Meet Honglin(Adam) Zhu | Director of Photography

We had the good fortune of connecting with Honglin(Adam) Zhu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Honglin(Adam), why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
From the start, I never thought about becoming a filmmaker. At first, I wanted to be a journalist. But when I began college in 2017 at Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College in Zhuhai, China, I chose to study Cinema and Television (CTV) upon my mom’s suggestion. In my major, there were many courses covering different aspects of filmmaking, and as I learned more, I started to really like it.

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.
Currently, I’ve been working solely as a DP, which is exactly what I want to do for a lifetime. In this role, I believe I excel at capturing the emotions of characters. I can choose specific shot sizes, lens lengths, or movements to convey the genuine feelings of a character. Additionally, I’m a strong advocate for using natural lights. I prefer practical lights in the location or sunlight because the resulting image appears more authentic with natural lighting. Moreover, my lighting approach is logical and grounded in the real environment of the scene, ensuring it doesn’t look artificial on the monitor. In terms of collaboration, I consider myself a good listener, always mindful of others’ feelings when working. I understand that filmmaking requires a collaborative effort involving many people working together.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For me, I’ll take him to Santa Monica first. I think the most beautiful view in California is sunset. I’m gonna take him to get on the sunset rollercoaster during sunset. After that, I’m gonna find a pub near West Hollywood to get some drinks. I think people there are outgoing and funny. One place that I really want to check out with my friend is the drive-in theater in Paramount. Even myself haven’t been there yet. That will be fun.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shoutout to Hirokazu Koreeda, a Japanese director. The way he talks about film and life really impressed me and inspired me a lot. I directed a short family drama film based on my childhood. It wasn’t perfect, but it meant a lot to me. He is the one who actually leads me to start making movies.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/double2pig/

Image Credits
Yuang Li