We were lucky to catch up with Kayden Li Chang recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kayden Li, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project to date that I have worked on is the one I am currently in preparation for at the time of writing this response. It will be a movie called “Together, Where We Stay Alone.” It’s a short film about a couple going through a divorce on Saturday, September 14th, 1996, NYC, 5:54 PM. The wife, Lauren, wants to salvage the marriage and Karl, the husband, wants it dissolved. The movie will follow to see if Lauren will be successful or not in retaining her husband and along the way, we will get to see more of who these two people are and a closer look into why they are at odds with each other.

They say to write what you know and unfortunately, tragedy and sorrow is something I know all too well. this film is very heavily based on my real life experiences from analyzing my own failed marriage as well as the failed marriage of my parents and my failed career as an artist. This is very personal to me and I have poured my heart and soul into the screenplay, thus leaving me in a very vulnerable and uncomfortable position. Principal photography begins October 1st, 2024 and will end on a date that is yet to be determined. This is because this movie will be the most expensive movie I have ever made to date and will cost me about $20,000 to see through to completion. As a failed artist, I spend the vast majority of my time being unemployed so one can imagine the Sisyphean challenge I have undertaken to attempt to pull this movie off successfully in the manner in which I have initially envisioned. This is what requires me to film the movie a little bit at a time rather than all at once, hence, my inability to formalize an official end date to the principal photography.

I will work indefatigably to ensure that this movie will release to the public and in that effort, hopefully no later than sometime in 2026. If I am lucky, maybe I could hasten the process to have a public release in 2025.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

With approximately 10 years in the business, I run a film production company called Nebula Film Studios and specialize in cinematography. Traditional Hollywood studio style narrative fiction filmmaking is at the forefront of my company HOWEVER, my team and I are very much capable of being flexible and offer many other types of photo/video work including but not limited to:

Narrative fiction short and feature films
Documentary short and feature films
commercial and personal photography shoots
boudoir, fashion, wedding, funeral, family photography
acting reels and actors headshots
editing services
screenwriting services
music videos
modeling videos
live events such as weddings, funerals, parties, ceremonies, interviews, etc.
film production camera equipment rentals.

I found my passion in filmmaking when I was 19 years old, halfway into my associate’s degree at LaGuardia Community College. At the time, I had just finished publishing my first poetry book called Creation of Sensitivity in Solace; a 3-chapter, 32-poem personal passion project. Once completed, I desperately felt the need to find something new to do to keep myself busy for a I was going through a lot of emotional and psychological turmoil at the time. After having a conversation with my one of my childhood best friends, he sparked the idea for me to try my hand at filmmaking. I just so happened to be enrolled in an entrepreneurship course act LaGuardia, the first of its kind. After successfully completing this course, I received a $500 stipend with which I went to my local Best Buy on Northern Boulevard and bought my first camera; a Nikon D3200 DSLR. it was by far the best investment I had ever made and it instantaneously changed my life! I fell in love and never looked back. I immediately changed my major from Computer Technology to Media Studies at the last possible opportunity that the LaGuardia would allow and began my formal training in filmmaking.

Once I came to realize my passion for filmmaking, I suddenly had an interest in Kaufman Astoria Studios and just so happened to have the stars aline in my favor one day as Kaufman opened their doors to the public to give the community a tour into the studio lot and show the community some of the trick of their trade. I happened to be out and about that day and noticed the commotion and took interest. I walked through the gates of Kuafman which would never have been possible on any other day and asked around about how I could work in movies. The lady I had asked, handed me a flyer for the Made in NY Production Assistant Training Program. A four week long, intensive training that is offered to minorities and and low income groups who would normally never be able to break into the business such as myself. I applied for their training program and was lucky enough to get accepted for their 49th cycle of training in September of 2017. I completed this program and received a certification from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting. In October, the program connected me to my first professional job, working as an Additional Set Production Assistant on Marvel’s Luke Cage, season 2, episode 6. From there, I went on to work on more movies and TV shows such as Daredevil, Iron Fist, Quantico, The Dead Don’t Die, Elementary. the work didn’t come easily or often though, so I went back to school and got my bachelor’s degree in Film and Video Production from hunter College.

In march of 2016, I unofficially started my business.. I was enrolled in school full time whilst simultaneously trying to run a start up. In February of 2018, I officially incorporated and formed my LLC. No one will hire you unless you have something to show for yourself I spent the first 3 years of career with that Nikon camera, practicing my craft and bankrupting myself, to pay for making film projects. Modeling, boudoir, Vixen videos, short narrative films, boudoir photoshoots, etc. I eventually had improved enough and had enough content to put together a cinematography reel. I created a website, social media pages and put my reel out there and eventually I made some connections with other creatives and clients looking for the kind of services I had to offer. Since I had something to show for myself now, I was able to convince these people to hire me and the ball started rolling.

In February of 2024, I entered a rigorous competition and selection process to be chosen as one of 12 to be trained by the ICG 600 union and become certified as a camera loader, thanks to the MediaMKRS and ReelWorks program. At the time of writing this, I am currently employed on a new Netflix movie in the 24-Frame Video Playback department for the next 4 months.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In my indefatigable pursuit for filmmaking as I had hit a dead end in NYC at the time and for my love of California, I decided at the end of 2021 to move to San Diego. I bought a 1 way ticket and said to myself that I would not make any excuses for why I cannot be where I want to live. I had no job or connection on the inside for me to stay with. I took $900 with me and slept in the very unpleasantly harsh and cold streets as I intended to apply to a local movie theater so as to start my source of income in California from which I could then expand to further establish myself there. I wanted to stay in the movie business even if it was through the distribution end at the movie theater level rather than working in production. I got sick after 2 days of freezing on the streets in the January cold.

I found that movie theater and applied in person via a physical paper application. This theater chain was small enough to still have that and that was to my advantage. When I absolutely crushed the application and they saw my extensive filmmaking resume from NYC, their eyes popped out of their heads and they offered me the job immediately! I felt so accomplished because albeit I was suffering, sick in the streets with nowhere to go, I didn’t make excuses for my I couldn’t be where I wanted to be and set out to accomplish a goal and that is exactly what I did.

Funny enough, I got a call shortly after to do a job for 8 months, making a lot more money and much more lucrative job benefits to work on the Apple TV+ original limited series, The Crowded Room. I ended up going right back to NYC to take on that job. I still intend to go back to California once I have completed some personal and professional obligations.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission is to help others succeed where I failed. If I can take my misfortune in life and turn it into something positive, that would be great. I would like to die knowing that at least I was able to connect someone,..anyone…and have left a positive impact on their lives, I would know then, that my life wasn’t a complete waste. I could find solace in this outcome, if nothing else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nebulaphotofilm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nebula_photofilm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nebulafilmstudios
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayden-chang-8b0112244/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com