Hollywood Gold Award Winner Yuanyuan Zheng Enthusiastically Combines Art Direction & VFX to Create Immersive Worlds
“Art Direction is an essential part of any film project. Conceptually, the overall visual style of a film is often shaped by the collaboration between the Art Director, Production Designer, and Director. A well-crafted art direction not only enhances a film’s market appeal and makes it more recognizable but also plays a crucial role in setting the emotional tone, enriching character development, and adding depth to the storytelling. On the execution side, an Art Director’s responsibility is to ensure that the vision is successfully brought to life.” — visual storyteller and Art Director Yuanyuan Zheng
Yuanyuan Zheng is a multimedia artist who is focusing on her filmmaking career as an award-winning Art Director. Having initially worked as a sculptor, with exhibits in Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing, and being inspired by artists like Oda Sønderland who creates figurative work that tell singular stories, Yuanyuan believes “the most powerful way to make something memorable is through storytelling.”
Storytelling for Yuanyuan is everything. As a visual storyteller, all her narrative techniques — through Art Direction and related skills as VFX Project Manager and Director — along with her artistic and technical mindsets, all serve the story.
For example, her storytelling expertise helped earn Yuanyuan a First Time Director Gold Award at the Hollywood Gold Awards in January 2025 for the short, Kill Me Please, on which she worked both as Art Director and Director. This short also earned honors at the Indie Short Fest, and the Singapore Seabreeze International Film Festival.
“Winning the First Time Director Gold Award for Killing Me Please was a revelation. As an Art Director, I’ve spent years bringing others’ visions to life, but this experience allowed me to fully shape my own narrative world.”
Some other honors for filmed projects she’s contributed to, include: Heirloom which earned the Best LGBTQ Short award at 3 prestigious festivals including the Berlin Shorts Awards, San Francisco Arthouse Short Film Festival, and the Phoenix Shorts Festival; Adagio which was an Official Selection at the 77th Salerno International Film Festival and 19th San Francisco Frozen Film Festival, and also a nominee as the Best Short Film in 8th Mediterranean Film Festival Cannes-Milan-Athens; Love to Phallus which was an Official Selection at the European Short Awards.
Additionally, Yuanyuan has also been inspired to take her art direction skills and apply them as VFX Project Manager on Lady Boss’s Small Town Valentine, a vertical series on ReelShort, a highly trafficked platform with millions of views.
Art Director Yuanyuan Zheng talks about what she brings to the table, what contributions she’s made to various projects, and her goals in the entertainment industry.
— How did you segue from sculpting to filmmaking?
— I initially studied/practiced sculpture, but I was drawn to incorporating sound, light, and electronic elements into my work to create a stronger impact. While these pieces were visually striking, I felt unsatisfied — I wanted people to truly remember my work. I started experimenting with narrative-driven sculptures, but they never felt quite right. That’s when it hit me — the issue wasn’t the medium, but my ability to tell a story. And what better way to learn storytelling than through film? So, I switched to studying film and dedicated myself to understanding the art of the narrative. Then, as I explored different roles in filmmaking — directing, cinematography, editing, and sound — I gradually realized that I wasn’t particularly interested in actors’ performances or camera and lens design. What truly mattered to me was telling stories through space and visuals. That was my only concern. From then on, I committed myself entirely to visual storytelling, and I’ve never looked back.
— Explain what the Art Director’s role is about today — and how it reflects your mission as a visual storyteller?
— An Art Director is responsible for ensuring that the Production Designer’s vision is fully realized while maintaining consistency throughout the execution process. This role perfectly aligns with my creative philosophy. I have always been passionate about storytelling through space and visuals, and the Art Director is the one who brings that vision to life. They are not just executing a visual style but actively shaping visual storytelling, ensuring that every space, material, and detail serves the narrative.
— Over time, how has the Art Director’s role changed?
— As the film industry has evolved, the role has become increasingly complex. In the past, an Art Director’s primary responsibility was to execute designs, but today, the role extends beyond execution to comprehensive coordination and management. I need to possess a wide range of skills, including concept design, sketching, 3D modeling, prop-making, budgeting, and overseeing the workflow of the art department. Additionally, with the growing integration of virtual production and digital technology, I collaborate more frequently with VFX teams — like on the vertical series Lady Boss’s Small Town Valentine on which I was VFX Project Manager — to ensure seamless integration between physical sets and CGI elements.
— Can you describe how you designed an immersive world for ‘Kill Me Please,’ which earned you that First Time Director Gold Award?
— I focused on designing the home of Anthony, an elderly man who believes he has lived six past lives, having experienced different identities and perspectives throughout his lifetimes. In my vision, his home needed to reflect this multiplicity — blending elements from various artistic, cultural, and spiritual backgrounds, each representing remnants of his past lives. I intentionally designed his home to be a tapestry of diverse influences, where every corner carries a unique and bold color theme. The space is filled with artifacts from different cultures — such as Christian imagery alongside Buddhist sculptures — symbolizing the many layers of his existence. Just like Anthony himself, his home is full of surprises, inviting curiosity and reflecting lifetimes of accumulated experiences. I served as both the Director and the Art Director, allowing me to not only shape the narrative’s rhythm but also to craft a visual language that immerses the audience in the story.
— Can you explain the “culinary” theme you used in ‘Heirloom,’ where you were co-Art Director?
— In this short film, the story unfolds layer by layer through a meticulously prepared dinner by the protagonist’s American boyfriend, who’s a chef. The meal follows the traditional Western dining structure of appetizer / main course / dessert, with each course representing a chapter of the narrative. As the co-Art Director, I was responsible for designing the dishes. I incorporated traditional Chinese cuisine (reflecting the male lead’s cultural background) but prepared them using Western culinary techniques (representing the protagonist’s boyfriend’s background). This approach visually and symbolically highlighted both cultural fusion and contrast.
— What did the MFFCannes international nomination for the short ‘Adagio’ mean?
— It proved that my visual storytelling could resonate on an international stage and reinforced my commitment to exploring space, composition, and visual language in storytelling.
— How did being VFX Project Manager for ‘Lady Boss’s Small Town Valentine,’ add to your art direction capabilities?
— Serving as VFX Project Manager on Lady Boss’s Small Town Valentine allowed me to closely collaborate with the Production Designer (PD) and the SFX team to create a winter landscape in the middle of summer. This experience deepened my understanding of the key considerations different departments must address when building a scene, and how to effectively balance practical (SFX) and digital (VFX) effects. It not only broadened my perspective on production design but also gave me the confidence to seamlessly collaborate with SFX and VFX teams in my future role as an Art Director.
— What type of projects would continue to challenge your visual storytelling?
— My next step is to create more personal work — I want to visualize my dreams through storytelling. This could take the form of set design, imagery, or a full narrative. I aim to explore how to translate the subconscious into a visual experience, capturing the abstract nature, emotions, and atmosphere of dreams to further challenge and expand my approach to visual storytelling.
