While the shot sequences and camera angles seen in a film or TV series are laid out by the cinematographer beforehand, capturing those key visuals falls on the shoulders of the industry’s skilled camera operators, those like Malaysian born Zac Chia.

Chia’s extensive skill in capturing visuals as both a camera and gimbal operator have set him apart from others in the industry and have led him to be tapped to work behind the scenes on a number of high profile projects.

Chia says, “I love so many things about film! It’s a business with the perfect blend of art, technology, human relations, and business in my opinion; and an art form with a lot of creativity, yet requires a lot of careful planning. And the collaborative aspect of it is absolutely amazing. Everyone brings their expertise onto the table, and creates a project together.”

Some of the projects he’s become known for include the series “Kore Conversations” and “Cupid’s Match,” which ranked as the CWseed.com’s second most watched show upon release, the films “The Shadowboxer” with Dalton Alfortish from “22 Jump Street,” the 2018 thrillers “Paracusis” with Chris Barry from “The Book of Life,” and “Monkey Man” with Richard Bulda from the series “Fashion House,” and more.

One skill that sets him apart from many camera operators is his seasoned experience using the gimbal to capture scenes with fluid movement, which is exactly what he did for the T-Mobile and Fox collaboration “The Four” aka “The Four: Battle for Stardom.”  The series, which premiered in January, is a music competition reality show where hopeful music groups vie for the chance to win a recording contract with Republic Records.

Arden Tse, “The Four” cinematographer, says, “Zac was extremely critical to the production, to an extent that our productions wouldn’t have been able to run and achieve the shots we were required to get without him. The expertise that he brought to the camera operating side of our production made sure that we could make our days and keep things on schedule.”

Always in the perfect position to get the shot the production depends on– Chia’s foundation in the industry and the vast repertoire of work he’s created over the years stem from his astonishing talent as a camera operator; but this has also led him to be tapped to take on multiple other roles in the industry where visuals are concerned.

Earlier this year Chia was called in to serve as both the cinematographer and camera operator on the “Bodytraffic” promo video for the 2018 Bodytraffic Los Angeles tour, which debuted on May 31 at The Wallis. Founded in 2007 by Lillian Barbeito and Tina Berkett, the LA-based contemporary dance company Bodytraffic has taken to stages across the U.S. being named as one of 25 to Watch by Dance Magazine in 2013 and Best of Culture by the Los Angeles Times.

As the cinematographer and camera operator on the project Chia worked with director Ran Ro to map out how to capture the entire choreography of one of the company’s dance numbers, which was what the client was looking for. Chia opted for a lot of wide shots and strategically figured out how to capture specific dancers during certain points of the routine using the lighting available in the space.

“I realized we had access to a lot of natural light with the big windows, and so I discussed the use of lighting to highlight the dancers and/or moments with Ran. She loved the idea, and so we got a hazer, as fog has the ability to catch light, and in turn cause the streaks to look more concentrated on screen,” explains Chia.

“When we got to the location, I hopped on the sun surveyor app on my phone to see where the sun would be at what time, and we chose our backdrop and which part of the room to shoot at depending on where the sun would.”    

Considering that the project contains so much movement, Chia’s skill as both a camera and gimbal operator proved integral to capturing the fluidity of the routine and including the dancers performance in the way the client and director envisioned. Using his gimbal, Chia was able to move with the dancers, syncing his movements in terms of speed and direction in order to ensure that they were the center of attention at all times.

“Zac was an incredible cinematographer and gimbal operator on the shoot… His role was crucial for the shoot as it involved filming energetic dance movements in a spacious location. It was a great experience collaborating with him,” explains “Bodytraffic” director and editor Ran Ro. “He came up with great ideas during the shoot and we were able to get shots with dynamic energy and movements although they were filmed spontaneously. He is also very patient on set and is a great communicator. I loved working with him.”

With the ability to move from working as a camera and gimbal operator to leading his department as a cinematographer, and the rare capacity to accomplishing both simultaneously, Chia brings a level of versatility to the table that makes him a unique talent for productions like this. Whatsmore, he’s earned quite a bit of praise for his work as a director as well, earning the Festival Award from the Atlanta Horror Film Festival for his 2015 film “Room 205” and the Diamond Award from the LA Shorts Awards for his 2017 film “Saptapadi.”

Chia has also been tapped to shoot, direct and edit numerous videos for the inaugural season of the Overwatch League, a professional eSports league for the game Overwatch created by Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor.

“I was tasked to pitch, create, direct, shoot, and edit shows for the Mandarin audience with OWL’s Mandarin Host, Tutu,” says Chia.

In April one of the video’s Chia shot and directed aired live at the arena in Southern California in between the Shanghai Dragons and Florida Mayhem game, as well as on the platform Weibo in China. He’s also directed numerous other videos for the Overwatch League over the last three months, including ones that aired during the Seoul Dynasty vs Shanghai Dragons game and others.

Chia adds, “I absolutely loved the opportunity to pioneer content for a show in its inaugural season, and I was blessed with a lot of creative freedom from Blizzard Entertainment.”

Up next for camera and gimbal operator, who’s proven himself as a formidable genius behind the lense, is the film “A Good Thing,” which he will also be directing.