Alan Chung was born and raised in Garden Grove, California. Handed an old DV tape camera at the age of seven, Alan has since then been fascinated by the things that the camera can see which the eye cannot. Little did he know that the camera he held would ultimately decide what he would want to do later in life. Despite having an interest in film, he spent his early high school years honing his design and artistic skills. After finding his passion for photography he decided to venture deeper into the realm of filmmaking and is a graduate with a degree in Film & Media Studies with an emphasis in Electronic Arts and Design (Digital Arts) minor at University of California Irvine.

Alan has always seen himself as a cinematographer. In the past he’s worked with various collaborative individuals to produce breath-taking short films. This led him to collaborate with various artists but not limited to Kina Grannis, Wang Lee Hom, and the K-pop group SPICA. His first collaborative short landed him 1st place in the 626 Night Market’s short film competition and several film festival screenings. His second short film, “The Origami Lady” won best picture in May 2014 at UC Irvine’s Zotfest Student Film Festival the following year.

During his final year at UC Irvine, Alan and his independent production team at Papersketch Media set out to shoot a feature length student film called “The Book of Truth”. Taking over as Director of Photography for the feature length film, Alan managed a production crew for every single one of those shoots. Over the span of 25 days the team completed/edited their feature film while still being full-time students at school during the time of its completion.

The film has since then been screened at UC Irvine and several international film festivals around the world.

Alan believes that collaboration is important especially in film, which is why he loves to work with various individuals to create a collective vision whether it be music videos, short form narrative content, or feature length films. During his free time he loves to travel the world and take pictures to document his trip.

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Mesti-So?! AT&T Shape Short Film Competition RED Digital Cinema Official Selection

Official Selection – What you Don’t Say Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Official Selection – Casa Del Sol Greenbuild International Film Festival Documentary Feature

Official Selection – The Book of Truth (2016) CreActive International Film Festival Feature

Best Picture – The Origami Lady (2014) UC Irvine ZotFest Student Film Festival

Superior Cinematography/Technical Achievement – Frames (2015) UC Irvine ZotFest Student Film Festival

1st Place – Frames 626 Night Market Short Film Contest

2nd Place – Sweet Memories 626 Night Market Short Film Contest

Crowd Favorite – The Origami Lady ABC Film Festival

Benjamin A. Gilman International Study Abroad Scholarship

William & Gretchen Lofthouse Memorial Scholarship – Kiwanis International

Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club Scholarship Recipient