In addition to his studies at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising earning his Digital Media degree, HJ Chong has been tackling freelance filmmaking projects to enhance his filming and post-production skills.

He recently traveled with musical artist, Game, on the artist’s Red Album Tour to film behind-the-scenes web videos.

As an aspiring filmmaker and fan of both Game and the rapper’s music video director, Matt Alonzo, the opportunity was a “dream come true” for Chong, who traveled with the artist to Arizona, northern California and the Midwest. Chong would capture footage during the day, and later edit the videos incorporating sound and motion graphics to publish online.

“I love digital media, it’s my life,” says Chong. “I go to sleep and it’s in my head. I wake up and it’s in my head.”

Working for Alonzo and producer Dantay “Taydoe” Kidd, Chong has also developed behind the scenes videos for musical artists like Tyrese, Far East Movement, and Tha Bizness (watch one of his short films below: Tyrese- The Making of “Stay” featuring Taraji P. Henson).

Chong will graduate from FIDM’s Digital Media program in June and hopes to own a marketing company producing viral videos for the web after gaining more experience.

“The best thing about digital media is that you [can] go to any industry, any business, and they need a person like you,” he says. “They want a person who understands video, understands web, understands how to do graphics. Even if you don’t want to get into the film industry, having digital media as a degree on your resume will help you so much.”

Read more about Chong, and watch him in action in our web video series In the Lab. See more of HJ’s video production work on his website at dieversefilms.com.

Connect with FIDMDigitalArts.com

Questions/comments? Email the editor, Mani O’Brien at mo’brien@fidm.edu

Visit FIDMDigitalArts.com

Would you like more information about FIDM’s Digital Media and Graphic Design programs? Fill out an information request form here.