Hex Yang- Filmmaker Friday
This week we’re joined by Chicago musician, filmmaker, & photographer, Hex Yang!
(This interview was edited and condensed for clarity)
CA: Hey Hex! Hit us with your bio.
HY: I was born and raised in China and moved to U.S. when I was 17. I'm currently based in Chicago as a freelance cinematographer and I also work in the camera department as an AC and an operator.
CA: What are you doing to stay creatively active?
HY: During the quarantine time, I watched a lot of things, including movies, TV shows– especially a lot of animes – and I read a lot of mangas. I started re-watching a lot of mangas and anime from my childhood, trying to bring back those very [first] emotions, like the first time watching it and what it brought to me and then trying to memorize them and then, thinking about how to utilize those.
CA: What's it like returning to set?
HY: I recently shot a short. It definitely feels great to be back on set, but also at the same time, it's drastically different from the normal procedure. It feels harder because the crew size is smaller, schedule is tighter, we kind of have to move slower because of the masks and the other safety protocols.
CA: What are some of your favorite projects?
HY: And I really liked two short films I DP'ed: one is called Beyond the Door, which is a horror film, the other one is called My Friend at the House, a short comedy, and I had a really good time working on set as the DP and got the opportunities to work with different people. And the final product came out really well.
CA: 2020 is almost over. What do you want to take with you into next year?
HY: 2020 has been a very hard year to stay positive. And I think personally I'm doing a real good job to be positive, having a good life. And I like to take those positive energy with me and hopefully share it with the surroundings at 2021.
CA: Thank you, Hex! Where can we find you?
HY: [On instagram] my personal account, where I post my set photos and group photos is hex_yang. My portfolio, which is where I put the screenshots of my work and reels is hexy_film. And my personal website: [hexyang.com]
Check out the video interview (and all our #filmmakerfriday videos on Youtube):