Lessons We Wish Our Younger Selves Knew About the Filmmaking Life

Welcome to episode 29 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, hosts Richard and Jiayang chat about building a life outside and surrounding filmmaking. It's a discussion that reflects how to live a healthy artist lifestyle.Timecodes:00:00 Making movies is your whole life00:19 Life after USC Film School (graduation update)00:56 Nature, unplugging, and fixing burnout04:51 Family, guilt, and healing in China06:12 Preparing for “the real world” as a young filmmaker07:42 Don’t peak in college / You still have time10:51 Work–life balance vs full obsession with film11:55 Do you want greatness or happiness?14:39 Gratitude vs ambition: staying hungry without burning out16:00 The cost of dreams (Damien Chazelle conversation)19:12 Can you be a great director and still be a family person?20:14 You don’t have to be a tortured artist21:51 You don’t need it all figured out right now23:09 Death, purpose, and Stephen King on why art matters24:52 Acting class that changed how I direct30:47 Why great actors are insanely empathetic36:51 “I want to direct for the rest of my life”38:07 Art is why we’re alive43:34 Final thoughts: build a life beyond film