#女性成长##电影人##好莱坞##人物故事#
This is the 3,766th real story we have told
I am a typical young woman in literature and art, and I have had a persistent love for literature and art since I was a child. As long as I have anything to do with literature and art, I like to experiment, music, dance, photography, etc.
Although he participated in various performances and hosted programs when he was a child, he was eager to grow up and engage in literary and artistic work. But my parents, despite their support for my artistic upbringing, didn't want me to do these jobs full-time.
So, I accepted my fate and sent me to Shanghai Normal University to study English. After graduation, follow the wishes of your parents and study abroad.
A person's life abroad is not always so smooth, and it is a variety of artistic hobbies that have accompanied me through those years of struggle.
I spend all my free time studying, creating, composing, competing, and performing. Art has become an integral part of my life. In the end, I decided to give up the high salary of a computer engineer and go to Hollywood on my own. As a film director for the first time, he won more than 10 international film festival awards.
(Dance of the Feathers movie poster)
My name is Huang Jieping, and everyone in the United States calls me Crystal J. Huang, born in the 70s, from Shanghai. Since childhood, he has liked literature and art, often participated in stage performances and presided over various ceremonies.
I've always dreamed of growing up and pursuing a career in literature and art. But my mother was a doctor and my father was a department manager in the factory, and although they supported my hobby, they didn't want me to pursue this profession and wanted me to study a practical profession and then go abroad for further study.
When I graduated from high school, I was sent to Shanghai Normal University to study English because of my good grades. After graduating from university, he went to study in the United States.
(Photo of when I was in high school in Shanghai)
The process of studying and working in a foreign country was long and complicated, starting with a master's degree in economics at Mankato Universerty, where I couldn't adapt to the cold climate, and then moving on to Roosevelt University Chicago to study hotel management.
After graduating, I worked as a housekeeping manager at Nikko Hotel in Japan, but quit because the salary was not high.
In 1993, he changed his career to computer science in Chicago and became a Microsoft certified software engineer, and then worked as a software consultant at Lincoln Finance, and also returned to China for a period of time.
(Photographed while studying in the U.S.)
However, because I have maintained my passion for literature and art for many years, after quitting my job as a consultant in 2006, I went to study with a teacher, and I have dabbled in dance, photography, music and other fields, and I have continued to participate in competitions and win awards. These talents also laid a good foundation for my future acting career.
In 2014, I won first place in the San Francisco IGB Dance Competition and was the winner of the 2016 San Francisco Oriental Beauty Pageant.
In order to hone my photography skills, I studied with Greg Gorman. He is a famous portrait photographer in Hollywood and a regular guest for magazines such as Vogue and Time. The posters of the famous films "Terminator" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" are also by Greg.
Thanks to the master's experience, my photography skills have also improved by leaps and bounds.
(1st place in the San Francisco IGB Dance Competition)
In 2018, I won the Excellence Award in the prestigious Black And White Magazine competition. Once I had some fame in portrait photography, I made my own studio.
There is an endless stream of people who come to my studio to take artistic photos, and the hardcover version of the classic boxing book of contemporary Taijiquan master Wu Amin is from my lens.
(Famous black and white magazine awarded)
While studying the technique of portrait photography, I have also been involved in various performances.
In 2018, I played the role of Amme's mother in the acclaimed drama "The Joy Luck Club." The show is based on the classic novel of the same name by Amy Tan. The success of the drama "The Joy Luck Club" gave me some confidence in my talents.
In my spare time, I also shoot some short videos and post them online, which get a lot of positive reviews. So I came up with the idea of developing in the film and television industry.
(Stills from the Joy Luck Club of the drama)
But I live in San Francisco, which is the high-tech capital of the world, but not a film and television powerhouse.
So, I came to Los Angeles, the film and television capital of the world, and joined the Speiser & Sturges Acting studio of Performance, which produced famous movie stars Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez.
I found that compared with my classmates, I don't have to feel inferior in my comprehension and expressiveness. I was often able to get the highest score in my acting career. After graduating, I started looking for opportunities to appear on camera.
(Stills from the movie "Dance of the Feathers")
Because I wasn't well-known in Hollywood, I didn't have a perfect American accent, and there were very few Asian female roles, so it was hard to get a role.
Hollywood actors often need to do odd jobs to make ends meet when they don't get paid roles. Many well-known senior stars have survived like this. I don't have any stress in life, so I'll take it easy.
No matter what kind of performance, I will actively strive for it and take it seriously. I remember once driving to a field to shoot, encountered a wind and snow on the way, and it took a day and a night to get to the set, just playing a small supporting role with only one line, but even so, I was full of joy.
(Stills from the movie "Good Dream Lollipop")
Starting with small roles, I slowly accumulated experience on the set, and I gradually became familiar with the role. Soon there was an opportunity to start shooting feature films.
I've played movie directors, spies, dance stars. In addition to playing supporting roles, he also has a small opportunity to play the leading role, and will also be invited to participate in TV shows.
(Stills from the movie "Chinese and American Blood Brothers")
So far, I have worked on more than 60 short productions and played many Asian female roles, mostly in supporting roles.
Because there is basically a lack of Asian women in Hollywood as the protagonists, there has always been a voice in my heart saying, "I must make a work that breaks the racial ceiling." ”
So, after accumulating some experience and understanding of filmmaking, I felt that I had the ability to control a formal feature film, and I wanted to change the lack of Asian female protagonists in Hollywood and fill this gap.
This is the original intention of my production of "Dance of the Dark Feather". The script for this film was originally based on my experience in the ballroom, and it took two whole years to prepare the script.
(Stills from the movie "Dance of the Feathers")
It has been the fourth year since I started to create "Dance of the Dark Feather". The pre-production was carried out entirely during the epidemic, so it was subject to a lot of objective restrictions.
I am very grateful for the help of my friends who trust me in investing. Because of the dance story setting of the movie, I have a dance background, and I am fortunate to have the support of several heavyweight professional dancers. These are the absolute elements that make the work a success.
Since I didn't have a lot of experience as a director, I went to Harrison, a professor in the directing department of the American Film Academy. She often taught me skills and experience at home. The screenwriter of this film also has a lot of experience in literary theory.
Continuous learning and discussion with excellent professionals has given me more confidence in the overall control of the work.
(Best Actress, Best Preview, Best Picture, Best Picture at the 24th Hollywood Independent Film Festival)
If you weren't personally producing the film, it's hard to imagine the difficulties that would have gone into making a feature film. Especially for small-budget independent films, how to control expenses is the most important part under the condition of insufficient funds.
I had to be deeply involved in the location of the film, the costumes, and the props, and spare no effort to save money, so that the successful completion of the film was possible.
In the process, it is often necessary to give up a very ideal choice due to financial constraints, and that kind of regret may be difficult for outsiders to understand.
(Featured in Hollywood Magazine)
I've worked on some films, and I know it's not easy to build a team. Although I had been dancing for many years, it was easy to find a few top dancers who volunteered to appear without pay, and the selection of other actors was relatively easy, but the team still had quite a bit of trouble.
Ten directors were replaced, but they were not satisfied, and finally decided that I would direct it myself. After the film crew was barely formed, it was not uncommon for someone to sign up for a salary and quit shortly after, which delayed a lot of time, disrupted the plan, and lost the hard-to-raise funds. In the end, the entire shooting team was formed half a month before the scheduled film date.
The time was tight, I couldn't fully prepare all the details, and the storyboard script was never completed, but the schedule really couldn't be changed, so I had to do my best to complete it.
(Participated in the 76th Festival de Cannes)
All these problems led to the fact that we had to shoot very tightly, working on the set for thirteen or fourteen hours a day, and the intensity of the work was also difficult to match in most industries. Especially when emergencies come, if they can't be dealt with in time, the whole movie may fail.
For example, each actor has other projects in his body, and the shooting schedule cannot be adjusted at all. In case something lasts, there are no alternatives. This has happened more than once.
The big-name star we signed a contract was diagnosed with the new crown the day before the shooting, and temporarily found someone to save the scene, and had to pay three times the remuneration.
Fortunately, although it was during the rainy season in California, there was no rain for most of the year, and it was not affected by the weather. However, due to scheduling difficulties, some nighttime scenes had to be changed to daytime shooting, and the storyline was forced to be adjusted.
Many people say that film is a regrettable art, and I deeply understand it.
(Participated in the 7th Chandler Film Festival and won the Best Asian Film Award, nominated for Best Actress)
"Dance of the Feathers" was filmed despite many unimaginable difficulties. The process of solving difficulties is also an opportunity to learn.
After several years of hard work, the film can be said to have had some artistic success: it won four awards at the Hollywood Independent Film Festival. I became the first Chinese actor from mainland China to win the Best Actress award at the Hollywood Independent Film Festival.
In addition, I have won more than 10 awards such as Best Actress at the London Independent Film Festival and Best Dance Film at the Cannes World Film Festival.
As a director and main producer, I have also accumulated more experience in filmmaking, and I believe and hope that the next work will be better and more perfect.
(Best Actress Award at the 24th Hollywood Independent Film Festival)
At the moment, my main focus is on the promotion of "Dance of the Feathers". This work has won more than a dozen international awards, including the Hollywood Independent Film Festival, and I believe in its artistic value and hope that it will be enjoyed by as many audiences as possible. At the same time, there are also plans to shoot a sequel and a prequel, although it is not possible to take care of it for the time being, but the overall framework plan has been going on.
(Hosted at the 5th San Francisco New Concept Film Festival)
"Dance of the Feathers" is scheduled to be completed this year by my name, Ivy Pictures and Untraceable Pictures, Inc. and Rangies Entertainment. Depending on the market attention, the next film will be decided.
There are currently two specific projects to choose from: a prequel to "Dance of the Feathers" and a superhero film similar to "Wonder Woman".
If successful, the Dance of the Feathers will be beneficial to future projects. I will continue to devote myself to film and television as my main business, because this is my strength and interest.
(Chandler International Film Festival Award for Best Asian Film)
Due to Al's rapid growth, I believe that the traditional film and television industry will be significantly affected. It's like our screenwriter who is already planning to use AI to help write the next script. However, AI can only synthesize works from the original data, and to innovate, it still depends on human wisdom.
In the near future, the importance of human performing arts may be challenged, but it will not disappear. The audience is human, and the work must be human, which can never be replaced by computer virtual bodies, but the film and television industry should be promoted by AI.
(Life should bloom like a dance)
No matter how the society develops and what situation you are in, please remember to always adhere to your passion, and continue to feel the passion and happiness, achievements and honors brought by this love in learning and practice.
Believing in your talents, and being sure to add hard work and perseverance, will definitely help you have an extraordinary life.
[Dictation: Huang Jieping]
[Editor: Su Yi]
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