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Meet Jay Jong of Dejong Film in Orange County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jay Jong.

Jay, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started out as a camera operator. I mainly shot people and I especially focused on capturing their emotions. Capturing emotions plays a vital role in storytelling because emotions and conflicts that derive from these emotions are the hallmark of storytelling. “No conflict, No story” (Mark Batterson) Observing these human emotions through lenses is very fascinating.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Ultimately, a good film must satisfy the viewer. Whether it’d be emption, sadness or happiness, it needs to move the hearts of the viewers and make them reach into their mind. It should make viewers think. But at the same time, it mustn’t be boring. It should not be explained but understood. It should be able to touch hearts without having to beg for understanding. Whether it is a commercial video, a music video or even a private event video, it should be the same. This is the biggest challenge for any filmmaker.

Please tell us about Dejong Film.
Recently, our work has been selected in the showcase of the aerospace division at the Anchorage International Film Festival. A respected pastor and a prominent writer, Joshua C Kang, Ph.D. reviewed the work with following comments:

“It is a touching work. It is beautiful. Peace is at work together with a sense of urgency. The scenery is beautiful and the world of light is beautiful. It is a work that puts together the sky, the earth, the sea and the river. The birds, cars and the people running together makes his work come together. Blessings.”

We try our best to shoot films that carry scent of human. We are immersed in making film of humanity. All my crewmembers are musicians, writers and travelers. We are not merely a group of people who pursue excellence in video technology; we are a group of human beings that yearns to play “lifesongs”. We create films that embrace the value of life and the value of humanity.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Media and content are two different things. Even if there is a rapid development and change in the media, it is still the power of contents that move the minds. PSY’s Gangnam Style didn’t become famous because of the media. Many people used social media like YouTube and Instagram, but these media did not make PSY famous. People were simply moved by the strong contents that he created.

It will incline to be so more in the future. It isn’t difficult to create a great motion media right from home these days. Contents that are pulled by style and trendy technology will no longer move the hearts. The strength of content will determine the effectiveness its media.

So, content is the essence, and great contents develop from wholly understanding “who I am”. You have to be you, and I have to be me. That is our mission. Each of us captures “who I am” when we shoot. It is our role to embody this unchanging aspect. That’s the reason we shoot, fully embodying “who I am”.

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