Written and directed by Kogonada, zi follows a young woman whose chance encounter with a stranger changes the course of her life. Cinematographer Benjamin Loeb FNF and additional cinematographer Sheldon Chau explain how they helped to craft the film through a “desire for something different”.

How did you get involved with the project and what appealed to you most?

Loeb: Kogonada and I had talked about making a film like this for years. It was born out of a desire to get back to the basics of creativity – back to this feeling of making something purely because we wanted to. Reactionary, in the moment. So zi was sort of born out of our conversations, and a desire for something different. Which is also what appealed to me the most.

Chau: My wife Bonny and I happened to be in Hong Kong at the time, a city very dear to our hearts. I got connected to producers Christopher Radcliff and Chung An through a mutual filmmaker friend (director Jess X. Snow), who then connected me to Ben. We hopped on a call and Ben gave me the lowdown: guerrilla filmmaking, tiniest crew, stay open to creative magic, adapt on the fly to the city – are you up for it? Say no more! It helped that Bonny and I are also fluent in Cantonese, and that Bonny was born in Hong Kong (she came on as a production associate) – the decision was a no-brainer. Let’s do it!

Which cameras and lenses did you use and why?

Loeb: I wanted to put together a package that was both somewhat discreet, flexible, and that could produce images I could work with to create the look we wanted. After looking into a bunch of smaller rigs, I landed on the RED Komodo X, mainly because of its size and form factor.

I did not have a camera assistant on this film – I operated, pulled focus myself, had all the gear in two backpacks and had some help from our team. For optics, I brought a Super Takumar 35mm lens rehoused by GL Optics. It was something that intrigued me for this, to photograph all of my sections on one lens – and for Sheldon Chau, our lovely additional cinematographer, to use a Sony FX3 and Zeiss Super Speeds to find and photograph our interstitial moments. On top of this, I had a Bolex with me which we used for some of the more abstract moments, or flashback/memory sequences.

Chau: Kogonada and Ben gave me the task of portraying Hong Kong as a character. It’s one of the most gratifying experiences of my career; to earn the trust of both of these brilliant artists and feel appreciated in syncing my aesthetic to their visual style. Ben encouraged me early on to keep storytelling in mind as I filmed the city – instead of capturing random B-roll, find moments that can be edited in succession to convey a feeling or tell a story (for instance, if I filmed a man pushing a cart, how do I find multiple images of this during different times of day that portray the human elements of Hong Kong that feel transitory and intentional?).

And then on day one, Kogonada had me revisit his video essays, and then challenged me to capture images that exude “Asian melancholy”. It was the perfect direction I needed.

How did you light it and why?

Loeb: I did not light. We used what we found in the city, and made a plan based on what the day gave us. This project was a manifestation of our own desire to find these images, these spaces, the right light – or not – as we were there. I brought a few Kelvin Play units, but we barely ended up using them as the desire to really stick to our dogme felt more appropriate. Curating the existing light, shaping that in whichever way you can is its own art – and it was liberating to work this way for zi.

What was the most challenging scene, sequence or moment and how did you make it work?

Loeb: It is hard to talk about this film as a “single” scene. In the first few days we did two 45-minute-long single takes where I operated, and followed our actors for several kilometres up and down stairs – navigating pedestrians, cars, and Hong Kong. That was the hardest “scene” – but it is not really a scene. It was us experimenting with the language of the film in longer sequences. I love challenges like this – so I just kept my head down and tried my best to make sure I stuck to the actors (while pulling focus and trying not to trip).

What was the biggest learning curve for you on this shoot?

Loeb: The biggest takeaway for me is that I should never forget this type of filmmaking. Because regardless of what it is, it is invigorating. It makes you feel alive and present, while owning the risk that is making something on your own.

Chau: It was truly inspiring to watch Kogonada and Ben at work. This wasn’t a straightforward director-cinematographer working chemistry; it was so much more wholesome. This was two expert storytellers working in tandem to visually, emotionally and viscerally capture these three characters in delicate moments in their lives (beautifully played by Michelle Mao, Haley Lu Richardson and Jin Ha); Kogonada didn’t even have a monitor – they were dancing with the actors to create the blocking, and the resulting synchronicity was riveting to watch. It shows the trust that these two have with each other as they allowed their instincts to guide the narrative. I’m grateful to have been welcomed along this journey. This was the best learning curve – like Ben said, it’s a reminder to make art in a way that feels true.

What a magical experience – from averaging 30k steps during the initial scouting days to filming in Hong Kong over several weeks to sharing the best dim sum and dumpling meals together to debuting to a wonderful audience at Sundance three months later.