My Work

I left TV broadcasting in 2014 and joined DigitalRev TV, a Photography Youtube channel, since then. I have to say, working in new media is WAY MORE fast paced than that in "traditional" mainstream mass media. Having less than 2 days to plan and arrange resources for an episode is just normal in my daily life now.

DigitalRev TV channel has to produce 2 episodes every week, which sounded pretty crazy to me when I first joined the team. The production team was a relatively small one, 4 in total. Later on, we became a team of 3, after Asuka (aka. the Tororo-loving Production Assistant and VFX Guru) left the team. Tough time.

<roar><rant> From time to time, people questioned 'What she actually does when the team is shooting?' or 'WTF she is always playing on her phone?' or 'What is her real job?' Well, I always have to reply emails/Whatsapp messages/iMessages/voice messages/call back to clients, PRs, camera manufactures, other stakeholders.... during shootings when I don't have to be the second cameraman/be on screen. All the camera gears and production resources don't pop up from nowhere on shooting day, someone gets to arrange them :/ </rant></roar>

Moving from TV brand imaging to on-field production for factual programme is another big change for me. Being on-field meaning I have to get myself familiar with different aspects of production and always be ready to handle a variety of situations.

Here are some of my favourite DRTV episodes so far:

The popular reality show series 'Pro Photographer Cheap Camera Challenge', especially the Lara Jade's episode. It hits 1 million views within months and remains as the most-viewed episode to date among the whole 'Pro Photographer Cheap Camera Challenge' series. (Yay!) It was a truly amazing experience to be responsible to oversee the whole pre-production, from location scouting to MUA.

The most unforgettable moment of this production was probably when I was told to take care of the unfitted dresses borrowed from designer just the day before the actual shooting, meaning all 3 dresses needed to be altered to fit the model over night! Due to the ultra-low budget we were given, a proper stylist/wardrobe assistant was not an option for us. Glad that my costume alteration skill worked just fine this time. This reminded me of the freaking good old days working as part-time backstage wardrobe assistant at a theme park, where shit hit the fan pretty often. Well... guess you can never tell when the skills you've learnt ages ago would become handy at work again.

The other Cheap Camera Challenge episode I liked the most was the one with Alex Ogle, a AFP photojournalist. Alex wandered around the mid-level district in this episode and even went rooftopping to get one of the shots!

General saying, shooting for DRTV is pretty enjoyable because I'd be given chances to explore different parts of Hong Kong and its stunning local culture.

It was just nice to see some environmental portraits showing the traditional side of Hong Kong. Shooting around Hong Kong is always fun, so does getting a haircut in an old-fashioned salon! (Not for myself, but for the rest of DRTV team members.) The handcraft Mahjong shop is also a remarkable hidden gem of our city.

From time to time, I would look for some local hidden gems to be featured in the episode, especially for those comparatively serious gear reviews. Surely there is no doubt DRTV is capable for serious content when we want to.

I have always wanting to discover interesting stories from local community. I enjoy a lot just to talk to people and listen to their stories, like the couple from Happy Printing Co. The hairdresser lady from that tiny old-fashioned salon was also a lovely person to chat with. It's just wonderful she agreed to let us shoot in her salon and was so relax while leading casual conversations with us during the shoot. She showed her lovely character effortlessly throughout the conversations. I always have a feeling that the video content is more alive and engaging when both action and reaction are presented on screen.

There are also times the team has to produce some sort of comedy sketches just to kill the time when we have no new gears to review. I feel soooooo proud to have 5 millions people watched my face painted in yellow, just saying.

Helping the team with episode idea and script development is a great fun. Oh yes, popping a water balloon and get wet (quite literally) in winter are also FUUUUUUUUUUN! Well, not really.

And last but not least, my all time favourite episodes - TRAVEL SPECIALS!

It was a great pleasure to be invited to film at the Fujifilm 120th Anniversary Party in Tokyo. During our stay in Japan, time was very limited and we had to work until midnight for the on-location edit and publish. But still, I am so proud that we managed to produce 3 Japan Travel Specials episodes, including a beautifully shot documentary of the Fujifilm Taiwa factory in Sendai.

Of course, we wouldn't waste a chance to experience the quirky side of Japanese culture - Cup noodle Museum, Kawasaki Warehouse Game Arcade, capsule hotel and a local delicatessen, fried locusts with sweet soy sauce! Nomnomnom :D