Today we’d like to introduce you to Zeping Sun
Hi Zeping, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a director, producer, animator and visual artist based in LA. As a Gen-Z, I have been surrounded by mixed media since I was born. So I have explored and thought a lot about the medium. Since middle school, I spent my free time learning design and hand-drawing. During my undergraduate studies, I attended Beijing Union University, majoring in Digital Media Art, where I focused more on live-action filming and the study and creation of various other media. For example, My works in the past have covered animated films, 3D and live-action synthesized short films, VR games, CG design, 3D printing, AR, and many other forms. After that, I was honored to receive an offer from USC School of Cinematic Arts, so I came to Los Angeles last year to pursue a master’s degree in Expanded Animation program. I plan to use various media and innovative methods to create artworks of different shapes and themes and to realize the expansion of visual art presentation. Nowadays I also focus on digital media cognitive study, humanistic research, and creative sensorial media practice.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
For me, this has definitely not been a smooth journey; it has been a path filled with both challenges and luck. Since high school, I aspired to pursue a career related to art and design. At that time, my goal was to attend one of China’s top art academies. However, fate had other plans, and due to various reasons, I couldn’t achieve that goal. Instead, I ended up at a comprehensive university in Beijing. Fortunately, I was able to choose a major I liked and had the opportunity to explore different forms of digital media. During my undergraduate studies, I worked even harder, actively gaining practical experience both on and off campus.
I set USC as my target back then because I knew it had a world-class film school and a rich campus culture and resources. I was eager to continue advancing my professional knowledge, so during my undergraduate years, while maintaining a GPA that consistently ranked first in my department for four years, I also participated in feature films and commercial advertising projects during winter and summer breaks. My personal works were also shortlisted in several international film festivals, and eventually, I received an offer from USC, finally realizing my dream of coming to Los Angeles.
Looking back on this journey, every step is a testament to my sweat and hard work. However, USC is not the end for me but rather a new starting point. I will continue to work hard at USC, striving to achieve my next goal through dedicated creation.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I emphasize the integration of various media because of my educational background in different disciplines. I actively participate in various commercial projects and have extensive experience in the full process of film production. I have been involved in feature films and have worked on commercials for companies like Dior, SK-II, HUAWEI, Mercedes Benz, VIVO, and Changan Automobile. I have also contributed to the visual design of new media 3D imagery and animation for musicians, including CC is dreaming and HEAD IN THE CLOUDS FOREVER: 88Rising & Coachella Festival, as well as the Harvard CAM Lab Shadow Cave Digital Exhibition.
As an independent director, my film ‘Trapped’ was selected for the Duemila30 film festival, JCI Batangas Balisong Film Festival, MICE Film Festival, ‘The Green Room’ Film Festival, Egyptian American Film Festival, and Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions. Another film, ‘Vergehen,’ was selected for the Digerati Experimental Media Festival, Moving Images Videodance Festival, Lotus International Arts Festival, and Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions, and received an Honorable Mention for the Experimental Film Award at the Centrally Isolated Film Festival.
I believe that my sensitivity and curiosity towards various media allow me to create diverse artistic works, and I hope to continue blending different media in the future.
What matters most to you?
Creative freedom and cross-media, multicultural expression are most important to me because my background allows me to freely cross boundaries in my work, combining different elements to create unique pieces. This uninhibited creativity and the fusion of innovation inspire me, enabling me to create visual expressions for a variety of themes. As someone from another culture, participating in international commercial projects and cross-cultural artistic creations has given me the valuable opportunity to share different cultures on a global scale. Through my work, different cultures can understand each other, resonate, and create new connections through the language of visuals.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sirensun3.wixsite.com/zeping
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siren3o?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560517137964&mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Twitter: https://x.com/ZepingSuno
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ZepingSun
- Other: https://www.xinpianchang.com/u12699710?xpcApp=xpc&channel=link&type=URL&from=share
