Call us creepy fangirls, but we have a slight obsession with Wong Fu Productions, a YouTube channel featuring three aspiring video-journalists: Philip Wang, Ted Fu and Wesley Chan.
With over 2 million subscribers and counting, Wong Fu has never ceased to amaze us with its relatable, quirky shorts and heartbreaking dramas. We basically grew up with Wong Fu. The channel’s emotional dramas touched our hearts and its funny “Wong Fu Weekends” vlogs helped us bond with our sisters.
Every video showcases an overwhelming talent in film, videography and post production, as their shooting and editing techniques feature modern and simplistic aesthetics.
Moreover, the group’s welcoming personalities make viewers feel as if they are their old friends. Why wouldn’t you subscribe to them? (Spring would like to mention that, having met them in 2013 at a joint concert they hosted with Far East Movement and International Secret Agents, ISA, she guarantees they are even cooler in person.)
Knowing this, it would not be surprising that the first item on our summer bucket list is seeing their first feature film, “Everything Before Us,” which will come to theaters on June 3.
“Everything Before Us” revolves around two couples whose “relationship dynamics” are documented by the Department of Emotional Integrity (DEI). The department assigns a publicly viewed “relationship score” to keep partners accountable for their significant other’s choices. As a result, the two couples both face challenges in their relationships within the rules of the DEI.
The teaser opens with a black screen displaying the words “For over ten years, Wong Fu has shared their stories,” transitioning through snippets of their fans’ favorite projects. Honestly speaking, the trailer made us both tear up a little, knowing that their movie will be just as great as past videos have been.
In previous years, the three created the plot lines for their videos, directed and selected their own actors and makeup artists. Some of their most popular videos include a music video for Taiwanese singing sensation Wang Lee Hom, and other collaborations with YouTuber Ryan Higa (nigahiga), “Fresh Off the Boat” actor Randall Park and Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin.
For their first feature film, however, they needed as much help as they could get, both on and off set.
On Feb. 6, 2014, Wong Fu launched its first fundraising campaign for the film on Indiegogo, encouraging fans and subscribers to offer financial support them as they took on their most challenging project yet. Prizes for donations included anything from air hugs and cartoon drawings by Chan to a visit behind-the-scenes of the set.
After four long weeks of publicizing their Indiegogo on their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media, Wong Fu had raised $358,308 in March 2014, surpassing their goal by over $100,000.
At the end of six months of preparation and filming, the team finally announced the completion of their film. On April 9, Wong Fu launched a long-awaited teaser, showcasing stars such as Park and actor Ki Hong Lee from “The Maze Runner.”
With the film’s release just around the corner, we could not be more excited. Having binge-watched nearly all of Wong Fu’s 432 videos, it is more than likely that you will see us sobbing, laughing and dying from nostalgia all at once on June 3. The feels will be real, and you wouldn’t want to miss it for the world.