Production Files with Ryan Sun
We sat down with Post Producer Ryan Sun to discuss the projects that have left a lasting impact—and helped shape him into the creative professional he is today.
The last project I worked on is … A number of different projects actually! I just wrapped the edit of the announcement video for a congressional campaign, a content reel for an event at Comcast’s Ralph J. Roberts Forum, and a bunch of the work with the independent films our talented assistants are spearheading.
My favorite project is …. The “Un4gettable Weekend/Fans Make Us” spot that we did for BMW back when I was still an Assistant. It was my first assignment going out with production for data management. We shot on various locations in Palm Springs and I got to really help the camera department out, as a lot of the secondary camera footage was from a GoPro. The use of those cameras was still relatively new in production, and I was able to help the camera operator figure out some of the intricacies and workflows while on set. It was a great shoot and we ended up creating really great branded pieces of content. Plus, on this job, Jim Huie introduced me to what we both claim to be the best burger we’ve ever had.
The most challenging project … Was a documentary we had helped produce back in 2013, The Great Alone. I was the dailies and prep assistant on this at the time. The filmmakers went out to document the “comeback story” of one of the more high profile racers in the famous dogsled race, the Iditarod. Because production was a small crew, there were a few snags with how things were coming into post. One of things that I spent a lot of time having to do was triangulate the timecode for audio and video to sync, as the audio recorder they used wasn’t calibrated correctly. With over 30 days of shooting, this was quite the massive undertaking.
The project with an interesting backstory … Well, not so much a backstory, but more of a couple of things I’ve noticed about top talent. I’ve been blown away at how some top tier talent is shorter than you’d imagine them to be. Two instances of this:
On one shoot, Kris Magyrits and I were up in Chelsea Market filming something for Scripps/Food Network in their studio and test kitchen. This studio stage was next to the Chopped stage and while I was on my way to the bathroom I ran into Ted Allen as I was turning a corner and almost knocked him over. I’m only 5’8” and he was probably about a good 2” shorter than me.
The other instance was again while I was out in Pasadena for the Winter TCAs. They had us staying at the same hotel where the paneling event was taking place. One night, we were about to take the clients out to dinner, and I was at the front entrance by the valet stand where all of the cars pulled up. Now, the interesting thing about this part of the hotel is that it’s actually open to the public. They have a roped-off section where people sit and wait for celebrities to show up.
As I stood there waiting, I heard all this screaming and commotion coming from behind me in the roped-off gallery. I didn’t notice right away, but I quickly looked to my side and Susan Sarandon was standing right by me, and the only thing I remember thinking at the time was that I couldn’t believe how much I was towering over her. I didn’t say anything to her and I’m sure there’s some sort of picture of me out there looking clueless standing next to Susan Sarandon.
The project I learned the most from … Was the Comcast/Xfinity TCA work we did. The scope of this project was to shoot and produce proprietary content for Comcast’s VOD Xfinity platform from the Television Critics Association Junket event that occurred every summer and winter. I was able to go on set to help edit and coordinate footage, as production typically lasted about 7-8 days. This project allowed me to really step into the producer role I’m in now, as I learned to navigate creative output along with client expectations and timing.
The project I want to work on next … Would either be another car or an alcohol brand spot. Those projects are usually a lot of fun.