The Crossover of Filmmaking and Basketball: A Conversation with ‘Chang Can Dunk’ Writer-Director Jingyi Shao
Filmmaker Jingyi Shao recently spoke with Script about writing the screenplay, how his little story was big enough for Disney, his personal connection to Chang’s experience on and off the court, and how filmmaking and basketball crossover.
Chang Can Dunk follows Chang, a 16-year-old, Asian American high school student in the marching band, who bets the school basketball star that he can dunk by Homecoming. The bet leads the 5 ’8" Chang on a quest to find the hops he needs to dunk in order to impress his crush, Kristy, and finally gain the attention and respect of his high school peers. But before he can rise up and truly throw one down, he’ll have to reexamine everything he knows about himself, his friendships and his family.
There's always room for a feel-good, heartwarming, charming movie, and Jingyi Shao's feature film debut Chang Can Dunk is all of that and a whole lot more. An underdog story that resonates from friendships, family, and lack of self-awareness as a teenager - the story delivers a lot of comedy and warmth, and a throwback to 90s nostalgia (think Mighty Ducks), with a clear singular vision delivered by Jingyi. There are moments Jingyi pulls at your heartstrings, like the scene when his high school drum corps shows up to support Chang on his big day - the scene speaks volumes as Chang marches to his own beat.
Filmmaker Jingyi Shao recently spoke with Script about writing the screenplay, how his little story was big enough for Disney, his personal connection to Chang's experience on and off the court, and how filmmaking and basketball crossover.
This interview has been edited for content and clarity.
Sadie Dean: Knowing that this story came from a personal place, how did you formulate the story that then became the script that got set up at Disney?
Jingyi Shao: Yeah, I mean, it's kind of crazy, because the actual film came together in a very short span. Basically, what happened was, I had a long standing relationship with Hillman Grad and two producers over there, Rishi Rajani and Lena Waithe, as well as another producer named Brad Weston over at make ready and I had a blind deal with Makeready to write a script. I pitched them ‘Chang Can Dunk,’ which was just an inkling of an idea that I've had for a number of years. I think screenwriters always search for clarity, simplicity - and there's something really resonant, but also really relatable to a kid wanting to dunk and just seeing if he could. And when I started to really think about that, and the layers that just sort of naturally presented itself without having to sort of uncover it. So, for example, if he's Asian American, there's elements to that, in terms of racial stereotypes, etc, etc, that I could explore without even really talking about because then I could let the audience just bring if they had stereotypes or not, you know what I'm saying?
He's just a kid trying to dunk. That's it. It just wouldn't leave my head. And I wrote this film at the beginning of the pandemic, which interestingly enough, changed the tone of it. Originally, Chang was much more self-aware. He was a lot cooler, I wanted it to be a Gen Z Rebel Without a Cause. But the more I wrote a cool character, the more I didn't like him, and it didn't make sense because I was like only a silly kid who was naive and doesn't have a clue would make a bet in front the school they can dunk, right? Which is that scene where Matt's like, 'That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.' Only a fool would get himself into that kind of situation. Once I realized that Chan was this kid, has no self-awareness, it just really started to sing. And everything that he would say kind of just became funnier. The more I wrote in that direction, the more I think people responded to it.
I sent my first draft to my producers - this is a slight flex - I sent my first draft to my producers, it was a little late, so they sent it out right away. And then that's the script that Disney really loved. I was always concerned that it was too small of a film. Especially because it's an original script and there's no IP attached to it. And we did get feedback from a lot of places - a lot of people really enjoyed the script, but when it got the chain of command people were like, ‘the premise isn’t big enough,’ et cetera, et cetera. But ironically, it was Disney, the biggest company that said, like, ‘This is dope. We really like it.’ Luckily, I had a bit of a directing reel because I used to be a commercial director and they signed on within four months of me writing, basically.
Sadie: Wow, that's awesome. Yeah, definitely a flex on that, for sure. That's really amazing. With you writing this during the pandemic, I could only assume you were having some a-ha moments with not only his character, his self-awareness, and yours, but also the other characters, like his mom and their relationship. How much were you noticing your own vulnerability hitting the page because of that relationship and dynamic?
Jingyi: Yeah, in the writing of it, and especially in the outline stage, that was a lot to unpack. Because from a writer's perspective, generally, it's like, the central antagonist would be like Matt. And then the B story would be Kristy, like, Kristy is the one that helps him mature and evolve. But when I look back at my own sort of personal experiences, it never was the bullies at school that really cut deep, it was getting sort of ostracized or picked on at school, and then coming home, and then having my mom not really understand or see what I was going through. And so, I don't want to say that Chen is Chang's antagonist necessarily, but it is the biggest obstacle in his life, which is, here's this kid, he's trying his damn hardest, all he needs is his mom to see him for a second and see what he's trying to do. And then and by the end of the film, she does that just in one moment. And he's got it all in control.
Sadie: And I love that moment! And there’s that scene of the two of them coming together, breaking down his dad’s failed yard project – it’s the great way of showing them come to turns, move and grow. It’s a beautiful moment.
As a director, did you have a specific directing style in mind while writing this? Because there are some really fun and flashy imagery you’ve incorporated.
Jingyi: It's interesting - I think that as a director, I'm still evolving. And if you look at my commercial work, you'll see different styles that play. With this, I really wanted to create a nostalgic feeling of those films from the 80s and 90s, but I also wanted to throw in some flourishes and some experimentation that I've done on my own. So, I have like a short film called ILY (I Love You) that is entirely just Instagram images. And I learned a lot about that, because I think young people, the age group that Chang is in, they really communicate, and understand each other through social media images, the storytelling in TikTok, and Instagram, and other aspects are deeply embedded in their lives in the way that movies and TV were embedded in our lives. And I wanted to sort of bring that in, because I do think that's going to be the next evolution of how you tell a story. It's just part of the culture now. And if you don't know how to integrate that in a way that is organic, it's going to remove the suspension of disbelief from the audience.
Sadie: As a filmmaker and playing the game that is basketball, do you see any crossover when it comes to directing onset and working with that team versus playing on the court?
Jingyi: First of all, I love your use of crossover. I hope that was on purpose. [laughs] I think there absolutely is in so many different ways. Maybe that's just because I play basketball, and I see everything as basketball at this point. I think what I learned, and that I took away from, especially on this is filmmaking is so much about planning. It's about having a vision of how things will go. And you assemble the whole team, and you make plans. And you say, ‘This person is going to do this, and this person is going to do this. And we're gonna go down the lane to score 20 points.’ And then the day comes, and of course, it doesn't go that way. And everything that you expected to happen doesn't happen. But that's what basketball is. You practice hours and hours, and you run all these plays, and you do all this stuff.
At the end of the day, though, the game is going to be totally different than what you planned for. And it's your ability to react to that situation and make the most of it and still win that makes you a champion. There's a lot of times where, I will look at my DP [Ross Riege] or Bloom [Li], and we will look at each other, 'What would Kobe do?' [laughs] ‘because it ain't going good right now,’ [laughs] But what would Kobe do? He wouldn't be whining and moping about it. There were so many crazy things that happened that really threw my original vision out of whack. But at the end of the day, I got my squad, I got my team, and we practiced too hard to let this game slip away.
Chang Can Dunk will premiere exclusively on Disney+ on March 10, 2023.
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Sadie Dean is the Editor of Script Magazine and writes the screenwriting column, Take Two, for Writer’s Digest print magazine. She is also the co-host of the Reckless Creatives podcast. Sadie is a writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, and received her Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from The American Film Institute. She has been serving the screenwriting community for nearly a decade by providing resources, contests, consulting, events, and education for writers across the globe. Sadie is an accomplished writer herself, in which she has been optioned, written on spec, and has had her work produced. Additionally, she was a 2nd rounder in the Sundance Screenwriting Lab and has been nominated for The Humanitas Prize for a TV spec with her writing partner. Sadie has also served as a Script Supervisor on projects for WB, TBS and AwesomenessTV, as well as many independent productions. She has also produced music videos, short films and a feature documentary. Sadie is also a proud member of Women in Film.
Follow Sadie and her musings on Twitter @SadieKDean
