News: Victory for Hong Kong media maverick Ricky Wong in mobile TV battle (title from SCMP article)

Some of you might have already heard the news (which came out yesterday) that the Communications Authority decided to approve HKTV's application to "upgrade their mobile TV transmission standard" to the same digital transmission that is currently used by the free-to-air networks -- interestingly enough, some media outlets are reporting this news as the CA "approving HKTV's mobile TV license."  To be honest, both of these technically aren't the same thing and really shouldn't be used interchangeably, since the fact is that HKTV already has a mobile TV license that they bought from another company, it's just they couldn't "use" the license up to this point because the platform they had for transmission was low quality resolution.  As a means of background, HKTV had submitted a request to the CA several years ago to upgrade their transmission platform to digital terrestrial transmission so that they could broadcast their series in higher quality, however the CA rejected their request, claiming that HKTV was trying to "circumvent the system" by upgrading to same transmission quality as the current free-to-air stations (Ricky Wong had submitted the request not long after his application for a free-to-air license was denied).  HKTV had filed a judicial review against the CA on this issue several years ago, but the courts had ruled in favor of the CA and the government, so Ricky Wong was pretty much forced to "abandon" his mobile license.

Well, now it looks like the CA has decided to "reverse course" and approve the upgrade.  Not sure what this means in terms of the license issue (remember that HKTV still has a second application for a free-to-air license in the government's hands awaiting approval/denial), as it could technically go both ways -- this could be the government's way of "appeasing" Ricky Wong in case they decide to reject his license application for a second time...or it could mean that finally, HKTV has a fighting chance at possibly getting the license.  Regardless of which way it goes though, one thing is for sure -- the new administration under Carrie Lam doesn't seem to be hell-bent on bringing down HKTV like the previous administration under CY Leung was.

Details about the approval are in this SCMP article.

With all that said though, I also read an article from HK01 in Chinese that paints a more realistic picture of what this mobile TV transmission approval means for HKTV (and HK audiences).  Though most of us can consider this a "small victory" for HKTV and Ricky Wong, the real picture is more bleak (for the record, most of the stuff in the HK01 article is pretty much in-line with what I've been trying to get across for the past 2-3 years -- basically that it's "too little, too late" and even if HKTV were to finally get their license approved, it's pretty much pointless, since things have changed so drastically -- both for HKTV and the TV industry).

In the interests of time, I'm not going to translate the HK01 article word for word.  However, I will translate the 2 most important paragraphs of the article, which were basically Ricky Wong's response to HK01 and also a high level HKTV exec's response to the CA's decision:

When HKTV switched to becoming an e-commerce shopping platform in 2014, the company essentially lost all its artists as well as behind-the-scenes staff (scriptwriters, directors, etc).  Towards the mobile license decision, Ricky Wong responded through his spokesperson: "Half the scriptwriters and directors already returned to TVB!  The rest we will have to wait and see before saying anything further" -- meaning that resuming filming again will be difficult.

A current high level executive at HKTV revealed:  "Even if the government were to approve the free-to-air license now, HKTV's business model has already changed.  Plus for the past 3 years that we've been doing HKTVmall, we've been losing money -- it was only recently that we started getting alot more orders and business has become more stable.  However, Mr. Wong has alot less capital (funds) to work with now, since HKTVmall has yet to turn over a profit -- with alot less money than he used to have, where will he find the money to invest in filming series?"  The exec also indicated that if HKTV goes the mobile TV route only (assuming their free-to-air license doesn't get approved) and they do decide to film series again, for sure they won't be filming 1 hour episodes -- to reduce production costs, each episode would only be around 10 to 15 minutes.  Also, half the scriptwriters and directors (producers) already returned to TVB, so whether they would be willing to help Ricky Wong fight the battle again is a huge unknown.

For example, HKTV series The Borderline (警界線) producer Chu King Kei (朱鏡祺) already returned to TVB awhile back ago and produced their recently mega-hit series My Unfair Lady (不懂撒嬌的女人), while The Election (選戰) producer KK Wong (黃國強) was recruited by Andy Lau's (劉德華) company to produce the series Hong Kong Wall Street (香港華爾街) for Fox Asia, so it looks like neither producer would be returning to HKTV even if given the opportunity -- in the near future at least.

Source:  HK01
(Article title: 港視獲發牌《選戰》《警界線》有望拍續集？ 王維基：編導去晒TVB)

**

Concluding thoughts:  Basically, this "small victory" for HKTV really isn't much of a victory, since it looks like the chances of Ricky Wong filming series again is very slim.  Besides, as the HK01 article already pointed out, HKTV's operational model has already changed, so even if they did film series again, it definitely won't be the same as 5-6 years ago -- in other words, all the things that had made HKTV such a viable alternative to TVB back then (aka all the things I had loved about HKTV) would no longer be in existence now.  Of course, someone like me would probably still support HKTV, but I can't say the same about majority of HK's audiences, many of whom still view TVB as their only option for HK television programs (just look at the 2 new free-to-air stations that recently launched -- ViuTV last year and Fantastic Television this year -- and you'll see how pathetic the situation is nowadays).  Heck, if I were Ricky Wong, from a practical as well as financial standpoint, I would continue to focus on expanding and developing the HKTVmall business too and not even bother with the television production stuff anymore!

CRHK radio interview with HKTV director and scriptwriters - PART TWO

Recap of highlights from CRHK radio show “On a Clear Day” hosted by Kwok Chi Yan (郭志仁) – January 2, 2015

*** NOTE:  Please read part ONE before proceeding with the below. ***

Part 1 can be accessed here: http://llsmusings.blogspot.com/2015/01/crhk-radio-interview-with-hktv-director.html

***

PART TWO:

-          The second segment starts with the host continuing the conversation (from part one) about how the ‘system’ at HKTV is different from TVB and that’s why the output is different as well.

-          The host said that the day before, he had interviewed Maggie Cheung (張可頤) and asked her about her thoughts filming TBONTB.  One of the things she mentioned was that this was the first time in her acting career that she had received the entire script prior to filming.  At TVB, it was nearly impossible to read the entire script prior to filming – they usually only received the script for a few episodes at a time, so it was very hard to grasp how the character is going to develop.

-          Given the topic of ‘on-the-fly’ scripts, the host asked his guests (scriptwriters Alex Pau and Benny Wong and director KK Wong) how HKTV is able to achieve the ‘100% complete scripts’ mandate.

o   Benny Wong clarified that not every series at TVB was ‘on-the-fly’ – it really depended on which production team (some are worse than others).  In some cases, the scripts may be close to completion, but the production team might have encountered some ‘problems’ or need to change the script for some reason, so they couldn’t complete timely.

o   Benny and Alex stated that HKTV must have complete scripts prior to filming because Ricky Wong requires it – they are not allowed to start filming until the script is 100% completed and distributed to the artists.

o   The reason why they were able to meet this consistently was 1) the station had not launched yet so there was plenty of time to write the script, and 2) HKTV has fewer obstacles in terms of ‘timing’ (meaning that they don’t have to ‘jump through hoops’ to get their story ideas ‘approved’ like they did at TVB).

-          The host asked them to describe what the script writing process entailed at TVB – he asserted (somewhat sarcastically) that the ‘winning formula’ for TVB series seems to be to write a generic story, throw in a few love triangles and/or complicated love relationships, end with a ‘happily ever after’ barbecue scene, then repeat.  This is the ‘formula’ that TVB has adopted for decades and audiences are so familiar with it already that it has become a ‘culture’ of sorts.

o   Alex stated that this ‘formulaic’ approach to scriptwriting is not a ‘new’ thing – in fact, it has been in effect for many many years.  The reason TVB uses this method is because it is easy, fast, and most efficient.

o   The reason why it is ‘fast’ and ‘efficient’ goes back to the ‘approval’ process mentioned earlier [in part one of the interview].  If the story idea that you are trying to ‘sell’ is obscure, controversial, complicated, etc., you will have difficulty getting buy-in from all the people who need to ‘approve’….alot of time will be wasted trying to ‘convince’ everyone to ‘accept’ your idea. [sidenote:  at this point, the host jokingly said: “well, unless you’re producer Jonathan Chik – otherwise, you will definitely waste a time of time arguing”]

o   Most of the scriptwriters at TVB conform to the process because: 1) it’s fast and convenient – why delay people from getting off work on time by trying to be ‘different’ and causing issues;  2) it’s less hassle – quickly ‘sell’ the idea, get approval/buy-in, then can start filming right away; 3) the ratings will always be good anyway [TN:  TVB’s monopoly over the HK television industry means that their ratings will always be decent no matter what type of series they churn out], it makes the company happy, so why not?

-          The host turned to KK Wong and asked him:  for The Election, if this were TVB, would you not even bother trying to ‘sell’ the idea, since there would be so much opposition and it would for sure be banned? 

o   KK responded that at TVB, it’s best not to even mention the word “politics”, as it’s a ‘taboo’ subject.  He said that if he were to even mention the word, his story idea wouldn’t even get past the first stage of – it would have been ‘banned’ from the start. [TN:  this coincides with what Alex Pau mentioned in the book he wrote about 6 or 7 years ago about his life as a scriptwriter – he listed all the topics that are considered ‘taboo’ at TVB and they are not allowed to film… I don’t remember all of them at the moment, but I know for sure ‘politics’ and ‘religion’ were 2 of those topics…]

o   He also expressed that after working at TVB for a long time, the scriptwriters and producers all have a ‘self-reflection’ and ‘self-censorship’ mentality – meaning that they already know they will encounter problems if they even try tackling a particular topic, so why waste time attempting in the first place?

o   The other thing about the work environment at TVB that complicates things is that they (the execs/management) are rarely forthcoming or direct with you.  For instance, if you mention wanting to film one of the ‘taboo’ topics, they will never tell you directly ‘no, you can’t do that’ – instead, they will ask you all sorts of questions and make the process as difficult as possible, to the point that the person who mentioned the idea will feel it’s too much hassle and decide to abandon the idea on his/her own.

-          Both of HKTV’s currently airing series reflect what is going on currently in society – The Election talks about the HK political scene while To Be or Not To Be talks about the long-time conflict between HK and Mainland China.

-          Discussion about the series TBONTB:

o   The host asked Alex Pau whether there is special significance to the way the opening theme video and the transitional video during each of the break segments are designed.  Just in case people didn’t notice, during the break segments, the middle characters of the 7 character title are ‘blurred out’ – so if you read the non-blurred characters only, you’ll notice it says ‘come HK people’….is there a particular meaning to this?

o   Alex answered that the design of the title flow should be credited back to the series’ main director Luk Tin Wah.  He said that there is indeed a purpose behind the design – each audience will view the title in a different way depending on their own background and experience.  For example, you can interpret those remaining characters as a way of encouraging HK people (‘come on, Hong Kongers’) or you can look at is not wanting to be a Hong Konger.

o   The purpose of designing the title that way [TN: there’s also significance to the way the artists’ names are listed in the opening credits, which wasn’t mentioned during the interview but was explained on HKTV’s Facebook page later on] is to make audiences think and reflect:  if you were given the choice, would you choose to be a Hong Konger?  How about your children and grandchildren?  Would you want them to be Hong Kongers?

o   The host asked Alex for his personal interpretation of the title:  which perspective does he see it from?  The Mainland sister’s perspective (HKers have a certain attitude and can’t stand them), the HK sister’s perspective (too much pressure being a HKer due to all the conflicts and would rather not be a HKer) or the ‘future foreboding’ perspective (sooner or later, HKers will lose their identity and no longer be HKers)??

§  Alex stated that from a creativity standpoint, he can see it from both perspectives (HK and Mainland).  He said he has a Mainland friend who once said to him: “HK is like a spoiled child”…already treated well yet still wants more.  This made him reflect and realize how true it is that each person’s perspective will differ depending on which ‘side’ you come from (HK side or Mainland side).  For example, some Mainlanders may think – hey, you guys (HKers) are already given special treatment all the time, daddy already spoils you, lets you play with all the toys and do things we can’t do, yet you still feel it’s not enough and have to push for more?  Meanwhile, HKers see it from the opposite perspective and feel their freedoms are being taken away.

§  This helped Alex understand that growing up in different places with different education and cultural influences will cause your mindset to be completely different.  Taking it down to a smaller scale – even in a household, you might all be HKers, yet you could hold drastically different perspectives on things that could cause the household/family to be divided.

§  The purpose of the title (and the series as a whole to some extent) is to urge people to recognize that there are issues.

o   To conclude the TBONTB segment, the host asked Alex a very interesting personal question:  in your next life, would you choose to be a Hong Konger?  Alex’s response:  Yes, absolutely!  Why?  Because even though HK is not what it used to be and despite all the problems going on, he was born here, grew up here, his friends and family are here, so he feels that even if the boat is truly sinking, he will accompany to its end.

-          Next is discussion about the series The Election:

o   First, a fun fact – KK and Benny are actually brothers (people may have noticed the similarity in their names).  KK (the director) is the older brother and Benny (the scriptwriter) is the younger brother.

o   The host asks Benny:  this is the first time that a TV series about politics in HK has been made.  Without prior experience with this type of topic, how were the ‘sensitive’ portions of the series handled?  Previously at TVB, you wouldn’t dare to write this kind of stuff, so now, writing it for the first time, what was going through your mind?  Were you worried at all? 

§  Benny said that when he first started writing the script, he didn’t think much about whether the topic was ‘sensitive’ or not.  He just wanted to lay out the story for audiences and think of ways to add in the dramatic elements, since it IS a drama series after all.

§  In the middle of writing however, he (and his brother KK) started questioning himself – is this perhaps a bit overboard?  Perhaps a bit too ‘sensitive’?

§  The host asked what parts were ‘sensitive’, to which the brothers responded – the piece about the Media for example and their role in politics as well as the back story of the TV station owner trying to pull political strings to get her son out of prison – perhaps some of the elements are a little bit too close to real life?

§  In the end, they decided to talk to Ricky Wong about it and ask for his opinion.  He said that if they feel strongly about it to go ahead, but if anything happens, they will also need to be accountable (along with himself of course).

§  Benny said that the main thing he kept in mind while writing:  their intention isn’t to deliberately ‘insinuate’ anyone or anything – rather, their intention is to create a series that people will want to watch, has dramatic elements, and delivers the message that they want to get across.

o   It was briefly mentioned that in terms of ‘sensitivity’ of the subject matter, season 2 of The Election will contain way more ‘sensitive’ material (as a ‘spoiler’ of sorts – the Media will be a huge focus in the second season).

o   The discussion then turned to all the complaints about the ‘dark lighting’ of the series [TN: those who have been following the news will probably have heard about this].   Was the lighting done that way on purpose:

§  KK started off by saying that one of the good things about working at HKTV is that all of the production team (director, scriptwriter, lighting, props, makeup, etc.) stay in close communication with each other (inferring that there was a lack of communication at TVB?). 

§  Since everyone on the team has a ‘heart’ for making the best series possible, their goal is the same, so it promotes an environment where they constantly get together to discuss the various elements of filming.

§  KK said that they filmed the series with dark lighting on purpose – as the director, he wanted more natural lighting because it would give a more realistic effect, so the guys in charge of the lighting gave him feedback on how to go about achieving this.

§  After hearing all the audience complaints about the lighting, he realized that not all audiences are accepting of this type of lighting (hence they decided to add a “brightened” version of the series for those who couldn’t accept the “darkness”).  He said that he will keep this in mind for next time.

§  Benny added that when they do the post-editing for the final cut of each episode, they use high quality specialized monitors that bring out all the colors and details and very meticulously go through each scene – but they realize that when the finished product comes out, majority of the audiences will see things differently because they are not watching on the same specialized monitors that the production team is.

-          To conclude the interview, the host asked the team what they would like audiences to ‘pay close attention’ to when watching both series.

o   For TE, the director and scriptwriter would like audiences to really pay attention to the way the series was filmed and the unique way the story is told:  the dialogue is not very blunt or direct and oftentimes, audiences have to ‘read between the lines’ – this isn’t a series that will be easily understood by just ‘listening’.  Also, the other elements that make up the story, such as the ‘daring’ subject matter, concentration on one main story arc (the Chief Executive election), the political philosophies of the main characters, etc. – for example, the main character Yip Ching (Angelica Lee) running her political campaign based on the tenant of ‘fairness’…should cause people to reflect…

o   For TBONTB – in addition to the fine acting from the cast as well as the good script, Alex would also like audiences to pay attention to the aspects of the production that are not as easily ‘seen’ – for example, the quality and aesthetics of the production (the cinematography, lighting, camera angles, etc.).  He would like audiences to ‘feel’ the effort put into the production and give credit back to the production crew behind-the-scenes who worked so hard to make things happen.

CRHK radio interview with HKTV director and scriptwriters - PART ONE

CRHK radio show “On a Clear Day” (在晴朗的一天出發) invited the main director (KK Wong) and scriptwriter (Benny Wong) of The Election as well as the scriptwriter (Alex Pau) of To Be or Not To Be to talk about both currently airing series.

Here’s a link to an article that recaps some of the interview (mostly stuff about The Election) as well as a 2 minute excerpt from the radio interview:

Article: http://m.ent.sina.com.hk/news/article/1184888/2/

Radio show excerpt:

*******

I listened to the full radio interview and decided to recap it below.  There’s quite a bit of interesting information that was discussed during the interview, both about the 2 series currently airing as well as about HKTV itself. 

One thing I would like to highlight about this interview – prior to the HKTV launch (and to some extent even now), I’ve heard “HKTV doubters” question what the ‘difference’ is between TVB and HKTV and claim that HKTV’s series can’t be better than TVB’s because the people (specifically the scriptwriters and directors/producers) came from TVB.   Of course, those who’ve been following HKTV and the licensing issue for a while now will understand very well the differences and why the same people can produce such drastically different results – but for those who don’t know or don’t understand, I recommend this radio interview to you because the host actually asks that very question and the answer is very clearly explained by Alex, KK, and Benny.

****

Recap of highlights from CRHK radio show “On a Clear Day” hosted by Kwok Chi Yan (郭志仁) – January 2, 2015

PART ONE:

-          Before introducing his guests, the host started his opening segment by asking the following question:  If there was to be an outside award show (not affiliated with any TV station) where HK audiences get to vote for ‘Best Series’ and the choices were The Election, To Be or Not To Be, and Line Walker, which series would the audiences likely choose?

o   In answering this question, the host said that the likely choice would probably still be TVB’s Line Walker, mostly because there will always be a large majority of HK audiences who comprise TVB’s main fanbase and who are already so used to watching TVB that it has become a habit that won’t change. 

o   This is why it makes sense that HKTV’s chairman Ricky Wong has said from the beginning (and repeatedly reiterated) that he is NOT trying to “grab” TVB’s audiences with his series – it’s actually very simple:  those who are used to the “TVB way” and enjoy watching their series will continue to do so, no matter what other choices they may have (HKTV’s target is NOT this type of audience).

o   To support this, the host and his guests also talked about HK audiences’ decades-long habit of using the television as ‘background noise’:  meaning that for the average Hong Konger, they get home after a long day, turn on the TV, then go about their business – so they are used to TV programs that they can ‘listen’ to and not have to think much about…this is TVB’s target audience. 

o   HKTV’s audience base is obviously different, as their series require audiences to actually ‘watch’ the series and pay attention.

-          The host then proceeds to introduce his guests:  the behind-the-scenes talents responsible for HKTV’s currently airing series The Election (選戰) and To Be or Not to Be (來生不做香港人):

o   TBONTB scriptwriter is Alex Pau (鮑偉聰) – he’s a former TVB scriptwriter (worked there for close to 20 years) and is currently also a guest host for one of CRHK’s radio shows

o   TE’s scriptwriter is Benny Wong (黃偉強) and main director is KK Wong (黃國強)

-          Before diving specifically into the 2 series, the group first talked a bit about their current relationship with HKTV and future prospects:

o   Alex Pau’s contract with HKTV has long been over – he’s back to being freelance however if HKTV needs him, he will collaborate with him again.

o   Benny Wong also left HKTV already, so out of the 3 of them, only KK is technically still with HKTV currently, though his contract will be up soon as well.

o   The host asked is it because HKTV is no longer filming series, so most of the staff has left or will be leaving?  Alex answered that is pretty much the case – most of the production crew at HKTV already disbanded long ago.  He said that TBONTB’s main director Luk Tin Wah (陸天華) has also left HKTV, as his last day was 12/31.

o   Alex put it best when he expressed how most of the behind-the-scenes people at HKTV felt about HKTV’s predicament:  the production team went through so much together – the excitement of being in a different environment and getting the chance to make a difference, then seeing those hopes dashed twice with the licensing debacle….now their series finally get the chance to air and they get to see the fruits of their labor, but because everyone has left the company, it’s almost like they are outsiders looking in – they don’t get to share the experience together as a team.

o   KK also made a good point:  if the series had aired while they were all still working for HKTV, they could all go to work the next day and discuss the various feedback from audiences and talk about what they could do better (it’s part of the experience of being part of a team) – but now, since everyone left, that experience was “taken away” from them.

-          Discussion with Alex Pau on TBONTB:

o   The host said that when he started watching TBONTB, the first thing that captured his attention wasn’t the acting or even the story – rather, it was the theme song ‘Two Cups of Tea’ (兩杯茶), sung by Prudence Liew (劉美君).

§  The lyrics to the song were written by Albert Leung (aka Lam Jik / Lin Xi 林夕), who hasn’t written theme songs for HK television series in a long time.

§  Alex expressed that perhaps he is ‘old-school’, but he feels there hasn’t been a true ‘theme song’ for TV series in a long time (the host mentioned something about TVB series Line Walker’s theme song, which Alex admitted was ‘popular’ but doesn’t mean it fits the bill).

§  Alex explained this thought process this way:  perhaps it’s the nostalgia speaking, but he felt that with Prudence’s style of singing and her voice, hearing the theme song brought him back to his high school days – add to that the lyrics that Lam Jik wrote, which reflect the plot of the story perfectly….for those of us who were around in the 80s and 90s, it takes us back to that feeling back in the day when we would listen to the theme song and instantly, scenes from the series would run through our heads – that’s what a ‘true’ theme song should be like (nowadays, the theme songs don’t give off that same feeling and instead seem to be ‘detached’ from the series).

§  Alex said that he was surprised that today’s younger generation – the target audience for HKTV’s series – have been so accepting of this ‘old-school’ feeling as well (based on all the praise for TBONTB’s theme song).

o   TBONTB is based on a real story of two sisters – one who went to live in HK and the other who stayed behind in China – who, after 20 years, get the chance to reunite.  This story serves as the backdrop for a discussion of the Mainland China / HK contradiction.

o   The host played part of TBONTB’s theme song as well as some of the dialogue from the series that ‘highlight’ the China vs HK issue, then he asked Alex:  if this was TVB, would the dialogue that we just played not even make it into the script?

§  Alex’s response:  I can’t say that the dialogue wouldn’t have made it in for sure, but it definitely wouldn’t have been an easy sell.

o   Alex’s response was then used as an off-shoot to discuss the differences between how the production process works at TVB vs HKTV.

§  At TVB, the structure is that the producer is the main person responsible for the entire production – with that position, he/she has the power to call all the shots, which includes banning ideas they don’t like and changing / revising scripts if they feel it’s warranted.

§  At HKTV, there is no ‘producer’ position – there is a ‘main director’ position, but his responsibility is not to oversee the production and he has no power to ‘ban’ ideas or change scripts.  The main director’s responsibility is to give advice and feedback on the production based on his/her own technical expertise – in other words, his role is to “help” bring the script to fruition.  Alex emphasized that, at HKTV, the director and scriptwriter have equal footing and work together in a ‘partnership’ to create the series.

o   As a little bit of a sidebar, the host took the opportunity to involve all 3 of his guests (Alex, KK, and Benny) in a more detailed discussion about the ‘structure’ and production process of TV series at TVB vs HKTV, since all 3 of them worked for both stations [TN:  KK and Benny had also worked for ATV at one point as well].

§  The host asked whether the ‘normal’ process at TVB is for the scriptwriter to write the story, then give it to the producer to review and then after that, go through an ‘approval’ process involving the execs and other departments (i.e. artists dept, sales and marketing, public relations, etc.).

§  Alex and Benny clarified that actually, the presentation of the basic story idea to the execs (and other departments) occurs BEFORE the script is even written. 

§  At TVB, how it works is:  the producer and scriptwriter are technically ‘assigned’ to work together to come up with a story idea, but in reality, due to size of TVB and the amount of series they churn out, the producer becomes the ‘main driving force’ of the series – he/she is the one giving all the direction and making all the decisions.  The scriptwriter’s status is low and they are expected to ‘support’ the producer without really questioning – they basically accept that’s the way things work.

§  The question was posed:  if this were TVB and they had to ‘sell’ the idea of TE and TBONTB to the execs, would it have been banned right away?

·         Alex’s response:  it’s hard to say, as there are several ‘levels’ they would have to go through – they don’t just ‘sell’ their idea to the execs, they also have to ‘sell’ to the rest of the production department, the sales and marketing department, human resources, artists department, etc.  Each department wants to have a say in the matter – they have to consider how the series will affect them, what they will gain out of it, weigh the positives and negatives, etc.

·         Basically, there are a lot of ‘hurdles’ and obstacles that need to be overcome just to get to the point of story idea ‘approval’.

§  At HKTV, there are no such ‘meetings’ across departments and no such ‘approval’ process – in fact, the scriptwriter can come up with the story idea and the main director may not even know about it until later. [TN: as discussed later in the interview, the main difference is that at TVB, the producer is the ‘main driving force’ in producing a series whereas at HKTV, the script is the ‘main driving force’]

§  Alex recounted his ‘process’ when creating TBONTB:  he would come up with the basic story concept that he wanted to do, then meet with the creative director Stella Choi (蔡淑賢) to discuss it.  Then, he contacts the main director Luk Tin Wah and they meet informally over a dim sum lunch to talk about the idea.  The main director gives his feedback on the feasibility of filming the story from a directing and production perspective.  If the director says that the idea won’t work from a filming perspective or certain elements will be difficult to achieve, then the scriptwriter will make adjustments if warranted.  After the meeting, both Alex and Luk Tin Wah felt the story idea would work, so they moved forward with it.

§  Alex stated that oftentimes, even the one ‘forking out the money’ (their boss Ricky Wong) doesn’t even know about the ideas they come up with (meaning that they do not need to go through an ‘approval’ process with the execs like they did at TVB).

§  The host then asked:  then when do you guys let Ricky Wong know? To which Alex replied that he doesn’t even remember when he first notified RW about his story idea.

·         Alex expressed that they of course will give RW an overview of what they want to do and update him weekly on progress, but he doesn’t ‘meddle’ in the production of the series [which is different from TVB, since the ‘higher ups’ are the ones who have the final say over there].

·         He also said that Ricky Wong’s philosophy has always been to give his production team the utmost ‘creative freedom’.

·         Alex and Benny recounted something that Ricky Wong had said to them since the beginning (this was in response to why RW would want to poach people from TVB if their series are not good):  RW said -- he firmly believes that the people at the ‘big station’ (TVB) are capable, it’s just that they lack freedom (in other words – he believes that if TVB’s staff had the same freedom that HKTV’s staff have, the ‘output’ would be very different).

·         This philosophy is the main reason why RW allows his staff so much freedom.  He once told Alex and Benny:  “you are freelance writers now, so you should have the creative freedom to write whatever you want to write about.”

·         Benny stated that Ricky Wong understands the concept of leaving the production team alone and not trying to meddle because if he tries to involve himself, then it is no longer ‘creative freedom’.

·         Alex recounted something that Ricky Wong once said to TBONTB’s director Luk Tin Wah:  don’t spend so much time trying to ‘guess’ or ‘conform’ to audiences’ tastes – instead, just put out a production that you feel is your absolute ‘best work’.  [TN:  Luk Tin Wah mentioned this same conversation in the interview he and Alex did with Apple Daily, which you can read here.]

o   The host summarized the main difference between TVB and HKTV:  at HKTV, with creative freedom being the main goal, the scriptwriter and director work together as partners to bring the idea to fruition, while at TVB, there is a formal, cross-departmental ‘approval’ process – so this means that at HKTV, there is no ‘system’ at all.  Wouldn’t this pose a problem when it comes time to actually produce the series?  Wouldn’t they need to consult the other departments down the line anyway, so it would go back to being ‘similar’ to the TVB method?

§  Alex said that he disagrees with the assertion that there is ‘no system at all’ at HKTV.  He said that there is definitely a ‘system’, it’s just less formal and less restrictive than at TVB. 

§  He also said that when it comes to managing the budget of a series, there is definitely a ‘system’ in place.  He said that Ricky Wong keeps a tight watch over the budget and they must report to him anything that would affect costs – for example, how many cars they might need to film a particular scene.  When it comes to cost and budgeting, there is definitely a ‘system’ in place to ensure they remain within their means and don’t go overboard financially.

§  In terms of other departments:  Alex said that at HKTV, the other departments don’t interfere with the production of a series because they don’t have the power to do so – Ricky Wong’s instruction is for all departments to ‘cooperate’…meaning that they take on a ‘support’ role and provide the scriptwriter/director with what they need to achieve their goal.  For example – if they need certain artists for their series, they would communicate with the Artists Department and, if schedules permit, they are provided with the artists they request – the artists department head does not try to influence or ‘persuade’ them to use other artists [TN:  it’s well known that the Artists Department at TVB has large influence on production, so this is definitely very different from the ‘TVB way’.]

o   Basically, at HKTV, the script is the ‘main driver’ of the production – everything revolves around the script and everyone’s goal is to successfully bring the script to fruition.

§  The other departments were given orders by Ricky Wong that they are NOT allowed to interfere/influence with the script/production or change anything with it.

§  Even the artists themselves are not allowed to change the script or dialogue.  The only person who has the authority to change the script is the scriptwriter him/herself.

o   To summarize, the host brings up a good question that a lot of people have asked over the past few years:  if most of the behind-the-scenes people (scriptwriters, producers, directors, etc.) at HKTV actually came from TVB, how is it possible that their ‘output’ (scripts, series, etc.) can be so different from when they were at TVB? 

§  The short answer (which is actually explained in more detail above):  Because the system and environment are different, which creates a different ‘culture’ of sorts.  [TN:  I actually still like the way Ricky Wong explained it 2-3 years ago during his speech at the original launch party of his station (I’m paraphrasing here) --  at TVB, the writers/artists/etc. were akin to being in a zoo, caged up and with limited freedom, whereas at HKTV, they are put back into the wild, with complete freedom to roam and do whatever they want….]

-          To conclude this segment, the host asked Alex Pau if there was particular dialogue from TBONTB that he felt is the most impactful given HK’s situation.  Alex responded that the dialogue in one of the earlier scenes where Isabella (Queena Chan) is scolding Anson (Maggie Cheung) over a failed business deal is very significant – one of the things she says is:  “Hong Kong is an imminently sinking cruise ship…other than abandoning ship, what other choice do you have?”  He says that this dialogue really hits home because it stimulates Hong Kongers to reflect – is HK truly a sinking ship?  If so, what would I choose to do?  Would I choose to abandon ship or go down along with it?

*** To be continued......