Eva Ye | Director & Cinematographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eva Ye and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eva, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“Life’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Whenever I think about it, I become calmer and less rushed in my artistic pursuits. As an artist, I think it is natural to seek validations and compare ourselves with others, but it is easy to get lost among them and forget why we are where we are in the first place. We become artists because we have something unique to say and express. I’ve come to realize that an artistic pursuit is less about looking right and left at our peers, it is more about looking ahead, far far ahead, at a goal, a finish line, and taking ourselves there with all we have.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a writer, director and cinematographer. I’ve written and directed two short films. “The Ballerina, Her Shoemaker and His Apprentice” is a 16-minute period short story, and is available on Prime Videos. “Headshot” is a 5-minute short led by an actress with Down Syndrome, played by Lauren Potter (Glee). I’ve lensed many short films, narrative and documentary features. After getting a bachelor’s degree in Finance, I moved to LA and did my MFA in Film and TV Productions at USC. After graduation, I worked mostly as a cinematographer and kept writing and directing whenever I could. Filmmaking is not an easy career path and working freelance isn’t always sustainable, but seeing the audience being inspired and moved by my work is one of the most exciting and rewarding feelings. Over the years, I’ve tried my best to balance between jobs and my own creative efforts. I still can’t say that I’ve got it all figured out, I doubt that I’ll ever do. However, the path forward has gotten clearer and brighter, and I just gotta keep going!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Assuming this best friend has never visited LA, I’d ask them if they’d want to get the “landmarks” out of the way first. A big part of me hopes that they have no interest in visiting the Sunset strip, Disneyland, Universal Studios, etc. Beaches are important. We would probably do a beach day or two. If it’s too cold or too hot during the day, then sunset at the beach is a must, the location would most likely be Point Dume in Malibu. The Art District/Little Tokyo is fun to walk around and shop, and we could continue the day to bike or scooter around DTLA. Pershing Square, The Last Bookstore, Grand Central Market are great places to check out. Pasta e Pasta by Allegro, Sushi Gen, Shin-Sen-Gumi and Rakkan ramen are my favorite spots to visit for food in Little Tokyo. A short getaway to Joshua Tree, Big Bear Lake, or Idyllwild would also be on the agenda. We’d camp or book an airbnb, and go hiking in the desert or in the mountains. At dinner time, we’ll probably be at Pappy & Harriet’s or La Copine in Yucca Valley, or we might just be grilling over a campfire.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Anthony Meindl. Writer, Director and the founder of Anthony Meindl’s Actor Workshop