Cinematography in its Infinite Possibilities: Update

On Jan. 17th, at AARI CUNY, the Asian American Film Lab hosted an event with cinematographer Eric Lin. The event was moderated by Erik Lu. Both Lin and Lu are board members of Asian American Film Lab. The film lab works to increase diversity in the media and to provide workshops for members of the film community.

Eric Lin spoke in great deal about the technical and artistic aspects of cinematography. He was very informative about the active phase of production, filming, and also about the collaboration between directors and directors of photography during pre production.

Lin showed clips of two of the feature films he directed. The two were Exploding Girl and Arcadia. His work is excellent, and Lin spoke on how they set up the lighting, worked with other crew members such as the sound team, etc. This event would have been excellent not only for seasoned members of the film community, but those just entering the film industry would have benefited from attending. Lu asked Lin questions as moderator, and Lin also took questions from the audience.

Cinematography in its Infinite Possibilities

As Conrad Hall famously said, cinematography is "infinite in its possibilities." Join the Asian American Film Lab as we host the first Industry Spotlight of 2013. On January 17th, we are inviting acclaimed director and cinematographer and AsAmFilmLab Board member Eric Lin for a not-to-be missed Industry Spotlight panel discussion, where he will be sharing his work and providing insight as a cinematographer working in the industry. The event is free and open to the public. Special guest Erik Lu, producer, director and founder of Descendant Films and AsAmFilmLab Board member, will moderate the event.

Eric Lin studied film criticism and sociology as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. He went on to pursue his passion for visual storytelling and earned his MFA at New York University's Graduate Film Program. He has shot numerous short films, including: “Missing” by director Kit Hui, which premiered in competition at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival; and “Franklin and Matilda” by Paul Dano, starring Eddie Redmayne and Zoe Kazan. His feature film work includes Hui’s feature debut, “Fog”, which premiered at the 2010 Edinburgh Film Festival; and Bradley Rust Gray’s “The Exploding Girl”, which premiered at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival and was released theatrically by Oscilloscope Laboratories. His most recent production, Olivia Silver’s “Arcadia” featuring Academy Award Nominee John Hawkes, premiered at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival, where it was awarded the Crystal Bear for Best Film. Lin’s other features have taken him abroad to Hong Kong, Cuba, and Haiti. Other works of Lin include music videos for Gaslight Anthem, Asobi Seksu, a concert video for Madonna’s 2012 World Tour, as well as projects for Nickelodeon, Google and SAP. Eric is also a member of the Board of Advisors for the Asian American Film Lab.

Erik Lu is a graduate of the film production program at University of Southern California where he studied writing/directing under faculty such as Michael W. Watkins (The X-Files, Monk), Nina Foch (Spartacus, An American in Paris), and Gordy Hoffman (Love Liza). He has a natural eye and extensive training in cinematography under Earl Rath, ASC, (Raid on Rommel) and John Tarver, CSC, (Mothman, Seance). He has also done videography for Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, CA. Erik has made over 50 films in the last few years that have been distributed both domestically and internationally. Recent collaborations also include work with director/cinematographer Daniel Zhao (Far East Movement/Cali Swag District) and Emmy Award winner DP Dan Wills. Since moving back to the east coast, Erik has directed/shot several music videos and commercials and is currently writing a feature to direct in 2013. Erik is also a member of the Board of Advisors for the Asian American Film Lab.

Asian American Film Lab Workshops Chakra Media's Film Project Breached

The Asian American Film Lab (501(c)(3)) hosted one of its long-running Unfinished Works programs on November 8th, featuring Chakra Media's "Breached," a feature film script that follows an American couple who, while posted on a project in India, hire an Indian surrogate mother to carry their baby. But the project pits them against their surrogate in a high stakes battle of corporate greed, corruption, murder and deception. Written by Genevieve Castelino and Kiran Merchant, "Breached" made it into the 2nd round of the 2013 Sundance Institute|Mumbai Mantra Writers Workshop. Castelino's plan is to begin pitching Breached in the Q1 of 2013. She stated, "It would be a tremendous help and support to workshop the screenplay to help us refine and rework the screenplay as we approach the next rewrite effort." The event took place at AAARI-CUNY in New York City. After the filmmakers were introduced, the actors took their places and began the reading. After the script was reading, Unfinished Works host Jean Goto moderated questions on Breached. Castelino and Merchant said the screenplay was inspired by events actually taking place in India, such as the surrogate mothers renting out their wombs, the killing of protesters,and corporate abuse. The actors themselves also commented on the script. The actors during the reading were the following. Michelle Ang, Jennifer Betit-Yen, Perry Tsao, Monisha Shiva, Geeta Citygirl, Jinn S. Kim, Kamran Khan Imran, Javaid Marissa Carpio, Ron Voz, and Julie Pham. Both the Asian American Film Lab and Chakra Media have other interesting things going on. The next Asian American Film Lab event is the Holiday networking gala, featuring live music, raffles, and other fun things. For tickets and more info, go to the film lab's site. Chakra Media's previous feature film "Quarter Life Crisis," stars Lisa Ray (Academy nominated Water), acclaimed comedian Russell Peters (Sourcecode) and Maulik Pancholy (Hitch, 30 Rock, Weeds). The film was in six festivals, distributed worldwide and is currently playing on Showtime in the U.S.