Happy Lunar New Year to all our supporters of Breathin’: the Eddy Zheng Story!

Breathin’ has made many important strides in the editing phase and I thought I would give a brief recap with some of the major updates. Editor Tina Nguyen and I spent much of the summer and fall 2014 editing the previous drafts towards a full-length rough cut. Bringing in another person to help shape the story was a major leap. Tina was able to approach problem areas from a different angle and inject new creativity, which has been great for the film. During this phase, we also gathered feedback from other filmmakers, media programmers, and community members during private screenings and solo viewings (thank you to all who viewed the cuts and provided notes!). After being so deeply engrossed in editing specific scenes and material, it was helpful to receive the candid feedback.

Originally, we planned to finish the film by the end of 2014 with a goal of premiering in early 2015. However, after receiving feedback from key advisors and discussing with our team, I decided to extend the editing phase. We also had an opportunity to work with Editor Ken Schneider, an accomplished Editor and Producer in the bay area. It has been a pleasure working with Ken on taking the film to a higher level and I look forward to continued progress in the coming months. Ken has edited films such as: Regret To Inform (Oscar & Emmy nominee, Peabody and Sundance winner), Bolinao 52 (regional Emmy winner), and In Football We Trust (Sundance 2015).

I am also excited to announce that Scott Jung (a.k.a. CHOPS) has come on board to compose the original score for Breathin’! Scott recently scored music for the documentary 9-Man (which screens at CAAMFest in March, go see it!) and has had his music featured in many television shows and films. Scott is well known for his ground-breaking work as a producer/rapper for the Asian American hip hop group Mountain Brothers and has had an illustrious career as a producer for many hip hop artists. Over the past several months, Scott has worked diligently on drafting music for key scenes based on our rough cut. We Skype regularly to discuss concepts, ideas, and examples that will highlight the emotional character and dramatic arcs of the film. Music will play a crucial piece to Breathin’ and Scott is on track to create a score that enhances Eddy’s story.

I look forward to completing the film in 2015. Thank you to all of you for your support and enthusiasm!

Sincerely,

Ben Wang

Director/Producer