Innovation was at the helm of the 2019 Chinese drama Love and Destiny, a love story that tells the tale of the God of War Jiu Chen played by Chang Chen and a fairy maiden, Ling Xi played by Ni Ni. 

Bringing to life the historical drama through his skilful techniques in cinematography, Love and Destiny’s Director of Photography, Jiang Ji-Zheng wanted to create something new and different for the audience—resulting in a win for Best Cinematography at the 25th Asian Television Awards. 

Ji-Zheng said that in 2017, they had the experience of producing a similar drama, laying the foundation for Love and Destiny. He said, “By innovating, especially when it comes to animation and costumes helped a lot in creating this drama, with the element of oriental beauty being a significant part of the production.” 

Speaking on the role of cinematography in effectively telling a story, Ji-Zheng said that when he received the script for Love and Destiny, it was “literature art”. 

“When you want to turn it into a story, by graphics, it has to be through actors and actresses. When you want to create a certain atmosphere, it is the role of the cinematographer to find the right lighting or colouring,” Ji-Zheng said. “These are the things that help in creating a holistic picture that’s coherent with the story you’re telling.” He added that audiences are most likely to enjoy the show and feel the emotion that is being conveyed through the cinematography. 

Ji-Zheng revealed that one of the difficulties in filming Love and Destiny was the setup as the venues required animations. He revealed, “The setup can only cover a certain amount so using chroma key technology to allow for room for imagination so that the actors and directors can imagine maybe a monster jumping into the scene. How people will react is one of the most difficult parts you have to deal with.” 

Following his ATA win, Ji-Zheng is currently working with the same team as they prepare for another historical drama. While he has been doing historical drama for over 10 years, Ji-Zheng said that he would also like to have some sort of breakthrough into modern TV drama series, so this is most likely the future direction of his work. 

Watch out for more interviews with past Asian Television Awards winners with our coverage of the Asian Television Awards Alumni Spotlight.