Producer’s resourcefulness brings UCLA student films to life

For new producers working on multiple passion projects, a combination of location and connections can make or break your career, said ZhiQi Yeo.

Yeo, who is currently a producer for three graduate student films at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, said she came upon this position through her friends at UCLA. Originally working in postproduction in Singapore, Yeo said student productions were usually understaffed and found herself managing multiple responsibilities as a producer, including location and casting. Yeo said she relies on time management and her relationships with the filmmakers to best realize their creative visions.

“Since everything has a hard deadline, it’s easier to manage priorities,” Yeo said. “But when it comes to open-ended tasks, like casting, it’s all up to resourcefulness and connections within the industry and area.”

[Related: Q&A: UCLA alum reflects on social media after reality TV show experience]

However, Yeo said she discovered a significant difference between the entertainment world of Los Angeles and the one back home, with the former being more welcoming to different projects. She said her transition into the local industry was made easier through the resources available to producers, such as UCLA professors providing contacts and the streamlined management process within the entertainment industry.

A producer’s success is largely based on their ability to integrate into the local industry, said graduate student director Kang Sheng Tang. As both Yeo’s husband and colleague, Tang said Yeo’s ability to work in Singapore and Los Angeles relied on her ability to build and maintain professional collaborations.

“Being a producer relies heavily on personal connections,” Tang said. “Yeo started new in LA, and her old contacts in Singapore don’t always work here.”

Tang’s film, however, involved shooting in Singapore, which allowed Yeo to pull from her contacts there. She said that, while her duties for the production were centered around working with time differences, having established relationships with professionals in both countries helped make arrangements more flexible.

“Student films generally have a tight budget,” Yeo said. “We often need industry friends to appear in our films just to make the budget.”

Yeo said she found this support at UCLA, where film students often rotate roles in each other’s productions. Working with the same group of people made handling logistics for many projects more manageable, she said.

However, personal connections weren’t a skeleton key for solving any problem, Yeo said. Jinsui Song, another graduate student director working with Yeo, said her project had almost been delayed because of casting difficulties. Song said her film required a highly specific demographic for lead roles, namely middle-aged Asians. Song said Yeo’s resourcefulness helped them find fitting actors.

“(Yeo) sent out casting calls through every channel imaginable, both public and private,” Song said. “She was on top of everything – managed everything.”

Yeo said she found suitable actors for Song, but sometimes she must compromise between creative vision and reality. Jacqueline Chan, the graduate student for Yeo’s third film, said her casting requirements were the most difficult, ultimately resulting in alterations to her story. Chan’s original script emphasized the linguistic flexibility of actors, but when candidates failed to satisfy, Yeo negotiated a script change to accommodate what resources they had.

“Producers are in charge of making things happen,” Chan said. “It’s my job to be creative, but producers have to be realistic and know when they have to step in for the greater good.”

[Related: Student film reflects on friendship, love and loss in story of owner and pet]

Having never studied film production, Yeo said she draws heavily on her media experience in Singapore, where a college film club led her to pursue a career in postproduction. Yeo said working within the financial and creative budget constraints of a student film demanded hard work and long hours, but felt that despite multiple difficulties, the creative intent of directors needed to come first.

“Student films are made out of passion,” Yeo said. “My job was to help realize as many directors’ visions as I could – a passion project of my own.”