Meet Ziwei Zoe Ouyang | Film/ TV production designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ziwei Zoe Ouyang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ziwei Zoe, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was originally from Beijing, China. As the capital of China, Beijing assumes the role of a political and cultural center, which treats foreigners and different cultures, Beijing always embrace everything, and it reflects Beijing’s inclusiveness. One-third of Beijing’s population is foreigners, which taught me to accept cultural diversity from an early age.

Beijing’s inclusiveness is reflected in the architecture. I have been very interested in ancient Chinese architecture since I was a child, and I have also been exposed to many traditional Chinese arts. In Beijing, there are always endless exhibitions, sights, and operas to watch.

At the design level, my background and experience influence me more on aesthetics. I am fascinated by any design with traditional craftsmanship, which sets me apart from many other designers.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
To be honest, I think everyone is different, and all creations are a fusion of personal experiences and background. From my experience, I think maybe my family is the reason why I was obsessed waith art since I was a child. There are many people in my family They are all engaged in literary and artistic work. I have learned a lot from their enthusiasm and dedication to art, no desire for fame and fortune. Which I think is rare in this impetuous society.

I think my undergraduate school has contributed a lot to where I am today. I think what I learned in Pratt is an artist’s thinking, to observe and understand the world from the perspective of an artist. Pratt taught me that there is no distinction between right and wrong in art. I think this way of thinking is more important than a lot of technical stuff. When I first got involved in filmmaking, it was of course difficult, and the intensity of the work was much worse than I imagined. Moreover, I am a person with poor adaptability, and it takes time to fit in a new environment every time. But I think no matter what difficulties you encounter, as long as you have confidence in yourself and put your enthusiasm and patience into what you do, don’t be afraid of making mistakes, and you will eventually get better.
I want to let some people who are not familiar with film production to know that production design is a profession that is crucial to a film.

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?
In Los Angeles, I think I will definitely take my friends driving to the beach, and we can rent a bicycle to ride. Secondly, I think Los Angeles has so many nice restaurants, and I will take them to restaurants from various countries. In addition, I think the nightlife in Los Angeles is very interesting too, I will take them to different bars, karaoke, or concerts.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Along the way, many people have helped me and inspired me. My aunt was definitely one of my most important inspirations. She was educated and studied fashion design in Canada since she was 18, and she had a very special taste in fashion extremely avant-garde. in her room, there were countless fashion magazines and an awful lot of home decor magazines. Every time I go to my grandma’s house for dinner and the adults are chatting, I will sneak into my aunt’s room. Sometimes I read her books and magazines other times I try on her clothes and cosmetics.

Another person who influenced me deeply was one of my teachers. He works in the theater as a costume and props designer for plays. At that time, I had just graduated from high school, and I always go to the place where he worked to hang out with him, sometimes I would help him make some small props. I think that was the beginning of my interest in film and television and theater design, and after many years I realized that there was a career in film and television production design and I was very excited.

Website: www.ziweiouyang.com

Instagram: @ouyangpd

Youtube: https://vimeo.com/736665319