Tung Bui

Biography

As a freelance cinematographer mainly working in the advertising field, but with 12 years in the profession, he holds many desirable projects. Participating in filmmaking for 12 years with large and small positions in many different departments, DOP's work is Tung Bui's passion and biggest goal. His passion for movies from an early age was Hollywood movies, but Tung Bui never thought he would make movies in the future. Later, when he returned from studying abroad, Tung Bui had a friend who worked as a studio and had a need to make a music video for the singer, then he learned to edit and accepted the invitation to edit that MV. This was the first project that accidentally led him to the path of filmmaking. "In the process of learning and making me realize the importance of composition and lighting. The same action but different camera placement and lighting can create completely different stories. This to me is like an addictive drug, a “superpower” that can change the viewer's emotions and tell stories using only composition and light. From then on I knew I could not be satisfied with any other job than this." With 12 years of experience in viral TVC and music videos, Tung Bui's transition to filmmaking was also quite convenient and smooth. However, each field will have a difference, what Tung Bui finds the most different and the most difficult when switching to filmmaking is 'surpassing himself'. "When making a TVC or MV, each shot has specific requirements from the client, and it is my duty to work with the director and my own aesthetic to fulfill those requirements to satisfy the customer with the final product of the image. When making a film, me and the director become our own customers with requirements that we set ourselves. I find it much harder to please myself than others" Every project for Tung Bui was a challenge because he wanted to do better than what he had done before, the hardest request for him so far was to make a MV with just 1 continuous shot and it took him a long time, a lot of time practicing the camera and using a variety of techniques and equipment to get the camera right where you want it in a long continuous shot. "To this day, I still regret that if I had had a little more time to practice or come back for a few more takes, the shot would have been better." His first film was Naked Truth (2022), directed by Dinh Ha Uyen Thu.