How to Find Your Filmmaking Path: Insights from Two USC Film Directors

Welcome to episode 1 of The First Act Break podcast, the show where we dive into the art, business, and hustle of breaking into the film industry. Today we talk about how we got into filmmaking, USC film school, and stories from film sets. 

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
they were like you gotta watch it with us and i was
like there's no way i'm watchinga romance film with you guys
right now and he was like cryingi was like i felt a tear and i
was watching the theater on aschool field trip and i was like
hiding in the back i was like nono one can see me cry and i was
like what they stole my idea andthere

SPEAKER_01 (00:17):
was a jump scare in the end and it made everyone
scream which

SPEAKER_00 (00:20):
that's

SPEAKER_01 (00:21):
i still have the recording of that learned so
much i mean i think the biggestteacher in filmmaking is

SPEAKER_00 (00:26):
and i think that's why you can't take forever on a
on a film because

SPEAKER_01 (00:29):
yeah i guess that was for for me just because I
think it was clear that I wasn't100% fit for the role and for
the scaled project.

SPEAKER_00 (00:38):
So I mean I always assumed like film sets could be
really nice and welcoming andthen I stepped on this one film
set.

SPEAKER_01 (00:44):
We always have

SPEAKER_00 (00:45):
that one.
Oh my god that one film setlow-key like I always think back
and besides that film set I'venever went on a film set that I
felt like I didn't belong thereyou know.

UNKNOWN (00:53):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (00:54):
Hey guys welcome to the first episode of the first
act break podcast the show wherewe dive into the art business
and hustle of breaking into thefilm industry today me and
Richard will be talking abouthow we got into film our
experiences at USC film schoolas well as multiple film sets
and our first collaborationstogether hopefully you guys will
learn a lot about filmmakingfrom this podcast enjoy dude oh

(01:20):
my god it's the first episodeyeah How do you feel?
Really

SPEAKER_01 (01:22):
exciting.
I'm really excited.
I've never done a podcastbefore, so this is brand new to
me and to Jiam.
Same.
Welcome to the First Act BreakPodcast.

SPEAKER_00 (01:33):
Yeah, welcome.
And I made him wake up at 6 inthe morning so we could start
the podcast on a sunrise, butthe sun never peaked in through
the windows, unfortunately.
Yeah.
Usually it peeks through mywindow and it's really pretty,
but it's okay because we'restarting things on the right
foot.

SPEAKER_01 (01:53):
Absolutely.
I'm trying to wake up earlierevery day.
Great.
You're jet lagged.
And I'm jet lagged, so he'susing me to my advantage.
Remember

SPEAKER_00 (02:05):
when we said we were going to record an episode at
like 6 in the morning?
Right now it's 7...
41 So I'm glad we pushed it backan hour or I'd be really tired
saying

SPEAKER_01 (02:16):
yeah,

SPEAKER_00 (02:16):
I'm generally a morning person So like, you
know, I I feel I feel goodWaking up early.
That's good.
Yeah, dude I mean, I think itkeeps your life really in order
in a way, you know it's likewhen you have that routine and
you're like I have this setrhythm where you don't even need
the alarm clock to wake

SPEAKER_01 (02:33):
up Yeah, exactly.
And it's nice to wake up withthe song, you know, you feel
like you're you're actuallygoing with the rhythm of of
nature so that's

SPEAKER_00 (02:42):
true i mean our ancestors did wake up when the
sun rose and went to sleep whenit got dark so

SPEAKER_01 (02:47):
cell phone alarms or whatever it's just

SPEAKER_00 (02:49):
yeah

SPEAKER_01 (02:49):
sun's up we're up

SPEAKER_00 (02:50):
so exactly cool i mean so you're in china over the
summer yeah you're from china

SPEAKER_01 (02:56):
yeah

SPEAKER_00 (02:56):
i'm from china so tell me about how you grew up

SPEAKER_01 (03:01):
yeah so i grew up in beijing went to uh public
school, same, same one sinceelementary.
And then I was only in middleschool for one year before I
came here to study abroad.
When I first got here, it was ahuge cultural shock.
I didn't really speak goodEnglish.
I was barely fluent, but youknow, I mean, one, you know,
tries to survive in anysituation.

(03:22):
So you try to adapt, you try tolearn.
Were you in one of those ESLclasses?
I was, yeah.
Me too, me too, yeah.
It's almost, it's been 10 yearsnow.
2015 was when I first came tothe US, so.

SPEAKER_00 (03:34):
Dude, I mean, I feel like we have very similar path
when it comes to that you know ialso went to elementary school
in china where i at least justfirst grade came to the u.s when
i was seven and uh that was backin 2011 i think and then started
like adapting like you said yeahtook the esl class and i just
realized how easy the americaneducation system is i mean might

(03:57):
not be a good thing or a badthing i don't know

SPEAKER_01 (03:59):
yeah comparatively i mean there's there's less tests
uh it's not as like It's rightor wrong, it's this or that.

SPEAKER_00 (04:06):
It's a lot more playing, a lot more creativity.
Explorative, yeah.
Which I don't know what systemis better, but I just feel like
I don't regret how I grew upbecause I felt like I shaped the
storyteller I am today.
Yeah, I agree.
I

SPEAKER_01 (04:22):
have the same, very similar experience of traversing
two different cultures andtrying to see where you fit and
all of that.
because of you know politics andwhatnot you know it's sometimes
it can be tricky but hey I meanit's it's such as you know life
and now we live in such aglobalized you know world and

(04:43):
where everything is we've gotthe internet and everything so

SPEAKER_00 (04:45):
yeah I mean speaking of that yeah TikTok just got
banned last night for me for meat least um people in the region
and everyone's going to Red Noteyeah it's so interesting to

SPEAKER_01 (04:56):
see that shift because Red Note is a Chinese
app and very Chinese yeah andAmericans are flying there to
see if that can become theirnext base for you know people
who are just using it casuallybut also people who have
businesses or or their primarysource of income are from their
tiktok accounts and that yeahdefinitely have a huge effect on

(05:17):
on those people and so we'realso trying to trying to see how
it unfolds but

SPEAKER_00 (05:22):
um i thought it was just so interesting because like
right now it's so Chinesecultured right and then it's
just the fact that people areprotesting this ban by going to
this you know Chinese app withChinese people and it's like for
the first time you know likemost Americans don't really
travel to China or even thinkabout it so like doing that is
like the closest thing in a waywhere it's like they get to see

(05:45):
what the real China is forbeyond what the media tells them
and I think you know reallyexperiencing a culture is
Wonderful.
You know?
Yeah.
How do you think, like, going toAmerica, like, kind of shifted
or, like, nudged you on the pathof filmmaking?

SPEAKER_01 (06:02):
Yeah, I mean, I think it was eighth grade.
That's when I sort of firststarted thinking about
filmmaking.
I mean, for me, it was always,you know, action and sci-fi
movies.
I'm sure it was the same foryou.
For most people, I mean, you goto movies and I think your first
impression is like, oh, I'mgoing to see some cool visuals
and effects and, you know.
What was your first movie,though?

(06:24):
I mean, in my memory, probablyShrek.
And then after Shrek, it wasmiddle school, eighth grade.
My parents asked me, like, oh,we're trying to see, like, it's
Valentine's Day.
We're trying to see a romancefilm.
Do you have any recommendations?
It's 2016, and La La Land justcame out.
And I was like, you know what?
Just go watch this.

(06:45):
Let me know what you think.
At that point, I wasn't reallythat big into film.
And they watched it, they lovedit.
I went back to China Overbreakand they were like, you gotta
watch it with us.
And I was like, there's no wayI'm watching a romance film with
you guys right now.
And I was not into romance atall.
I was very much an action andsci-fi person.
So I went into it and it blew meaway.

(07:08):
It really blew me away to thepoint where I realized I had a
camera of my own and juststarted shooting stuff.

SPEAKER_00 (07:15):
So La La Land was that movie for you?

SPEAKER_01 (07:17):
Yeah, and then it was Arrival, which came out in
the same year.
And those two movies back toback, plus Interstellar back in
2014.
That was when I first realizedlike, oh, this is not, they
don't just simply exist.
Like somebody made this,somebody made this happen.
And I looked up, like, oh,what's the director?
Who made Interstellar?

(07:38):
And all that stuff came out.
And so I would say it'sInterstellar and then La La Land
and then Arrival for me.
Dude, that's

SPEAKER_00 (07:46):
awesome.
Yeah, what about you?
I think, dude, the first movieto ever make me cry was Kung Fu
Panda 2.
It's surprising, but it's likethat scene where the young Po
was in the village and hisfamily gets like taken away or
something like that.
And there's a little baby likePo and he was like crying.
I was like.
I felt a tear and I was watchingthe theater on a school field

(08:07):
trip and I was like hiding inthe back.
I was like, no, no one can seeme cry.
I don't cry.
But, um, it really hurt.
Like I felt that a lot, youknow, I really emphasize with
this character and I reallynever have.
Um, and it was like such a youngage.
I was like four years old, fouror five.
I don't remember.
And then I remember after themovie, like almost every time

(08:28):
after a movie, I would ask mymom, I'm like, how did they do
that?
How was that character able tofly in the sky?
You know, how are they able todo all these, crazy things every
movie and my mom would try toexplain to me and I was like I
don't think that's how they didit you know and I was just
really loving that and I thinkuh fast forward I think it's
also it was 2016 as well whenthe secret life of pets came out

(08:54):
and Before that, like a fewmonths before that, I had these
pets of my own, right?
I had these geckos, turtles, andI was always just imagining
stories in my head of their lifeon their own.
And then I was telling peopleall these stories I had, and
they're like, you know there's amovie called Secret Life of Pets
coming out?
And I was like, what?
They stole my idea.

(09:16):
And then I saw the movie, and Iwas like, I gotta...
I gotta make movies myselfbefore they take more of my
ideas and make it into movies,right?
And I discovered iMovie and justfell in love ever since, you
know.
So tell me about how, you know,Chinese background influenced

(09:36):
how you approach filmmaking.

SPEAKER_01 (09:38):
Yeah, I mean, that's definitely a huge part of who I
am and what I try to, or atleast...
instinctually try to explore.
I mean, identity is one of thebiggest theme or biggest idea
that we explore in, in film.
Um, you know, it's all about howwe change, how we not change,
um, how we don't change and how,how the people around us and the

(10:00):
environment around us shape whowe are.
So I think there's somethingintegral to being, um, being
Chinese studying in the U S andbeing in this culture, um, that,
that, allows me to open up moreideas and more experiences.
I think one key part is tryingto see the world through
different perspectives.

(10:23):
And that's also what, what filmdoes is it puts you into the
perspective of someone else.
So I'm sure it's the same foryou as well.

SPEAKER_00 (10:31):
I think, uh, there's always a part of culture, uh,
wherever you go, right?
Wherever you live, it stays withyou forever.
Um, you know, I, I lived inChina over the first seven years
and then I lived in the EastCoast for five years and then
Wyoming for I think seven yearsafter that and then now LA and I

(10:53):
felt like now it's like thateverywhere I lived all the
culture I experienced throughoutyou know, impacts all of my film
in different ways, you know,very subtle ways, but you can
see how the ideologies ofdifferent people have played a
role in, like, the melting potinside me, I guess, in a way.
So I think it's always nice whenyou get to travel around and

(11:16):
explore.
I think that's one of thebiggest things when it comes to
filmmaking is just, like, beingable to see more perspectives.
Because, I mean, the beststories are the ones in real
life, to be honest.
The most...
uh interesting the most crazythe most um raw stories are the
ones in real life um and that'swhy my favorite movie is uh ford

(11:38):
versus ferrari in a way becauseit was a true story yeah and it
really made me feel something atthe end where i'm like wow that
is the power of film you knowyou can tell someone's life and
really make an audience feel iteven decades after, you know,
and I think it's so universal ina way where it's like, no matter

(11:58):
where that person comes from,there's a part of humanity in
that person.
And I think no matter what, youcan experience that through
film.

SPEAKER_01 (12:06):
Yeah.
I mean, film was great forescapism.
I mean, it's great forentertainment, but then at the
same time, you know, there's,like you said, you know, there's
films out there where it hitsyou at the center of your heart
that you never expected and itmakes you feel things you didn't

(12:26):
think you'd be able to feel orwitness characters go through
things and realize that you knowyou're you're kind of like them
even you know the villains andwhatnot you know you kind of the
best stories offer us like aninsight into somebody's life
who's entirely different thanours, and somehow we're able to

(12:48):
see things from theirperspective.
And I think, ultimately, goodmovies make us more human, and
they make us understandourselves better.
The film critic Roger Ebert saidthat film is like an empathy
machine.
It's this medium that helpsgenerate empathy for people.

(13:11):
other people's experiences andyou know we're all we all have
our own individual and excitinglives and experiences that shape
who we are and film is thisportal that thrusts us into
somebody else's life that wealso are able to relate to and I
think that's great power it butwe can go on and on about you

(13:32):
know film and whatnot becausewhat we do and whatnot but um

SPEAKER_00 (13:36):
yeah i mean what were some of your you said you
really like the action sci-figenre did you try to make some
of those films when you startingout or was that just like a
fever dream for later

SPEAKER_01 (13:45):
yeah i think i definitely have my my i
definitely tried to do sci-fi alittle bit i feel like that's
just easier than the actionbecause really action felt like
you know you're You have allthese crazy sound effects and
visuals and fights, and it justfelt more tricky than just

(14:06):
trying to come up with a coolconcept.
I don't know, time travel.
I've done those back in middleschool.
But then after that, my firstshort film was actually horror.
Oh, wow.
Because, I don't know, somethingabout the language of it really
spoke to me because...

(14:28):
You can elicit such incredibleemotions and reactions from your
audience.
And I actually played it at mymiddle school's film festival.
And there was a jump scare inthe end and it made everyone
scream, which I still have therecording of that on my phone.
It was about a minute long.

(14:48):
It goes from or like two minuteslong.
It goes from the beginning ofthe film.
where the theater goes quiet andtowards the end when the drum
skater goes out and everyonejust screams and then they clap
at the end.

(15:11):
That made me feel something I'venever felt before.
The idea that you can make anaudience feel something together
in the theater, in a communalspace.
Yeah, it's been, and that sortof thrusted me onto this
journey, so.

SPEAKER_00 (15:27):
Dude, I mean, I remember this one time.
I made also, like, a stupidhorror film when I was in, like,
high school.
And I just, there was thisreally stupid jump scare that I
was like, everyone cananticipate, right?
But I showed it to this one kidon the school bus on a field
trip.
And he watched it, and he jumpedso hard, bro.
Like, I still remember that.

(15:48):
Like, I was ready.
I was like, okay, he's gonnajust see it.
I was like, whatever.
And he jumped almost out of theseat.
He almost fell off the bus.
So I'm just like, wow.
No matter what, two differentpeople, they see a different
film, right?
Sometimes to one person, theywould just be like, okay,
whatever.
But to the other person, it'slike, wow, that's the greatest
thing ever.
And that kind of speaks to thesubjectivity of film, which is

(16:09):
like, you can never try to makesomething where You just think
everyone will like becauseeveryone has different life
experiences that shape the waythey see film.
And everyone sees a differentfilm when they watch it.
And that's why I think some ofthe best films are films that a
lot of people don't like, butalso a lot of people do like.
Or even a strong majority ofpeople that really like it.

(16:34):
I don't know I think it's justlike yeah it definitely people
have different experiences and Iremember this also this one time
I also played another film in myfilm class at USC and this kid
he jumped and it was reallyfunny like the whole class were
laughing but like no one elsejumped and it's like some people
they they're able to tap intothat like story you know in a

(16:56):
different way than other peopleit's like wow like what makes
someone jump versus someone elseyou know is that it's that
personal history with whatever,what horror, you know, that
affects people.
And I think just like makingfilms that are true to you can
just always, you get to somepeople, you know, and I think
the journey is to figure out away to tap deeper into the

(17:20):
people you want to touch andalso try to broaden it the best
you can by, you know, loving,Leveling up your storytelling by
learning more about the worldand yeah stories um So what tell
me about how you got into USCthough?
I mean, yeah, that's how we metwe met at the screening of

(17:40):
What's that movie?
It's a really good.
It's not It's symposium.
No, wait, it was a symposium.
No, it was a premiere.

SPEAKER_01 (17:47):
No, it was so it was Dead for a dollar dead for a
dollar the Western withchristophe wallace and willem
dafoe yes dude i was at a dga uhtheater or dga it was yeah which
was really cool

SPEAKER_00 (18:01):
it was at the the director's guild and they played
it to a small audience um and wewe met each other there yeah and
we're like oh you're from usc ohcool i'm from usc too you know
it's like

SPEAKER_01 (18:13):
we became small town i mean la is huge but you know
if we if you work in film or tryto work in film you know it's
it's you meet people all thetime and you become friends and
work together so

SPEAKER_00 (18:23):
dude that's how we first met i mean everyone here
at the film school you know willprobably encounter each other at
some point in their careersassuming they're in film still
yeah um and that's why on thefirst day orientation they're
like you know look to your leftlook to your right these are the
people you're going to beworking with exactly it's

SPEAKER_01 (18:39):
true i mean you look at some of the up-and-coming
filmmakers and then they'retheir frequent collaborators you
know they often say oh i metthis person my second year at
college and film school and weenjoyed working together and we
just kept on working and thatstory comes up again and again
and so I think that's the one ofthe you know one of the biggest

(19:02):
takeaways one can have afterfilm school

SPEAKER_00 (19:05):
you know that screening though was so
interesting because that was myfreshman year I've never really
experienced LA or the filmindustry so seeing a red carpet
premiere with you know press andcelebrities i've never really
seen any celebrities before thatso it's like me neither i was
standing like two feet away fromthe guy and glorious bastards

(19:27):
yeah and an

SPEAKER_01 (19:29):
oscar

SPEAKER_00 (19:29):
an oscar

SPEAKER_01 (19:30):
winner and i'm not sure i think william

SPEAKER_00 (19:32):
defoe is you know

SPEAKER_01 (19:33):
not

SPEAKER_00 (19:33):
sure but the scientists you know yeah william
defoe like he was in spider-manlike that's crazy i was just
standing right next to him iremember i was like i don't know
i was just like really obsessedwith that stuff and i was like
whoa i want a selfie with thisguy and then his assistant was
like hey he's talking to otherpeople right now so okay i had
to chill out you know but it wasreally crazy seeing these people

(19:55):
yeah the movies um Interestingfor sure.
But yeah, I mean, that's how weconnected.
And I do want to hear about whatmade you want to apply USC.
How did you apply?
You know, how'd you get in?

SPEAKER_01 (20:07):
I mean, honestly, long story short, I in high
school film is still just anidea.
that I had in my head is morelike, you know, I never really
imagined it as a real career.
It's still just, you know, likea passion side hobby almost.
And then I applied to USC alongwith a bunch of other colleges,
not expecting or intending tostudy film at all.

(20:32):
Although the sort of the seed,was already there, you know, I
was thinking, like, well, partof the reason why I applied to
USC out of, like, every otherpossible, you know, college and,
you know, high-ranking collegesout there is because they have a
film program and they have areally nice, you know, arguably
the best film program in theworld.

(20:53):
I applied and I got intoDornsife, which is the liberal
arts college.
It was the best college I gotinto and it just made sense all
around for me to attend.
And so I came here, again, notintending to major in film
whatsoever, but I think themoment I stepped into this
world, I took 190, which is theintro to film class.

(21:17):
I remember freshman year, Icouldn't believe I was taking a
full-on course online.
on cinema at school because thathas never happened.
In high school, I've never takena class on filmmaking.
It was always going on YouTube,going on wherever books to try
to learn filmmaking or film ingeneral.

(21:38):
There's a bunch of video essayson YouTube and whatnot.
And it was crazy to me that fora whole class, all we talked
about was singing in the rain,editing and cinematography and,
you know, 180 degree rule andall the things that I was only
dreaming about learning.
And that was a crazy experienceto me.
And then ever since then, youknow, I sort of tried to learn

(22:00):
more about it.
And I just threw myself intothis world.
And then I applied to the filmschool immediately after, you
know, one semester in, got in.
And then that's when I startedcrewing on different film sets
and learning the ins and outs ofproduction and so freshman year
for me it was solidifying theidea that I will now try to

(22:22):
commit next three years atcollege to filmmaking and to do
my best to learn as much as Ican like a sponge you know and
just really take it all in.
I mean, there's so many greatpeople and projects and
resources here.
I mean, this town, we'reliterally next to Hollywood, so

(22:46):
there's great resources here andthere.
But

SPEAKER_00 (22:48):
yeah, what about your freshman?
Yeah, I love how you call it thetown.
It's like, do you listen to thetown?

SPEAKER_01 (22:54):
I do know the podcast.
I don't listen to it as often,but I really should.
Is

SPEAKER_00 (22:58):
that because you have Apple...
and not spotify maybe i don'tknow

SPEAKER_01 (23:02):
okay yeah

SPEAKER_00 (23:02):
i don't know if that's a thing because i
couldn't get listen to the townon youtube music so i was like
you know what just to listen tothe town i will get a spotify
subscription and now i listen toit and i love it but that's
another topic for another day umyeah so i think this just goes
to show like how even though youwasn't set on a certain path,

(23:26):
you were able to adapt andfigure out your true calling in
a way.
And I do wonder, though, whenyou applied to USC, was it
because you saw the schoolrankings and you're like,
they're the best film school?
I mean,

SPEAKER_01 (23:39):
honestly, I mean, I applied to Stanford.
I also applied to, you know, Ithink that was probably the one,
Columbia as well.
again, not intending to major infilm at all.
I was pretty sure I was going tobe like a mechanical engineer or
computer science major.
Because your parents?
Yeah, my parents worked in thatfield.

(24:02):
It's, you know, it feels likethat's always the path that I
was sort of paving myself on.
And it felt like, again, youknow, it makes sense for a lot
of people.
It makes sense for, it madesense for me too.
I mean, it's, Is it difficult?
Yeah.
You know, it can be challenging,you know, especially if you
really want to excel in any STEMcourse.

(24:24):
It's a lot of hard work andstudying and, you know, and all
that.
So that was always the path.
And I basically told my parents,you know, I was going to apply
to film school.
If I don't get in, I'll just docomputer science and still keep
film on the side.
But then I got in and just feltlike, you know, if there's one

(24:47):
chance, if there's oneopportunity to start really
dedicating myself to somethingthat I have been passionate
about for a very long time, thennow's the chance.
I mean, you don't really get todo this after a while.
I mean, you can always jump backinto the industry and whatnot.
But, you know, if you're at USCand your passion is film, then,

(25:10):
you know.
You got to do it.
You got to do it.

UNKNOWN (25:13):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (25:13):
that's awesome and did how hard was it to convince
your parents i'm like you wantto do film like it definitely

SPEAKER_01 (25:19):
took a while i mean

SPEAKER_00 (25:20):
like how that conversation

SPEAKER_01 (25:21):
they were really they were so before that it was
they thought you know filmmakingis cool it's fun but maybe it's
not a career but then i thinkthe moment i got into uc film
school they were really reallyreally excited for me wow okay
um and they were like That'sincredible.
We see the passion and we seethat you're doing great work and

(25:44):
you're really putting in, you'rebeing really proactive about it.
And so I think that was sort ofthe tipping point for

SPEAKER_00 (25:51):
them.
Yeah, I mean, dude, I feel likethat's such a common thing with
artists is like, most peopledon't feel like that's a career
path that's viable and maybethey're right.
And to be honest, if you comefrom a regular family, It's
like, why would you want yourkid to really just do film when
there's way better paying jobs,way more secure jobs, stable

(26:14):
life?
You obviously want them to dosomething that would make their
life better in your eyes.
However, as artists ourselves,though, if you really believe
that's what you're meant for, ismaking art, then you really just
got to pursue it because life isshort.
You don't get to do...

(26:35):
um things you love and if you ifyou don't get to do the things
you love your whole life thenit's like you're really wasting
so many years you know it's likeyeah it's so precious um like if
your life spans 80 you know youlive to 80 if possible it's like
you gotta spend most of yourlife doing

SPEAKER_01 (26:52):
yeah at least try to put in your hours you know like
put in the hours and the time totry to make something out of it
and and You know, a lot ofpeople aren't even majoring in
film, and they end up doing itjust from USC because of just
how great of a culture there ishere.
I mean, again, going back tohigh school, I was one of the

(27:14):
only people in my school thatwas interested in filmmaking.
Flash forward to two years intoUSC, and all of a sudden, like,
my...
80%, 90% of my friend group wasfilmmakers and actors and
cinematographers, which is

SPEAKER_00 (27:30):
incredible.
I mean, dude, that's probablyone of the things that makes USC
the best is the people here.
You know, it's like, it's noteven the facility.
I mean, the facility is amazing.
The staff is amazing.
Faculty is amazing.
But I think it's the fact thatthey're able to sift through the
applications and bring the bestpeople from every corner of the

(27:50):
world into one classroom.
I think that's what makes USCthe best film school is that
they're able to do that.
You know, you're constantlysurrounded by the people that,
you know, are just so good andexcellent at what they do.

SPEAKER_01 (28:03):
Yeah, I mean, film school is...
That's what film school isreally all about.
I mean, I think it's pretty muchcommon knowledge now that, you
know, if you want to learn thebasics of filmmaking and all
the, you know, very fundamentalcraft elements of it, you can
find it in books, on YouTube,you know, it's easily, easily
accessible.
And so, one of the biggestadvantages of film school is you

(28:28):
get to do it with others who areequally as passionate, if not
more passionate andknowledgeable and talented and
hardworking as you are.
And so that becomes sort of likethis engine that propels
yourself forward and also thosearound you.
And I think that's one of thegreat privileges of being here
is to have all these peoplearound you.

(28:49):
I mean, where we're recordingright now, I mean, most people
here are, in the film school inone capacity or another, or
involved in film in one way oranother.
And so, yeah, that's definitelyone of the biggest advantages of
USC is, yeah, bringing peopletogether from different
backgrounds.

(29:10):
Yeah, that's definitely, Itotally agree with that.
I

SPEAKER_00 (29:14):
mean, I'm going to assume most of our listeners are
going to be filmmakers, youknow, people who want to do
film.
Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 (29:20):
Yeah, people who are, you know, thinking about,
you know, cinema is awesome.
I love it.
You know, where do we start?

SPEAKER_00 (29:27):
Yeah, exactly.
This is this podcast is for thepeople who are who love film,
but who hasn't made like a bigsuccessful career yet.
It's for people who are tryingto figure out the path, right?
And the first act I would justsay is like, that is the passion

(29:47):
itself, the hobby, the love forfilm.
But how do you break out of thefirst act into the second act,
which is a lifelong career ofdoing love, right?
And I think some advice forpeople who want to do film and
parents aren't that supportiveis, guess always just first of
all you got to make sure youhave your life figured out like

(30:09):
um as in have a stable um livingsituation stable um income and
then then you can really um justdo it on your own you know uh
really try to pursue it on theside and if you are forced to
study something else um and youbut you love film don't ever

(30:31):
lose that, you know, don't losethat passion.
Just keep doing it on the side.
And I think anyone could.
There's filmmakers in all walksof life, right?

SPEAKER_01 (30:40):
Yeah, I mean, some success stories.
We'll dig more into this inlater episodes, but one of the
biggest advantages of being inthis decade, this century, or
this decade is the internet.
You know, love it or hate it,you know, it's a great place for
people to...

(31:00):
pay attention to to your work umyou have all these stories and
of people who who started out asyoutubers or as movie critics as
just creators who were justcreating for the sake of
creating because they loved itand then it they built really a

(31:21):
strong audience around it andthen you know hollywood or
elsewhere you know really sawopportunities there and projects
have been greenlit at majorstudios because of how
successful some of the art is onYouTube or Vimeo or I would
argue even TikTok and all theseshort form content platforms.

(31:46):
And I think that's one of thebiggest advantages of trying to
be a filmmaker today is backthen you were limited by Gear.
Gear, yeah.
One of the other reasons you goto film school is because you
don't have a camera.
You go to film school becausethen you have access to a camera

(32:06):
and then you can make stuff thatteach you how to operate a
camera.
Now it's all different.
Now you pull out any cell phoneand you can make a film.
Look at Tangerine, which is afilm by the great Sean Baker.
It was shot on the iPhone 5S,which came out like 10 years ago
or something.

UNKNOWN (32:26):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (32:27):
just look at how great that film is, and you
don't really need a very fancycamera to be able to do great
work.

SPEAKER_00 (32:34):
I do love what you said about how easy it is to get
into film nowadays.
You know, anyone can be afilmmaker, really.
Everyone is essentially astoryteller, right?
So anyone can just make filmsthey want to do, post on
YouTube, post on whateverplatform.
It's so easy to get in, but thenhow...
do you really make it rightthat's the question because the

(32:58):
easier it is the morecompetition there is right
that's right more content moreuh you know what things that
draw eyeballs right so what canwhat can you do to draw people
to your own stuff is i guesswe're trying to figure out on
this podcast

SPEAKER_01 (33:11):
you can aspire to be a christopher nolan or the
neville but that's the long haulyou know it's it's a marathon
and not a sprint and what we'retrying to do is see the first
point of break into the industrybefore someone has made any big
splash we try to catch thembefore they become you know the
next potential great directoryou know and uh director

(33:34):
producer yeah producer you knowexecutive executive you know
agents uh dp editor you know allthe crafts and all the you know
industry uh positions that makethat make this industry what it
is and there's a lot of greatother film podcasts like The
Town so I was wondering what youwhat you've learned from all

(33:58):
those podcasts and how that canapply to I

SPEAKER_00 (34:02):
think, I mean, it's good to stay informed of what's
happening to see how thecultural media landscape has
been shifting, right?
So every time I listen to those,it's just like trying to see
what's people, what are peoplewatching, you know, what are
people liking and how this goesinto like broadening the
audience for your own films,right?
It's finding the projects andthe businesses that are driving

(34:26):
the industry.
I do want to talk about some ofour collaboration, actually.
Yeah, for sure.
our first film together wasmissing at sea right that's
right that was uh two years agonow yeah two years ago uh i
directed you produced for me itwent to screen at the ellie
schwartz international filmfestival and then it played at

(34:48):
sidewalk film festival and it'sgonna be playing at usc uh in a
few weeks so it's a that's oneof the bigger projects i've had
it's definitely like a same amilestone for me it was the
first one where i was in the dpand um and the director you know
yeah and the director exactlyexactly and we had like a full

(35:08):
crew of people right and it waslike the legit filmmaking way in
a way like the is more legitthan i've ever had it you know

SPEAKER_01 (35:17):
yeah no me too i mean i've never produced
anything on that at that scalebefore

SPEAKER_00 (35:21):
so that was i mean tell me about your experience on
that How did it feel?
How is it looking back?
Yeah, I mean,

SPEAKER_01 (35:27):
sophomore year where I was like, yeah, I want to do
better and more ambitiousthings, you know.
I was already looking for aproject to produce because I've
been on set a bunch.
I've seen, you know, how thingsoperate on set, you know,
different positions, what eachposition is responsible for.
And it was very eye-opening tome.

(35:47):
And I just knew that, you know,if I were to do this the night
before, sure to try to pullsomething together from the
ground up and, um, see if I can,you know, and I love, you know,
building something from, fromzero to one, from nothing to
something.
And so looking for a project toproduce.
And I just remember, I think itwas in one of our classes that
you brought this idea to me.

(36:08):
Um, I'm not sure if I, it was,uh, four, six, six.
Yeah.
The film symposium class where,um, they bring in, you know, key
crew, including directors, mostof the time directors, actors,
production designers, you know,costume designers.
And I think it was one of thoseclasses where you brought the

(36:29):
project to me and I immediatelyresponded to it.
I knew...
I already kind of knew a littlebit about your background just
because of your YouTube contentand all that.
And so I was like, yeah, this isa guy who...
just love filmmaking so much.
And again, you know, I was stilltrying to adapt to an

(36:49):
environment where everyone is inthe film.
And, you know, it's great to seethat someone is willing to reach
out to me to try to collaborate.
And so I immediately said yes.
We had a rough draft at thatpoint.
And we're still working on thestory and trying to see where it
leads.
And, you know, we're exchangingideas and notes back and forth.

(37:10):
And it was around, I think,December and January.
That's when...
the process sort ofkick-started.
And I'll, by the way, I've neverproduced anything before at that
point.
I was new to it.
You were new to it.
Most of us were new to it.
All we really had were, again,people who were interested in
collaborating, who wereinterested in filmmaking.
And we're just trying to pull itall together.

(37:31):
And so that was a greatexperience of seeing, okay, here
we got a script.
We have a set budget.
we're going to do it.
We, and we're going to try to,you know, use up all the
resources we have at ourdisposal.
And so, yeah, I think it was, itwas a great experience of trying
to, you know, bring DPs on,bring gaffers on.

(37:51):
And you reached out to thepeople to, to see if they're
interested in, we made ithappen.
So it's a slate.
Yeah, that's the slate.
I mean, he still showed upmissing at sea.

SPEAKER_00 (38:03):
This was the, the slate we used for the movie.
Yeah.
Yeah, and I have not erased thenames because I just thought, I
love it.

SPEAKER_01 (38:14):
Yeah, what a great moment to, I mean, remember.
I mean, I, to this day, I'm soproud of pulling this together.
And then, you know, going backto the idea of the marathon, I
mean, literally just lastsummer, right, is when I got
into LA Shorts, which is a year,over a year after production.

(38:37):
Mm-hmm.
if I have that correct.
We shot early 2022 and then...

SPEAKER_00 (38:43):
Yeah.
It was 2023 summer.
2023?
No, no.
2024 summer is when we got in,right?
That's right.
So that's almost a year after.
2022 was when I got into USC, soit would be 2023.
Early 2023.
Yes,

SPEAKER_01 (38:59):
exactly.
Shot the movie.
A year later, over a year later,LA Shorts and...
Talk a little bit aboutdirecting your own project for
the first time with all the crewand everything you learned.

SPEAKER_00 (39:13):
Dude, I mean, learned so much.
I mean, I think the biggestteacher in filmmaking is
actually doing it yourself.
Really putting somethingtogether from the ground up.
This was a story I wanted totell for a while and I just
wanted to...
you know, use the new knowledgeI learned at USC, the new people
I've met to make something.
Cause I, I always made stuff,you know, throughout high

(39:34):
school.
I loved just making films, doingit my way, doing the indie way,
you know, not spending like,cause people would be spending
40K on a project, right?
On a short.
And I'm like, I just want tospend like a little bit of money
and just make something the bestI could.
So I wrote the script based onthe locations I knew I had
access to, you know, and I, Igot you because when I met you,

(39:56):
I just knew you're like a,you're like a business kind of,
yeah, you seem so chill and likeprofessional that I was just
like, wow, I mean, I definitelywant to bring you on.
And, you know, it worked reallywell.
And I think with both of ourexperiences and knowledge at the
time, we were able to putsomething together that I really
loved.
And it's actually coming toYouTube.

(40:18):
That's right.
I don't know when this episodeis going to go out, but it's
going to be out on, in earlyFebruary.
Two years after making it, it'sfinally going to be seen by
people.

SPEAKER_01 (40:28):
Yeah.
That's, you know, that's howwe're, again, it's, you know,
it's all, all of it is amarathon and not a, um, and

SPEAKER_00 (40:36):
it's crazy because while looking back and I'm like
there's so many mistakes I madeat the time that I'm like this
isn't really a true reflectionof my art now but it's a
reflection of my art at the timeand it's not even that I think
movies are like a diary entry ina way where every time you make
a movie it is a diary entry ofyour life your perspective on

(40:57):
the world at the time absolutelyand I think that's why you can't
take forever on a film becausethen your perspective change you
know that is very true right soit's like that is jayoung when i
was uh you know 18 18 yeah uh itwas right before my birthday and

(41:19):
yeah because i remember i waslike if i can make this happen
and nothing goes wrong that'sthe best birthday present ever
and uh it was a great birthdaypresent i learned so much but
mostly on the collaborationaspect of how to work with
different departments, how toshot list, how to plan out the
days, how to make sure you geteverything you want, and how to

(41:41):
really tell the story that is inyour head with the budget and
figuring out how it could work.
We literally saved so much moneyby going to the dining hall.
Do you remember that?

SPEAKER_01 (41:51):
Yeah, I remember that.
I mean, we're trying to cutcosts wherever we can, and
that's sort of indie spirit.
You have to sort of try tofigure out...
creative solutions to problems.
As creative as you areapproaching the project itself,
you know, you're trying to seewhat you can do to make it all
happen within the set limit.

SPEAKER_00 (42:11):
You've been on set quite a bit, right?
So what are some of the crazieststories you've experienced?
Oh, set is

SPEAKER_01 (42:19):
such a, you know, you have to accept that it's
sort of its own world once youstep foot into it.
It's got its own pace, it's gotits own inner workings, you
know, its own communicationsystem and that's such a huge
part of it is try to create anenvironment where different
departments can listen to eachother and hear each other out

(42:41):
and that goes from directing todirectors to actor and then you
know dp to director dp to actordp to lighting sound to camera
and all these differentintricate relationships have to
work really well together.
And so I'll say if anything, youknow, the moment a film set can
sort of launch yourself intochaos and it's hard to come back

(43:03):
from that chaotic point.
And so I've been on sets where,I think anxiety and stress and
uncertainty really took hold ofeveryone, not just the director.
And I think when a directorpanics, when a director shows,
you know, that he or she isunsure of something or really
stressed out and shows itexplicitly, then that's when

(43:24):
that's kind of a tipping pointbecause everyone looks to the
director for guidance.
And if he or she wavers a littlebit, that becomes a point where
everyone starts to feel a littlebit more stress.
And then it sort of adds up tothe point where people kind of
pissed at each other you knowthey're not working together
they have different ideas aboutthings but they can't seem to
figure out a way out and sothat's when things can get a

(43:45):
little bit go a little bit awrybut then the opposite is true
you know if you build anenvironment where everyone kind
of supports each other and theyreally love being there and even
though you know some peoplemight have different ideas about
a piece of lighting or a pieceof direction or just by having

(44:06):
that environment where everyoneis enjoying themselves and put
their best foot forward incontributing their piece of the
puzzle, then that's going to bea great film set.
And I think one of the greatthings about working with you,
along with some other directors,is you're able to create an
environment where, yes, thehours are long, yes, it's a hot

(44:28):
day out, yes, it's tough, we'vegot to get this shot after
another after another, um,you're able to create this
environment where everyone isstill enjoying themselves and
everyone is still, you know, uh,working together to make
something meaningful happen.
And I think that's part of the,uh, that's part of what it takes
to be, to be a director.
I think, you know, um,

SPEAKER_00 (44:50):
appreciate that.

SPEAKER_01 (44:50):
Yeah.
Imagine, you know, being on aset of like Oppenheimer or
something, you know, I don'tthink Christopher Nolan has the,
you know, time, you know, or,um, energy to panic, even though
it's such a huge project.
And so I think one of the greattraits you have is to be able to
stay calm and stay focused andat the same time, you know,
encourage each other and all thedifferent crew members to have a

(45:14):
singular goal in mind

SPEAKER_00 (45:16):
I mean dude I feel like you're more calm than me to
be honest I think you ground alot of the crew as well like
really and that's why I try tobring you on to every project
because you have thatprofessionality and that
chillness that every film setkind of needs to like ground
because it is very fast pacedpeople do get like a little
irritated and I think you knowfor me I think it's really

(45:37):
important to create a film setwhere it's a nice environment
where no one feels bad you knowwhere no one feels like they're
um being treated poorly justbecause they're you know a lower
in the hierarchy of a film setyeah um i think i above the line
below the line

SPEAKER_01 (45:51):
all that

SPEAKER_00 (45:52):
exactly and i i do think that a lot of it comes
from planning and a lot of itcomes from your mindset you know
once you figure out the day andyou really organize it and
everyone has good communicationand you have a mindset of
wanting to create this warmenvironment usually that's i
mean the first step and i meanyou do talk about people
panicking and stuff Has anyoneever gotten mad at you on a film

(46:12):
set?
I

SPEAKER_01 (46:13):
do remember there was this one time I was a second
AC.
Oh, it's always second AC, bro.
It was tough for me because Iguess everyone on that set was
very, very, you know, they wereat their A game in the sense
that they've been doing this fora while.
I mean, they needed a second AC.
And so, yeah, I guess that wasstressful for me just because I

(46:35):
think it was clear that I wasn't100% fit for their role and for
the scaled project.
And so day one, I was alreadyreally panicking.
I was like, I don't really knowwhat I'm really doing here.
And people didn't really get madat me.
I think I just felt there wasthis vibe of already kind of
seeing, oh, I'm not really, youknow, I don't really kind of
belong here, quote unquote.

(46:55):
It wasn't really a badenvironment per se, but I
definitely felt like a level ofloneliness and a level of like
sort of being left out of thisworld of where everyone was at
the top of their game.
And I think that's Something Inoticed, and I think that's
something I try to do or try toavoid later on in productions.
I actually directed a short filmwhere someone was also a second

(47:19):
AC and I was a director.
So this script kind of flipped.
And it was also clear that itwas one of their first times
doing it, even though we had aDP that was very experienced and
the first AC that was veryexperienced.
And I could sort of sense that,you know, there's some friction
going on where, you know, We'retrying to have like a lens swap
or a slate.
And it just wasn't, I guess,running as smoothly as one would

(47:42):
expect or hope.
And it wasn't really anyone'sfault because, you know, we
already brought this person on.
And so I tried to take a moment,you know, when we're having our
lunch break to just sort of pathim on the back and say like,
hey, we're so glad you're hereand I know what you're learning.
And, you know, we're not really,we're just making a student
film.
You know, it's not the end ofthe world.
Just do your best and let meknow if you have any questions.

(48:03):
And I think that's, something itry to foster on sets is you
know if you bring the person onthen they're on and they're
trying to do their best and ithink everyone should try to
start out with encouragementrather than judgment oh
absolutely that's part that'spart of i'm trying to do that
better myself as well and thenyou know it's it's a lifelong
pursuit so i try to keep that inmind as well but then obviously

(48:25):
you're you're trying to hire thebest people and trying to have
bring the best people on boardbut right when you don't you
know you're still going to makethe film and so i think it's
always better to lead withcompassion and kindness rather
than you know oh this person isnot good enough this person is
not really doing great at theirjob and we are and I just don't

(48:45):
think that's the best you knowwork environment

SPEAKER_00 (48:47):
dude I remember the first few times I AC'd it was
like the most welcoming set andI had such a good time it was
one of the sets was one of ourfirst times working together
Dive Into The Blue that's rightthat was one of my favorite sets
everyone was so nice everyonewas just like so encouraging and
they were just so fun to bearound that's

SPEAKER_01 (49:07):
the other that's the other side of it is you got the
sort of not so great part andthen you got the team that
really encourages you eventhough we're first timers

SPEAKER_00 (49:15):
so I mean I always assumed like film sets could be
really nice and welcoming andthen I stepped on this one film
set

SPEAKER_01 (49:21):
we always have

SPEAKER_00 (49:21):
that one oh my god that one film set low key like I
always think back besides thatfilm set I've never went on a
film set that I felt like Ididn't belong there you know
that set like I was second ACand And the DP in that set was
not the nicest person, veryimpatient with the way I was
working.
And he was like, why are youmoving the tripod so slow?

(49:43):
Or like, you know, say the slatefaster.
You know, it's like one of myfirst times, second time seeing
it.
And it was like, I felt reallylike I didn't belong there.
And I also felt like most of thepeople, besides one of the
producers was quite nice to me,actually.
She checked up on me and she waslike, you know what, he's just,
you know, stressed right nowit's not really his fault but no

(50:05):
besides her like pretty mucheveryone was just in their own
world i try to you know talk topeople but it was really awkward
and no that was one of the setsi like i i never wanted to
really work with them againbecause i was like wow like
people could be this like mean iguess yeah and i mean it was
just like why go out of your wayto make someone else's day bad?

(50:29):
It's like,

SPEAKER_01 (50:30):
come on.
I think a lot of it is sort ofprojecting your own anxieties
and fears and then use that assort of an outlet, which I can
sympathize with it.
I mean, I've felt somewhat thesame way sometimes where I feel
like everything's going wrongand it starts to really get to
me and sometimes it can reallypush the wrong buttons.

(50:51):
all comes down boils down tosome kind of problem solving and
so once you accept that as likethe nature of what we do i think
it's easier to sort of go okaythere will be one thing after
another that we have to workthrough but that's literally
part of what we do you know thedp has to figure out if this is
the best place for lighting orthat you know there's always

(51:12):
about making choices and thenit's i think you've had
experience with this too but youknow it's all really about how
you're able to solve problems inthe face of them and stay calm
and just accept that that's partof the process that it's it's
inescapable if you want to dofilmmaking then that's part of
Part of your life is to bridgethat gap between expectation and

(51:33):
reality and try

SPEAKER_00 (51:34):
to push forward.
You're always solving some kindof problem on a film set, you
know.
So everything's going wrong andit's just about figuring out a
way to create solutions to getaround

SPEAKER_01 (51:44):
them.
The key is to not treat them asproblems but as opportunities.
Really, it really is.
Because, you know, you have apiece of direction for an actor.
You know, it's not really like acritical problem.
You know, if you keep thinkingthings are...
I mean, there are problems forsure.
But if you have the mindset oflike, oh, it's a roadblock.
And then every time I beat it, Iget, you know, angry and more

(52:06):
frustrated.
Then, you know, you're going toget more angry.
You're going to get angrier andmore frustrated.
But if you treat it as sort ofalmost not even a stepping
stone, but it's a stone whereafter you conquer it, you stand
higher than where you arebefore.
Then that that's an opportunity.
You know, there are a lot ofhappy accidents happen on set
where piece of equipment breaks.

(52:26):
didn't work or and then someonehad to figure something else
within like five minutes thatbecame pure magic you know that
became a highlight of the filmand so I think you know you
always have to treat it with alittle bit of patience and sort
of you know challenge asopportunity

SPEAKER_00 (52:43):
yeah dude I mean I think this is what makes doing
something you love differentthan doing something that you're
forced to do is like you get asolved problem that you want to
solve you know imagine like youwant to be a filmmaker but
you're stuck doing CS like wouldyou rather solve a problem where
it's like oh the computerthere's a bug or some shit you
know or versus the tide's risinghow do we get the shot before
everything's in water you knowit's like there's different

(53:05):
problems and Picking theproblems that you want to solve
always makes you ahead of thepeople that are forced to solve
problems that they don't want tosolve.
And I do want to talk about alittle bit, what's next?
What's the next future for you?
What do you want

SPEAKER_01 (53:19):
to do?
Yeah, well, I mean, we're allabout first outbreaks here.
So it's interesting.
I mean, four years flew by.
I mean, I still have a semesterleft.
But looking back, I've had sucha blast at USC and met some
incredible people.
And I think...
if i learned anything at usc imean obviously i learned you

(53:40):
know going on set and whatnotbut i think it's understanding
that filmmaking is i've saidthis a million times already but
it's a marathon not a sprint ithink my freshman and sophomore
year self you know it's easy toget caught up in the tide of
film school and where everyoneis creating everyone is um
almost there's this energy oftrying to like one up each

(54:02):
other, you know, like I'm doingthis and then I'm doing it
better in this way.
And I got into this festival.

SPEAKER_00 (54:08):
No matter what, you always get to the place you want
to get to.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (54:11):
And so I think that's the energy of it is that
I try to take this principlewith me in the future is, yeah,
like you said, you know, it's,it's about taking baby steps,
but staying consistent and keepgoing at it and whatever
endeavor you want to pursue, youknow, it's, it's about, it's,
consistency and grit you knowsure some people find some kind

(54:36):
of success early on others youknow find it later but the key
is to throw yourself into intointo the water and try to you
know try to swim i guess that'sthe best way to learn to this
one is to just throws out intothe water.
And I think, I mean, thisindustry is changing every day.

(54:56):
And so I'm just trying to findsomething that gets me that
first act break and then helpsme, you know, go to the next
level.
And maybe I've had producingexperience.
I've had experiences atproduction companies, reading
material and then seeing thepotentiality of a project, which
is similar for, you know, whenwe're students and you read a
short script and build projects.

(55:18):
a whole production around it andsee how things can change.
Yeah, I think my futuredefinitely lays in still in film
and I try to, again, put my bestfoot forward and we're in the
best place for it, so.

SPEAKER_00 (55:29):
Really, we really are.
And I love what you talked aboutis not comparing yourself, you
know?
Yeah, that's a big part of filmschool is comparing yourself.
It's like comparison isabsolutely the thief of joy, you
know?
And the only person that youshould be comparing yourself to
is the you from yesterday,really.
You know, just improvingyourself constantly instead of
looking at other people.

(55:49):
Yeah.
Because I mean, I feel likeeveryone in film school or even
like in film goes through islike you see someone get into
Sundance and you're just like ohI'm so bad at filmmaking what am
I doing you know it's like comeon don't worry about what other
people are doing you know worryabout what you yourself are
doing and it's like you reallywill get to the spot you want to
get to one day just as long asyou keep working on it and it

(56:13):
might not be what you want toget to today but it's going to
be where you want to get to inthe future and I think it's just
to keep in mind that everyone'sin different pace different
paths and you just keep grindingyou know yeah i mean you're one
year above me so you'll bethrown into society a little bit
earlier yeah a little um so i'llbe watching from afar you know

(56:36):
wishing you the best and um imean next semester i mean this
semester i guess your lastsemester that's that must be
crazy because i remember junioryear you kept talking about oh
my god i'm gonna be like out ofschool soon and now you're
really about out of be out ofschool it almost feels like you
had less anxiety now than youdid last year to be honest

SPEAKER_01 (56:57):
yeah in a way i mean i think that's yeah i mean
anxiety is it's interestingbecause you're you're trying to
when you're trying to look sofar ahead that kind of becomes a
source of anxiety but then whenyou're right there and you just
have to do it then that almostbecomes less anxious for me i
mean I don't know.
I think I'm always more anxiouswhen I'm prepping for a film.

(57:21):
And then the day before, I justsort of let go because I've
already done the prep work.
And I almost feel less anxiousthe day before or when I'm on
set.
it's already we're here and wejust have to do it you know
whereas when you're lookingahead you know it's easy to you
know think out all the differentpossibilities

SPEAKER_00 (57:39):
dude that's no that's absolutely true too and i
think um you know there are somany paths right to making what
you want to make um so it's justabout really honing in the craft
yeah and speaking on the anxietypart is um just being present i
think it helps me a lot you knowwhenever i think too much on the

(58:02):
future it's like i start stoplosing focus on what's in front
of me right now right exactly umyou know if i'm with someone i'm
just like wow or like i'm onvacation i'm like oh i have to
like go back to school soon andi'm just like anxious about that
but then i'm like wait but i'min this beautiful place you know
why am i not enjoying it yeah Ithink that definitely could

(58:23):
apply to a lot of things.
Oh

SPEAKER_01 (58:24):
yeah.
The grass is greener where youwater it.
I think that's really cool.
I heard that that really helpedme is, you know, you're always
going to think, Oh, that maybethat was the, maybe that's
better.
Maybe this person's doing itbetter.
Maybe I should have done this orthat.
And at the end of the day, youknow, it's, um, uh, you just

(58:46):
have to make a decision andjust, just go with it, you know?
Um, what is that thing isKierkegaard who said it that um
you know you have to one alwayslives life forwards but life can
only be understood backwards soyou just as of today nobody has
figured out time travel you knowso yeah we're all just most of

(59:11):
us are just winging it I thinkum I mean we do have plans we do
have you know strategies andlong-term goals but at the end
of the day, if you boil thatdown to like daily tasks, nobody
really knows what their day isreally going to look like or
next one.
Everyone's just trying to dotheir best to do what they love
and to, you know, try to keepgoing.

(59:31):
So I think that's the spiritthat I think most filmmakers
should have or the youngfilmmakers like us should have
is to understand that, you know,it's not about doing everything
you can right now and just liketry to like squeeze everything
into one year and see whathappens it's great I think
that's a great attitude but alsounderstand that it's consistency

(59:54):
and it's grit and it's doingthings because you love to do it
rather than you're expectingsome immediate result after one
day or two days or a month it'sabout keep doing it and you
don't stop doing it

SPEAKER_00 (01:00:08):
life is a journey so many steps ahead of us so much
to look forward to though I'mvery optimistic about
everything.
I'm really excited about what wecan make in the future and all
of the new podcasts that we gotplanned.
We have literally a guest listof some of the coolest people in
the industry and people in thefilm school that we will bring

(01:00:30):
on very soon.
And we'll be hopefully keeping aconsistent upload of weekly
podcasts.
And I think, yeah, no, I'mreally excited.
But

SPEAKER_01 (01:00:41):
yeah, I mean, this has been great.
I, again i've never done apodcast before this is i don't
think you have really eitherwe've listened to a lot of
podcasts so you've already havea pretty strong uh youtube fan
base i think you got our fansare the best dude exactly you
got three k uh subscribers andall your videos get at least

(01:01:02):
it's so many views I mean it'salready I mean you gotta you
know start

SPEAKER_00 (01:01:07):
somewhere but you know it's yeah I mean honestly I
don't even really consider themlike fans they're just like part
like they're filmmakingcollaborators right the

SPEAKER_01 (01:01:15):
community yeah the community really that's what
it's all about yeah Yeah, it'sto build some kind of community,
whether it's here, whether it'sthrough YouTube, whether it's
through whatever means possible.
Filmmaking is a collaborativeeffort.
Like Jianing said, we have a lotmore planned ahead.
And I'm sure our guests willhave different and also more
inspiring and interesting takesand ideas to bring forward.

(01:01:39):
And we have DPs, we have alsoother aspiring directors,
producers.
So they're going to have alittle bit more of a different
perspective on things that wedo.
What we're trying to do is to...
an honest perspective on peopleour age who are just starting
out and we don't know any betterbut we're trying to know to know

(01:01:59):
better and trying to pushforward

SPEAKER_00 (01:02:01):
totally

SPEAKER_01 (01:02:02):
yeah stay consistent

SPEAKER_00 (01:02:03):
awesome see you guys in the next episode see you guys
that's a wrap peace

SPEAKER_01 (01:02:08):
out