Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheng-Ting Shen.
Hi Sheng-Ting, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Since high school, I have had a deep passion for storytelling through moving images. At first, my parents didn’t want me to pursue filmmaking; therefore, I studied foreign languages as my major in college. However, I didn’t give up any chance of being a filmmaker. I took film classes and directed a couple of shorts during college. I also started to intern as a camera assistant at Public Television Station. After graduation, I’ve worked as an editor, videographer, and producer in film, documentary, and commercial in Taiwan. In 2019, I came to the United States to study for a master’s degree in film. I have written and directed award-winning short films during these years, including “Bad News,” which won New York Film Awards, Finalist in Oregon Short Film festival, and other 15 nominations and awards. “Bad News” was also screened in LA during the 2022 Marina del Rey Film Festival. “I’m not Alone, I have a Dog” won the best mini short film at SHORT to the point film festival. My recent short film, “The Coolest Club,” is also on its festival circuit.
I now work as a full-time video editor and producer. I’m also an assistant director, in which I played a critical role in film productions by planning the schedule and managing the set during filming.
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?
At first, my parents don’t support me working in the film and TV industry. I spent years proving to them that what I’m doing is not only what I love, but it’s also my career, and I made a lot of achievements. These few years, they slowly understood what working in film and TV means to me, and I slowly got more support from them. Another obstacle is writing scripts as an English as Second Language speaker. While I wrote a couple of dark comedy scripts, it was definitely not well accepted at first because of the wording and making the tone suitable. Luckily I have a lot of wonderful friends here who helped me sculpt the script and make it to the next level.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Some of my highlights as a Writer and Director are my short film “Bad News,” which captures moments of a mother who needs to gather her strength to tell her daughter the bad news about her father. This short film was selected and won over 15 film festivals. My latest short film, “The Coolest Club,” combined the dark comedy genre with motion graphics and comic elements into the film. It’s a really cool film, if I may say so myself. I’m currently in the development stage of a feature script, “Hugo in the Pigpen,” with writer Jing-Ting, Shih. This script was selected for the Excellent Screenplay Award in Taiwan. Besides writing and directing, I’m also a video editor, producer, and assistant director. As an editor, I worked on well-known campaigns, such as New York Fashion Week and Brooklyn Nets 2022 Chinese New Year Celebration. One of my works, a collaboration with the New York Fashion Week Talent Awards, has been displayed on Time Square Billboard. As an assistant director, I’m fortunate that I worked with people who won Tribeca Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Academy Award, and more.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I developed a strong passion for images when I was young. I used to take photos with my father’s film camera. But it was not till high school that I got interested in filmmaking. We had a class where we needed to film a short film as our class assignment. I remember having so much fun filming and editing with Window Movie Maker, and we made a scrappy short film that everyone loved. That’s when I decided filmmaking and editing were the paths I wanted to be in.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.sheng-tingshen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecoolestclubshort/
Image Credits:
Poster Design by Yi-Chun, Lin
