Matthew Chuang’s Epic Journey Shooting Chief of War
Film
Every achievement in life is its own challenging journey, and at some point, the right person with the combination of vision and tenacity is chosen for that journey. This was true of both Kaʻiana, commander of the Hawaiian army under the reign of King Kamehameha I and the subject of the new AppleTV+ series Chief of War, and of Matthew Chuang, a rising star in the field of cinematography. Chuang seemed like an unlikely choice to lens this grand tale, and is now being hailed for some of the most strikingly epic work ever to grace the small screen. The series teamed Chuang up with a close friend and collaborator, director and producer Justin Chon.
“Justin came on to do the first two episodes, and he contacted me,” Chuang says. Chuang’s personal journey in film began when his family moved from Taiwan to Australia when he was a child, and he attended a small film school at age 17. After working on numerous smaller projects, Chuang’s breakthrough into wider recognition came in 2021 with the indie drama Blue Bayou, directed by and starring Chon. The two had been itching to work together again ever since. “He was like, ‘Hey, man, I wanna try to get you on this,” Chuang says. “And when he was telling me about it, I [was] like, ‘Well, they’re never gonna hire me, ’cause it’s such a big show, and I haven’t done anything close to that size before, or TV, before.”
Chon seized upon the period horror film You Won’t Be Alone, which Chuang had shot for director Goran Stolevski in 2022, as the showpiece to prove it. Set in 1800s Macedonia, it relied on a naturalistic approach, shooting in forests and mountainsides with plenty of firelight. That sensibility was exactly what Chon needed to convince the producers, including Jason Momoa who also stars as Kai’ana. “It took him quite a few months, to be honest, because they had a list of people they wanted him to meet,” Chuang says. Chon wanted someone adaptable, and by the time reviews of You Won’t Be Alone came out, the producers could see Chuang’s work for themselves, and it was Momoa himself who called Chuang to officially offer him the job.
Chuang and Chon began discussing the aesthetic they wanted for the series. “Obviously it’s a historical epic, so we looked at a few historical epics that we really liked,” Chuang says. A reference point was found in the works of John Toll, the cinematographer known for period epics such as Legends of the Fall, Braveheart and The Last Samurai. “We didn’t want to force too much of a design look on it, because we wanted it to feel very real,” Chuang says. Initially, Chief of War was meant to shoot entirely in Hawaii, where the story takes place, but multiple factors lead to a course correction. “The way the show was set up was more of a TV approach,” Chuang explains. “You go to Hawaii, O‘ahu, everyone shoots in this one place called Kualoa Ranch … and you’ve seen that side of Hawaii. Justin and Jason wanted something different with this show. They wanted to shoot in places you haven’t seen before.” Budget concerns and a desire to showcase a wider variety of locations led the production to relocate to New Zealand, where tax incentives and a booming film community brought considerable advantages.
Chuang shot most of the series on the V-Raptor, with the Alexa Mini LF used for the first two episodes in order to capture the 2.39:1 anamorphic look that the team had set their minds on. “They had to approve the aspect ratio because they don’t normally do that,” Chuang explains. “But it made sense to us because it’s a historical epic … We were looking at lenses from Panavision. Justin really likes his lenses quite messed up … more texture, kind of like a messed-up character to everything.” Apple’s streaming requirements demanded true 4K in that aspect ratio, which ruled out the Alexa 35 which can’t do full 4K resolution for anamorphic. “We had to speak with Panavision to see what they had when it came to full frame lenses,” Chuang says. Chuang settled on the T Series anamorphics, Panavision executive Mike Carter offered to have a custom set of lenses made for Chuang, and legendary lens guru Dan Sasaki tackled the assignment. “We explained we wanted something classical, but also something funkier,” Chuang recalls. “He did his own thing … and they just sent it to us in Hawaii. We started shooting tests with it and we [were] like, ‘Oh wow, this works great.’ Then they did that modified recipe for multiple sets for us. We really love what they did for us.”
One of the series’ most awe-inspiring sequences came in the first episode, as Momoa dives beneath the waves to catch a shark. “It’s difficult to act underwater and stay underwater and get everyone in position and then get the action,” Chuang says. The scene’s complexity wasn’t just physical, and cultural advisors were consulted for authenticity. “They explained to us, culturally, what the sharks mean,” he says. “For us, it wasn’t like, ‘Oh, he’s killing the shark.’ No, it’s like an offering from the gods … We wanted that to really stand out and capture the spiritual side of things.”
For Chuang, filming in Hawaii was about more than just capturing stunning visuals — it was about honoring the culture and people whose stories Chief of War sought to tell. “There were so many cultural voices. So many people involved were like, ‘You know, this means something,’” he recalls. That meant constantly engaging with the community. “We [were] constantly asking them, “Does this all feel real?’ We wanted to do right by that.” Nowhere was that responsibility felt more than during the finale, which Momoa directed. “Obviously, being in Hawaii … especially the final battle scene, you know, that’s something that we couldn’t have done in New Zealand the way that we did it,” Chuang explains. The production took place on a real lava field — an unprecedented undertaking on that scale. “A volcano erupted the day before we had to shoot,” he adds.
After this baptism by fire — and lava — Chuang is potentially entering a new phase of his career, as the overwhelmingly positive reception to Chief of War has him poised to in increased demand for bigger projects. Chuang is currently reteaming with Goran Stolevski on a new film, and the possibility of a second season of Chief of War may be in the cards as well. Whatever the future holds, Mathew Chuang is a bold and exciting artist with a memorable filmography behind him and the promise of big things to come.
