60 Seconds with Colour Assist Rachel Kong on her short film ‘RED’ and projects that have inspired her

How long have you been a Colour Assist at The Mill?

I joined The Mill as a Colour Assist 10 months ago. This is actually my first job out of college!

What inspired you to go into the world of colour?

In college, I became really drawn to post production. With colour grading in particular, I see a connection between the craft and fine art. Colouring is like painting or drawing – shaping and manipulating lights and colours. I love that such technical part of video/film production can still be a form of art.

Talk us through a piece of work that is important to you?

Chevy Silverado ‘Walter in the Winter’ is a project that has been profound to me in my career so far. This was the first big project I assisted on by myself. Despite some obstacles, I definitely learned a lot from this project.

Crypto.com ‘The Moment of Truth’ is another project that’s been important to me because it was the first Super Bowl commercial I was apart of.

Are you working on any passion projects at the moment?

I made a short film last year! This is my most recent personal project. The film is titled ‘RED and I wrote, directed, produced, edited, and coloured the project. ‘RED’ follows a young Chinese-American woman who has to find a way to ask her mother for financial help for her newlywed husband, Nathan which only spirals into more chaos. The story pushes the limit of a relationship between the daughter and the mother within a Chinese household, with a dynamic that still speaks to all families. ‘RED’ took home four awards at the 2021 Spring’s Hofstra Film Festival including the Golden Lion for Best in Show. I have an Instagram account for the project which you can follow here @red_thefilm.

You can get in touch with our colour team regarding your upcoming projects here. You can also follow Rachel on Instagram @rachelk__.