Today we’d like to introduce you to Dahae Lee.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in Korea and lived there until I was 12. Then I moved to China to attend an international school to live with my dad, which my family thought was the best idea for my education. Opposite to their expectation, I couldn’t become an intelligent kid; instead, I was an art kid. Then I decided to go to a college called Savannah College of Art and Design which I’d never heard where Savannah was. I liked the curriculum even though I couldn’t figure out which major I wanted to go for. I decided to move to the SCAD of Hong Kong campus for my freshman year and planned to move to either Savannah or Atlanta after. However, Covid ruined all my plans and my college dream. But after I took an online class, my college finally announced that I could move to Savannah, which was very nervous. It was my first time in the US, but I had never heard of Savannah and didn’t know how it would be.
It was challenging for me to adapt to Savannah, even though I moved around to diverse cities and countries, but maybe it’s different from my hometown is a big city (Seoul). But when I started to meet new people in school, local cafes, gyms, and even nerd shops started making me like Savannah. People I met in Savannah has the most warm and kind heart and are very intelligent. When I talk to new people and hear their stories, I always see their immense passion for their interests, and it even motivates me so much. And I’ve been only in Savannah for two years, but Savannah made me less lonely and said as my second hometown. And Whenever I travel around different states or another country, I talk to people who I am from Savannah, Georgia.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was not easy. My starting point was different from others. I was curious to know if I liked to walk through the film industry, which was new to me, or the graphic design path that I was comfortable with. But I was more interested in film than design in my senior year in high school, even though I knew it would be challenging and have to learn something that I did not have a lot of learning and background. And because of that, I pushed myself twice and triple more than others. I had to spend more time on set during the weekend the whole quarter or either took tons of projects to edit and discover the style and quality of my creative skill. And I finally knew that I was interested in post-production and sometimes directing. But I always worked with people on diverse projects to expand my connections. I had to build my portfolio and resume because I am an international student who wants to stay in the US to be part of the film industry and express my creativity in this country. I had to lessen the time to spend hanging out with my friend, taking care of myself, and even going to the gym. As I think about it, I wish I had more time to hang out with my friends and go around the beautiful city, like experiencing a ghost tour! But I don’t regret the time I spend building my skill and taking an opportunity for my career. And now, I am in LA for my internship with a post-production company with the Academy Gold Rising Program, which is an honor to be part of it and get closer to my Hollywood dream.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an editor, colorist, sound designer, and sometimes a director for films and documentaries! I edit and color for narrative films and documentaries to tell the story to the people and make the film experience more exclusive. I also started to color for movies due to my passion for editing. Who wants their work to look bad? I wanted all my films and documentaries to look nice and colorful with their genre and style! So I started to learn how to color the media, which I self-taught. And I keep developing my editing and coloring skills and am still learning and learning from all other projects and others. I had a chance to be part of many fantastic student films this year, ready to run down to several film festivals, including the Academy student awards. And I am most proud of how I always never stop to learn something new and question what I can do better. I always ask what would make and how to improve my projects look outstanding. And I am very proud that I have continued improving and expanding my learning and creative skill until now! Learning is the key to any industry and will pay you back in one day.
I never considered what makes me better than anyone because the film industry is all about collaboration and learning from each other. But the way people asked me to join more projects and how I interned with a vast Hollywood company with my dream come true to be part of the Academy Gold Rising Program is always looking for your dream. And always remember where, why, and how you started and want to see and achieve your goal. When I was losing myself from the piles of projects and the motivation to continue my life, the dream that I kept was always inside me. I always needed to be more active about what I liked, and the work I kept was to achieve my life goal. And I am getting closer to my dream of becoming a filmmaker who wins the Oscar award.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success when I share my success with people! I was interested in jumping into the media world because I saw and sensed people’s joy and excitement about my work and success. It makes me happy when I show my work that makes people emotional and how they complement it. Not just getting feedback, but it’s essential to enjoy and share the same thing that I and my people like to experience. Having a good time, making a memory, and sharing enjoyment is the success of my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: haedaling.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haedaling/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dahae-lee-a03504239/
Image Credits
Bright portrait with a computer behind credit goes to Robbie Peñano
