Meet Haoyang Sun | Cinematographer&Colorist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Haoyang Sun and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Haoyang, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I think life and work balance is dynamic, and adjusting your mindset and expectations about how you approach work and life is key. Work stress is for the most part well documented, especially after a few years on the job. For the movie industry, the summer will be the busiest time of the year, while the winter will be more relaxed. So every year I have to adjust my mindset, routine, hours, etc. as we approach summer. For example, I plan to start working more hours every day, and I adapt my routine to begin exercising and sleeping regularly. All of this will prepare my body and mind for even more significant challenges.

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’m a cinematographer by trade, but am also proficient in editing and color grading, which makes me work much differently than others. Each edit and color grading is a review of what I did on the shoot, allowing me to see from the footage where my shots were lacking in lighting, and shot design. So my shooting style is much closer to exhaustive planning to get colorful images that require little to no post-processing. But even the most detailed planning is not always smooth, and there are often various emergencies and difficulties. For example, limited budget, actors not showing up, equipment damage, sudden rain, earthquakes, and so on. What I have learned from these experiences is to always have a plan B, to be safe, and to have an open mind.

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?
If my friends were visiting Atlanta, I’d probably take them to High Museum, World of Coca-Cola, Georgia Aquarium, Little Five Points, Westside’s Medieval Shoppe, Stone Mountain and those classics. Then go to the Great Smoky Mountains and go camping. Atlanta still has a lot to offer, and if there was still time I’d take them a little farther afield like the town of Hellen, and Savannah.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My classmates from my student days were my treasures and we always worked together side by side. Being a more introverted person, my working condition is more of thinking and practicing by myself. However, through working with my classmates during my school years, I have found friends who are trustworthy and have complementary personalities. When we are in a team, they tend to be the ones who can communicate well with the clients, while the more technical work is left to me. Without them, I’d be an unknown geek rather than a cinematographer.

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