We had the good fortune of connecting with Lance Haoyuan Li and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lance Haoyuan, why did you pursue a creative career?
I liked reading fictional literature since I was a child, and those stories really made me picture all those wonderous worlds. I got interested in movies relatively later than my fellows. In middle school I watched the Time Machine (2002). Although not a real masterpiece in terms of its overall quality, back then I was greatly amazed by how this movie is able to visually portray the travel through time, which opened a new door for me to explore all the visual stories. I also watched lots of behind-the-scenes documentaries about how people create visual effects using various practical or digital techniques. Despite that, my interest eventually started to become my career only after I get into the college and find myself good at shooting videos, and I gradually gravitated more and more to the realm of narrative cinematography.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think my cinematography is specially focused on visual storytelling. I may not be the cinematographer who shoots the fanciest image that makes audiences wow immediately (though it does happen sometimes), but I always put my priority on making sure my style fits the tone set by the story itself. Some films need steady shots and delicate lighting, while others require a much grittier feeling. In my books, there is no single standard regarding cinematography. Communication is the key to narrative filmmaking, so I will make sure I really understand the director’s vision, and thereupon contribute my knowledge to make that vision expand even further. If there is lots of specialty filming, VFX requirements etc., I would do camera test as thorough as time and budget allows. If a specific style is required, I would breakdown all the visual elements, often collaborate with the production designer, to make sure they can be achieved during the actual production. I’m overall proud of myself carrying the vision from pre-production all the way through post-production. I also learned how to color grade professionally so I can better control the color design for a film.
The greatest lesson I learned so far during my cinematography career is that never be limited by your equipment. Professional cameras, lenses and lights exist for a reason, but that does not mean you can’t do some quality work using much interior equipment. My short film “The Day, at the Beach” was shot on four different cameras: RED Gemini, Panasonic S1H, Sony A7SIII, and iPhone 13 Pro. This is of course due to budget and time concerns, but in the end, I don’t think any of those non-cinema cameras made the film less impactful than it should, provided that they are used in the right situation. In fact, some of my favorite shots in this film were shot on the iPhone in the ocean. Would I have got better shots using a more professional camera with proper rigging and assistance? Maybe, but I think I have achieved most of my vision just by shooting with the iPhone. I can use the money and time saved to work on other important aspects of the production.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, I feel I’m not that much of a social or travel person, and filmmaking is my biggest way of connecting with the world. I find beautiful beaches and houses during location scout and visit great restaurants and bars that I would not normally walk in, just to feel the vibe. If a friend is visiting me, I would probably just pick some museums, visit the beaches, check out some restaurants and, probably take a tour in Paramount Studio showing him/her the place where my film was screened and awarded lol.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First, I really want to thank UCSD Chinese Union for giving me opportunity for getting into the realm of video production even before I know what I’m really doing. I joined the organization in my college freshman year and immediately shot a scripted short film introducing their airport pickup service for Chinese international students. Later I was also the DP for their annual short film. Without these experiences I may never have realized my interest in cinematography, because back then I was still studying Chemistry major, thinking one day I’ll become a scientist. I also want to thank many of my UCSD media major classmates. The Visual Arts-Media major was mainly focused on the experimental arts using the form of photo and video, but I’m glad I met a group of friends who are just as interested in narrative filmmaking as, if not more, than me. Here I would like to shoutout to those people who greatly supported and encouraged me when I was just starting out: Angus Cheung, Carrie J. Liu, David Yang, Matt Tang, Helen He, Qiyi Fan, Amanda Cat, Caesar Callera, Boyang Xu, Eugenie Juan, Shuyue Su, and more. Some of them are still active in the film industry as I know, and I’m looking forward to having more collaborations with them.
During my cinematography MFA at Chapman, I mainly want to shoutout to Cindy Xin, the director for two of my films in Chapman, which are both having a great festival run. Both films screened at the Oscar-Qualifying LA Shorts Festival, and our thesis film “The Day, at the Beach” received Rising Star Award on 2023 Cine Gear Expo Film Series.
Also, shoutout to Yifu Li, an amazing cinematographer who guided and inspired me through so many film sets since I started at Chapman. We gaffed on each other’s thesis film, and Yifu thesis film North Country was nominated for 2022 ASC Student Heritage Award.

Website: lancelhy.com

Instagram: @lancelhy

Other: Bilibili: https://space.bilibili.com/4804408

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