Today we’d like to introduce you to Yizhong Hu.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in a normal family in Beijing, China. My father is a cinematographer\director use to film documentary and commercial in China. I was not so sure about my profession until I made my first high school video project. That was the first time I cut the image with music together and play around with different cut. I feel so obsessive, I’m in love with this movie magic. And of course, my father was so happy to see me taking the same way as he did. After graduating from high school, I got some chance to working on the professional film set as a camera assistant, learned a lot about the film industry and basic camera technic. By 2017, I got a chance to shot a documentary as a cinematographer, captured the amount of gorgeous landscape and local culture by travel around China.
Which inspired me to became more respectful and thankful to nature. Base on that, I decided to take a step forward on refining my cinematography skills. That’s what takes me to Los Angeles, the capital of world film, the city of stars. In the New York Film Academy LA campus, I had a deeper understanding of film lighting and storytelling under the instruction of Tony Richmond ASC, BSC, Suki Medencevic ASC, PSC, and Jacek Laskus ASC, PSC. Practicing different lighting set up with my classmates is the most exciting part in the academy, those 100 years of polished knowledge of Hollywood cinematography lead us to a higher place, can’t be more appreciate about this opportunity. From 2019 to 2020, I have done more than 20 short films in LA as cinematographer and gaffer, and I am still working forward to become a better storyteller.
Has it been a smooth road?
So far it has been smooth, I appreciate everything and everyone I had now. If I have to say, the most struggle thing is how you position yourself as a cinematographer. I have been discussed this with my friend also my classmate Anselm Havu for the most of time besides technical talk. Sometimes you will lose yourself in the desire of creating a good image, you became more technical trying to catch up with those masterpieces, but lose the freedom of creating art. Don’t rush, it’s important to keep yourself poetic, spend time with yourself walking around the block or meditating will cultivate your sense, you will become more sensitive feeling the story, after all the initial intention of the image is to tell the story. “Let’s use no light, but only the sun.” we use to jocking like that. What inspired me the most is how these cinematographers for example Sven Nykvist, Christopher Doyle spend time alone in the filming location, thinking of the story and observing the atmosphere which the existing lights bring to the place. What a romantic thing to do.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Now I’m working in LA as a freelance cinematographer\ gaffer (main lighting technician), focus on narrative films. I was known for COMET-short film, MEMORY PAWNBROKER- short film and BOND-short film as the director of photography, those are still in the post-production and will be present in the film festival in the future. Besides cinematography, I enjoy working as a lighting technician the most. Well practiced on lighting, knowing what kind of gears works on what kind of situation can help you become more initiative on set. Especially in the low budget situation, you will be able to maximize the capability of the restricted budget.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like LA cause it where my dream has started, also because I am to close to it, it becomes so true and so hard to catch up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yizhonghu.com
- Phone: 8186293768
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harry_yizhong/
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