We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Honglin(Adam) Zhu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Honglin(Adam) below.
Honglin(Adam), so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
From the start, I never thought about becoming a filmmaker. At first, I wanted to be a journalist. But when I began college in 2017 at Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College in Zhuhai, China, I chose to study Cinema and Television (CTV) upon my mom’s suggestion. In my major, there were many courses covering different aspects of filmmaking, and as I learned more, I started to really like it.
Film History was one of the most important courses for me. It helped me understand how the film industry developed from the beginning. The French New Wave period impressed me the most because it always motivated me to keep my enthusiasm for filmmaking. What really influenced me was when I started to watch Japanese movies in a course called Asian Cinema. I loved Hirokazu Koreeda, a Japanese director. The way he talks about film and life really impressed me and inspired my final-year project. I directed a short family drama film based on my childhood. It wasn’t perfect, but it meant a lot to me.
During that time, some other filmmakers also inspired me, like Wong Kar-wai, Diao Yinan, Jiang Wen, Stephen Chow, Quentin Tarantino, and Martin Scorsese. After graduating, I decided to study cinematography because I think a cinematographer is the second most important person in the crew after the director. It creates the overall look of a film. So, I went to Chapman University and studied cinematography. I’ve met many skilled people and seen more films. I got chances to shoot different genres, and I really enjoyed that. Learning and living in a different country have been unique experiences that helped me discover my own filmmaking style.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Currently, I’ve been working solely as a DP, which is exactly what I want to do for a lifetime. In this role, I believe I excel at capturing the emotions of characters. I can choose specific shot sizes, lens lengths, or movements to convey the genuine feelings of a character. Additionally, I’m a strong advocate for using natural lights. I prefer practical lights in the location or sunlight because the resulting image appears more authentic with natural lighting. Moreover, my lighting approach is logical and grounded in the real environment of the scene, ensuring it doesn’t look artificial on the monitor.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
One is humility. As a new and young DP, while some shots in my works may look great, it doesn’t signify everything. There’s a wealth of knowledge for me to acquire and many people I can learn from. I recognize that the world is vast, and I’m just a small piece of it. However, it’s equally essential to be confident. Confidence helps me keep my enthusiasm so that I’m not afraid of any challenges. Another one is watching movies as many as you can, which is so important for a filmmaker. You can learn from them, use them as reference and find personal style. It could also fulfill your life experience. The last one is try to talk more all the time. The industry needs people who talk more because talking more means more communication, which is the key to making a good film. I’m not a person who loves to talk but I’m changing myself and I found that it is quite useful. It makes the communication better.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
Since I’m only 25 and haven’t entered the industry yet, at present, I aspire to work on as many projects as possible to practice what I’ve learned and showcase my skills as a DP. However, there aren’t many projects available within the school. I’m eager to explore opportunities outside the school, such as TV commercials and TV drama. Consequently, I am eager not to miss any chance to work as a DP right now. I hope I can get the chance to working on all kinds of project.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/double2pig/
Image Credits
Yuang Li
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