HOAX: Jackie Chan signing in Parramatta

Just working at ICE when I heard that Jackie Chan is in Parramatta which is 5 mins away from where I work. So I whipped up my budding intern Teeni Hoàng and raced down Church St in the search to complete my quest.

As it turns out I'm reacquainted with Nazeem Hussain (a Brown Planet boy) donned as a tanner version of Jackie.

Oh wells, the fire is still going and the quest will be completed, some form or another.... When I'm 30?

Behind-the-scenes/ Vlog - Q4JC - "Who Am I" Scene | Maria Tran vs Chris Pang

Chris Pang vs Maria Tran. "Like" the Quest for Jackie Chan! on Facebook! 

Time: 7.00am-1pm
Date: Sunday, 13th of November, 2011
Location: Melbourne

I must have had the dragon on my side because it didn't rain during my shoot! After choreographing some of the fight movements in Sydney and practicing it on fellow filmmaker, Adrian Castro, Thuy Ng and Alan La, finally we took it down to Melbourne.

It was a tightly scheduled day but we just had to get the shots (and we did). I would like to extend my special thanks to Somchay Phakonkham (DOP/ Camera - Reinvent Productions), Rob Hammad (Powderman and production assistant), Andy Minh Trieu (Assistant fight choreography), Jack Ngu (Camera Assistant), Quan Tran (Stills Photography) &; Christopher Pang (a.k.a "Tomorrow When The War Began" & "Citizen Jia Li") + Desmond.

Currently, it has been edited and now handed over to Adrian Castro for the sound design. Looking forward to seeing this one in the movie. Please 'like' our page!

Jack, Desmond, Somchay, Maria, Chris, Andy, Rob (red clipboard) & Peter

Mini blog account by Melbourne-based graphic designer - Peter Dang: 

Hi Guys,

Just taking this opportunity to say thanks for having me onboard the 4JC (Melb shoot) It was a very different & fun experience for me personally. I never realise how much effort and love is involved in such a small yet large project.

You guys each have unique qualities which sums up an awesome team. I am more than happy to part take or help out whenever I can, so let's not be strangers ey 

I love the closeness and down to earth personalities you guys posess! I reckon you guys will succeed in whatever you put your mind to. So, In summary I'll like to give you guys my overview on how I see each person I met on the day.

Maria: There is no surprise with you, strong, extroverted and very confident, you've got a lot of balls for a chick! Kick ass personality.. nice seeing you speak @ panel, very lively and engaging with the audience! good stuff!

Somchay: Small world, I've seen your work before but never knew the master mind behind it (because of you vid - youcake)

Flipped out when I saw you spin the camera on one of the fighting scenes, awesome technique and cool personality.

From all the panel speakers on Sunday, I like your style the most.. Keeping it real and say it how it is.

Quan: if I could describe you in one word "Deep" you speak from the heart, I respect this quality about you.

Pang: lol, comedian ...it's good to be working with comedians, it's always nice to have fun in everything we do. Haven't seen your TWTWE yet, but will definitely let you know my thoughts when I do get around to it.

Jack: Jack, a 'strange' character, you make me laugh man.. you also make me question about your sexuality? (do you get this often? lol)

Rob: The secret philosopher, Love @ first site with you.. I throughly enjoyed our conversations and do look forward to seeing your Anchovies movie once it's all ready to go. PS: Sorry, but I filmed your ass crack (BTS) just had to! lol lol lol

And Finally Andy, Hmmm.. pretty boy  love the martial arts; pretty boy perhaps just the coverup, when you were doing the cherography, You were really zoned into your character. Gl with the kids 

Well; Once again thank you Maria for the opportunity, and it was nice meeting you all. Looking forward to more future fun with you guys. All the best ^^

Peter

SERIOUS: All Asian do not look the same!

After a recent forward by a facebook triple "A" (Asian-Australian Activist), Timothy Ly and I have been recently linked to the most unrelated article to date. I don't know where friggin' mainstream media stuff up at, but the person who thought.."Hmm....Asian and Kung Fu, where do we get the most chopsocky pic that may look like it relates to this exotic incident".

So they chose our pic, which, has got nothing to do with the "oh..my god...Asians do kung fu...on airlines!". The photo that I took with Daily Telegraph was in conjunction to Maximum Choppage: Round 2 and Bruce Lee's outdoor film screening (Click here).

Seriously the story itself (which is about HK Airline training their staff in Kung Fu) is less than fascinating. Asians do kung fu everywhere, at home, the workplace, the toilet...whats the big deal that now its airborne. Its the same thing as Aussies eating weatbix everywhere, at home, the workplace, and if they are lazy, maybe the toilet. Yeah, I know what you may be thinking, Maria, your god damn racist. No, not at all, I'm just making my point that Asian stereotypes are simply so boring nowadays.

Now back to the picture, its not that I'm trying to make a big deal about it, I'm more than happy for you to use the pic News.com.au. It would be nice to at least let me know about it and to think that you'll get away with it....No way...Asians are everywhere in this country, we are disguised as "nerds" but our excel in maths, sciences and in a lot of case English (we read newspapers three times over to make the most of it) so it would of eventually come back to me.

But don't they get it? Mainstream ignorant actions can have dire consequences, even if it only affects two Asian people amongst others in Australia. An affect that could mean that the next time I fly out of the country, other passengers will recognise me as the face to "Kung Fu Militant Airline Association" and place their own life in my supposingly Kung Fu skills that really, I don't have. Imagine a whole plane or so, thinking I can save them, placing their bets on my competency in Airline Kung Fu training.

Unfortunately, I will fail them, and probably drive the friggin' plane into something iconically Australian at the same time.

Think, Hundreds dead, hundreds more injured and I blasted most of the Australian Protectionist Party's Headquarters. Its not my fault, its all news.com.au small error.

20th March, 2011 - TEST FIGHT - Maria Tran & Natalie Tran

Another D.I.Y dodgy looking fight sequence as provided by me. This weekend I got the chance to do some fight chorie with a newbie - Natalie Tran. I feel her pain and teen angst as she shares her name with THE NATALIE TRAN Ms Community Channel. But hey, won't it be fun to hypothetically, one day, have a fight sequence with with my fan adored long lost sister?

I'm still on the "Quest for Jackie Chan!" and in the meantime, time to get inspired and into "action" with a quick clip.

Camera operator: Quan Tran

Editor: Maria Tran

Choreography by: Maria Tran

Actor: Maria Tran & Natalie Tran

Equipment: Dragon Vision Productions

Quest for Jackie Chan Trailer

May 15, 2010 — Finally, My home-made edits of the Quest for Jackie Chan Trailer is available for public view.

It has screened at Kinos #36 Film event in Sydney and also at the 2010 Colourfest Film Festival this year. I've had great responses and excitement from people who are Jackie Chan Fans across Australia who also want to know what's in store in August this year.

Here's the story:
Being Asian and living in Australia can be hard if you have dreams of becoming something beyond an doctor, lawyer, solicitor (no that there is anything wrong with that).

I want to break beyond the stereotypes and take a risk, a chance and go on an adventure of a lifetime. To do things I've never dreamt of doing (meeting Jackie Chan).

So from 1-21 August my ultimate goal is to travel non-stop across the major cities of Australia (Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart & Melbourne) delivering free workshops on for young people from culturally diverse backgrounds on how to run their creative projects and transform ideas into realities as well meeting up, collecting Jackie Chan mail and recording video messages to Jackie Chan.

I've decided to leave work and delve in my little piggy bank to get this baby project going.

First stop is Canberra and that will be a roadtrip with 6 young persons from Western Sydney who have martial arts background and together we will be choreographing a comedic fight sequence in dedication to Jackie Chan.

Hopefully, once I finish my trip around Australia, I will be home for a month and edit the video footage in the lead up to mid November, where I will take a risk and fly over to Kong Kong in the hope of personally giving him these messages on behalf of AUSTRALIA.

Ambitious? Yes. Nerve wrecking? Totally. I'm not related to Jackie Chan and he doesn't know who I am (I might look like some crazy Asian from downunder - I hope not) and Jackie Chan is super busy. So that is the dilemma. How does a nobody like me meet Jackie Chan?

Only time will tell.

Please join me on my "Quest".

www.questforjackiechan.com

P.S - Subscribe and leave a message.

IN THE MEDIA: Actor channels her mum

04 APR 10 @ 07:05AM BY CARLEEN FROST

SHE’S played an assassin, a Japanese schoolgirl and a ninja - but one of Maria Tran’s most challenging roles has been to portray her mother in a new children’s series.

Tran, 25, will play a 35-year-old Vietnamese mother in the new ABC series My Place.

She modelled the character on her own mother, Betty Tran.

“It was an interesting experience,” she said.

“I had to do research and follow my mother around the house jotting notes on her behavioural patterns, rummaging through her old clothing and go through her old ‘80s photos to make reference.”

My Place is based on the award-winning book by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins. It will debut on Thursday, April 22; with Tran expected to appear in the series on May 10.

The Fairfield West resident is no stranger to the big screen, having already appeared in several locally-made films.

Tran starred in the independent film Maximum Choppage and was recently part of a reality documentary titled Quest for Jackie Chan.

And when she’s not in front of the camera; she’s behind it writing, producing and directing. The former Canley Heights High School student produced and acted in the ABC mini-series Downtown Rumble, and directed the Vietnamese documentary Happy Dent. On top of all her film commitments, Tran helps organise youth projects at the Information Cultural Exchange in Parramatta. She admits she’s got a lot on her plate. “I’m juggling a whole bunch of projects at the moment,” she said.

Tran, a psychology graduate from the University of Western Sydney, is well known in Fairfield for helping promote local film projects. Last year she received a Fairfield City Council Australia Day Achievement Medallion.

2010 SmartARTs Festival

Event: SmartARTs Festival, 64 Pine St, Chippendale.

Time: 12-6.30pm

The day started off with some frantic last minute shirt printing, then rushing to get to the festival to set up my "Quest for Jackie Chan Stall". In addition to the "Rush Hour" came a flat tyre on the way to my destination. Thanks to "Marka" a local Carramar Pacific Islander who too the time and heart to lend me a hand and change the flat tyre.

Then I continued my journey and hit the scene by 11.15am, priding myself on the super uber close car spot and setting myself next to textile artist "Andy" and jewellery artist "Jimmy" who ere super groovy and so down-to-earth characters.

Maria Tran & Andy

Maria Tran & Jimmy

SETUP: I had 20 shirts of all sorts of colours on sale for $15, hundreds of badges, a message book and a camera set up for people wanting to send their messages to Jackie Chan.

"Quest for Jackie Chan" clothes rack

The assortments of mini badges

Stall visitors send their regards to Jackie Chan

OUTCOMES

As you know, after months of learning the art of shirt silk screening, badge making and graffiti art (legally [although disputed]). I ended up selling 3 shirts (for $10 so people can afford them) and a handful of badges at 50c each). Its funny how people ask where the profit goes to when really I'm making a loss. Lol! But that's not the point on my quest. The point is to see my capabilities, be creative and guerrilla about certain ideas and risks. Also to connect, I had about a hundred of people coming from all sorts of backgrounds from Jackie Chan fans, and anti-Jackie Channies alike who just want to leave their mark.

PROFESSIONAL RANDOMIST: Jack Ngu & Maria Tran

HIGHLIGHTS

• Meetings twitter pal CaptainOz2002 whom I only connected via twitter prior to this meet. The story is he met me when he signed up for twitter and search for things he like, "fitness" and "Jackie Chan".
• Meeting people who are enthused of the project.
• 

CaptainOz2002 sport his cinema ticket as he tuned into "The Spy Next Door" recently.

HO-HUMS

• People making comments that my project is stupid, unnecessary and that Jackie Chan and high profilers alike hate people like me.
• Anti-Jackie Chan fans expressing their extreme derogatory expressions.
• Skeptical questions such as the "How?" of the project. Conversations would go down like this:

Stranger: "How are you planning to meet Jackie?"

Maria Tran: "Well, after flying around Australia in September in 21 days to meet up with JC fans, I will head over to KH to his office with all the video messages, letters, fan mail representing Australia and meet him."

Stranger: "Is that certain? Have you got an agreement?"

Maria Tran: "Of course not. Then it wouldn't be "reality" anymore would it? It may be the case that Jackie Chan doesn't want to meet me and i will have to end the film documentary there."

Stranger: "Then whats the point?"

Maria Tran: "I live once, I've made a movie so the next step is to go see Jackie Chan. Simple. I want to bring hope to other Australians who want to get their messages across to him. If I don't see him, at least I tried. But if I do then the success is not only mine but everyone else. Everyone has an inner desire to meet Jackie Chan, whether they say it or (some even want to fight him). I'm compelled to shed light on this life journey, how hard he has worked to get where he is today, his unraveling connections to Australia, certain positive traits that others can learn from, his generational influences and also a question posed on the future of young people and their storytelling abilities. Finally, for my personal development. To build confidence in embarking on a project of this caliber."

LIKES

• People travelling afar to meet me, get to know and contribute to the project.
• JC symbol is becoming iconic, people have seen the graffiti and the "Quest for Jackie Chan" symbol.
• Meeting up with my inspiring street art tutor Chris Tamm and Bunkawaa
• Being interviewed by Sydney University students who are want to do an assignment on it.

Maria Tran & UNSW & Sydney Uni students with field practice in the art of journalism

Check out more pics below:

Maria Tran & Chris Luu's Jackie Chan artwork at the festival

Maria Tran & the usual 'vox pops'