An Interview with Sandor Lau
In this interview, conducted July 16, 2013, writer and filmmaker Sandor Lau answers questions about his plans to produce a TV series called Sandor’s Oregon Trail. To make this show, writer and filmmaker Sándor Lau plans to walk 2,000 miles from Independence, Missouri, to the Willamette Valley in the footsteps of the pioneers, trying to avoid stepping on buffalo pies and prairie trout. Along the way he meets modern day homesteaders, Indians and reenactors keeping the spirit of the Trail alive. Through careful consultation with rivers and mountains, bison and salmon, Sándor discovers the center of the universe in the middle of nowhere. In Sandor's Oregon Trail, he finds the center of the universe in the middle of nowhere.
Think of it as the love child of Woody Allen, Ken Burns and Ira Glass. This is a living history documentary—no old photographs or scratchy black and white film. Hand-drawn animation by Corrie Francis Parks brings out maps and pictures of what was. The story of the past is written in the personalities of the present—spiritual descendants of emigrants and tribes of the Trail who become Sándor’s guides on the journey of half a million lifetimes.
This project exemplifies the challenges that one faces and the creativity one must invest in order to create a successful TV series in the modern commercial world. Even the most well conceived plans must overcome what can be insurmountable obstacles.
The Interview:
About Sandor Lau:
Sándor is the only Chinese-Hungarian-American-New Zealander and the Eagle Scout and Fulbright Scholar your mother warned you about. He’s the director of award-winning films Sándor’s New Zealand Trail and Squeegee Bandit and was nominated as the New Zealand New Filmmaker of the Year. More on Sándor at www.sandorlau.com.
Web links:
Oregon National Historic Trail (National Park Service)
Oregon Trail (Wikipedia)
Sandor Lau (YouTube)
Sandor’s Oregon Trail (Facebook)
Sandor’s Oregon Trail (WordPress)