We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shih Chun Hsiao a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shih Chun, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

The biggest risk I’ve taken was letting go of my stable, promising engineering job and diving into the uncertain world of filmmaking. It was 2018, and I was 28 years old, working as a leading engineer at the petroleum service company Schlumberger. My role involved leading crews and completing wireline surveys—a rewarding job. However, my passion for filmmaking, which had been lingering since college, remained unfulfilled for years.

Towards the end of 2018, after successfully wrapping up a major project, a college junior messaged me, expressing how touched he was by the short films I had made in college. During a glamorous company celebration party, I suddenly felt that all the achievements and accolades weren’t as meaningful as using a story to touch a person. That’s when I made the decision to change the course of my life.

Now, I’m about to complete my Film Production degree at the University of Southern California and finish my graduate thesis. It’s my small but significant step into the movie industry, and the future remains unknown. If success is measured by financial conditions, career rank, or lifestyle, it’s challenging to definitively label this transition as successful. However, if we consider it as following your passion, fulfilling your creative desires, and doing what you love, I can confidently say that I love my life, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a filmmaker focused on writing, directing, and editing. When I’m not working on my own projects, I serve as an editor. I have edited several award-winning short films, such as ‘Fili,’ which screened at the 2023 Hawaii International Film Festival, and ‘Blackifier,’ winner of the 2022 Directors Guild of America Student Film Grand Award.

Editing is my passion. I enjoy the transformation of raw material into its best possible form. For me, editing is a collaborative process. I always ponder how to capture the director’s vision. I usually start by asking questions such as, ‘Do you like the performance?’ ‘What feeling do you want to convey to the audience?’ and ‘What is the story about?’ By attentively listening to the director’s input, understanding their taste, and applying my judgment and storytelling sense, I navigate through the often complex editing process. Editing, to me, is about problem-solving and rewriting. It’s the art of distilling the best elements and polishing the creator’s vision.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Ang Lee, in his bio, says that “nobody comes to see your story; they want to see their own.” I believe a movie can only be complete with an audience, with people watching it and sharing the feeling. As a filmmaker, the most rewarding aspect for me is when an audience shares their experience of watching my film. Often, they connect it to their life story, relate it to someone they know, or simply experience sheer emotion. I feel a connection and communication with them in a way that doesn’t require words. We share a common human feeling—a truly rewarding and wonderful moment.

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

A seasoned producer once told me, “film production is looking for trouble.” What I’ve learned in film production is that perfectionists cannot make films, but only optimists and those who know how to adapt can navigate the challenges. In film production, setbacks are inevitable, and things rarely go according to plan. During my graduate thesis production, we faced various obstacles—a truck problem a day before the shoot, key crew members arriving late, malfunctioning equipment, and other incidents. Each time I received a call about a new issue, my heart sank, fearing it could spell the end.

However, being negative and complaining when things don’t go as planned only leads to the production falling apart. We need to adopt a mindset of embracing happy accidents. If things deviate from the plan, we pivot. Filmmaking is a creative endeavor, and film production should be seen the same way. Turning accidental situations into something good and beneficial, transforming frustrations into something interesting and creative. A director must believe that things will ultimately go to a better place—we have to be optimists.”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hsiaoshihchun/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shunchin.hsiao
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shih-chun-hsiao-b0142492/

Image Credits
Coleman Weimer