Oriana Ng
On Your Radar is a weekly Grad Film News Segment that features a student picked at Random.
Oriana Ng is a Grad Film Thesis Student. We asked her a few questions and this is what she said.
Where do you consider home and what is it like there?
New York City! When I was 13, I got to know the city through Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Al Pacino’s movies, so moving here felt immediately familiar and good. I grew up in the Southwest of France, in the Aerospace Valley near Toulouse. I was raised by my French mother and Italian grandparents, and my father was Singaporean of Chinese descent. My roots are all over the place, so I feel right at home here.
What is currently inspiring you as a filmmaker?
Theater, especially plays. There’s so much power in being able to hold the tension without any cuts, with just good acting and good writing. I’ve learned so much about dialogue and blocking from theater. Film is a very different medium, but I’ve also found that my favorite movies have this electric feeling that the scene is unfolding right in front of us; that anything can happen. What I also love about theater is that you can really watch how an actor works. If there’s a really great play, I’ll try to go again to see the variations in performance from one night to another. I’ve seen August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson, four times. John David Washington does not cease to surprise and move me. Last summer, I adored Robert Icke’s Oresteia for its brilliant take on fate and grief. If you have any play recommendations for me, or need tips on how to get discounted tickets, get in touch.
What has been your most rewarding experience at NYU Tisch Grad Film so far?
The encouragement I’ve received from faculty and classmates to take creative risks, and to value process as much as result. Beyond teaching us the craft, the program gives us the tools and freedom necessary to help us figure out the filmmakers we want to become. It’s been so inspiring to watch my classmates, some who had barely picked up a camera before film school, blossom into an eclectic group of incredible artists.
Links
Oriana Ng's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instataitaii/
Oriana Ng's website: https://www.orianang.com/