“What makes me most proud is that many of the directors, cinematographers, and producers I’ve worked with continue to invite me back to collaborate on new projects,” Linnan comments. “Our relationships are rarely one-time collaborations,” she says. “And, to me, being asked to return for a second or even third project is one of the most meaningful forms of recognition.”
Mood and style
She is a film colorist first, shaping the visual language and emotional tone of a project through color grading. Linnan works with directors and cinematographers before they even start filming. Together, they develop a Show LUT that establishes the visual language before production begins. In that way, the visual language of the project is there from the outset, guiding the entire project from production through post-production.
Linnan developed the LUT for Tempting the Mafia Twins, a popular ReelShort series that debuted earlier this year, for example. For the project, Linnan and her collaborators created a cinematic color palette that reflected the emotional tone of the story, maintaining a consistent visual identity throughout productions. The series has accumulated more than 37 million views.
“This has reinforced my belief that color is not simply about making images look beautiful,” says Linnan. “It’s an essential part of storytelling that shapes atmosphere, emotion, and the audience’s connection to the characters.”
Rhythm and atmosphere
In addition to being a film colorist, Linnan has also built a career as a sound designer and re-recording mixer. She creates sound design and final mixes for narrative films, documentaries and animated shorts. “I help to shape each film’s rhythm, atmosphere, and sense of immersion,” she says.
Linnan’s work as a sound designer and re-recording mixer was recognized as a finalist for the Cinema Audio Society (CAS) Student Recognition Award. She continues to work on creating soundscapes that enhance storytelling. The responsibilities of a sound designer can include sound editing, sound design, dialogue editing, and final mixing.
“I always focus on how sound can support character, atmosphere, and narrative rather than functioning as a purely technical element,” she says. Her work in sound is not separate from her film color grading. Instead, color and sound fit together like hand in glove, Linnan says. There’s no barrier between them.
“I believe that color and sound are two complementary forms of storytelling, and together they help transform a script into an emotional experience for the audience,” she says. Her focus is on supporting a complete cinematic environment, and that mindset allows her to collaborate effectively with directors and cinematographers, contributing to a more cohesive final film.
Fascinated by story
Linnan caught the storytelling bug early. She started out writing stories in middle school, experimenting with long and short-form fiction, inspired by the people and experiences around her. Writing was one output, but when she discovered cinema, she was sold on the artform.
“I was fascinated,” Linnan recalls. “Film could tell a story spanning years, even a lifetime, and in just a few hours.” Film carried with it the depth of a novel, but there were images, sound, performance, all in one. She began to apply her storytelling skills in a visually driven format.
From short stories and novels, Linnan began to type up scripts. One of these she turned into a short film that became part of her college application. She also began to produce short videos.
“Although I was still learning, those early experiences confirmed that filmmaking was what I wanted to pursue,” she recalls. And pursued film she did, first by studying film production at Emerson College in Boston, an experience she describes as comprehensive. Later, she obtained an MFA at the University of Southern California. She continued to develop along the way, both in the classroom and out of it. She produced her own films in addition to her studies.
She also got a taste for color grading and sound design, which eventually emerged as her forte.
Transcending language
Having been educated in film — both at university and on the set — Linnan says she wants to keep working as a film colorist and sound designer, while broadening the scope of her collaborations. She wants to work with filmmakers from different countries and cultural backgrounds, for example, not just to help tell those stories, but to challenge herself too.
“One of the reasons I love both color and sound is that they communicate in ways that go beyond language,” she says. “Audiences may speak different languages, but they can all understand emotion, atmosphere, rhythm, and visual storytelling.”
That ability to reach more audiences through color and sound inspires Linnan. She’s also interested in working in different genres, and to collaborate with new directors, cinematographers, and post-production artists, each one of whom has something to share.
“Ultimately, I want to build a career that is defined not only by the projects I work on, but by the people I collaborate with and the stories we create together,” she says. “My goal is to contribute to films that connect with audiences across cultures and demonstrate that color and sound can communicate emotions in a way that transcends language.”