We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yuexi Emma Li a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Yuexi Emma, thank you so much for making time for us today. We’re excited to discuss a handful of topics with you, but perhaps the most important one is around decision making. The ability to make decisions is a key requirement for anyone who wants to make a difference and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your decision-making skills.
During my work, don’t be afraid, about asking/request, try again and again, and also take responsibility. When I was the lead editor for my new editing feature, Ciao. I have been involved from pre-production to post-production allows me to have a comprehensive understanding of the project and the various decisions that need to be made along the way. This holistic perspective enables you to develop a sense of ownership and responsibility, enhancing your decision-making abilities. I was lucky to be offered this chance and experience some results of my own decision. I remember there was a scene in Ciao, it might let people misunderstand the story if we shot that part by following the screenplay. I hesitated to point it out because I haven’t got all the footage at that point, it is only based on the script and the scenes in the set’s monitor. But I still told the director my concern and provide a plan B. In the end, we took part of my plan B and combined it with the original plan. This does encourage me to do a decision, but it’s the decision based on my previous working experience. It also shows you need to trust yourself.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Hey, I’m Yuexi Emma, a film and trailer editor based in Los Angeles. Right now I’m working for an Award-winning trailer house. Early this March, I edited one of the BEST ACTOR pieces for the 2023 Oscars event. Most recently, I got my Past Lives 60s trailer piece online. In this April, my latest feature editing work, Ciao, was nominated for Best Feature in this year’s Beijing International Film Festival.
There are many new projects coming out, please look forward to them.
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?
First, You are your own controller. Being an organization is very important both for life and work. I have to play at least two roles in each project, a team lead and an editor. I am involved in the entire process of the film project, from pre-production to post-production. Which means working with yourself and cooperating with other people during this process. Always open to listening but know the direction will go. Of course, there are a lot of risks, sometimes, I need to pitch my ideas to the client/director before we really have the footage, the hard part is you need to make it come true. Which means you need to know yourself very well. The second skill I think it’s very necessary. Understanding your strengths, weaknesses, and personal preferences allows you to navigate projects effectively. By knowing yourself well, you can align your goals, strategies, and decisions with your unique qualities and capabilities. I always provide more than three plans for each project, especially when I working on trailers. But I always know which is my favorite. The point I make many versions is because of the knowledge of the market, and the core concept for the project. I remember when I worked on the Oscars piece, in the beginning, it was not smooth. It’s hard to locate the concept because it’s for the award ceremony but we still need to consider some audience may haven’t got the chance to watch the film. So it’s not a good time to use whatever footage you want. You need to show the film’s/ actors’ greatest but still stay mysterious.
So for the third one, always maintain a thirst for learning.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My co-workers and creative directors. They provide opportunities for networking and learning. This exposure contributes to my growth as a decision-maker by broadening my knowledge base and exposing me to diverse ideas. Their support can boost my motivation, and provide emotional encouragement. But the first step is you have to have something first. You have to have yourself, and then have the team. Till now 95% of my projects, are working with only two teams of people. One was in China, another one is my current studio.
Trust between colleagues and a healthy work environment, must be a part of the success
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emmasissie.wixsite.com/yuexi
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yueximma/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuexi-li/
