Meet Yijuan Reggie” Zhao | Film Editor”

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yijuan “Reggie” Zhao and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yijuan “Reggie”, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Broadly speaking, taking any project itself is risk-taking for an editor. People say there are three rewrites in filmmaking. First, the writer writes the script. Second, the script gets rewritten when they shoot the film. Finally, the third rewrite happens when the editing process begins. An editor can read the script before they accept the job; however, most of the time we don’t know what footage we’ll receive at the end of the day, and what was written might not be what’s shot. We are in the position to work with what we got and make something magical out of it. Another risk-taking aspect to editing is that you never know if your idea works but you still try it. The interesting part is – sometimes a bad idea can lead to something amazing. This unexpectedness is also what makes editing a compelling job for me. You never know what will happen but when you take the leap and something good comes out of it, it is more rewarding than anything else. Being an editor has encouraged me to take risks and has shown me the benefits of doing so.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am from Guangdong, China, where I grew up watching Hong Kong movies. I came to the United States to study at the University of California, San Diego, and took my first film classes at UC San Diego. I had my eyes on filmmaking ever since. Once I graduated from UC San Diego, I started working at Lerfilm Studio as an assistant editor and obtained basic knowledge of film editing and post-production. Working at Lerfilm sparked my interest to further hone my skills in editing at the American Film Institute (AFI). I spent two meaningful years at AFI, made connections with many talented individuals, and left with a master’s degree and a solid foundation as an editor. I’m currently working on a Netflix series – Untold (Season 2) and it has been a wonderful experience. When I first came to the States, I questioned if I could succeed and wondered if I could live in a country that speaks a different language and practices a different culture from my own. I struggled with self-confidence and tried to please everybody during editing sessions because I didn’t want to upset people. However, I realized if I blindly followed all the different opinions out of fear of upsetting someone, I put the film at risk of being a mess. My professors, mentors, and colleagues helped me learn that good communication is key to unifying different creative inputs, finding out the real problem, and working as a whole to tell great stories. My primary focus is on narrative short films and feature films. I am known for my attention to the human condition and the flow of emotion in a story. In addition, I also have a strong sense of story structure and its influence on the film at a greater scale. Many creative professionals I worked with were pleased with my ability to spot story issues and find creative ways to solve them. As I gain more experience as an editor, my grasp of story, pacing, and performance has sharpened; thus, bringing my skill as a storyteller to a higher level. I look forward to future projects I will be working on, new relationships I’ll be establishing with talented individuals, and the stories I will be creating for many to see in the theater.

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.
A spot I like in LA is Mulholland Drive. I’m not sure if you’d call it “a spot” since it’s a road. However, it’s always nice to drive along the mountain road at night and take in the view of Los Angeles. There are some scenic overlooks where you can stop and really take it in. I also like to go to Monterey Park to have some Rice Noodle Roll, my favorite place for rice noodle rolls is Yummy Cuisine. Rice noodle roll is a famous dish from my hometown and it’s also my comfort food. It’s always nice to have some during the weekend and recharge with my favorite food.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I met my mentor and role model – Anne Goursaud – while I was still a student at the American Film Institute. Anne was one of our instructors at AFI and an editing mentor for one of my thesis films. During my years at AFI, her class has taught me the art of storytelling, the beauty of human emotion, and the details in each frame. Not only was her class eye-opening, but she also was an inspiring role model I look up to. Anne left her home country, France, and came to the United States to pursue her dream. As someone who is also a foreigner pursuing “the American dream,” I find her courage and determination inspiring. I wish to keep pushing myself towards my goals just like her. Aside from all the wonderful things about Anne, I’m most grateful for her mentorship. She is hard on the quality of my work yet encourages me to take risks and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It is because of her guidance I have the courage to try all my ideas in the editing room and successfully elevated the engagingness of one of my films – Aves. I wouldn’t be the kind of editor I am today if I hadn’t met Anne when I was a fellow at AFI and I do wish she knows how much I thank her for being the lovely professor she is.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/rgz.yj/