Today we’d like to introduce you to Xiao Ying.
Hi Xiao, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Xiao Ying, my nickname is Effy Ying, and people know me as Effy Ying too.
In 2019, I came to Los Angeles for an MFA producing degree at the New York Film Academy, then I started my career in the producing area. I’m actively involved in producing music videos and narrative stories.
About my music video producing journey, I’m a long-term producer for a European artist (Gokhan Ozen) for his projects in the United States. We did many projects already, and all were released by Sony Music Turkey projects such as Firardayim and Bağrında. In which, the Bağrında was shot during the most serious time during covid pandemic, so it was quite a journey for the whole team, but it was very fun as well.
About the narrative stories, I started with producing short films since I was in school. I enjoyed the creative-producing side of exploring a good story. Some of my projects are still in the production process, some are released and got awarded in film festivals. For example. So Long is still in post-production, and Held Up is out to festivals and premiered at TCL Chinese Theatre.
I also worked on a lot of studio projects after got into the post-production area, especially the time I was with Deluxe Media. I worked on hundreds of titles, including classic IPs and new releases. Classic IPs such as Titanic 3D re-release on Valentine’s Day in 2023, I was a part of the post-production team, in charge of the post-production producing side together with my team. This is one of the projects I worked on, there were many other Disney titles such as Young Indian Jones and Life of Pi, and Nat Geo titles such as Life Below Zero. New releases such as Amazon titles The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 5, Universal titles such as Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, and Netflix titles such as Bullet Train, and Spiderman – No Way Home.
Besides that, I enjoy producing the commercial side of projects as well, such as the mini-drama I recently produced. I bid this project as a production company, and the genre is very new and interesting as well. Everything was shot in vertical format, and each episode ranged from 1 to 2 minutes. The production process was very intense but fun at the same time, when we started doing this type of format, there wasn’t too many on the market, and the main differences of doing this type of content to the commercial value and creative input on converting the screen from traditional format to vertical screen. The camera movement needs to be specially designed to explain the story clearly but also exhibit creativity to catch the audience’s attention. And from the producing side, it’s also important to balance the artistic and commercial value.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It would say half-half, I feel I’m definitely lucky considering the opportunities that given to me. I always wanted to work on studio projects since I was at school, then Deluxe Media offered me the opportunity to touch on so many big ones, even the films and TV shows I’ve been watching since I was a kid.
At the same time, not everything is completely smooth, especially when have more experience working with people from the business side. A great lesson I learnt so far from the business aspect, it’s to trust people but don’t trust people completely even if you have known this person for years, even when you think he should be a solid person. I learnt being friends and working on serious projects are totally different perspectives. One man can be a great friend that seems caring and responsible, but when disagreement happens, especially when it comes to everyone’s interest, this person can show a completely different side that you never expect. I got betrayed before, and I think it’s a valuable lesson that you bought at a younger age. And it helps me on selecting people to work with in the future; for example, if a person doesn’t have experience taking on projects with a similar budget or workload before, be prepared; he will be easier freaked out; and if a person is much older but doesn’t much-recognized achievements, think twice; if a person who thinks differently with you about from the work ethic side, don’t ignore the signs but evaluate again.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I enjoy being a producer, I see myself will dig into this area for a very very long time of my life.
I specialize in pre-production to post-production, creative production to linear producing. I love to see how a project is happening with my efforts and ideas in it.
If naming the projects that can represent me, I think of the feature film Titanic 3D, and the music video Firardayim. I’m actually proud of these two projects as well, I worked on post-production for Titanic 3D re-release with a three-person team for around six months, starting from August 2022. And Firardayim is a music video that combines both artistic and commercial values, and has 9 million views on YouTube up to date.
What set me apart from others, I think two aspects. First one is I’m good at communicating with people, I can bring out the best of the talent and make great deals for the production. Especially through my experience working with artists, I can catch their artistic visions and bring them into practical plans. Secondly, I have experience in post-production and have knowledge about the technical side, which I think most film schools don’t teach this for producing majors.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
To keep being authentic about your artistic visions, be a responsible and solid producer that people can count on, and stay humble to accept good advice.
First of all, I think the producers that stand out from others are the ones that are good at telling good stories, so I feel it’s very important to have your own vision and insist as a producer, especially if want to grow in the creative producing area. Secondly, reputation is extremely important in the industry, many times I meet new people, and it turns out they know my other friends as well. So taking care of the promised responsibilities is very important, and if something really can’t be achieved, it’s important to be flexible and smart to find ways out that keep the best interest of everyone. Thirdly, to just keep growing your ability, as you become more powerful, better and more challenging projects will come to you, and it’s important to stay humble and have the ability to select the good advice that people offer you.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/effyemily?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11567070/
