Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/987068
Chinhda Clients The list of lives he touched, either from the sale of products or other work, is extensive. Cart and accessory clients include Coleman Metts, Glenn Berkovitz, Mark Ulano, Mike Guarino, Michael Barosky, Duke Marsh, Geoff Maxwell, Jan McLaughlin, Eric Rueff, Tom Visser, Mark Weber, Steve Tibbo, Noah Timan, Simon Bishop, Mike Sexton, Tom Stasinis, Walt Hoylman, Cloud Wang, Matt Israel, Adam Jones, Ao Loo, Ludvik Bohadlo, Henry Embry, Christoph Schilling, Caleb Mose, Susan Moore- Chong, Peter Kurland, Chris Duesterdiek, Von Varga, Paul Ledford, Edward Tise and Jeff Jones. We developed the design together but, as we worked, it became clear that he had already given the project considerable thought. He had previously built a cart for Mike Denecke and, later, a special cart for Peter Weibel to showcase the Nagra D. My role in the design was secondary. Every piece in that first cart was crafted by hand. Chinhda took great care to make every surface smooth and every corner rounded so that each touch would bring tactile pleasure. He had a remarkable ability to see transformative shapes in ordinary objects. An I-beam could be milled to yield a mounting bracket for a recorder; tubing, both round and square, might be cut to produce folding handles and other elements that made the product both attractive and useful. Elegance always had a purpose: folding trays expanded the workstation; gear was securely affixed by custom brackets; crabbing wheels in follow carts permitted straddling the wheel hump in a crowded camera truck. And, his creative energies were not restricted to carts; he also made, from scratch, a portable telecine machine for projects that wanted to shoot film, screen dailies, but also cut on computer. This perfection presented its own challenges. As features were added to the carts, the cost rose until we were charging $10,000 each but making very little money even though we sold every cart Chinhda could make. His fertile imagination prevented him from locking down designs so we were never able to have components outsourced to CNC fabrication. Everything he made was milled on a Bridgeport with Chinhda moving the work table against the cutting bit by hand. And everything was crafted exquisitely. Creating those parts was his special pleasure. His engineering genius was largely self-taught but he did have some instruction in mechanics and electrics. He told me that, while just a teenager in Laos, he took classes in applied arts and worked part time to repair vehicles damaged by wartime service in Vietnam. But it was the draw of motorcycles that brought him to California. Schoolwork assignments did not bring in enough money to buy fast bikes, but smuggling in a war zone was profitable. Inevitably, this led to a reckoning and police arrived with questions. His mother knew immediately what had to be done—she sent the police on their way and locked Chinhda into his room until she could arrange passage to California where he might join his brother. He was on a plane just two days later. He joined his brother in mechanical engineering classes that, through the instructor's friendship, brought him to Peter Weibel and motion picture editing. His youthful passions stayed with him throughout his life. He collected guitars and played in a band. While, as an adult, he no longer rode bikes, many of his friends were sure that he would kill himself on that wicked fast Ducati that occupied the front of his shop for more than a year. Wisely, he never took it out. Chinhda had strong family connections, as one might expect from someone shanghaied into safety by his mother. He never failed to ask about my son. He was close to his brothers and took special pride in his nephews, who formed the core of the technical workforce in early days at K-Tek. He complained bitterly about how Manfred poached them, but you could tell he was proud. He was proudest of the accomplishments of his daughter Kathy, who studied law, gave him a grandchild and now works as an immigration attorney. He lost his wife K.K. to cancer a few years ago and he yearned to be reunited with her. We wish them both good karma. After the Emmy ceremonies, Henry Embry brought his statuette to the shop to share the win with Chinhda. Photo by David Waelder Custom cart built for Ao Loo. Photo by David Waelder (Apologies to anyone omitted.) Besides the USA, countries represented include China, Poland, England, Germany and Canada. Names in boldface are members of Local 695; italicized names are believed to be IATSE members in their respective regions. Names in plain type are from outside IATSE membership jurisdiction but are often trade unionists in their respective countries. Many components were like jewelry. Photo by David Waelder