Local Profile: Producer Christelle Zeinoun

TOLUCA LAKE - Christelle Zeinoun always had a talent for entertainment. Whether play acting, telling jokes or dancing, the young girl often found an appreciative audience in her family and friends.

Today, the local resident and one-time film student-turned post-production producer is making her mark in Hollywood’s post production world as she completes work on Wesley Snipes’ newest film “The Recall,” set for release later this year. With a slew of films under her belt including the upcoming “Walk of Fame,” starring Scott Eastwood and Malcolm McDowell, and the crime drama “God the Father,” starring Tom Benedict Knight (“Kick Ass 2”) Zeinoun is on the rise as one of the industry’s young post producers.

“It is a true honor to be part of ‘Recall,’ where not only Wesley Snipes, but also another great actor who I really admire, R.J. Mitte of ‘Breaking Bad,’ work,” Zeinoun said. “This movie is now in post production and I have no doubts people are going to fall in love with the result!”

It was just a few years ago that the petite budding filmmaker found herself in Los Angeles with notion of studying film and the process of filmmaking at UCLA Extension. With a firm grasp of how motion pictures are developed and produced, Zeinoun dove headfirst into postproduction where she found her true calling.

“I grew up in Lebanon, surrounded by independent and hardworking sisters. One of these is an assistant director and she used to bring me with her on sets every time she could,” Zeinoun said. “I have always loved to watch movies as a way to be entertained, but I discovered that behind a movie, there is so much more. I remember thinking: ‘Damn, this is a very cool job!’”

Although already experienced in film production from various stints in films in her homeland and a degree in film, Zeinoun found entry into Hollywood challenging. Working as an events coordinator for the Lebanese Consulate at first, Zeinoun persevered and began her career as post-production assistant on short films and videos before taking a larger and more demanding role in a male-dominated field.

“As a woman, you always know that your path will be harder and sometimes many prejudices will be preventing you from achieving your goals with the ease that men could experience,” she said. “My way to overcome this has always been to work harder, and to be the first one to put pressure on myself until I know that I am showing not only to be good, but to be the best that I can be.”

With a keen eye for detail and a passion for bringing a director’s vision to life, Zeinoun leaves no stone unturned when it comes to her work. From bringing out brilliant colors of a warm sunset or creating the soft fades from one scene into another, to enhancing mood with color tones or creating brilliant graphics in main and end titles, Zeinoun is a master in coordinating Post Production.

Thanks to today’s technology, Post Producers like Christelle Zeinoun are pushing the envelope in creating and developing unique visuals for today’s films.