CHANGING THE WORLD FROM A DENTAL CHAIR: Confidence and resilience are skills that can be developed and mastered
“ Stubbornness can be a quality in the shoes of an entrepreneur. ”
- Dr. Bak Nguyen, from CHANGING THE WORLD FROM A DENTAL CHAIR
So I went to the core team and gave them two choices: either we called it off, or, if they had faith in me, I could try to take over and deliver a movie, knowing that I had no experience directing. They all decided to give it a try. I learned to direct on the spot and took over the entire project. But first, we needed a plan.
To make matters worse, we reviewed all the footage of the last two years, to find out that only 10% was good enough to make it to the final cut. With no money left, that was a dead end. I kept my cool and edited the only scene I had into a « masterpiece ».
I went to the students association of the University of Montreal and showed them a « preview » of our work! They were amazed! They did not know that was it, that I had nothing more to show! They never asked for anything more...
I gained in confidence and asked for more money and more resources to finish the film. Basically, I got everything that I was asking for! I had to redraft the script to fit it within our new budget. Then, I spent the next year filming and wrapping up the footage. I went through the whole process with a reduced team of friends, more dedicated to save me from drowning than to deliver a film. This is where loyalty became more than a concept to me. By the end of my third year in dental school, I was finally facing a positive ledger!
Now it was time to edit the movie; again, a field in which I had no knowledge nor interest. My partner from med school came back and offered his services to edit. I was relieved: I still needed to go through the musical production of the project. Yes, we were composing and recording our own soundtrack.
Ever had the feeling
That you were born for something?
That God has blessed you
And Lucifer has bet on you?
I don’t believe in fate or destinyBut I want my part of glory.
- Dr. Bak Nguyen, from CHANGING THE WORLD FROM A DENTAL CHAIR
Those were the lyrics of one of the theme song. After a week and a half into our editing budget, my partner was proud to show us one scene, one great scene, but one single scene! So I thanked him but went on to find a better way.
I bought some key equipment and started my new editing career. As it turned out, I was a natural! I learned pretty quickly and smoothly. I guess the only way to know is to try! Stubbornness and pride took care of the learning curve. By the beginning of my fourth and final year in dental, I was finally on time. The film was scheduled to premiere by January at an international student conference.…