Haoran Chen, a movie producer in Atlanta recognized for his crafting compelling narratives, is about to launch his first feature-length movie, “Issues Better Than Us,” in 2026. This profound sci-fi thriller guarantees to discover the fragility of human connection within the face of the unknown, showcasing Chen’s sharp artistic outlet and robust logistical command.
Chen, who holds an MFA in Movie Manufacturing from the Savannah School of Artwork and Design, has already carved a profitable area of interest within the business, notably within the realm of vertical mini TV collection. His work has garnered vital traction on rising platforms, with “Gigolo Alpha” amassing over 1.7 million viewers on Playlet and “Mated to My Lycan King” attracting 1.4 million views on Snackshort. He additionally produced the music video “Passenger,” which has amassed 550,000 views on YouTube, additional showcasing his intuition for emotionally resonant content material that relates with audiences.
Past narratives, Chen has additionally produced branded movies and documentaries for main worldwide purchasers resembling Midea and Heli America, making a reputation for himself by ending tasks on time and beneath price range, even in high-pressure environments. His experience in budgeting, scheduling, cross-departmental coordination, and post-production workflow makes him a sought-after producer. Chen’s dedication to his craft has been acknowledged at quite a few worldwide movie festivals, together with IndieX, Bridge Fest, and the London Director Awards. Fluent in each English and Mandarin, he’s additionally adept at bridging collectively cultures and markets with content material that displays deeply with various audiences.
Now, Chen is investing his expertise and fervour into “Issues Better Than Us,” a venture he describes as a strategy to “convey each ambiance and impression.” The movie’s premise is intriguing: a gaggle of long-time associates reunite at a secluded cabin on the invitation of an eccentric millionaire, solely to find he possesses proof of clever life past Earth.
“At its heart, the movie isn’t simply concerning the discovery of alien existence,” Chen explains. “It’s about how that specific data can have an effect on human relationships, perception programs, and our sense of objective. It’s a narrative about awe, worry, and the complicated methods we reply to the unknown. We wished to discover what occurs not when the world finds out, however when just a few folks do. What do they do with that data? How do they carry the load of reality? That emotional stress, layered over the speculative idea, is what drives the narrative.”
For Chen, the movie offered a chance to experiment with tone, pacing, and visible subtext whereas sustaining a robust human emotional core. “I’ve all the time believed that style movies—particularly thrillers—is usually a poignant strategy to discover large existential questions, and this story gave me the prospect to do precisely that, with out counting on large-scale spectacle,” he says.
“Issues Better Than Us” boasts a proficient ensemble solid, together with KateLynn E. Newberry, an award-winning actress with over 100 movie credit together with Woman Krampus, Remoted and Widow’s Level, Joey Heyworth, who has starred in TV Exhibits resembling Hulu’s Chew Sizes Halloween, INSP’s Wild West Chronicles and Investigation Discovery’s Betrayed, and Yakov Kolontarov, a two-time pure bodybuilding champion, proficient in film stunts, and has refined his craft at prestigious establishments like Stella Adler’s Theater College and Brent Harvey’s Performing Grasp College.
He’s additionally the founding father of Midnight Photos and Kolontarov Brothers Manufacturing. The movie additionally stars Jenny Heaton, who starred in episode 4 of The Penguin on HBO Max, and Jacob Lynn, who has acted in “George & Tammy” (Showtime), the place he labored reverse Michael Shannon, and has been directed by Raven-Symoné in “The Ms. Pat Present” (BET+), and appeared in “All is Calm” (dir. Brittany Goodwin).
“Every actor introduced exceptional depth and overtone to their roles, serving to to floor the movie’s speculative idea in uncooked, emotional realism,” Chen shares. “As a result of the story depends closely on character dynamics and delicate stress, it was important to solid actors who might convey that emotional complexity—and so they exceeded each expectation.”
Chen accentuates the significance of emotional reality in cinematic storytelling. “For me, the very best sort of cinematic storytelling is one which captures the emotional reality of every character whereas utilizing visible language to raise that have,” he states. He notes the movie’s ensemble nature, highlighting the concentrate on giving every character their very own narrative formation. “We wished the viewers to really feel like they honestly knew every of them—not simply as a part of a gaggle, however as people formed by worry, surprise, and perception.”
Chen additionally factors to the premeditated use of cinematography to reinforce the emotional panorama of the movie. “I paid shut consideration to how lighting might shift with an emotional tone—how the ambiance of a scene might subtly evolve with the characters’ inner states. We designed a number of artistically pushed photographs that mirror these emotional rhythms, and that course of was extremely thrilling for me.”
When requested about what units his work aside, Chen emphasizes the distinctive method to ensemble storytelling and the artistic use of visible strategies inside a restricted price range. “I imagine what units our work aside—particularly in Issues Better Than Us—is our method to ensemble storytelling and the way we visually assist it inside a restricted price range. Within the house of low- to mid-budget style movies, it’s simple to fall into acquainted visible formulation. As an alternative, we selected to take artistic dangers that assist the movie stand out stylistically.”
He explicates on the precise visible selections made to create a definite ambiance. “We leaned closely in direction of low-key lighting and deliberate digital camera motion, utilizing shadows and house to construct stress and information emotion. These visible choices weren’t simply merely aesthetic—they have been character-driven, reflecting inner conflicts and group dynamics. As a result of it’s an ensemble piece, we meticulously targeted on giving every character’s presence visible weight by way of framing, mild shifts, and rhythm in modifying.”
Sustaining a excessive stage of high quality is paramount for Chen. He explains his collaborative method, particularly when working with new group members. “On Issues Better Than Us, many of the division heads have been folks I used to be working with for the primary time, which was each thrilling and an actual problem. If you don’t have the consolation of a longtime shorthand, communication turns into much more essential.”
“To take care of the usual I maintain myself to, I targeted closely on early and constant collaboration. I frolicked with the director discussing his thought course of and visible priorities, so I might align the manufacturing plan along with his artistic imaginative and prescient,” Chen continues. “For me, sustaining high quality is about preparation and coherency. It’s ensuring everybody on the group not solely understands the imaginative and prescient but additionally has the instruments and construction to execute it beneath real-world constraints.”
The emotional depth of “Issues Better Than Us” is a direct results of intentionality. “For me, emotional depth begins with intention,” Chen explains. “Whether or not it’s a personality beat, a line of dialogue, or a lighting selection, all the things has to serve a deeper emotional reality. In Issues Better Than Us, we have been working with an ensemble solid, so creating house for every character’s emotional arc was important. We didn’t need simply anybody to really feel like a background determine—every particular person’s perspective mattered, and that layering added richness to the story.”
He additionally strongly emphasizes the essential function of the manufacturing setting in shaping the emotional impression. “From a manufacturing standpoint, I pay shut consideration to how the setting interacts with efficiency. Lighting shifts, digital camera distance, and motion are all calibrated to reflect the characters’ inner states. I additionally work intently with the director and solid to make sure the pacing permits key moments to breathe—so we’re not simply dashing to hit plot factors however permitting emotion to utterly resonate.”
Reflecting on the expertise of creating his first characteristic movie, Chen acknowledges each the challenges and the rewards. “Making my first characteristic movie was each probably the most difficult and most rewarding expertise of my profession to date,” he says. “With short-form tasks, I’m used to tight deadlines and high-pressure environments—however a characteristic provides layers of complexity in scale, construction, and emotional continuity that demand a distinct sort of endurance.”
He concludes, “Alternatively, probably the most rewarding half was seeing how far we might push previous the boundaries of what’s potential with a well-composed group and a shared targeted imaginative and prescient. There’s nothing fairly like watching a totally fashioned scene unfold on set, figuring out what number of transferring items can come collectively to make issues occur. That feeling of constructing one thing significant from scratch—it’s why I do that.”
“Issues Better Than Us” is presently slated for a 2026 launch, with plans for a movie pageant premiere. Chen and his group are within the growth technique of a strategic pageant method to make sure the movie reaches its target market and secures the suitable platform. This venture guarantees to be a fascinating cinematic expertise, showcasing Chen’s expertise for crafting emotionally resonant narratives and pushing additional previous the boundaries of impartial filmmaking.
Comply with Haoran Chen on Instagram @filmakerdanch.