Meet Amanda Huang

We recently connected with Amanda Huang and have shared our conversation below.

Amanda, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

As a storyteller, I have multiple sources of inspiration. Past experiences, stories from people around me, travels, and even some social news have influenced my creations to varying degrees. Sometimes, my entire script is inspired by these observations; sometimes, it’s the prototype of a character, or even something as subtle as a single line of dialogue. The habit of observing the people and things around me not only brings me artistic inspiration but also leads to reflections on different perspectives of the world.

On the other hand, from an aesthetic standpoint, since filmmaking is an interdisciplinary field, it allows me to draw creative inspiration from a diverse range of artistic domains. Especially during the pre-production phase, when I’m searching for references, I feel fortunate to live in an era where countless artists in literature, music, painting, and theater offer different ideas. They make me realize that no matter what kind of story I’m telling, or what theme or style I’m dealing with, I am not alone. These masters, too, were facing similar themes and pondering them deeply decades or even centuries ago.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

This year marks the fourth year since I began filmmaking. Currently, I am a third-year director at Chapman University’s Dodge College. My undergraduate background in film studies and philosophy sparked a deep interest in storytelling tools and taught me to view the world through a dialectical perspective. Now, as I start to tell my own stories and voice myself, I aim to bring more of my perspective to the audience.

As an Asian female director, the topics of women and minorities are central themes in most of my work. I hope that through film, people can gain a better understanding of the challenges women face as a group and appreciate the intrinsic charm of individuals beyond labels and stereotypes. At the same time, I am committed to exploring more diverse narrative techniques in different cultural contexts. This challenges me to balance integrating Eastern and Western cultures while reaching a broader audience, all while retaining my unique style and exploring my storytelling voice. This excites me because I find the subtle emotions and slow pace in Asian culture to be incredibly captivating. These elements deeply influence my scriptwriting and visual style, and I hope to apply the synesthesia found in poetry and the ‘blank spaces’ of ink painting to film, conveying the characters’ subtle emotional changes to the audience.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I believe that observation of life, empathy for others, and the ability to collaborate are the three most important skills in filmmaking.
The first two skills have a significant impact on my creative work. In fact, concern for others is the biggest driving force behind my storytelling. My films have included themes such as eating disorders, social anxiety, workplace sexual harassment, and teenagers’ confusion about family relationships. I believe that people going through these painful experiences may feel that no one else can truly understand them, but that’s not the case. Perhaps in my film, a character might seem small, but they could represent a group of people in the world. I hope that through my films, they can realize that they are not alone and that many others are facing the same challenges.
Also, ‘trust your team members’ is the most important lesson I’ve learned in filmmaking. In the past, I often preferred to handle everything myself, fearing to trouble others, and doing things my way also reduced communication costs. However, teamwork is an inevitable and one of the most fascinating aspects of film production. You can’t do everything on your own. When the whole team works together, merging everyone’s ideas, the result is exponentially better than what could have been achieved alone. Trusting your team members helps to build a stronger connection between you. You’re more willing to entrust work to each other, allowing everyone to focus on their own areas of expertise, which, naturally, leads to better outcomes.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

My experience in the field of filmmaking, especially as a director, has taught me that while developing a strong personal style is crucial, it’s equally important to work on improving areas where I am lacking in order to better leverage my strengths. I used to think that a director only needed to focus on the creative aspects—transforming the script into visuals and guiding actors—while the rest could be handled by the crew in other departments. Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time learning about cinematography and sound design, and I discovered that these areas hold valuable knowledge that helps me establish a director’s mindset and better define my own style. The more I understand the expertise of other departments, the clearer my vision becomes for how I want my film to look. Knowing what I want and how to achieve it is actually a vital part of the creative process.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_amanda0725?igsh=anJ6bXI2NHR0Ym05&utm_source=qr
• Other: imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm14962712/