Meet Jiaming (Jamie) Shi | Film Director & Director of Photography

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jiaming (Jamie) Shi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jiaming (Jamie), why did you pursue a creative career?
I was born into a family devoid of any artistic inclination. Over half of my family members worked in banks. If during my elementary school years my aspiration was to follow in my father’s footsteps and work in a bank when I grew up, the emergence of “Avatar” completely altered my aspirations. My hometown is a small city. I vividly remember in the winter of 2010 when the old cinema in this small city was packed with people, experiencing the fantastic journey of this film together on the screen. It was “Avatar” that made me fall in love with movies.

During my upbringing, I enjoyed various types of films and became engrossed in the styles and clever narratives of different directors. If “Avatar” opened the door to filmmaking for me, then Marvel and DC superhero movies were the guiding lights at the beginning of my film career. Initially, I knew nothing about filmmaking; all I could do was mimic the movies I liked. In the winter of 2015 in northern China, armed with my iPhone 6s, I shot my first short film with friends. Titled “Speed: Origins,” the story depicted a boy gaining superpowers from a gemstone falling from the sky and battling dark forces (inspired by the character Quicksilver from “Avengers: Age of Ultron”). Looking back at this short film now, though incredibly naive and crude, I still feel the initial enthusiasm it ignited within me.

What truly solidified my determination to embark on the path of filmmaking was a small interesting incident after completing this short film. At that time, I was in the second year of junior high school. I posted this short film on my social media, and it garnered a significant number of shares and likes. (Perhaps in my small hometown, a junior high school student suddenly making a short film was quite remarkable.) One day during recess, while I was in the restroom, two boys from another class came in, whom I didn’t know, were discussing and praising my short film. I’ll never forget the moment when my entire being surged with excitement: I need audience, I wanted my work to be seen by more and more people.

This marked the beginning of my journey in the film industry. I’m accustomed to relentlessly pursuing a goal, and almost a decade has passed in the blink of an eye. During these ten years, many changes have occurred. For instance, I develop a liking for a new director every so often, or I experience setbacks and self-doubt in my film studies. But what remains unchanged is my sensitivity to every period of life experience and my desire to convey my insights through visual and auditory storytelling to my audience. For example, my recently completed short film “Love Gods Never Let Me Down,” shot on 16mm film, as well as my upcoming film “The Prisoner,” revolve around the theme of “disillusionment.” I enjoy exploring multiple facets of a theme that deeply resonates with me, and this excites me. I also eagerly anticipate engaging with the audience who watch my films. All of this sustains my continuous progress. Now, from a small city in northern China, I stand in the heart of the world’s film capital, Los Angeles, continuing to pursue my film career. This is my ten-year dream in the realm of film.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always been aware that I am a clumsy kid, but a somewhat persistent one. I still remember, even though I relied on instinct to complete my first short film “Speed: Origins,” I still didn’t understand many professional film concepts. Later, when I started delving into some professional books, I couldn’t even grasp the simplest term: “shot.” At that time, I couldn’t differentiate between a “scene” and a “shot.” Looking back, it does feel ridiculous now, but back then, I spent a lot of effort trying to understand the difference between them. It was only after much deliberation that I finally understood. This is just a clumsy example of mine. Perhaps some people can understand concepts in five minutes, but I might need an hour. However, for me, I’m not worried about spending more time. I see it as part of my growth path.

But I am fortunate that my efforts have paid off. While my start may have been slow, once I completed learning most of the basic professional knowledge, I could feel my growth accelerating. Perhaps it’s because I once painstakingly built a solid foundation. However, at the same time, I am someone who relies heavily on intuition in my creative process. I can use some theory to justify my creative choices, but I am more inclined to rely on intuition to conceive stories and design shots. For me, it’s a process of intuitively extracting from my mind the movies I’ve seen and the knowledge I’ve learned. I thoroughly enjoy this process.

In my creative process, I’m interested in several themes that stem from my own life experiences. Additionally, I’m intrigued by genres like “magic” and “action.” I hope to combine different styles and express my themes through them. For instance, my recently completed short film “Love Gods Never Let Me Down” (which tells the story of a witch attempting to use magic to resurrect her ex-boyfriend’s love for her, but ultimately fails) and the upcoming short film “The Prisoner” (which will narrate the story of a man forced to become an assassin to pay off debts, whose only spiritual pillar is to return to a normal life with his girlfriend, but discovers that she has moved on with another man by the time he executes his final mission) both revolve around the theme of “disillusionment.” I aim to explore my understanding of the same theme through different narrative forms. As a film director and cinematographer, I prefer using a unique visual style to interpret my stories. By incorporating the mindset of a cinematographer during the scriptwriting stage, I can build my visual style within the text, giving my films a distinctive visual and auditory characteristic that reflects my personal style.

I believe the most significant change I’ve undergone on this path of learning filmmaking is gradually learning the importance of teamwork. As I mentioned earlier, I used to be quite headstrong and enjoyed sticking to my own ideas, preferring to do everything myself. This approach, from my first short film to my second year in college, led me to handle most positions on a film crew by myself, including script writing, directing, cinematography, editing, and color grading. While this method allowed me to develop comprehensive filmmaking skills, it also imposed significant limitations and bottlenecks. In my third year of college, during the production of my short film”A Sonata for the End of Summer,” I began seeking out talented classmates to take on key roles in the crew and sought collaboration. The result was a completely different experience: the efficiency of the entire team greatly improved, and I received many fantastic suggestions from team members. Their efforts resulted in a short film that differed drastically from the original vision, for which I am deeply grateful. Upon entering LMU’s graduate program, I encountered even more outstanding filmmakers. Through collaborative teamwork, my personality underwent significant changes. I learned how to open up my inner self, balance my ideas with others’ opinions, effectively communicate my thoughts with crew members, and collaborate with different team members. I am thrilled by my transformation, and I believe these changes will propel me toward greater success.

Regarding my own shortcomings, I distinctly felt the differences between American and Chinese approaches to filmmaking when I just joined the LMU film production graduate program. Whether it was certain systems or equipment being used, there were many differences. I realized I still had much to learn about Grip & Electric (G&E) aspects. So, over the past year, I’ve frequently worked in the G&E departments of various productions. During this time, I’ve gained valuable technical knowledge, such as how to systematically load shooting equipment onto trucks, how to set up various lighting schemes, and how to use equipment like the Chapman miniscope 7 dolly gear. These experiences will undoubtedly enhance my capabilities when I undertake directing and cinematography roles in the future.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have to say, honestly, if my best friend were to come to Los Angeles to visit me, he might have a somewhat boring week. That’s because the places I usually frequent tend to be quieter spots, like the beach and cafes, haha.

So in our itinerary, I would take him to three beaches I often go to: Manhattan Beach, Venice Beach, and Santa Monica Beach. I love taking walks by the seaside because the sea breeze and watching seagulls circling help me immerse myself in contemplation. It’s a chance for me to ponder over scripts or life’s trivial matters. Plus, I enjoy bringing my film camera to the beach, especially for capturing beautiful sunsets.

I’d also take him to this amazing cafe called Highly Likely, which was recommended by my friend Crys Lee. We’ve had many discussions about movies here (Crys is also a very talented film director and cinematographer). So, I’d be happy to bring my friend here to grab coffee and chat about recent interesting events.

Additionally, in the evenings, I’d take him to the New Beverly Cinema, where they screen various old movies every day using film projectors. I’ve watched many fantastic films here like “Children of Men,” “In the Mood for Love,” and “Punch-Drunk Love”. My friend shouldn’t miss the opportunity to watch movies here.

Moreover, I’d probably take him to try out various burger joints across Los Angeles because I’m a loyal burger enthusiast. Many of my friends from China express their longing for Chinese food and find it hard to eat burgers and fries every day, but I’m different. I can eat burgers and fries every day without getting tired of them. I hope my friend doesn’t develop burger PTSD from this (I’m just kidding).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Parents
I grew up in a family completely devoid of any artistic atmosphere. Whether it was music, fine arts, drama, or movies, there was a considerable distance between my family and these realms. So when I suddenly uttered the words “I want to study filmmaking” to my parents in the second year of junior high school, you can imagine how puzzled they were. Instinctively, they rejected my idea. As a somewhat headstrong child, I entered into a period of unpleasant conflict with my parents over their refusal. Looking back, I regret not knowing how to communicate with my family at that time. However, fortunately, I have understanding parents. They conducted a lot of research on my so-called “film dream,” such as which universities in China offered film majors. In the end, they chose to support my decision. Later on, I successfully entered a film and television university in China(Communication University of Zhejiang) and shot several short films. What made me happiest was that my efforts received recognition from my parents.

Ang Lee and his book “A Ten-year Dream: The Ang Lee Story”
Director Ang Lee is a hero in my heart. Besides watching every movie he directed, his autobiography “A Ten-year Dream: The Ang Lee Story” is also one of the most important books for me. From high school to university, as I continued to pursue my filmmaking dream, I repeatedly read this book many times. Ang Lee traveled from Taiwan to the United States to study drama and film. His father always held an attitude of incomprehension toward his film career. His humility, modesty, and strict self-discipline, as well as his integration of Eastern and Western production systems in filmmaking, all resonated deeply with me. His various experiences have always inspired and supported my journey deep within my heart.

Instagram: @jamieeeeshi

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JamieShi_cine

Image Credits
Audrey Ward

Bradley Beachum

Alex Ju