Ken Seng Welcomed as New ASC Member

Growing up in the Midwest, Ken Seng’s imagination was stirred by the fantastic. “I was a huge fan of Big Trouble in Little China and Raiders of the Lost Ark as a child,” Seng says. “I was all about the adventure worlds completely different from my own.”

In high school, he homed his skills as a photographer, spending hours in the darkroom experimenting and learning new techniques. He was particularly drawn to how imagery could affect human psychology — a fascination that has stayed with him throughout his career. His early influences included fine art photographers Bill Henson and Sally Mann.

Seng began studying the moving image while attending Columbia College Chicago. There, he worked as a teaching assistant in lighting courses, and worked in the shop at Thomasson Lighting loading G/E trucks. Soon after, he became a member of IATSE 476 as a grip/electric in Chicago, working on features and commercials. After a stint working as a dolly and key grip on indie features, he then moved to New York City to fully commit to shooting.

In NYC, he shot a wide range of short films, MTV promos and small features, slowly building his reel. His break came in 2002 with Street Thief, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. “Director John Erick Dowdle wanted that same aesthetic for his first studio film, Quarantine,” Seng recalls. “He interviewed a lot of DPs, but couldn’t find the right fit. I was in New York and got a call from Screen Gems/Sony asking for the DP who shot Street Thief, and I ended up shooting Quarantine as my first studio film in 2006.”

Among Seng’s mentors was Conrad Hall, ASC, whom he met while Hall was shooting Road to Perdition (AC August ’02): “He really clarified the way I think about scene construction and lighting.” He also spent three years working with Chicago-based commercial gaffer Todd Thomasson, and later shadowed Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC on a commercial in New York. “All of those experiences, whether working with or observing, were foundational for me in understanding lighting and the job of a cinematographer,” Seng says.

In addition to Hall and Khondji, he points to a wide range of cinematographers as influences — including ASC members Gordon Willis and Roger Deakins, as well as Robbie Ryan, BSC, ISC and Christopher Doyle, HKSC. He also finds inspiration in the works of painter Francis Bacon; muralist Diego Rivera; photographers Todd Hido, Larry Sultan, Bill Henson, Sally Mann and Robert Frank; and documentary filmmakers Albert and David Maysles.

Seng’s numerous feature credits include Deadpool, Project X, Terminator: Dark Fate, Disconnect and They Cloned Tyrone. He has also shot episodes of Love, Death & Robots, and pilots for I'm Dying Up Here, Ghosted and Rush. In the commercial space, his body of work spans more than 20 years and more than 100 campaigns for such companies as Nike, American Express, Gatorade, Samsung, the U.S. Army, AT&T and Geico.

Of his philosophy on collaboration, Seng says, “Working with directors who have an empowering ethos of ‘No ego, the best idea wins’ — in prep and on set — has led to some of the most satisfying moments in my career.” His exploration of new artistic ground remains rooted in the same outlook that first compelled him to pick up a camera: a desire to understand people and to build worlds. “Filmmaking is such a collaborative art form,” he says. “For it to work at the highest level, everyone has to be doing their best work within the micro-culture we establish.”

Find Ken Seng's website here, and find the ASC's complete membership roster here.