Empty Skies

Tinx Chan is a cinematographer native to Brooklyn, New York. With a background in film studies and photography, he graduated with honors from CUNY College of Staten Island, and then later furthered his studies through workshops and personal examination of films that resonated with him pictorially.

Tinx is naturally drawn to stories that pose questions about what it means to be human, and feels called to collaborate with like-minded filmmakers to bring these stories to life visually. Empty Skies is one of such projects, about two children faced with a moral dilemma set during The Great Leap Forward period in China.

The film posed many challenges, but the limitations helped establish the look and the execution of the photography. Some of the visual influences include Caleb Deschanel’s (ASC) work on The Black Stallion and Chris Menges’ (ASC, BSC) work on Kes. The color palette was motivated by the propaganda imagery of the time.

Working with Ed Lachman, ASC, Tinx has adopted a philosophy in cinematography in which the images that we create should have metaphorical value in relation to the story we’re trying to tell – a meditative consideration for every frame he sees through the viewfinder.

Tinx has been a director of photography, camera operator and proud member of ICG for more than 6 years. He would like to thank his wife, Wendy, and all of the lonely spouses in our Guild for allowing us to do what we love as a career – our calling to move hearts with the moving image.