Zixuan Zhang, identified professionally as Andrea, is a dynamic power on the earth of filmmaking. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara’s prestigious movie program, Andrea has not solely produced award-winning quick movies but additionally co-founded Creative Zone Inc., a platform devoted to delivering quite a lot of art-related tasks and providers. With a ardour for storytelling and an interdisciplinary strategy to artwork, Andrea is making waves within the trade.
“Films have been my firm rising up,” Andrea displays, sharing how her love for filmmaking was born. “As an solely youngster with mother and father who labored late, movies turned my leisure and my companion.” Her journey into movie manufacturing started with a deeply private connection to the medium, and this ardour continues to gasoline her profession.
Classes from UCSB
Andrea’s educational basis at UC Santa Barbara performed a pivotal function in shaping her strategy to producing movies. “We’ve a manufacturing course at UCSB referred to as 106 Manufacturing, the place we spent six months producing a brief movie,” she recollects. Andrea had the uncommon alternative to take this class for 3 consecutive years beneath the mentorship of Wendy Eley Jackson, a seasoned producer actively working within the trade. “Being her pupil for 3 years taught me invaluable classes in regards to the intricacies of manufacturing.”
Keys to a Profitable Brief Movie
Having produced a number of award-winning quick movies, Andrea shares her insights on crafting compelling tales throughout the constraints of time. “Size is essential for brief movies. It’s good to inform a narrative in only a few minutes and guarantee it’s each full and concise.” This stability between brevity and depth has grow to be a trademark of her work.
Obscura: A Forensic Thriller
Certainly one of Andrea’s newest tasks, Obscura, is at the moment making its mark on the competition circuit. The movie follows a forensic photographer with stage-four lung most cancers searching a serial killer throughout three seasons whereas confronting his personal mortality. “True crime is a well-liked style, however telling it from a forensic photographer’s perspective is contemporary and intriguing,” Andrea explains. She sees immense potential for the undertaking to resonate with thriller fans.
Trying forward, Andrea hopes Obscura will achieve traction at main festivals in 2025, drawing curiosity from traders. “We have already got the script for the function model prepared. It’s only a matter of getting the proper consideration,” she shares enthusiastically.
Reminiscence of You: A Private Milestone
Andrea’s producing debut, Reminiscence of You, has garnered vital acclaim at a number of festivals. “This undertaking holds a particular place in my coronary heart,” she says. “Seeing it succeed gave me the boldness to pursue producing full-time.” Andrea’s collaboration with director Isabella was significantly significant, and the duo hopes to work collectively once more sooner or later.
Watch Reminiscence of You on Vimeo
Creative Zone Inc: A Fusion of Artwork Kinds
As co-founder of Creative Zone Inc., Andrea’s imaginative and prescient extends past movie. The platform collaborates with artists throughout disciplines to create revolutionary tasks. “Movie combines numerous artwork kinds—costume design, inside design, superb artwork—all inside a single body,” she notes. This philosophy impressed Andrea to carry collectively inventive abilities from various fields.
Certainly one of Creative Zone Inc.’s upcoming initiatives focuses on advocating for pet-friendly housing—a trigger near Andrea’s coronary heart as a canine proprietor. “This undertaking is each private and significant,” she shares.
The Artwork of Collaboration
Andrea’s inventive course of emphasizes innovation and teamwork. “I’m all the time searching for scripts that really feel contemporary,” she explains. She believes in fostering robust workforce dynamics by open communication and team-building actions. “When folks know one another properly, they’re extra prone to voice their inventive concepts,” she provides.
Developments in Indie Filmmaking
As a former programmer for the DaVinci Worldwide Movie Pageant, Andrea has a eager eye for trade traits. “AI-generated movies are a sizzling matter proper now,” she observes. Many festivals are setting tips for AI submissions or internet hosting panels to debate their implications.
Breaking Obstacles as a Feminine Producer
Andrea acknowledges the challenges of being a feminine producer in a male-dominated trade. “It’s onerous to be revered. Generally, folks depart me out of vital conversations or attempt to dismiss me,” she shares candidly. Her recommendation to aspiring feminine producers is simple: “Be agency and set your boundaries from the beginning.”
A Imaginative and prescient for Multimedia Artwork
Andrea sees immense potential in multimedia artwork for storytelling. “I as soon as noticed a movie projected onto a portray, which reworked each mediums. It’s a glimpse of the place the longer term may go,” she says. Her dream undertaking includes making a documentary that showcases the interconnectedness of varied artwork kinds, from superb artwork to culinary creations.
Andrea attracts inspiration from legendary filmmaker Agnes Varda. “Her work all the time provides a contemporary perspective and evokes me to push boundaries,” she says.
Trying forward, Andrea is worked up to develop her inventive horizons, mixing her abilities in vogue design, ceramics, and superb arts along with her movie tasks. “Expressing the identical concept by totally different mediums creates fascinating outcomes,” she explains.
Comply with Andrea Zhang’s journey on Instagram and LinkedIn.
