First Act Break

First Act Break
Podcast Description
Insights on finding success in the film industry — by young filmmakers, for young filmmakers. Hosted by USC film directors Jiayang Liu and Richard Li.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
This podcast explores themes such as navigating film school, financial literacy in filmmaking, and personal stories from industry professionals. Episodes include discussions on the honest experiences of attending USC film school, managing finances while pursuing a career in film, and insights on developing creativity, with examples like conversations with film directors about directing at a young age and the hustle required to break into the industry.

Insights on finding success in the film industry — by young filmmakers, for young filmmakers. Hosted by USC film directors Jiayang Liu and Richard Li.
Welcome to episode 21 of The First Act Break podcast, the show where we dive into the art, business, and hustle of breaking into the film industry, and help you build a career doing what you love. Today, we bring on Noah Lee, a LA based freelance cinematographer and assistant camera, who shares his insights on building a career in cinematography. We discuss his thoughts on film school, and why he chose not to go, and advice on having a freelance career in this fast changing industry.
Timecode:
(0:00) – Intro
(1:25) – How He Got Started
(4:14) – Not Going to Film School
(19:39) – How to Choose Projects
(29:23) – What Makes a Well-Runned Set?
(42:16) – Should an Aspiring DP Move to La?
(49:15) – Vertical Content
(59:08) – Future Career Plans
(1:03:07) – Being Proud of Your Work
(1:05:09) – Thoughts on AI
(1:11:39) – Thought Experiment
(1:13:41) – Improving as a DP
(1:19:27) – Shot listing

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