We recently connected with Haoyang Sun and have shared our conversation below.

Haoyang, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

As a cinematographer, maybe one of my points of view other cinematographers will not quite agree with. I think cinematography is not that important for movies because I know that story is the core of a movie. Many cinematographers spend a lot of time on the lighting set up, and even try out different options to see which lighting set up looks better. For me if I think my lighting setup I think I can achieve 80% of the effect, I will stop adjusting my lighting. Because the camera department is not the only one who needs time when shooting, prodcution design needs time, the actors and camera rehearsal needs time, for the actors to adjust the performance also needs time. I prefer to make other aspects of the film work better when I give up some time.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am from Zhengzhou, a city in mid part of China. Before coming to the U.S. to study cinematography, my colleagues and I ran an online children’s education program at a radio station. As my shoots became repetitive, I had the idea to come to the US to refine my shooting skills. I currently focus on cinematography; my clients are basically people who need to shoot video content, such as directors, musicians, fashion designers, various product brands, etc. I shoot films, documentaries, music videos, fashion films, and commercials. My clients like to work with me for a long time mainly because of my colorful visual style, consistent and reliable quality control, and thorough shooting schedule.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think if you look at your work or service as a commodity, then it may be easier to find the answer. As consumers, some people are looking for goods in terms of price and some people are looking for goods in terms of quality, but the real world is not that extreme and what everyone is looking for is a balance between price and quality. So provide as much quality as you can within your capabilities, and consider work that is slightly beyond your capabilities as an accumulation of your skills and abilities. In the end, the growth of your ability and the growth of your clients will enter a virtuous cycle.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I think there is only one best source for my clients, and that is work, whether it is paid or free. What you do on the job site is there and everyone can see it. Besides, people are more inclined to trust people they have worked with and are trustworthy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vimeo.com/726449971
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sxxbeats/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haoyang-sun-1565a9193/