"To the naysayers, Hong Kong's film industry is in perpetual decline, always in need of an overhaul." But more than two decades in the Hong Kong movie sector have taught Dr Terry Lam to embrace the way it evolves, even at a time of profound technological challenge.
"To me, this is an incredible opportunity – a great time to explore new paths forward," Dr Lam has shown by example how, as the old saying goes, "impasse triggers change and change brings solutions." Dr Lam took that to heart during the Covid-19 pandemic, working against the odds to complete two major life goals: writing a screenplay that became A Guilty Conscience ; and obtaining his doctorate at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).
Since assuming the reins as Dean of Film and Television in HKAPA, he has brought change, too, ushering in innovations in curriculum design to expand the scope of study. "Traditional film and television production tells stories by means of images," he explains. "We take this further by teaching students to create the fictional world of the stories through character narration and visual design. These techniques equip them for areas of work beyond film and television."
Appropriately, Dr Lam loves to tell stories himself, peppering an hour-long interview with anecdotes. He describes himself as "perplexed" during his student years. He studied education, even though his heart was in film, applied for communication studies but was accepted into a course on nutrition.
The course of his life only started to become clear after he had worked for two or three years. "I realised finally that my real passion is storytelling, and film teaches one how to tell a good story," he says.
In 1998, he enrolled at the Academy's School of Film and Television. After graduation, he branched out into computer-generated imagery (CGI), then a relatively new field. He knocked on the door, cold calling one of the industry leaders with a couple of animated stories he had created as a student.
He was sent away twice. On the third attempt, he landed an opportunity to present his work. "Animation professionals might not know much about filmmaking," he notes. "The boss was looking for someone who was familiar with Hong Kong films, and who therefore could communicate with the director."
Having successfully stuffed his foot in the door of special effects, Dr Lam went on to work on the production of multiple titles including Master Q 2001, The Legend of Zu, Infernal Affairs, The Twins Effect, and Fearless. After this, he also tried his hand at advertising, television and game development.
Scripting the Hong Kong Story
In 2012, Dr Lam took his career to Seoul, where he specialised in the immersive design of media content. "People ask why I kept changing career paths. The truth is I didn't," he insists. “All my jobs entailed the use of storytelling techniques, and art tech was no different.”
After returning to Hong Kong from Seoul, he began to tell a story of his own. "I was aiming for a screenplay that would empower Hong Kongers," he recalls. What came out was the first local film ever to reach HK$100 million at the box-office, the courtroom drama A Guilty Conscience.
"The story had been brewing for a while," he says. "Intensive writing took me about two years. We would meet twice a week, from morning to night. We would show the script to the studio and industry professionals, then revise based on their feedback. This nonstop back-and-forth made it feel like years had gone by."
At the time, Dr Lam was teaching at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and also pursuing doctoral studies at RMIT. The pressure almost made him give up the doctorate, but he persisted. "My research topic was how Hong Kong action movies develop a unique storytelling approach through an action narrative," he explains. "A Guilty Conscience was an experiment that took the elements and creative process of an action movie and put them in a drama." After the movie's enormous success, RMIT issued numerous congratulatory statements lauding the research project for its wildly successful transformation into an entertainment product.
Academia at the Helm
Since returning to the Academy, Dr Lam has been developing the Digital Screen Design programme, with a focus on virtual production technology. "Students can acquire basic digital-media production techniques online, but to date, there is no institution specialising in the teaching of virtual production," he points out.
The Academy is blessed with the capability to make its own productions. The 40th anniversary celebratory musical What the Buddha Said was the School of Film and Television's second virtual production. The work showcased the creative possibilities of fusing art and technology through its construction of a virtual setting with cutting-edge technology. It's technology that, according to Dr Lam, is still not widely used locally. "In this regard, Hong Kong lags behind many places in Southeast Asia," he concedes.
Over half the shows on Netflix make use of virtual production. "Saving time means reducing costs and enlarging creative space," Dr Lam says. Recently, the TVB production team paid a visit to the School to observe its use of virtual production, while filmmakers have also approached the School for collaboration, breaking the convention that sees industry in the driver's seat of innovation. "There's been a flip in the global trend," Dr Lam notes. "Academia is now in a position to lead industry, and we hope to see more of it." Assisting industry to develop art tech is one of three key projects Dr Lam has in mind for the School.
Setting Objectives
The second project is promoting exchange with international academic institutions. This year, the School is teaming up with Australia's Flinders University to co-produce a short film.
Students from Australia and Hong Kong discuss the details of pre-production online. This is followed by mutual visits to conduct location filming. "Co-financing is the future in film and television globally," Dr Lam points out. "Students with ambitions of joining the industries might as well start accumulating experience now." So the production is a collaboration between the Hong Kong and Australian teams, which aligns with the Academy's four core objectives of internationalisation, innovation, industry engagement, and interdisciplinarity. Dr Lam notes that talks with other overseas institutions are in the pipeline, discussions with Korean universities some of the farthest along.
The third project is the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to digitise classic scenes from Hong Kong movies, with the long-term objective of building local datasets for local film production. "We invited many celebrated Hong Kong directors such as Andrew Lau, Wong Kar-wai, and Peter Chan to collaborate. We have requested them to provide information on filming locations, such as set design and the position of the cameras and lights. Given time, these will become important data on Hong Kong films." Dr Lam predicts that in five years, more than half of all productions will use AI. By laying the groundwork now, a search for “Hong Kong cinema” will yield plentiful data in the future.
Passing Down a Unique Legacy
Reflecting on his own progression from student to teacher to Dean, Dr Lam believes what gratifies him the most is seeing students find their passion in class. "When they get to do what they want and feel that deep satisfaction, their eyes sparkle," he enthuses. "Money can't buy this. It makes me very happy. Education is life influencing life. Having this power of influence affirms my existence."
He advises students to venture out and explore. “Read and try everything you can get your hands on,” he encourages. "Don't set boundaries for yourself ahead of time. You never know what your next work will be." Dr Lam cites the cinematic language of the Coen brothers as among his earliest inspirations, their use of simple themes to draw viewers into a down-to-earth but outlandish world.
He also strongly recommends that students read Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. It's a contemplation on how human beings use their imagination to construct social order. "It is not outwardly about creating, but has everything to do with it," Dr Lam says. “It makes you think more deeply.”
Dr Lam regards the School as a big family he has grown alongside. Though he was away for brief periods, there was a sense of cozy familiarity whenever he returned. "Many of our teachers are alumni," he says. "Our students will one day become alumni or even teachers. The sense of connection fosters camaraderie and empathy." Dr Lam observes that this powerful cohesiveness is what defines HKAPA culture in all six Schools, a sense of community that all students and teachers should value.