Meet Jeff Yang of Monterey Park / Orange

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Yang.

Hi Jeff, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Jeff Yang, an aspiring colorist here in LA. I was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, came to LA in August 2024, for my MFA degree in Editing at Chapman University.

My filmmaking journey started from my undergraduate, at National ChengChi University. At that time, I was doing a lot of gaffing and post production. I found the magic in color grading because I wanted to make my image look as professional as possible, and then I just fall in love with it. I try to teach myself how to be a colorist to a point where I feel like I am familiar enough with the software and tools I use. That is the time I decided to seek for opportunities in professional world.

I got an internship in Persist Film Studio, a post house specializing in music videos and commercials. There, I learn how colorist approach his image and how he created such beautiful images. He shared a lot of insights for me, which made me more efficient at my work.

After graduation, I went to Photon Studio, a post house specialize in commercials. The colorist there brought me into a lot of sessions, so I learned a lot on how to interact with clients, which was a very precious experience for me and impacted me on how I run my session.

Fast forward to I moved here, with all the experience I had previously, I was working on a lot of projects. And then I met Natasha Leonnet, the colorist of La La Land, in a color grading class at Chapman. She taught me a lot on the basics and how to be more efficient, which took my work to another level. She also got me an internship at Pictureshop, one of the biggest post-production facility around the world. There I met Walter Volpatto, also an incredible colorist. He taught me how to think in a different perspective on how to color my film, which made me even faster and more organic on my work.

That is basically my story in color grading, it might somehow brings me to where I am today.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a colorist is no easy work. You need a lot of knowledge on not only the work itself, but also knowing different color spaces, how to troubleshoot on the spot when the clients are sitting next to you, how to run a session, and so much more.

Another challenges is not how good you are on doing your job, but also who you know, who you are working with. I think this challenge is shared mutually with student editor/DPs and so on. We love what we are doing but we also want to work on something bigger, and this is hard because we all have to start with either passion projects or low budget projects to build portfolio, and as colorist, I got to rely on the DPs, if they get a bigger project, they might bring me on board, and that’s the hardest thing I think on this profession.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a colorist specialize in narrative short films and music videos, with a focus on emotional storytelling through color. My work is to use color and contrast to support the director’s vision, and I’m known for my strong technical background and my sense in color to enrich story.

One thing I’m most proud of is being able to collaborate closely with emerging directors and cinematographers. Many of them are still discovering their visual identity, and I love being the person who helps clarify and elevate that vision through color.

What sets me apart is not just technical skill or color science knowledge, it’s my ability to listen and translate abstract emotions into tangible visual language. I always try to build my sessions into a space where directors feel seen and heard, whether we’re doing remote sessions or in-person reviews.

I believe that color grading is not just about making things look good, it’s also about making things feel right.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was born and raised in Taipei, in Asia, I think it has a totally different vibe versus growing up here. My parents always tell me if I decide to do something, always try to be the best. I think that somehow shaped me, and it might also affect my decision to come to LA to peruse a dream to become a colorist here. Hollywood is like NBA or MLB, I am like hundreds of others who learned how to play basketball or baseball, and want to play in the major league, and I think growing up in Taiwan, I always dream to be one of the person that play in the major leagues.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeff_colour?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr