Lumina Webseries Launches Soon!

Lumina caught our attention because it is written, directed & produced by Jennifer Thym and whose cast and crew consist largely of Asian American & Canadian talent! From viewing their trailer and awesome website, we are super excited to see the debut of this webseries and it's mysteriously twisted plot. To quench your curiousity, we had the opportunity to ask Jennifer a few questions about Lumina... check it out:

What's Lumina about and where can audiences watch this series?
LUMINA is a brand new thriller web series about a young woman who falls in love with the most unavailable kind of guy you can get - one who isn't even in the same world!  As their relationship develops, Lumina is pulled deeper into a complex web of lies and treachery and starts to doubt everything (and everyone) around her.  The series stars JuJu Chan (TVB's People Choice Award for Miss Chinatown USA 2009), Michael Chan (star of the viral hit Wall Street Fighter IV) and Vince Matthew Chung (winner of the Amazing Race Asia 3.)  I just want to take a moment to give kudos to these three for their hard work - plus they're amazing, they're sexy and they're Asian American and Asian Canadian!  The LUMINA trailer is on YouTube now and the series will begin in August 2009.

Why did you choose to do a webseries versus something more conventional?
The web is a great way to build a direct relationship with an audience.  It's amazingly liberating because you can get your work out to the entire world right away - no costly theatrical release, no complex regional distribution issues!   I also wanted to write a story that suited the new medium - something that would be somewhere between a comic and a film in terms of story complexity.

Tell us about your cast, how did you find them and why did you choose them?
I used to play alot of Final Fantasy XI, and when I was looking to meet film people in Hong Kong, I jokingly asked around online if anyone knew anybody in the film industry - and lucky for me, one did!  He introduced me to JuJu Chan in July of 2008, I pitched an early version of LUMINA to her and the rest is history!  The rest we cast in open auditions.  I was really surprised by the different kinds of people we got in the audition process.  My two favorite stories from the auditions were casting Simon Yin as Damien (he's done alot of comedy, so casting him as a bad guy was fun) and Emilie Guillot as Laetitia (again, she came in for a different role, but she has that delicious French accent - I could immediately see her as the powerful head of the Mirrorati - wild and unabashedly amoral.)

What kind of audiences do you think Lumina will appeal to?
Hopefully the people who enjoy complex layered stories like Lost, Prison Break and Heroes will enjoy LUMINA as well.  I'm a big fan of Neil Gaiman as well, so I'm hoping the mixture of fantasy and real world appeals to people who enjoy his books and comics.

How do you think the modern Asian woman would relate to Lumina's character?
I know so many beautiful young Asian women who have good jobs, nice places to live, great clothes - they're the epitome of the modern independent woman and they should be really happy.  But they're not.  They're lonely, they feel like something is still missing.  Lumina Wong is like that - there's nothing wrong with her or the people around her, it's just not... enough.  When she meets this handsome guy Ryder in the mirror, she's ready for it - some part of her really wants to believe the fairy tale aspect of the relationship.  I'm not saying that the modern woman needs to have a relationship to feel complete, but we're human - modern amenities or not, we still crave that companionship.

What was your inspiration for Lumina's story and the Hong Kong location?
I wanted to write a story about Hong Kong, and at the same time, do something that would be a unique representation of the city.  Alot of people associate HK with martial arts or cop and gang stories, but I wanted to present a different side of it, a beautiful magical side.

Is there a symbolic meaning for the name "Lumina"?
"Lumina" is a name I heard in a dream.  I found out much later that "Lumina" means "light" in certain languages, which is a strange and beautiful coincidence, since she is supposed to be part of the Light Realm.

What was your favorite part about Lumina and it's production?
Whenever our soundguys, Eric Lau and Lam Yuet Wo from Beez Square Productions, had to record an ambient track (or wild track, it's the sound of the area without anyone talking, so everyone on set is supposed to be quiet), Michael Chan would stand behind the soundguys and mime them, putting on this totally serious face and adjusting his imaginary headphones.  It was so hard not to laugh - and a couple of times, everyone would just crack up, and they'd have to record the track again.  It's a good sign when everyone likes to laugh on set, even if it did mean torturing the soundguys a bit!!

When will Lumina be open to the public?
August 2009!

Since Lumina is a webseries and can be viewed for free, how can audiences support Lumina and more films like it?
There are two things that are important at this stage of our careers - one, simply getting our work out there for people to see, and two, establishing a good relationship with our fan base.  If you like the series, please let your friends know about it!  We'll have merchandise for sale after the series launches, and DVD's packed with extras after the series concludes.  There are alot of naysayers when it comes to surviving online as a film or web series production, but I really believe that films should be able to find their place globally with online distribution and with online fan support.  If we find enough kind people supporting us that way, then we'll be able to get more projects out there.

Where can audiences get more info on Lumina and catch the trailer?
Check out our website, www.luminaseries.com for our trailer and for more information about the world of LUMINA.  You can also catch us on Twitter: I'm @jenthym, JuJu is @JuJu_Chan and Michael is @514to852.  We'd love to hear from you!

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Tomorrow, we'll be interviewing Jennifer Thym on her love of film and her production company, RockGinger! Be sure to check it out!