06-11-20
In film, an ‘Art Director’(美術指導)works directly below the ‘Production Designer’(美術總監) and a large part of his duties are the administrative aspects of the art department. The Production Designer is the superior individual responsible for the overall look and tone of the film project. He works with the art director, set dresser, prop master and cinematographer to accomplish the director’s artistic vision of the film.
The former Chairman of Hong Kong Film Arts Association Bill Lui(雷楚雄) is a kind and helpful friend who always tries to lighten the burdens of other people. He was a great Art Director and is now an adored Production Designer working in the Mainland and Hong Kong.
Inside each of us is a natural-born story listener. I asked Bill, “Any good story to share from your interesting career?” Bill replied, “Maurice, you like to encourage people. Let me cite 4 charming actors whose heart-piercing supports to me are always unforgettable. They are, in the order of their seniority, Josephine Siao(蕭芳芳), Simon Yam(任達華), Maggie Cheung(張曼玉) and Nicolas Tse(謝霆鋒). As an ‘art controller’ in the film-making process, my judgements are based on my personal opinions and tastes but they can be very subjective. I am glad that the above good actors did tell me the other side of the coin, namely facts and angles that I might not have fully considered.”
“Josephine Siao was special because she was like a walking dictionary or caring mentor, probably due to the fact that she became an actress in 1953 when she was only 6 years old. She is also a film director. She is the jack of all trades and ‘master of all’ as well. In one movie, she had to play the role of a Cantonese opera actress. She went backstage to observe the opera actors for more than 10 evenings and took a note of all the suggestions that she intended to propose to me. I still remember her putting on a super-powdery and overpowering perfume on a film set. I was shocked and asked her why. She smiled, ‘Bill, it is the preferred scent of the Cantonese opera actresses and I do think the strong smell can help the other actors accepting me as the character in the film!’” said Bill.
Josephine Siao has been my lifelong idol——I never thought of anyone as a super movie star until I watched her film I love a Go-Go (我愛阿高高) in 1967!
I asked Bill, “I guess Simon Yam is the male version of Josephine Siao?” Bill laughed, “Not exactly. In the 70s, Simon was a fashion model, later a TV star and progressed to become a successful film actor in Hong Kong. Josephine was eager to serve others and Simon is helpful to the art direction of a film in a different way. He is more an independent perfectionist in everything he did. Whenever I knew Simon was in the cast, I had nothing to worry about him. He himself was a designer cum artist. I recall that in a film about a high society gigolo, Simon proposed to me, ‘Bill, I know your limited budget but such a gigolo will surely wear Giorgio Armani or Jean Paul Gaultier. Could I contribute half of the money needed and we go together to buy such brands to make the character more graphic.’ After this proposal, I saw him also dashing up to a gym to make sure that his body will look sexy to match the role.”
I probed, “Is Maggie Cheung like Simon?” Bill moved his head, “Maggie showed her support to an art director by listening to him. She gave me a lot of freedom to combine all the ingredients for her role. She said only one thing, ‘Bill, I trust you will take good care of all the stuff and see to it that all will pertain appropriately to the role. Do not care about if I will look better or worse. It is not my concern. I will be very accommodating if the film can become better!’”
Raised in Britain, Maggie Cheung started her acting career after placing second in 1983’s Miss Hong Kong Pageant. She won the ‘Best Actress’ award at Cannes Film Festival in 2004. 90% of the Chinese population can say out her name loud. It is a pity that she is now semi-retired.
I asked, “Bill, the youngest is Nicolas Tse who is now about 40. What is he like?” Bill shared his thought, “Perhaps both his parents were good actors and he had learnt what professionalism should mean since his childhood. He joined the movie world at 16. He is too proficient in the dos and don’ts. Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. Youth is being not afraid to do. These two explain why whenever I asked Nic to do something exciting, he always answered, ‘Why not? Let me have a go!’ The world is fast changing and trends on art are forever moving too. I explore new ideas and I need unique stars like Nic telling me that he is willing to experiment with me. For me, Nic is more a ‘co-working partner’. He is now very popular in the Mainland and deserves such an outcome. Nic shows the difference between a star and an actor. A star will say, ‘How can I change the fix to suit me?’ An actor will say, ‘How can I change myself to suit the fix?’ Nic is incredibly clever.”
The possibility of a dream, the dream of making unreal into real, is the force inspiring art directors to do better and finer. If an art director is the painter, his stars cannot just be the canvas. They are interactive. A professional art director who works hard not because of his or her status or remuneration, but the ethical obligation under which the best in a film has to come together!
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