Meet Leyi Dai | Aspiring writer and director

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

Hi Dai, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
The time I spent watching them from a young age is undeniably life-changing. For me, who wore the same uniform as the other 3000 kids in school, movies on the weekends meant freedom (and exciting chaos). It’s been a passive and entertaining part of my life until I saw The Matrix – how an amazing commercially-successful story can also contain a conversation/metaphor on gender. Movies became something completely different to me because of that – with its power to change and to be consumed by any and everyone. And once I started digging and creating, I couldn’t stop.

Just the process of spending time to create a piece of work brings me immense joy, but it’s extremely challenging at the same time. There are many obstacles in creating a film, from coming up with an idea to putting the pieces together, and filmmaking is an intensely personal process. Sometimes, it might be difficult to confront the reflection of myself in the work I produce or attempt to produce—whether because I perceive my own immaturity in it or, worse, see my reflection on a blank page. That’s the most terrifying feeling for me, and I’m sure anyone who writes has experienced that pain.

However, when I navigate through the process and complete a piece of work that might make someone smile, cry, or just feel a little less alone, that’s the most rewarding feeling for me. I believe anyone who writes would also agree with that sentiment.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you going professionally?
I’m constantly looking for the answer behind a good story. Someone once said to me that all stories are about love. I think it makes a story relatable and makes us feel vulnerable in front of a story. Love can manifest in a million different forms—eliciting warmth, sadness, or keeping you on the edge of your seat in suspense. However, only recently did I come to realize how crucial and how hard it is to hook the audience from the first second and keep them engaged.

If they are bored, they won’t care about your story, theme, or message. This sounds simple and is certainly no secret, but it is just so challenging to execute effectively. So, I am constantly learning how to guide the audience to feel the way I intend and make a personal connection with them through stories.

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?
If my friends are visiting town for a week, I’d tour the city with them for three or four days, exploring museums, seeing the sunset at Griffith, and spending a relaxing afternoon on the beach. I am a HUGE outdoor person. So for the second half of the week—depending on the season—I would take them to Redwood National Park or Yosemite in the summer, or I’d take them skiing or snowboarding at Mammoth Mountain. Honestly, that would be the best week of my life too.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout goes to my peers – all the people that I had the pleasure working with on set or in post, or spending time workshopping our script together. Not only do they make me a better filmmaker, but they also make the process joyful and fun, which is the most precious thing I could ask for.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dai.leyi/