Meet Siwei Steven Zhou

We had the good fortune of connecting with Siwei Steven Zhou and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Siwei Steven, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
As someone pursuing a creative career, I find work-life balance a weird subject because I never really stop “working” in some way. Life is the source of our creativity; every moment I live provides me with something that can go into the final product I produce. Of course, family is always my priority. One thing you would never have more is time with family and friends, and that should be treasured at all times.
I am very blessed to have friends and family who are as passionate about the creative business as I am, so our “off-time” talk still relates to how we can create. With time, that became a harmony of some sort.
In addition, pursue a career that you are passionate about. That passion is infectious; it attracts people with a similar passion, and they will become your friends of a lifetime.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am excited about life, being human and that’s what I think sets me apart from others. To explain that, I’d like to mention a favorite quote of mine from the Dead Poets Society. It’s “We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” This quote is a constant reminder to me of living in the society we live in right now, living in the blooming age of technologies like AI, Robotics, etc. They provide more and more convenience for our basic needs, but the human race is created as sentient creatures. Therefore, art fulfills us to that extent; it is the fuel for our souls, allowing us to connect beyond boundaries. Reaching the hearts of many in a way science can never explain. This quote became the backbone of my career and became my cinematography style, focusing more on the emotion an image delivers rather than on being 100% realistic.

I was born in Shanghai and lived there till I was 16 years old then I came to the United States alone living in homestay families. That decision of leaving everything I was familiar with, family and friends, then coming to somewhere like the United States, which is the best place for learning filmmaking skills, was very essential to where I am today. Learning the language and the culture was quite a process, and I’m blessed to have many friends who have helped me along the way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take them to the Little Five Points, it is a hub of Atlanta’s culture. It is vibrant, it is diverse, it is everything Atlanta represents. Pick up some film from Bellows Film Lab, across the street check out some vinyl from Moods Music, fill the thrifting craving at Rag-O-Rama. It is amazing how much you can pack in such a little corner.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First of all I want to shout out Htat Htut Lin, I consider him as my mentor for cinematography, I have learned so much, the ways of working and creative approaches from him. I first worked with him for the David Yurman holiday campaign, I get to see how a cinematographer should approach a commercial project at that scale, it was eye opening.

Website: https://www.stevenzhoudp.com/

Instagram: Lifeplayerz

Image Credits
Personal photo: Zachary Jones