitely noticeable to the audience who have seen both films that these two films are quite parallel to each other.  Quite certainly,  ‘chasing storms’ sounds considerably absurd compared to simply wanting to be admitted into a university. But that is the appeal. To break any form of restraint that we have perceived on our dreams, keeping the momentum going.

One of the most striking differences between the two films is that Aon has a friend to share his dream with. At one point in the film, Aon can express his passion to a friend of his, Tee, who partakes together in their journey through the storm. Meanwhile, Pim in Brick by Brick explicitly gets left behind by her peers, even if they do share the same dreams. Perhaps a really unaddressed aspect of having a dream is to really have someone alongside, as you wander along the street.

Scenes from Dream on, Storm Chasers. Image supplied by @nnamtanns YouTube

It is also quite intriguing to note that all the actors in the film are volunteers who have had little to no experience in acting. But from what I can tell, they have certainly punched above their weight class in terms of their performances. 

“All the actors did quite a good job in improvising in many different scenes. My grandma was one of them. She usually spends her time alone, and it is refreshing for her to meet and do exciting things like this.” Dakanda remarked.

“On a note, it was very healing for me and others to relive this kind of feeling again when we were working on Dream on, Storm Chasers. You know, to be reminded of how optimistic and untroubled we were as kids, and how nice it had felt when we perceived our dreams and goals to be within reach.” She continued.

“It was actually quite difficult for me to act out the scene where I had to cry my heart out. Quite frankly, I laughed every time I looked at my friends’ faces. Eventually, they had to hide themselves during that scene, haha.” Said Pimmada Wongsilarkaw, who played ‘Pim’ in Brick by Brick.

Technicality-wise, the team has shared their own processes.  “For the equipment and lighting, we are allowed to borrow cameras, lighting poles, materials, and such from the university itself. So in terms of equipment, it was quite a breeze,” said Nojthanaphat Klubsuwan, light director.  

“Props were fairly easy to make. Although props tend to break down frequently, we keep improving the quality of our work over time,” said Pimchanok Charoenthaithawee, prop director in Dream on. 

“Well, I simply was a general assistant to the whole crew. From holding on to an iPad for the producer, to purchasing any urgently needed materials. I am quite content, though,” Commented Napak Vanichayobol, who also played as ’ Lily ’ in the first film.

It seems to me that these students had a good start towards their creative careers. The fact that they had a $0 budget (which is kinda insane) makes it more impressive. Please do check their stuff out!

Watch Now

Nnamtanns, Dream on, Storm Chaser [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/bPU16JdDvVY

Nnamtanns, Brick by brick [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/vygJBkfemQU