Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Wongchinda.
Ray, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born in San Francisco, but I grew up in Orange County right next to Los Angeles. I was never the budding filmmaker in my early years. My life in Orange County was as stereotypical as it gets: boardsports, beaches, and Costco. I wish I was that kid with my dad’s camera, making movies in the front yard. I was too busy skating.
Don’t get me wrong. Like many, I’ve always loved good story and movies were a big part of my good story consumption. But, I think at that time in my life, movies were so magical and the industry so unconventional, it never occurred to me that I could ever be a part of making them. So, when not adding scars to my body skateboarding, or lost in movies, I could be found with my nose in physics books in a naive effort to fundamentally understand the world around me. I had so many questions about so many things. Physics seemed as fundamental a path there was to any answers. Eventually, I majored in mechanical engineering and computer science, with dreams of empowering myself to create with more conventional mediums than celluloid.
My older sister was the artist in the family and a wonderful inspiration in my life. Working as a model maker at top special effects studios in LA, she contributed to many movies including “Starship Troopers,” “The Fifth Element,” and “Armageddon.” I believe my time with her in the studio and seeing how movies were actually made, started the transition in my thinking. Maybe this was something I could be a part of? Eventually, I began winding down my work as a software engineer. With quite a bit of soul searching, I started teaching myself still photography and then eventually moved on to cinematography. Still photography was where my passion built fast, where I fell in love with the quality and directionality of light, and where I saw the potential of story in visuals, even within a still image. Eventually, I found my engineering background assisted with the technicality of photography and camera movement. Fusing my technical understanding, love of storytelling, and passion for photographic art and design led me to cinematography.
From there, it was about shooting short films and finding my voice. Eventually, I was offered the opportunity to shoot my first feature film, the most intense jump of my career. The sheer emotional and physical stamina required was astonishing to me, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I feel like I crawled out of that experience in shreds, with just enough energy to lift a fist of victory to the sky. Each subsequent feature had it’s adventures, but never like that first one. Here I am now, having been fortunate enough to travel the world, shooting narrative feature films in Bolivia, France, Jamaica, Ghana, and around the United States. I hope to add quite a few countries to that list in the future.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t know a single person who is working, or trying to work, in the movie industry and doesn’t think it has been a struggle. A big hurdle is financially surviving until you achieve critical mass with professional relationships and craft. For the most part, a Director of Photography in the narrative space is hired as an independent contractor. It’s very rarely a full-time gig. For that reason, I look at any money I earn as a one-time gift from the movie gods, to be handled with respect and not squandered. If I fall out of favor, I would like to maintain a roof over my head.
What’s more, there is no set path. All of the filmmakers who inspire me have a different story to their success. It can be incredibly liberating and at the same time, all so daunting. It’s a chaos of passion, strategy, and defeat, with the rare makes-it-all-worth-it moments. But, those moments are undeniable! It all reminds me of an intense workout, the struggle defines progress and the aftermath is full with achievement, growth, and hope. I think there’s a reason top filmmakers will make films until their bodies won’t let them anymore.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I recently worked on a feature, co-written and directed by Marcia Weekes, that follows a Jamaican national’s discovery of his ancestry with the Ashanti Tribe in Ghana, and the horrific realities of the African Diaspora. It was an eye-opening production for me, and I could not be more thankful for the opportunity to work on such a moving project that took me to places, geographically and emotionally, that I never would have discovered on my own.
I’m currently in pre-production for a true story set in 1970s East Germany, written and directed by Anthony Meindl. This is my third feature film with Tony, and there’s something incredibly exciting about working with somebody you’re close to. The inefficient formalities are shed, and you settle into a wonderful zone of creative efficiency and invention. Fused with Tony’s undeniable ability to bring out the best in actors and the powerful relevant story he has crafted, I could not be more motivated, focused, and excited.
I will also be shooting a documentary series co-created and produced by Nadia Sarmova. The series goal is to eliminate the stigma on mental health issues with teens and young adults. I have worked with Nadia on unscripted content before, so when she pitched me The Shift, I knew it would have a powerful impact on such an important and delicate subject. I think we all deal with unique struggles and it’s important we realize no one is alone in that regard. It’s a project that I hope will have meaningful impact and I’m proud to be a part of it.
At the end of the day, my passion for cinematography is rooted in my love of story and the human condition. Most of my favorite movies are just a bunch of people doing their best to communicate with each other. I don’t need much in terms of exotic sets and environments to love what I’m doing. If the message, story, and acting are there, you can be assured of my excitement at every lighting and camera setup.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Who doesn’t complain about LA traffic? If you think all that’s wasted is time, there’s a greater cost few will talk about. The real casualties of LA traffic are your relationships! Want to meet up for happy hour? Sorry, when I get there 90 minutes from now, happy hour’s over. Friend invites you to a free movie screening after work? You might make the end credits. Moving to the westside? Guess your eastside friends will never see you again! The insane traffic combined with the distances involved with LA life can be friendship ending. Thankfully, there are new friends to be made right where you live, and there’s a good chance they’re more interesting anyway because, well… variety is good!
All joking aside, diversity in this city has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of my experience here. It is incredibly satisfying for me to have somebody change my views and perceptions. Since I moved to LA, that has become commonplace. Change is at the core of the art that I love, and in Los Angeles I’m offered the culture and diversity I need for growth as an artist and as a person.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.raywongchinda.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artificialray/
Image Credits:
Moroni Javier Pozo Hernandez
Gustavo Dias da Silva
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