Kong: Skull island director inspires RMIT students

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Kong: Skull island director inspires RMIT students

The director of Kong: Skull Island, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, toured the RMIT Vietnam Hanoi campus recently and had an opportunity to talk with students.

In an hour-long talk with first-year Professional Communication students, the newly-appointed Vietnam Tourism Ambassador offered his insights on how to achieve their career goals in the creative industries.

HONESTY IS KEY

Seeking out and giving honest feedback about the quality of the work was the director’s first message to the students.

“You should be honest to your friends and to anyone who is asking for your advice about their videos or work,” he said.

“The worst thing you can do is lie. Be supportive by giving constructive criticism.”

Vogt-Roberts also said it was important to be honest with yourself although it was hard and even painful sometimes because of the gap between your view of your work and its actual quality.

“You think (your product) is good but the quality of the things you made at the beginning is way down here. And that’s super painful. It takes a long time to close that gap.”

NEVER STOP

Another message from the Hollywood director to young film makers was to never stop creating and don’t wait for assignments to come your way.

“You have to keep going because if you stop for a second then you will fail. The only thing successful people in Hollywood have in common with each other is that they didn’t stop.

“As soon as you stop you are out of the game and then you can’t win.”

He reminded the students that they were learning their craft in a world where people make judgments very quickly, so it was vital not to give up easily.

BE YOURSELF

“Your path is your path. You’re not competing with any one. You’re the only one who can tell your story. Your point of view, the way you see things, the way you work things out. It’s unnecessary to rank yourself against others,” he said.

Mr Vogt-Roberts with students and staff at RMIT Vietnam's Hanoi City campus.

The 33-year-old director also added that students, especially RMIT students, now had a better chance of success as they were learning in an environment with many more available tools than his generation had.

“Then if you dare to dream, you will succeed,” he said.

Vogt-Roberts closed by saying he was very interested in collaborating with RMIT Vietnam students in the future. He will also be returning in June as a judge in the RMIT-sponsored 48 Hour Film Project.

Story: Pham Kieu Trang

Communication and design

Campus and community

22 May 2017