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Master Class - Gu Xue
SmallRig awards 2025-10-22 20:02:07
How to Start Your FamilyLens Creation
Master Class - Gu Xue
Director, Curator
Master of Arts from the Communication University of China
Founder of FamilyLens
"Everyone around you is a treasure trove of stories."
From The Chinese Plaster, which explores family tension and generational conflict in a traditional plaster shop, to The Choice, which deals with decisions regarding a loved one in the ICU, Gu Xue has long focused her lens on the dynamics of family. She believes the camera is a subtle and powerful tool when it comes to family relationships: "The moment you pick up a camera, it changes the way you interact with your family. It opens up space for conversation, connection, and even companionship. Without it, it's just everyday life. With it, you suddenly gain a new way of seeing things."
At her master class, Gu Xue shared her latest project—a documentary on family relationships during the pandemic. She gathered her mother's ten siblings and their families, asking each individual to read a piece of pandemic-related news in their own living room. Ten families, dozens of voices, came together to build a rich, layered narrative of the time.
"If you look at your family with fresh eyes, you'll realize just how fascinating they are. That curiosity becomes a kind of power. These people share your blood, and that gives their stories an emotional warmth. You see humanity through them."
To Gu Xue, family video is one of the freest forms of filmmaking because it's deeply personal. It's really about whether you're willing to put yourself into it—whether you're brave enough to ask the hard questions about your family, your past, or yourself. It's a journey that takes courage, but if you're open to it, it can lead you somewhere unexpected.
"Treat family video as a way of writing yourself into the story. You're telling your story, uncovering your truths. What are you trying to say? What are you trying to express? It's okay not to know yet. That's exactly why you start filming. As you shoot, you think—and slowly, things begin to take shape. The camera becomes a kind of momentum, a force that drives your understanding forward."
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