Eye Catcher Incubation Programme 2023/24
Date: 6 January, 2024 (Sat)
Guests:
Hillian Siu | Line Producer
Dora Choi | Director & Producer
Unknowingly, we hit the halfway mark of Eye Catcher Incubation Programme 2023/24. For the 1st workshop in 2024, we had 2 local independent filmmakers and producers Dora Choi and Hillian Siu, to share their experiences of working on different projects in recent years.
Dora Choi has been working as a writer-director in mainstream media for more than 10 years, producing and planning various documentaries, reality shows and talk shows. During her work, she collaborated with different producers, enabling her to observe and learn more about her role: to judge whether the angle of the project went into sufficient depth, and to have a degree of flexibility to respect the director’s vision without imposing one’s own opinions.
Discussing the documentary To Be Continued, Dora shared that the team spent 5 to 7 years on research including surveys and data collection – with the central question “How do we make this entertainment tycoon resonate with people who are not familiar with him?” at the core of their research. Through countless conversations and interviews, re-reading and analysing transcripts, not only did the team tell the story of the life of the founder of the State Theatre, Mr. Harry Odell, but also portrayed the local community and spirit of the times.
Hillian Siu, on the other hand, has worked as a line producer on a number of moving image projects in Hong Kong and abroad, while also developing her first feature film Across Troubled Waters. On the role of a line producer, Hillian remarked that it is a position where you get to work with filmmakers across different cultural backgrounds, and a role which has given her a lot of skills and experience in planning, communication and practice. Siu talked about listening to and negotiating with the production team on set to understand the rules of shooting, the diligent budgeting, day-to-day organisation and management to make up for contingencies or overruns… Hillian’s participation in independent production over the past few years has led her to find her own role, simultaneously finding ways to assist other filmmakers.
At the end of the sharing, when asked how a new director might find a producer that suits their work practices, both speakers brought up the same point, to first look at the director’s vision: do they want the producer to take up the role of a comrade-in-arms for the project, or is the producer better suited as a strategist or confidant? After all was said, they reassured all creatives in the audience that feeling lost is almost like a must in the creative process. You can give yourself a short break, but even if you are lost, don’t be lazy, force yourself to keep writing and editing; only when you work through the painful parts of the process can you take the next step forward.
奪目影像孵化計劃2023/24
日期：2024年1月6日（六）
嘉賓：
Hillian SIU｜獨立製作人（Line Producer）
徐岱靈｜導演、監製
第三屆孵化計劃不知不覺經已過了一半，進入2024年第一個工作坊，首先邀請到兩位本地獨立影像人、監製、製作人徐岱靈（Dora）及Hillian SIU，與學員們分享她們近年參與不同項目的經驗。
Dora曾在主流傳媒擔任過逾十年的編導，負責製作及策劃過各種紀錄片、真人騷及清談節目。當時與不同監製的合作，讓她觀察、了解到不少這個崗位的角色：一方面要有判斷項目拍攝的主軸是否已經挖得夠深，一方面同時也要有一定的寬容度，尊重導演的意願而不強加自己的意見。
談及《尚未完場》這個項目，Dora分享到那時帶著「要怎樣令不認識這個娛樂大亨的人都能產生共鳴」的問題意識，團隊花了5至7年的時間作資料搜集，透過組織跟無數人談過的話、重複看的筆錄⋯⋯讓這部紀錄片不止在談論皇都戲院創辦人歐德禮的傳奇一生，也藉此帶出了那種本地的時代精神。
而Hillian近年則以獨立製作人（Line Producer）的身分，協力不少外地來港影像項目的製作，同步也發展著自己的首部劇情長片《潮起潮落》（Across Troubled Waters）。這個崗位加上與不同文化背景的影像人合作，給予她不少策劃、溝通及實踐的技巧和經驗。從拍攝現場與團隊來回的聆聽和交涉，了解不同地方拍攝的規則；到線下要如何準確地掌握預算，透過每天的整理，拉補超支的部分去避免預算不足等等較微觀的管理⋯⋯在這幾年參與獨立製作的經驗中，她也逐漸找到自己的定位，同時協助同行其他影像人的方式。
在分享的結尾，面對新導演又該如何找到適合自己的監製提問，兩位講者都不約而同表示，首先要看導演自己的取向：監製作為項目最親密的戰友，是籌略型的比較適合自己，抑或是知己型的呢？語畢，也勉勵在場的創作人，在創作的路上，迷失幾乎是必經階段。可以給自己一個短暫的休息，但就算是迷失也不要懶惰，適時也要逼迫自己繼續去寫、繼續去剪；一定得回去走過那最痛苦的位置，才能向下一步邁進。