Today we’d like to introduce you to Sevag Chahinian.
Sevag, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Early on in my life, I wanted to express my creativity and was drawn to any art form for that reason. I would play music and experimented with learning new instruments to see what can be created. This knack to be creative also led me to put together music videos from VHS recordings of cartoons edited to music. As I got older, my understanding of how everyday things can be transformed into a compelling and impactful story grew and directed me towards my new profession.
Being a first-generation American from an Armenian immigrant family, I have deep cultural ties to my heritage and family outside of the U.S. Besides visiting different parts of the world where my extended family was, I also volunteered with humanitarian organizations on missions to rural regions in Armenia at an early age. Through these experiences, I was exposed to perspectives, lifestyles and realities in different cultures that are different from my own. Recognized for being tech-savvy by my older peers, I was naturally nominated to film our endeavors and edit short documentaries for when we returned to the U.S. This was the project that made me realize where my true passion lied. Watching as their expressions changed to not only see the experience, but the feel emotion attached to it made me realize the impact film can have on humanity and that I wanted to be a part of that.
After my time with the humanitarian organizations, I wanted more to do in this field while contributing to the community around me. I decided to volunteer at my local public access TV station. I took training courses there and contributed to a live broadcast team for a show and became an integral part of the production soon after. By the next year, I had developed my skills to the point where I was able to direct the show myself every week. Because of my experience from that, I was hired on as a producer/editor at a local TV broadcast station in high school where I later became a lead on creating and directing multiple documentary series’ portraying a variety of stories within the community. After a few years of growing within the company, I decided it was the right time to apply to my dream school to take the next step in my career.
I applied to USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in 2016 and was accepted into the program. This was a surreal moment for me because I never thought I would have the requirements to get into such a prestigious school knowing how competitive it was. This was the point where I was validated in my dreams of being a part of the film industry and truly began to hone in on my style and craft to the highest degree.
Being drawn to the visual aspects of film, combined with a technical understanding of the equipment, I was intrigued by the cinematography portion of projects. That being said, my want to tell stories went beyond being the cinematographer and I began to focus more on writing and directing my own projects as well. In school, I worked on as many different projects as I could as a cinematographer while writing and directing my own short narratives and music videos. Through the program I built friendships and collaborators which is the immediate network around me for projects I am a part of or create today.
Since graduating and getting a taste of the real world, I have gone into the industry as a freelance filmmaker working on a variety of projects such as music videos for major artists, commercials for companies like Google, short films such as “What Daphne Saw” and feature films such as “Voodoo Macbeth” that was in association with Warner Brothers. I try and push the boundaries of what I can do with my storytelling in every new project I work on. Always looking for the next story to tell. I have been blessed that my work has taken me to new places around the nation to shoot films in collaboration with other filmmakers from all over the world.
Ultimately, I love to share stories and evoke emotions in those watching my work and if I can transport them into the film for even just a moment in their day, then I have achieved my dreams.
Has it been a smooth road?
There have definitely been challenges on the way to where I am and I’m sure there will be many more to come. A challenge that was tough to overcome from the beginning was even deciding to go into an artistic profession. Coming from a family where no one has a profession in the arts, it made it more difficult for me to pursue my passion and justify my decision. Alongside that, because I was the first of my friends and family to pursue a career in this field, I had little to no professional support or guidance leaving me feeling lost on where to start sometimes.
After working at the broadcast TV studio, I became comfortable with my steady paying job and busy work life but felt I was not pursuing my true passions. Having a reliable paying job made it difficult to leave and start fresh when I got accepted into USC. I went from having positive income to heavy debt with no income very quickly, but it was one of the best decisions I have made. It was scary, but I was finally pursuing my dreams and it gave me direction, a sense of purpose and an even more drive to succeed. Even though it is unsettling to think there is no secure job in my future anymore, I could not imagine doing anything else in my life. I put all my eggs in this basket and will never look back. Giving myself no option to fail has gotten me this far and serves as a fire underneath me pushing me to always continue to progress.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am an LA native filmmaker specializing in cinematography and directing. I have found that I lean towards certain stories that have darker imagery with an unsettling undertone and enjoy working on projects that incorporate aspects in the film that are exhilarating such as action sequences or psychological thriller genres and visuals inspired by neo noir. A goal of mine for each of my projects is to achieve unorthodox or unique concepts and shots to give the audience a new perspective not ordinarily seen in films. Some aspects that are a part of my visual style lately have been incorporating big camera movements that combine shots giving a grand feeling to the scenes that call for it. I always try and expand the horizons of what I can do on each new project both conceptually and technically, making each one special and unique to me personally in its own way.
One released project that has impacted me is “What Daphne Saw” directed by Lizz Marshall. Though the film had its challenges, we were able to achieve our goals with blood sweat and tears as a team on the project, in the end, creating a film we are proud of. Aesthetically it had the vein of “Black Mirror” and “Handmaid’s Tale”, which gave me the opportunity to experiment and combine a dark and unsettling style with a beautiful storyline that was complementary with the visual story.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sevagchahinian.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sevagchahinian/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sevag.chahinian
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