‘Visitor’ was photographed and completed entirely by Aaron Chung in the confines of his home within 24 hours between 13th and 14th April 2020. On a quiet evening over Malaysia’s Covid-19 Movement Control Order period, a mysterious guest pays a visit. Watch it here
Tell us about yourself
I was born and raised in Kuching, Sarawak. I studied filmmaking in Akademi Filem Malaysia (which has since closed down). I have worked as a cinematographer for the past 15 years. I am also a yoga teacher, writer and marathoner.
What inspiration or references did you draw from in terms of other films, mediums, filming techniques?
I truly love the horror/thriller filmmaking style, notable ones being The Eye, The Maid, The Ring, Dark Water, Skeleton Key, Pet Sematary. Having watched a lot of films and shot a lot of projects, I was subconsciously drawing on every film style and devices I had ever watched or done which could work for this film.
What were some of the challenges you faced in getting this film made?
– ‘Wearing many hats!’ As a professional DP, I always have assistants and crew working with me, and I (together with the director) will guide the actors. This time, I had to do EVERYTHING from charging batteries until finally pressing ‘record’ and then going in to act.
– I have a lot of junk in my house, so I had to constantly shuffle a lot of things ‘ke sana ke sini’ just to have room to shoot.
– Finding ways to achieve practical special effects such as the door opening and light switching off.