Desert Island DVDs - Production Manager Richard Kim

This week, Production Manager Richard Kim from our LA studio gives us his top three Desert Island DVDs and tells us why they’re important to him.

DISCLAIMER: The following opinions have been approved for all audiences to critique, celebrate or debate. No VFX Artists were harmed in the making of this article.

American Graffiti - George Lucas

This has to be one of my all-time favourite movies. Fun fact: I watched American Graffiti for the first time when I started my senior year of high school! There are so many parallels in the theme and story to a high school senior who's close to graduating.

This George Lucas classic portrays the close relationships that teenagers develop and the overarching fear of the unknown as they prepare to graduate and go their separate ways. I would argue that there are plenty of movies portraying this defining moment as the inciting incident of a story, but not as many that use it as the resolution.

I would have to say that George Lucas is among my favourite filmmakers. The way he used the city of Modesto as the backdrop of the film was incredible. Definitely one I watch every year and notice something new.

Touch of Evil - Orson Welles

This is a unique pick for me. I've only watched Touch of Evil in its entirety once, but I've rewatched one of the opening shots countless times. It's an incredible, long take following a couple as they walk through a town, all leading up to a shocking moment to start the story. When I saw this sequence for the first time, it gave me a crash course in cinematography and put me on the path to filmmaking.

After seeing Touch of Evil, I was obsessed with watching as many films as possible to learn a breadth of creative camera and lighting techniques. I started my career aged 18, and my first couple years in the industry were working on sets in Camera and Grip and Electric departments.

This movie truly helped jumpstart my career, and for that reason, I'll continue to return to it.

The Fast and the Furious - Rob Cohen

Last but not least, I have to bring up the film that started it all for me. I've wanted to work on movies ever since I saw The Fast and the Furious for the very first time. It was the perfect introduction to action/adventure films at a young age.

I grew up in a family of mechanics, so I've lived and breathed cars since I was an infant. Any movies that involved racing were an instant hit with me since then! I received my driving permit on the first day that I could, and my license on the first day that I could.

I would argue that the cinematography and editing in the racing sequences truly pioneered complex and exciting chase scenes that are commonplace in a lot of films now.