Editor Shiman Hu Creates Diverse Program For Those That Do Not Fully Understand Mainstream News

Shiman Hu

Staying up to date on the news has always been very important, as the past year has reminded many of us. Major events around the world can have a direct impact on your daily life, so staying informed is critical. Film Editor Shiman Hu believes that lending her talents to sharing news is vastly important, both at mastering her craft and at using her craft to help others.

News is ever-changing, and for an editor, that can present unique challenges only presented in that field. It is important to be both quick and accurate, being as reliable as possible while presenting the key information.

Hu believes that knowing how to edit newscasts well makes you a better rounded editor overall, and she has used her experience in editing news for Chinese online shows AI Talk, AI Interview and AI Weekly Post to better her work on other mediums, such as her award-winning film The Sound of the Sea and major commercials for Dling Medical Aesthetic Center, Inc., Wondries Toyota, Envision Motors Mercedes-Benz Of West Covina, and Roxy Trading Inc. 

“News requires that editors have strong logical thinking abilities, as they must fully understand the content, edit the appropriate picture in the shortest time, and use special effects to present the text that needs to be emphasized in a clear and fashionable way. This is a test of the editor’s basic skills. When editing news, there is no time to simply try, you must use the fastest speed to achieve the highest quality,” she said.

AI Talk is a talk show and video commentary program. In each program, there are 5-8 videos of recent hot topics. In addition to the host, there are two commentators in the program. After watching the videos, they will discuss ideas together. Hu’s position in this show is Lead Editor, and she has been a part of it since the beginning. Before shooting ever commenced, Hu had a meeting with the other team members, participating in discussions, and customizing the way the show is presented.

She helped look for the shooting location, finally determining that a green screen would be their best course of action combined with b-roll. After the trial recording of the first issue, she began to design the style, title, name tag, lower third, transitions, and so on for all the necessary elements of the show, ultimately helping to come up with the look and feel of the entire show.

“When I first met Shiman, I was struck by how professional she is. We were doing the location scouting for AI Talk, and she gave us some comments that were very practical. She never wastes any time while working, always hitting the point quickly and moving on to get everything done effectively. I think her filmmaking background makes her very good at editing news. And her attitude, she is very serious about her work,” said Ethan Nijiyoku, a host of AI Talk.

AI Interview is a spin-off of AI Talk that focuses solely on interviews. Through these interviews, the intention is to let the audience know exactly what is happening on a national level in the United States and internationally through an in-depth interview with an expert on whatever topic is being discussed.  

AI Weekly Post is a weekly program that summarizes all the hot news of the week. When designing this program, Hu wanted to distinguish it from ordinary news broadcasts. Therefore, in the format of this program, the editing is mainly based on oral broadcast, and she set the keynote of the program in the beginning, ending, lower third, transition, etc. 

All three of these AI programs must be strictly reviewed and revised by Hu, and can be broadcast only when she approves them. She uses her thorough and thoughtful eye to ensure they are telling informative and accurate stories targeted towards their Asian-American audience.

“Especially in the United States, many Chinese people do not have a good command of English, which makes it difficult for them to read American news. My work can serve the Chinese people all over the world. Whether it’s international news or local, it can let people see the information and use their most familiar language. I think this is very important,” she said.

AI News is a program published by the popular YouTube account Kingdom For Jesus. All programs produced by Hu will be published on the YouTube channels of Kingdom For Jesus, AI News, and Dare to Change. In addition to YouTube, all episodes are posted on Facebook, WeChat, and various other social media platforms, totalling hundreds of thousands of views dispersed amongst the channels. 

“All my friends are watching the news program I edited. They will give me a lot of encouragement. This kind of feeling is very gratifying and makes me more motivated for the future and more enthusiastic about this project,” she concluded.