Becoming a Part of a Chinese Television Institution with Yuan Liang

Yuan Liang is an editor who has the respect of her peers in the film and television production community. She’s worked on CBS American TV institution and twice Daytime Emmy awarded Entertainment Tonight as well as China Central Television (CCTV) Animation, and Hubei TV Station in China. Yuan has been a part of the talent exchange between the two countries, working closely with director Renny Harlin (The Resident, Deep Blue Sea, Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2) on last year’s 3D feature film Gu Jian Qi Tan Liu Yue Zhao Ming aka Legend of the Ancient Sword II. From big budget features to indie films and television, Yuan has the type of resume that provides great insight. This makes it all the more surprising when she reveals that the most unique editing job for her was on Hunan Television’s weekly shopping program titled “Yue Tao Yue Kai Xin.” Hunan Television is one of the largest and most famous broadcasting and cable television corporations in China, and Yue Tao Yue Kai Xin was a staple of Hunan TV for many years. Yuan gives personal professional perspective into how a program like this produces professionals with acclaimed careers such as hers.

Make no mistake, shopping programming and networks are big business, demanding the most knowledgeable and proficient talent on their production teams. US versions of these such as QVC and Home Shopping Network are multibillion dollar companies. Yue Tao Yue Kai Xin aired every Thursday at 7:30 PM to a multitude of loyal viewers. A wide array of products are featured and presented through in studio and location interviews. Each episode features three familiar hosts and one guest host. The focus of the show is on creating interest, excitement, and enthusiasm about these products. This makes the responsibilities for an editor quite substantial. Yuan explains, “Whether I’m editing a feature film or a primetime television show, it’s mostly about the people; what they’re doing, their motivation, and their feelings. Yue Tao Yue Kai Xin is mostly about products. My main goal is to make the products look good and sell better. I’d typically use a lot of graphics to show how the product looks, with a lot of footage of before and after using this product side by side to show the difference. I would cut a lot of reactions from the audience sitting off stage to show how interested they are to the products.”

There are many intangibles for Yuan concerning her work on this popular television shopping program. As a young girl, Hunan Television was the most watched in her home. Hunan’s consistency in attaining the top spots in the ratings served as a reminder that she had achieved the status of working with the best in the field; a fact vetted in Yuan’s subsequent work on award-winning films and big-budget features. Though she was conscripted to actually appear on camera once during her time at Yue Tao Yue Kai Xin, Yuan prefers to stay on the other side of filming, working her magic to the benefit of her co-workers and audiences.

Author: Kelly King