Case Study: Adaptation and Production with the “Left on Read” Team
Date: 2 December, 2023 (Sat)
Time: 15:30 – 17:30
Venue: Hong Kong Institute of Contemporary Culture Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity (HKSC), Room 501 – 502 (135 Junction Road)
Guests:
CHAN Kin-long (Director)
Debbie LAM Suk-Yin (Producer)
HO Siu Hong【HO Hei yin】 (Original Author and Script Editor, Online Participation)
Shin CHEUNG (Actor)
Moderator:
Dr. LI Mei Ting (Lecturer, Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, CUHK)
Left on Read was a popular drama series directed by CHAN Kin-long, which aired on ViuTV during the summer of 2023. The series was adapted from the novel Left on Read, and the original author HO Siu Hong also worked as the script editor. The story revolves around a group chat named “Yi Duk Bat Wui Sei Chyun Ga (No Reply Means Death to the Whole Family),” where all students from Class 6A of a high school were forced to join by someone claiming to be the group admin. Before eliminating the unknown “targets,” if a classmate does not reply to a message, they will die immediately with a terrible head explosion! The promising high school stage is now disrupted, turning into a battlefield of survival, escape, death, blood, and betrayal. As a rare Hong Kong drama series centred around a “death battle,” it boldly features a cast of young actors and maintains a unique aesthetic under a limited budget. Its profound symbolism has garnered widespread praise and discussion.
Eye Catcher has specially invited the team of this series to revisit the filming location at the HKSC. From the novel’s publication in 2018 to its adaptation into a drama series in 2023, what was the process of transforming the novel into a 15-episode drama series? What considerations and choices were made during the adaptation? This seminar started from the process of literary adaptation and production of the series, aiming to broaden the ideas and imagination of young creators regarding the moving image works from literary adaptation, and ignite more sparks for future filmmaking!
* This lecture was one of the activities of the Eye Catcher Incubation Programme 2023/24 and conducted mainly in Cantonese. To connect more creators, the event was opened to the public through registration.
* Venue Sponsor: Hong Kong Institute of Contemporary Culture Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity (HKSC) and HKSC Arts & Culture Centre
Registration Closed
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CHAN Kin-long | Director
Graduated from the School of Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong. His feature film Hand Rolled Cigarette won the “First Feature Film Initiative” competition (the Higher Education Institution Group). He won the Best New Director at the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards. CHAN has also participated in various acting roles. In 2023, he directed the ViuTV drama series Left on Read, which received widespread acclaim.
Debbie LAM Suk-Yin | Producer
LAM is currently the President of the Hong Kong Movie Production Executives Association and a professional film producer in Hong Kong. She has previously worked as Assistant Vice President (Drama Production) at ViuTV and Production Director at Media Asia Film. She has worked with nearly 30 Hong Kong and international film productions, including CZ12 (2012); Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014); New York, New York (2016); and Manhunt (2017) etc. She was the judge for Create Hong Kong’s “First Feature Film Initiative,” (2016 – 2018), and she has been a member of the Hong Kong Film Development Council since 2021.
HO Siu Hong | Original Author and Script Editor (Online Participation)
Graduated from The University of Hong Kong with a degree in Cognitive Science. HO has participated in the scriptwriting of works including One Second Champion (2020) and Ossans Love (Hong Kong Version) (2021). Under the pen name HO Hei-yin, he wrote the novel Left on Read (2018) and also worked as the screenwriter and script editor for the TV adaptation of Left on Read.
Shin CHEUNG | Actor
Shin is a promising young actor in Hong Kong. His previous starring roles include the opening short film Fire Room at the 15th Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival and Trek of an Extinct Bird at the 16th Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival. In 2023, he starred as Shek Hiu Yeung in the ViuTV drama series Left on Read.
Seminar Moderator
Dr. LI Mei Ting | Lecturer, Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, CUHK
LI Mei Ting received her Ph.D. in Chinese Language and Literature from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her dissertation focuses on the cultural production and affective modernity of Hong Kong-based intellectuals and literati from the late Qing to the Republican era. Her current research interests include cultural history, fandom, popular culture and gender and sexualities in Hong Kong and among global Sinophone communities. She is also a cultural critic and writer. She is the recipient of the Award for Young Artist (Arts Criticism) of Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2018. Her creative works and articles can be seen in newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
案例剖析：與《那年盛夏我們綻放如花》團隊細談創作與製作
日期：2023年12月2日（六）
時間：15:30 – 17:30
地點：香港兆基創意書院 Room 501 – 502（九龍聯合道 135 號）
嘉賓：
陳健朗｜導演
林淑賢｜監製
何肇康【何晞賢】｜原著作者及劇集編審（線上參與）
張毓軒｜演員
主持：
李薇婷博士｜香港中文大學文化及宗教研究系講師
由陳健朗導演執導的劇集《那年盛夏我們綻放如花》，今年暑假於 ViuTV 播出後大受歡迎。劇集改編自小說《已讀不回死全家》，亦由原著作者何肇康（筆名何晞賢）親自擔任編審及編劇。故事講述在暑假尾聲，6A 班高中生被一位自稱 Admin 的人，強制加進名為「已讀不回死全家」的奇怪群組：在除掉身份不明的「目標人物」前，只要同學不回覆訊息就會立即爆頭斃命！本來青春陽光的高中舞台就此被打破，瞬間變成了生存、逃殺、死亡、血與背叛的修羅場。作為香港難得一見以「死亡遊戲」為題材的話題作，不但大膽採用一眾新晉演員擔綱；在有限預算底下，堅持不一樣的美學取向；當中的寓意深遠，引起廣泛的好評和討論。
奪目影像特別邀請到本劇創作團隊，一起回到劇中學校取景地兆基創意書院。從 2017 年小說面世到 2023 年影像化，小說改編成影像作品的歷程是怎樣的？把長篇小說改編成 15 集的劇集，當中又有怎樣的取捨和考量？是次講座將從小說改編的角度出發，深度剖析這部劇集從創作、編審到製作的過程。冀望擴闊一眾年輕創作人對小說改編影像作品的認識與想像，迸發未來影像創作的更多火花！
＊是次講堂為奪目影像孵化計劃 2023/24 的活動之一， 講堂將以廣東話為主進行。為促進創作人間的交流，現特別開放予觀眾登記參加。
＊場地贊助：香港兆基創意書院及香港兆基創意書院文化藝術中心
活動報名已完結
《那年盛夏我們綻放如花》團隊
陳健朗｜導演
畢業於香港城市大學數碼媒體廣播文學士課程。2018 年以作品《手捲煙》成為第 4屆 「首部劇情電影計劃」比賽（大專組）得獎項目，並贏得第 40 屆香港電影金像獎「新晉導演」獎。作為演員，亦參與不同演出。2023 年執導 ViuTV 劇集《那年盛夏我們綻放如花》，獲得一致好評。
林淑賢｜監製
現任香港電影製作行政人員協會會長，為香港專業電影製作人，曾任 ViuTV 助理副總裁（負責戲劇製作）及寰亞電影製作總監。入行至今，共參與近 30 部中外電影製作。出任製片及監製之電影包括：《十二生肖》、《變形金剛 4》、《紐約紐約》及《追捕》等。 2016 至 2018 年出任創意香港「首部劇情片計劃」評審，2021年至今為電影發展局委員。
何肇康｜原著作者及劇集編審（線上參與）
香港大學認知科學畢業，曾參與《一秒拳王》（2020）及《大叔的愛》（2021）劇本創作。以筆名「何晞賢」撰寫小說《已讀不回死全家》（2018），同時擔任改篇版電視劇《那年盛夏我們綻放如花》編劇及編審。
張毓軒 ｜演員
香港新生代男演員， 過往主演作品包括第 15 屆鮮浪潮國際短片節開幕短片《菲與火》、第 16 屆鮮浪潮國際短片節參展作品《林中無廬》等。2023 年，於 ViuTV 電視劇集《那年盛夏我們綻放如花》出演石曉陽一角。
講堂主持
李薇婷博士｜香港中文大學文化及宗教研究系講師
李薇婷畢業於香港中文大學中國語言及文學系。她的博士論文專注研究香港清末民初的文化生產與現代性。她的研究興趣包括華語語系社群與香港的文化史，粉絲研究，流行文化，和性別研究。她亦活躍於文化評論及創作。於2018年獲得香港藝術發展局藝術發展新秀獎（藝術評論）。她的作品可見於香港及台灣媒體。