Meet Juliette Ho | Colorist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Juliette Ho and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Juliette, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
For a long time, I always believed in the “never give up” ethos. Growing up in an academic-intensive environment, I was trained in this mentality in school and at home from a young age. Whenever I faced difficulties or challenges, I would try my best to overcome them with hard work and perseverance. One of the most important things I learned from film school is that things do not always go your way and sometimes we have to embrace our spontaneity and limitations. Because there will always be something imperfect on a film set or in a color session, whether is it a lack of money or time or technical difficulty, and we realize that things are not what we imagined they would be. For example, I was working on a project with a day scene but they ran out of daylight, I tried color-correcting it to make it look like it was shot in day time but it ended up looking bad. I am faced with the dilemma of whether or not I should “give up”. In the end, I came up with a solution by convincing the director that we could try to make the shot work and develop it into a scene at sunset instead. I think “giving up” and “keep going” are not mutually exclusive. In some cases, by “giving up”, I can better understand my limitations to allow me to “keep going”.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a colorist from Hong Kong. I also work as a cinematographer on the side. My work has been recognized by film festivals e.g. Moscow International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival Maché de Film American Pavilion, New York International Children Film Festival, Beverly Hills Film Festival, QFest St. Louis International Film Festival, etc. With a background in both science and art, I consider myself a translator and I materialize the director’s vision with my artistic sensibilities and my knowledge of the technology and science of color grading. When I first started making films, I would be attracted to beautiful, perfectly crafted visuals or fascinated by a camera built on-set. As I become more proficient with my craft, I realize that the story/content and the people who are working with me are what is most important. It is easy to be obsessed with the technicality of film and forget that the purpose of making films is to celebrate the nuances of humanity. This is something that I constantly remind myself as a filmmaker to always prioritize the people and great work will come naturally. As a colorist, I wish to work on more films that are empathic and deliver meaningful messages that would hopefully open up different perspectives.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take my friend to the Korean restaurant that my brother took me to when I first visited LA.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate this to my family and my friends. Making films and working in film is a luxury. I am extremely privileged to be able to have the financial support to choose the path that I am on right now. I am also grateful for the friends who supported me during the hard times and who I am constantly learning from.

Website: https://www.juliette-ho.com/

Instagram: @julie77e_ho

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliette-ho/