From South Sudan to Lebanon and beyond, Shanshan Chen has a flair for gaining access to original stories and engaging characters, directing documentaries about complex and sensitive issues in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the U.S.
Born in Shanghai and based in London, Shanshan is passionate about creative and character-driven documentaries continues to delight international audiences.
Shanshan always remains positive and decisive facing the most difficult situations, a team-player and experienced self-shooting producer-director to realise the vision of the production and support the team to achieve the best results possible.
Having spent over a decade making humanitarian documentaries for Reuters, she brings incredible journalistic skills to her work, with her documentaries proudly screened at festivals and broadcasted globally. As a self-shooter and editor, Shanshan is well renowned for her visually led storytelling and understanding of sound.
Equipment
Sony FS5/FS7/A7S III/X70/PMW200;
Canon C300 MK II/C100 MK II/5D Mark IV;
Panasonic S1H/GH4/GH5;
Professional lighting systems (LED and tungsten);
Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Final Cut 7/X
Languages: English, Chinese Mandarin
Main areas of work: Unscripted, Directing, Producing, Self-shooting, International documentaries, Under-reported stories, Original series and films
Key Skills
-Visualising stories with a strong sense of cinematography
-Managing small crews and productions
-Producing/Directing films of a variety of styles based on briefs
-Researching and pitching original story ideas
-Building trust with contributors
-Strong interview skills with sensitivity and patience
-Scheduling, call sheets and shoot prep
-Confidence working on long-form and short-form projects