Gaysorn Thavat: 'All You Need Is an Open Heart, and Thick Skin'
Gaysorn Thavat described her childhood as ‘feral’. Or, more accurately, her and her three sisters were ‘feral, pre-internet creative kids’. She spends her time making up adventurous games, telling outrageously scary stories and causing a whole lot of mischief. Left to her own imaginary devices to, she constantly pushed the boundaries.
She recalled a story from her time in high school where her history teacher posed the question ‘can a picture tell 1000 words?’. Inspired by the New Zealand artist, Nigel Brown, she decided instead of arguing her point using words, she would paint instead. Gaysorn remembers passing the class while being reprimanded for being ‘really cheeky’.
This ambitious, creative spirit carried on in her DNA as she grew. Starting her career as a camera assistant in, as she described, ‘a hostile environment for a young Asian woman’ she challenged her rebellious ways and worked her way up to become a director. After all, she had spent her whole life up until that point telling stories.
Learning through osmosis, she quickly realised what it took to be a good director. "I got to stand there and watch amazing actors all the time, and with amazing directors directing amazing actors. I could tell when it wasn’t a great director by the way the actor reacted to the notes given.” she said.
Learning this from behind the camera, when it came time for her to direct she had an understanding of the process not only from a behind the scene’s perspective, but also that of the actors.
Gaysorn also reflected on her most recent project, ‘Would You Rather’, a drink driving PSA for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency which has been praised for its authenticity. The director’s ability to creative an environment in which actors can play, experiment, and be truthful has proven to be a valuable asset to Gaysorn - especially in the context of working with children”.
“Kids can often be polite around adults, but I needed these kids to be really comfortable about George and Monica, so their small interactions came across as authentic. We decided to play games and in turn created a family dynamic that gave weight to those small interactions that you see in the spot.” Gaysorn said.
She continued this playful spirit when it came to the adult actors as well, allowing them to explore the friendships and well-established relationships by providing a comfortable environment. In reality, the actors may have met once before the shoot but as far as the audience could tell, they have known each other for years. Although the workshops, games and style might change from set to set, Gaysorn’s authentic approach to directing stays the same.
When creating her award winning feature film, ‘The Justice of Bunny King’ which she described as a ‘social justice action film about motherhood’, Gayrsorn continued the theme of trusting that the authenticity needed to portray the story would evolve. Having that profound trust in the process paid off, as the feature film received a theatrical run across America and was nominated for the Nora Ephron Award at the Tribeca film festival.
Gaysorn touched on how terrifying it is to push your creative work out for all eyes to see, however, she has learnt along the way that an open heart and thick skin is all you need. Her childhood determination to bend the rules, and trust that people will understand her vision is a testament to her work as a director.
It is no wonder that the girl running amok in West Auckland is now causing a stir in the creative industry.
