“It’s an honor to tell great stories, and it comes with big responsibilities. Stay curious and keep learning everyday” -wise words from film editor Jing Han
Please introduce yourself to the readers and how you first got into this field of work:
Who or what were some of your influences growing up?
My parents loved watching movies. I remember when I was 5, my parents bought a DVD player and they would take me to a DVD rental place from time to time and we would watch movies together. I was so fascinated by the moving images even I couldn’t understand it. Every time we turned off the lights, all I could see in the darkness was the bright screen -it felt special and wonderful. Watching movies became my favorite thing to do and has stayed with me ever since.
What kind of training have you had, if any?
I received a B.A. in Digital Media Art at the Communication University of China in 2015. By virtue of my great efforts in the undergraduate period, I gained a solid background in film and television production covering all the aspects, especially in editing. Then I came to the U.S. for a master degree in Film Editing at one of the best film schools, Chapman University. This is the forth year of me living aboard. For the last year, I’ve been working as a freelance editor on various kinds of projects.
What has been your favorite project to work on so far?
I worked on a short film called “Stella”, it’s a story about a woman, whose love is tested when she must escape from her abusive lover -in order to protect her young daughter from being sold into prostitution by him so he can alleviate a debt. It was special to me because it’s such a moving and powerful story and I decided to be a part of it right after I read the script. Director Kunlin Wang is a young female filmmaker, she is so passionate about her story and very talented, we had a great time working together and became friends.
“Stella” made its public debut at SoHo International Film Festival in 2017 and got into multiple film festivals all over the world, after that.
What has been one of the biggest highlights/achievements of your career?
I had my first feature film project last year called “The City of Kungfu”, which features famous martial artists and actors Chi Ling Chiu and Bryan Leung, which is finishing right now. It’s an action movie about kung fu, which made it a new challenge for me. The amount of footage is huge and the fight scenes are extremely complicated. The movie will be released this year in China. I am so exited to see how it will be received by the audience.
If you had a chance to work alongside anybody who would that be?
Yorgos Lanthimos, he is one of my favorite directors. I love “The Lobster” , “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” and “The Favourite” so much. His work inspires me as a filmmaker and I would be so honored if I ever have the chance to work with him.
What have you learned most about this business?
I learned that a great editor should be able to handle all genres. I often get asked about my style from directors or producers. However, the more important thing to me is, what kind of style or tone is right for the film. As for me personally, I would love to work on all different genres if possible, that requires me to constantly learn new things. To me, each story worth telling is unique and has its own style. Maybe it’s something the director has in mind, maybe it’s something we can figure out while editing. That’s why I believe as an editor, instead of having a certain style of editing, I should work harder to be good enough to handle all styles.
What projects do you have coming up?
I have a documentary series and a music video coming up next year, two feature films in 2020 and 2021.
What is your best piece of advice for aspiring artists?
It’s an honor to tell great stories, and it comes with big responsibilities. Stay curious and keep learning everyday.