Spin - AFI 2nd Year Visual Essay

Hi, my name is Isue Shin and I'm currently in my second and last year of the cinematography program at the American Film Institute. I fell in love with film the moment I got my hands on a Super 8 camera ten years ago at an art camp in Oswego, New York.

BTS clip of shooting in Oswego

I went on to receive my BA from Brown University in Modern Culture and Media, the interdisciplinary film studies program there, experimenting with creating short-form narrative and non-narrative work. I moved to Los Angeles in 2017 and have since been part of the Telluride Film Festival Student Symposium as well as the Visual Communications Armed with a Camera Fellowship. Men Helping Women, the short that I shot and directed through the fellowship, went on to screen at festivals, including LAAPFF and NFFTY. After working as a camera assistant for several years, I decided to hone my craft as a cinematographer at AFI.

2nd Year Visual Essay is the centerpiece of my cinematography degree and an opportunity to express my individual sensibilities and show off the craft I’ve learned over the last two years. The project has no dialogue and entirely relies on visual language to tell a story. It is a project that is sponsored by Panavision, Kodak, and Fotokem, with the unique opportunity to shoot on 35mm film.

My Visual Essay, Spin, is the story of a woman with a predetermined fate who struggles to reverse what has already been manifested into existence. It takes on imagery from Greek mythology, featuring the Moirae, or the three goddesses of fate. It is a chance for me to experiment with more impressionistic cinematography and reinterpret mythology on my own terms.

Unlike the other projects we shoot at AFI, Visual Essay is not funded by the school and other than the camera and lighting equipment, all other costs are completely out of pocket. Your generous donation will go towards the cost of location, production needs like truck rental and food for the crew, set building and art department, costuming, and finishing costs like music licensing and color grading.

Thank you so much for reading and being with me on this journey. I hope to be able to continue to create work that contributes to a more peaceful, equitable world.

Much love,

Isue