About / CV
Claire
Yland Li
Director, producer, and creative technologist.
Film · Animation · Immersive media · AI
A different
perspective.
Claire Li is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker and USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate whose work spans narrative film, animation, VR, and emerging media. Her storytelling explores fear, uncertainty, and the contradictions of being alive, often following characters navigating forces beyond their control.
With a particular interest in environmental and climate themes, Claire explores non-human-centered narratives that challenge conventional perspectives and examine humanity's relationship with the natural world. She enjoys experimenting with emerging technologies and unconventional storytelling formats to create thought-provoking experiences that invite audiences to see the world differently.
Experience
Ganek Immersive Studio
August 2025–present · USA
Producer & AI Artist
Produced, directed, and wrote In the Wake of the Whales, a 12.5-minute 3D animated VR film, leading a crew of up to 40. Built and troubleshot the project in Unreal Engine with Perforce; tested stereoscopic 360° rendering plug-ins. In final renders.
Developing AI-assisted workflows in ComfyUI and MiniMax across 2D animation, 3D animation, and live action for a 15-minute short blending all three.
USC School of Cinematic Arts
January 2024–December 2025 · USA
Teaching Assistant
Provided administrative and scheduling support to Tony Jonas, former Head of Warner Bros. Television (Friends, ER, Queer as Folk), and other faculty; coordinated student pitching sessions.
Hybrid Studio
July 2021–May 2022 · China
Creative Producer & Narrative Lead
Managed a four-month schedule and a small sound and music team for Jungle to Table: A Night Quest, an immersive dining experience combining art, culture, and technology. Launched as a private dining event and later grew into a luxury nature retreat.
Researched Dai tattoo traditions with locals for a Buddhist temple exhibition. Co-directed a clouded leopard conservation documentary, conducting field research and deploying camera traps; supervised sound design and original music. Its release raised 15,000+ RMB for further research.
EUTOPOS Studio
May 2019–May 2021 · China
Associate Producer & Supervisor
Associate produced a Huawei-partnered documentary on record-breaking freediver Jessea Lu, shot entirely on Huawei smartphones with adapted underwater workflows.
Shaped a feature documentary’s story structure in the edit; managed on-site production and supervised post-production and delivery.
Beijing Huayameishi Media
May 2018–May 2019 · China
Producer’s Assistant & Post-Production Supervisor’s Assistant
Analyzed feature and pilot scripts and wrote coverage with feedback. Coordinated production and post-production across 40 episodes of Dream Beyond with a 120+ person crew; the series aired on Dragon TV in 2025. Worked with actor Aarif Rahman on English-language dialogue.
Education
MFA, Film & TV Production
USC School of Cinematic Arts
August 2022–December 2025
Produced and/or directed nine short films across live action, animation, documentary, and XR, managing budgets of $8,000–$45,000. Developed television and feature pitch decks.
Tools &
practice
Production: Script coverage, pitch decks, scheduling, budgeting, narrative design, international production, and post-production supervision.
Emerging media: Unreal Engine, Perforce, virtual reality, stereoscopic production, motion capture, render farms, and remote production.
AI production: ComfyUI, MiniMax, Kling, Seedance, Nano Banana, and LLM-assisted troubleshooting.
Languages: English and Mandarin, native.