Rina Yang, BSC: Igniting The Fire Inside

The Fire Inside is the true story of Claressa "T-Rex" Shields, a
boxer from Flint, Michigan and her trainer, Jason Crutchfield. She
became the first American woman to win Olympic gold in boxing. The
Fire Inside is the feature directorial debut for Rachel Morrison,
the first woman cinematographer nominated for an Academy Award.
Cinematographer Rina Yang, BSC enjoyed the ability to speak with
director Rachel Morrison in a shorthand way about shooting the
film. “It did help that I've known Rachel for a while, just being
female DPs in this boys' game,” she says. “It was nice to be able
to skip the tech chat and get to the point, because we had a really
insane schedule.” The film's production had faced numerous
challenges, having to shut down during COVID in 2020 which halted
filming for two years. Once The Fire Inside was greenlit again,
they faced an accelerated production schedule in Toronto. Rina
prepped by watching a documentary about Claressa Shields called
T-Rex and watched all her fights in the 2012 Olympics as
references. She and Rachel meticulously shotlisted every scene and
entered it into a detailed spreadsheet so that they knew what they
needed each day. The Fire Inside focuses on capturing the intensity
of Shields' journey, both inside and outside the ring. “Rachel and
I talked about how we wanted to shoot the boxing,” Rina explains,
“but we decided that ultimately, we just wanted to feel the fight
from Claressa's point of view rather than doing cool boxing shots.”
This approach led to a raw and intimate portrayal of the sport,
emphasizing the emotional and physical toll on Shields. Actor Ryan
Destiny underwent rigorous training to perform all the boxing
scenes herself, and Rina often opted for handheld cameras to
capture the raw energy of the story. Rina and Rachel both operated
a few of the boxing scenes. Rina didn't hesitate to tell Rachel how
her camerawork was looking. “I was really honest. She would ask if
she did a good job. I'd say that was good, or suggest a move that's
less active and a little bit more quiet with the camera.” Rina's
path to becoming a cinematographer was not a direct one. After
moving to London from Japan at 21 with limited English, she decided
to pursue film school. While working on a film set, Rina was
inspired by Sara Deane, a female cinematographer, and realized that
cinematography was her true calling. She subsequently honed her
skills through a series of short films, music videos, and
commercials. You can see The Fire Inside currently in theaters and
streaming on VOD January 28. Find Rina Yang: Instagram
@the_rinayang Hear our previous interview with Rachel Morrison
about her work as a cinematographer on Mudbound:
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