By Brenda Malley
Pay attention to the things that you are naturally drawn to. They are often connected to your path, passion, and purpose in life. Have the courage to follow them. Ruben Chavez
This quotation poignantly describes New Brunswick Film Co-op member Vu Pham.
Born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam, he was in his mid-teens when he moved to Orange County, California, to experience the western culture. Despite his young age, no family, and only a few friends he made despite his shyness, Vu says he appreciated the experience. He learned some essential life skills from which he continues to draw today: independence, self-sufficiency, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
Vu attended and graduated from high school in California. Then, his parents immigrated to Fredericton, New Brunswick, from Vietnam, and Vu joined them. He transferred to the University of New Brunswick, where he pursued a degree in Psychology. However, after one semester, he changed to Business and graduated in 2020 with a concentration in Marketing.
In 2016 while in the Business program, Vu discovered the filmmaking program at UNB. He decided to take a film production course as an interesting elective. His instructors were Toronto-based filmmaker Cam Woykin & NB Film Co-op film pioneer, Tony Merzetti. Little did Vu know that this one course would instantly unleash a passion in him that changed his life trajectory forever.
He continued taking film courses as electives throughout his time in University and participated in a number of film shoots around Fredericton. During this time, Vu worked in various roles ranging from production assistant to sound but discovered cinematography and editing to be his specific interest.
Vu is appreciative of every opportunity that has come his way, describing everything as a learning experience, each one another step on the road to perfecting his craft. For example, in 2017, the UNB Student Union hired him to make an orientation video, which resulted in more opportunities.
Vu was fortunate to work part-time for UNB Media Services for three years while studying Business. In early 2018, he secured a 4-month paid internship with Sabian Cymbals in Meductic, New Brunswick. This was followed by a contract with the Government of New Brunswick in Communications. In both positions, he was tasked to produce social media videos to promote the products & services of each organization. Through these jobs, he learned the importance of precision in words used to tell stories and the impact of words when communicating with the public. He stresses that it forced him to think critically and communicate in the most neutral way possible, thereby improving his storytelling craft.
Since graduating two years ago, Vu has been working full-time as a freelance cinematographer, focusing on commercial and training videos, as well as short films. He has produced videos for Loblaws, CBC, Symbodi (a massage product that receives funding from Dragon Den), and The Football Academy.
As well, Vu was involved in making a music video that was released in March 2022. He says it came about after realizing that the music scene in Fredericton is vibrant and filled with undiscovered talent; however, sometimes artists lack a platform to visually showcase their talent. In a bid to challenge himself, he and his long-time collaborator, director MacKenzie Kierstead, became acquainted with a Nigerian rapper (living in Fredericton since 2017) whose stage name is Josh the Killer or JTK.
Sharing a similar work ethic and passion, they decided to support him by making a music video for him. Though disappointed in their failed attempt to secure government funding, they decided to go ahead and invest their own money. It has received excellent reviews, and they have garnered public exposure, including newspaper and magazine articles.
Check Out this cool article in Grid City about the music video!
The Artist: Formally named Chijioke Okorie, Josh the Killer (JTK) is the musical moniker for the emerging rapper currently based in Canada whose name plays off an alternate meaning of the word "kill", which is to overwhelm someone with emotions. He strongly ties its meaning to his intentions whenever making music. The rapper who is an iron-ring holder and graduate of the University of New Brunswick moved to Canada in 2013 for university and has since then released a steady stream of singles, covers and EPs, keeping his listeners engaged and excited with his raw and authentic sound. His slogan goes as follows; I paint pictures with words and sounds.
Vu acknowledges that the last two years have been hard on everyone given the global pandemic, and it has resulted in him reassessing his future career plans. While he is confident that he could secure employment in marketing, Vu knows he is happiest when making films.
If anyone wants to see some of his work or to contact Vu, visit his website at www.vuspectrum.com