samanthamelodyu

Beats of the Southern Style (2014)

A documentary short made for the course Non-Fiction Production at Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea in the summer of 2014 Exploring the Korean hip hop culture as a mode of expression and storytelling as Dumbfoundead performs at R16 KOREA. https://vimeo.com/100379334 Centrally Isolated Film Festival 2015 BEST DOCUMENTARY Official Selection KAFFNY Third Culture Cinema 2016 OfficialContinueContinue reading “Beats of the Southern Style (2014)”

Review – The Farewell

5/5 Say what you will about how the film ended if you’ve seen it, this one hits home for me, almost a little too close given that I watched it twice – once in theaters with friends, and once at home after my own grandma unexpectedly passed away in Taiwan. Given that this was aContinueContinue reading “Review – The Farewell”

Privilege, Power, and Opportunities

I’ve joined the union for about a year now, working in the film and television industry in NYC. It’s the most diverse place in the world, and I often think of it as my own backyard having grown up in Queens. What I often forget is that this industry is also filled with people whoContinueContinue reading “Privilege, Power, and Opportunities”

Portrait Session – Bean’s Christmas 2018

Decided (for kicks) to take pictures for Bridgeen’s Christmas cards again this year. With the weather being so unpredictable in the northeast during this time of year (and after braving the strong wind and cold last year, also making her do a lot of things she’s uncomfortable with like touching trees that she’s allergic toContinueContinue reading “Portrait Session – Bean’s Christmas 2018”

Shame

I’ve been working at a new job in a new position for a couple of months now, and while I know I am qualified and confident in my ability to do the job, sometimes I still have a sneaking suspicion that one day I will make a mistake so big that it will require aContinueContinue reading “Shame”

Ruiko and the Magic Root

Since I finished my last job before Thanksgiving, I’ve had some free time to myself to do things I normally wouldn’t have time for – including eating a normal breakfast, reading, cleaning, and doing some stop motion work. This year, I took the extra time off during this season and opted to make a videoContinueContinue reading “Ruiko and the Magic Root”

Waiting

Every year in the days leading up to Christmas, there is a season called Advent, which observed the period of expectant waiting for the birth of Christ. Waiting is not something we in the 21st Century excel at doing. In a day and age where everything is near instantaneous, the span of time we areContinueContinue reading “Waiting”

Portrait Session – Bridgeen

Earlier this week my friend had been trying to order Christmas cards but realized she hadn’t taken any Christmas photos yet. We very quickly set up a time a couple days later to do a shoot. The weather was unseasonably warm (and sunny) for late November, but also happened to be incredibly windy by theContinueContinue reading “Portrait Session – Bridgeen”

U.S.-Born Immigrant

Until about 5 years ago, the identity of being an “Asian-American” never really hit or took hold in my life. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about my heritage or pride for it, but growing up, I never had to think about labeling myself as one thing or another. In the more recent years andContinueContinue reading “U.S.-Born Immigrant”