Today we’d like to introduce you to Danni Ma.
Hi Danni, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am originally from China. I did my undergraduate degree in Sydney, Australia. During my undergraduate studies, I realized that I wanted to pursue a film-related profession in the future. The first thought that came to my mind was to go to the United States to study filmmaking. I applied to several well-known film schools in the US and finally chose SCAD as my graduate school. SCAD is an excellent school with multiple campuses in Savannah and Atlanta and outside of the U.S. Students can choose the campus they want to attend before enrolling. At that time, I decided to come to Atlanta. Because I knew it was a big city that was growing rapidly. And I am so happy that I chose Atlanta campus and spent three years of good time here.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As a foreigner, having a smooth journey to a strange city is impossible. Although I have experience living and studying in Australia, there are huge differences between the United States and Australia. Living in Atlanta is only possible if you have a car. Although I have a Chinese and Australian driver’s license, I still need another American one. Of course, I am a film major, and our assignment was to make short films. It required running different locations, renting additional equipment, and going to help with my classmates’ sets. If you want to come to Atlanta to study film, it is highly recommended that you be prepared to buy a car.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
These two years of studying film at scad have improved me a lot. I am very proud to introduce myself as an award-winning cinematographer. I have worked on several films selected for dozens of film festivals and won numerous awards. Most of my involvement in film production is in the pre-production and intermediate shooting periods. Most of my positions are as a cinematographer or lighting technician. My job includes and is not limited to setting up the equipment, planning the shoot, assembling the crew, and operating the camera on location to get a good look. I gained knowledge and confidence in filmmaking one team and school at a time. I can go on to achieve great things in the future of filmmaking.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
With the technological innovation of artificial intelligence, every profession will see considerable change. But in the film industry, which I am in, this is not a bad thing. Before the advent of digital cameras, filmmakers had to use expensive film to capture images. Because of the high film cost, the industry seemed out of reach for ordinary people. With the advent of digital cameras, more people can make movies relatively cheaply, learn about movies, and get involved in the film industry. So the innovation of technology is good progress for the film industry. The same is true for artificial intelligence. More people will be interested in filmmaking in the next five to ten years, and the cost of making films will decrease. So everyone who loves to create can do the work they want.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://grayma1018.wixsite.com/website
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gray_all/?r=nametag
- Other: https://vimeo.com/user75777488
