I dreamed of being a cartoonist. I loved storytelling. But I sucked at drawing so I finally gave up.

Watching indie movies made me realize that I could make a movie, too. And they’re just as cool as big budget blockbusters like Jurassic Park and Titanic. It’s all about the ideas.

I’m a realist so I have to plan everything very carefully. That’s why I chose to study liberal arts instead of motion pictures, as I wanted to earn a living even if I couldn’t make movies. I thought that I could always learn the techniques to make a film later.

Never abandon your dreams. Even though I studied liberal arts, I still chased my dream of making movies. I’ve been doing shorts films since I was a sophomore at Chulalongkorn. One of my movies, See, won the popular vote and finished second at the Fat Film Fest 4 in 2006.

Graduating is a real test of your determination. It’s a time when everyone ponders where their life is really headed.

Push yourself to the edge when it comes to things you want, and then you will know whether you’ve got what it takes. I quit my first job and applied to be an intern at GTH as I wanted to learn film editing techniques. I ended up as one of their scriptwriters thanks to my movie See.

Live your life according to your own reality. Everyone has different ways of managing their lives, so you can’t use the same logic as others. I always remind myself that my family isn’t rich, so I can’t pour all my money into making a movie.

No matter how much you say you don’t care about making money from your film, you still need money to live.

Making a movie is like mixing chemicals. It’s experimental and you never know what the outcome will be, until you sit down in the editing room. Sometimes unexpected magic happens during shooting, like beautiful birds flying into the frame. This is the big charm of making films.

There is no way you can stick 100% to a plan when shooting. My friends always joke that I love to make detailed plans but I picked a field where you can’t control anything perfectly.

There’s nothing to be gained from not trying. I sent 36 to the Busan International Film Festival because I wanted to reach a bigger audience. It only cost B200 to enter, so I sent it off. I was really surprised that it won the New Currents award. Just recently, mine was one of only three film projects chosen to receive funding as part of the Biennale College – Cinema of the Venice International Film Festival.

People need to stop judging movies on whether they are indie or mainstream. Indie does not automatically mean cool, nor does mainstream mean bad. You can take valuable insights from all sorts of films; for instance, Thai people’s love of comedies and ghost movies reveals a love of light-relief and superstition.

Making movies is about making something new. Gaining awards just makes more people interested in my work, so I don’t really feel any extra pressure over whether my upcoming projects will be successful or not.

You don’t need to think big to get what you want. I believe in doing small projects to the best of my abilities. The end result is bound to be more satisfying.

Screening movies is now easier than ever before. It was almost impossible to get a screen in the theaters in the old days because of all the middle-men. Now movie-makers can just talk to places like BACC, Apex, Alliance Francaise or House RCA directly. The elements of a screening are simply a room, a projector, speakers and chairs. That’s all.

Social media is the only tool to really communicate with people for free. I had no choice but to use it to promote my movies, including 36. Originally I only wanted to screen it for a small group of people, rather than take it nationwide.

New technologies always change people’s behavior. But some don’t notice this. It affects relationships, too. Now those who don’t have a mobile phone, it’s like they are cut off from the world.

We grow up with yes or no choices in exams, and when it comes to real life, people are left seeing things in black and white. Thankfully, in recent years, more people are realizing that there are grey areas, too. Online discussions also help people think carefully, as they learn to listen to both sides before criticizing.

Sorry seems to be the hardest word for people nowadays. Everyone makes mistakes, but many are too egotistical to admit they are the one in the wrong.

I love work that I can do on my own, like writing books, as I often do, or designing t-shirts. It’s all me. Even movies, I’d love to do it all by myself, but it’s just not possible.

Reading is so important. The older I get, the more I realize that. A book lets you travel without stepping out of your room. I love the fact that books are full of details, while movies are more filtered by directors. It’s up to you to get the most out of books.

Book shops are my heaven. They’re quiet, but they’re always changing as new stock is brought in. I love picking something up off the shelf that I’ve never seen. It’s a new discovery every time.