Today we’d like to introduce you to Ran Li.
Hi Ran, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Thinking back, I love telling stories from a very young age. When I was a kid, the most fascinating moments for me were always to make people laugh or to keep them engaged and mesmerized by the story I tell verbally. However, my journey being a professional screenwriter and filmmaker comes much later. When I was young, I spent lots of time playing video games, traveling and reading.
I grew up in a historical city called Nanjing in southeast China. It is a city near Shanghai. I spent two decades of my life there. Interested in singing, I studied pop music performance at Nanjing University of the Arts. But as someone who cannot write songs, I realized that my true love is actually writing and directing. I won my first writing award when I was in my junior year at college, and I thought I could do this professionally.
After graduation, I worked in an advertising company as a creative writer and commercial director before sending my applications to film schools in the US. I felt so lucky to be accepted by USC and studied Film & TV Production, with a focus on writing. The lessons I learned there in filmmaking and storytelling were priceless, so did the friendship I gained there. I found so many like-minded people at USC. One interesting example: in 2015, I picked up three friends who were studying animation at USC to a dinner a Chinese classmate organized. During the drive to the restaurant, they asked me which Chinese animation short do I enjoy the most, I told them the title of a short. The person in the back seat points at the person in the passenger seat, this is the director, he said. Our friendship lasts till today.
I found myself particularly interested in science fiction stories. My thesis film Implant and two other unmade short films are all sci-fi stories written by me. Implant gained some attention and won a few awards, thanks to the amazing talents and crew members who worked on that project.
In 2019, I graduated from USC and was selected by BAFTA to be one of their LA Newcomers. It’s a four-year initiative supporting rising artists in the entertainment industry. I felt very honored and lucky to be included. In terms of supporting us and providing resources to help us grow, BAFTA is just like USC. I met so many people I can call true friends, and I received so much creative support from it.
I feel very lucky and privileged to be helped by so many amazing mentors, teachers and peers throughout my years in LA. I want to give back. So when BAFTA Vance Byrd Mentorship invited me to be a mentor for one of the younger folks who want to be in the movie industry, I jumped at the opportunity. I believe the sense of giving back is something essential to this business, like passing the torch.
When I listened to successful film industry leaders, they always say they are lucky, and they spent a lot of time doing things that are seemingly unrelated to their later success then became an integral part of their success. I started to understand this recently when I became a freelance sci-fi writer for an A.I. company called Hanson Robotics. They were looking for a sci-fi writer who understands video games and is interested in technologies. The days I “wasted” on video games become valuable and essential. Now, I believe your interest will lead you to places you love to be. You just need to keep doing it.
A creative life is like a marathon, and I think my journey has just begun.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
When I came to LA, the major obstacles were the language barrier and cultural differences. When you were suddenly thrown into a world where people look, behave and speak differently, it takes some time to adjust. I remember during my first year at USC, I can understand only 60% of what the professors were saying. That was tough. Then there is the challenge that you have to write in English and direct the talents in English, which is definitely something that takes years to get used to. But I did remember Ang Lee, one of my favorite directors, mentioned that he wasn’t saying much to the actors when he directed Sense and Sensibility, as long as he understands what he wants. So that gave me some confidence.
The next obstacle is something you’d face when you passed the first obstacle I mentioned above. It’s about how to balance your own culture and how much you want to blend into the western culture. I’m glad that I found a good balance, which is not to give up on my own and try to act and sound like a Chinese American. I believe my unique background and life experience are an integral part of myself, which fuels my creativity. I’m still working on stories that can hopefully transcend language and cultural barriers, I am confident it will come to fruition in the not distant future.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a professional writer and an up-and-coming film director. I specialized in writing drama and science fiction screenplays. My thesis film implant had won several awards around the globe and it was featured by DUST on Youtube recently. What sets me apart is that I am a bi-lingual writer who understands western and eastern cultures.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
LA is simply amazing. I especially enjoy the sunny weather and the friendly people here. I always tell my friends who have never been to LA that with one hour drive, you have it all: beach, desert, snow mountain, and national parks (well, maybe this one is a bit more than a one-hour drive).
As a filmmaker and a screenwriter, I think there is no place in the world that is better. All the amazing talents, producers, crew members are all readily available when you need to shoot something, no matter the budget. When you work with people in this town, you know you’re likely working with people who have the same dream and aspiration, this is just heart-warming and encouraging. You have the sense you are working together toward the same goal and you have all the people who want you to be successful.
The part I love the least is the homeless situation in California. I empathize with them and want to help them. As someone who are interested in technology, I believe prefabbed homes could be a great way to help them live with decency. Blockchain-backed digital wallet would also help with their financial status because most of them do not have a bank account. But digital wallet only requires you to have a smartphone. I’d definitely want people and the government’s awareness on this because the homeless population is likely to be 10 times larger in 20 years. I hope this only happens in my sci-fi stories.
Image Credits
David Woon Steven Lam
