To celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, Camera Ambassador and Subtitle are collaborating for a series of blog posts conducted by Subtitle's Alex Wen to highlight artists in Chicago making films, television, and other video work! This is our fourth round of interviews with with Hex Yang, Kat Gorospe, and Ruby Que. Check out the first, second, & third editions too!

Hex Yang

AW: Tell us a bit about yourself!

HY: I’m Hex Yang. I’m a freelancing cinematographer based in Chicago. I’m from China and I went to Columbia College Chicago studying cinematography. I like to DP narrative pieces or anything that has stories. I generally like to create anything that will leave an emotional impact through visuals.

AW: What do you look to capture with your camera?

HY: I’d love to capture emotions or visuals that will give the audience strong feelings. I believe how people feel is what they will remember forever.

AW: What are some of your favorite directors and/or films?

HY: The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was THE film that got me into the film industry. "Fight Club" and "Trainspotting" both left a very strong impact on me. David Fintcher and Denis Villeneuve are my current favorites.

AW: Anything else you would like to tell us?

HY: If anyone is interested to work with me, please check out my website which is hexyang.com. Also I’m not limited to “dark”-style cinematography, I’ve also done many comedies and other visual styles and I hope people who are looking for DPs will not pigeon-hole a DPs’ abilities by the reel they see. I’m willing to help directors bring any story that I relate to or love to life.

Kat Gorospe

AW: What’s your favorite aspect of being a script supervisor?

KG: My favorite part about being a script supervisor is the fact that I’m part of something that’s bigger than myself. Seeing each crew member contribute their skills and knowledge to the same end goal is so empowering. I’ve also gained more confidence when it comes to speaking up– being a department head holds a lot of responsibility so I’ve learned how to keep myself in check and roll with the punches.

AW: What has been your favorite project to work on?

KG: This is a hard one, so I’m going to give you a categorized answer.

• Commercial: Walmart
• Television: “The Chi” Season 4 (additional)
• Indie Short: “Unclaimed”
• Feature Film: “Most Guys Are Losers” (2020)

AW: What are some of your favorite directors and/or films?

KG: The "Godfather" will always be my #1. I love the character development and how each of the brothers’ personalities work (or don’t work) amongst one another. "The Wolf of Wall Street," "Stuck in Love," "Lady Bird"...I’m all over the place.

Ruby Que

AW: Tell us a bit about yourself!(What do you do? What do you like to create?)

RQ: I am an experimental filmmaker and installation artist. In my work I chase ghosts and adopt strays. Many of my projects revolve around ruination in all its shapes and forms, including abandoned sites, obsolete media, and traumatic memories.

AW: In a time in which change seems to be the only constant, what is the role of capturing and preserving (via camera and film)?

RQ: Growing up I moved around a lot and nothing seemed to last, so I became very dependent on taking photos or videos as a way of holding onto the fleeting moments. I have been dealing with some losses this past year and there is certainly merit in documentation and preservation, but I also can’t help but question—am I altering / losing the moment when I pull out the camera instead of just being there and living it?

AW: What has been your favorite project that you’ve worked on? What did you like about it?

RQ: I recently finished a performance-installation titled “a movie is a thing alive,” which explores the processes of forgetting, remembering, retelling and mythologizing. I came across a small archive of super 8mm home movies last year and have grown somehow attached to the family captured in the footage despite not having any “real” connections to them. This project is an attempt to reactivate these abandoned memories and to say proper goodbye before letting go.

AW: What are some of your favorite directors and/or films?

RQ: Agnès Varda shaped my understanding of filmmaking as an art that brings people together. She had a big heart and cared deeply about people, which was evident in all her films regardless of genre and style. Other filmmakers I look up to are Tsai Ming-Liang, Alice Rohrwacher, and Chantal Akerman.

AW: Anything else you would like to tell us? (Upcoming projects, things to plug, etc!)

RQ: Again, I have been thinking a lot about letting go. Inspired by THTK (too hard to keep) by Jason Lazarus, I want to create a similar collective archive that hosts people’s painful memories. Instead of acting as the custodian of these memories, however, I am more interested in destroying them; I don’t see the act of destruction as an endpoint of these memories but rather a gesture of acceptance and an invitation to building anew. Email me if you are interested in participating at rubyquefilm@gmail.com.

On top of that, I am always looking for collaborators and interesting projects to work on! I shoot digital and 16mm film and often work as a sound mixer on set. You know where to find me.

Due to scheduling, we aren't able to interview every artist & collaborator that we'd like. Nevertheless, check out the following AAPI artist & some of their work:

Daniel Izui, DP & Director, on IG at @izui_daniel & online at danielizui.com

Alex Han, 1st AC, on IG at @Alexanderhanfilm

Mayank Mishra, DP & Gaffer, on IG at @ emmsquare