People

Masseur of the soul

Comedy director Lee Lik-chee shares his secrets of success with Howard Kwong

Laughter is a cure for the soul, and comedy director Lee Lik-chee holds that cure for people in Hong Kong .

“Many of my friends describe me as a ‘masseur of the soul' because my jokes are like medicine that can make people laugh and relax,” Mr Lee told Varsity in an interview.

Since he joined the show business in 1984, Mr Lee has been producing films and creative works in the entertainment industry through different media.

Of the 21 movies he has produced so far, most of them are comedies that are popular among people of all ages. His Shaolin Soccer , teamed up with top comedian Stephen Chiau Sing-chi in 2001, won six awards in the Hong Kong Film Awards, including the best picture, best director and best actor.

Besides directing, Mr Lee has also been a radio programme host and a part-time writer for numerous newspapers and magazines.

“My motivation to work comes from my philosophy of life, and that's to work for the people and to make them feel happy,” he said.

He sees that one of the most important functions of movies is to entertain. “You don't need to produce more tragedies to tell people that life is tragic,” he said, adding that people can always find misfortunes and calamities in newspapers.

“We've already got lots of stress in our daily lives, especially in a commercial city like Hong Kong where there are always intense competitions,” he said. “Comedies make the audience feel optimistic about their lives.”

Although the movies Mr Lee has made always provide laughter, he did not have a happy childhood. “I was a very shy and quiet kid. I didn't talk much and was not doing particularly good at school.

“But whenever I watched a comedy on TV, I felt very contented and impressed by the comedians. I think they are magical,” he said.

Mr Lee decided to pursue his career in the media sector after he graduated from high school. He got his first job as a production assistant in the Asia Television Limited (ATV). “I wanted to discover the secrets behind those miraculous comedies, so I was determined to work in the show business,” he said.

His working experience in the ATV not only equipped him with the necessary technical skills in drama production, but also provided him a wide network and a platform to develop his career in the media industry.

After working in the ATV for five years, he joined the Television Broadcasts Limited. In 1991, he directed his first movie Legend of the Dragon , starring Mr Chiau.

Mr Lee has not confined himself to TV and film productions, but is applying the ideas and skills he has developed throughout those years to radio programmes, newspaper articles, jokes, short message services on mobile phones, and even PlayStation Portable games.

Being flexible and making oneself adaptable to work in different fields of media production is the most important reason for his success, he said.

“I have much stronger bargaining power than before because I've worked in different fields like movie, TV, radio, Internet and so on. I got more opportunities and experience than others,” he said. “I am not afraid that anyone will replace my position now.”

The entertainment industry is changing everyday. To survive in the market, one needs to be flexible and multi-faceted. “If you're a director, you can't only confine yourself to directing, but you also have to know scriptwriting, acting, music and animation. There's no like or dislike, you can't be picky all the time,” he said. “You still have to make a living and to take care of your family.”

“There is no guarantee that you can always be a film director, as the market is changing dramatically,” he said.

“Of course, it's not easy to focus and do well in different fields at the same time, but that's how the media work. You need to manage your time very well and equip yourself to be more competitive.”

Curiosity is another important quality of every good media worker, he said.

“Being curious means that you always want to learn and explore. This is very important to creative media production. New things help stimulate new ideas,” he said. “I'm glad I was born to be a curious person.”

Mr Lee said that he admired Charlie Chaplin very much and was fascinated by the comedy legend's sense of humour. He is equally impressed with the charisma and intelligence of the late local comedian and Cantonese opera star Leung Sing-bor and kung fu actor Bruce Lee. “I think they are all very amazing,” he said.

James Wong Jum-sum, a late famous lyricist in the territory, has always been Mr Lee's most respected idol. From Mr Wong, he said, he learned to be humble and realised the importance of learning and working in different fields of the media industry.

He aspires to be a “happy creative media worker” and to get a doctoral degree like Mr Wong.

“Every teenager would encounter the stage of questioning their own identities and ask themselves: ‘Who am I?' I was lucky to have met Mr Wong,” he said.

“Finding a role model is very important. I think every youngster should find their own too,” he said. “That gives you a direction and a target to learn from.”

Looking at internationally renowned Hollywood director Steven Spielberg who went to university to get a degree after working for about 30 years, Mr Lee is also considering the idea of pursuing his studies at university and becoming a teacher.

“I haven't decided what to study yet, but I really enjoy studying,” he said.

“Actually, I've been running media workshops for students in a secondary school in Tseung Kwan O. I've also started training courses with some educational institutions in Guangzhou and Zhuhai.”

He said he enjoyed sharing his experience with youngsters not because he wanted to be their role model, but because he wanted teenagers to find their own ways and be responsible for whatever decisions they made.

“Nowadays, many teenagers do not have a good foundation in thinking and language. Many of them will spend most of their time on puppy love, karaoke, soccer betting, horse racing or even drugs. They are very ‘busy',” he said.

In the past few years, he was invited to speak in various university seminars and found that many university students did not have a good attitude in learning. “They were too passive. They just sat silently and did not respond to me,” he said. “But I won't blame any of those university students because Hong Kong does not have a good learning environment.”

Still, he has hopes on Hong Kong youngsters. “That's why I want to be a teacher and share my experience with them,” he said. “My story may not be applicable to them since it's outdated already, but they can treat it as a reference.”

He stressed that teenagers had to realise the importance of building up a good foundation and working hard in everything they pursued.

Although Mr Lee wants to be a teacher 10 years later, at present, he will still continue to explore further in the media world.

“I want to try things that I've never tried before, such as making PlayStation Portable games, doing advertisements and developing the movie market in mainland China ,” he said.

He sees the mainland market is a place full of potentials and opportunities.

“The movie market in mainland China may not be as open as that in Hong Kong . There may not be many people who can actually afford to go to the cinema, but there is always room for development in the TV industry,” he explained.

“The population in China provides a large threshold for us to develop the business,” he added. “I really hope that China can be more open to comedies with fewer restrictions, as they are really good for people to relax,” he said. “Comedies will not be outdated as nobody will say: ‘I laugh too much',” he said.

Mr Lee considers popularity is the standard for measuring success, but not awards.

“I am extremely greedy. I want everyone to watch my movies and laugh happily, and then I can earn the money from them,” he said with a laugh.

As an energetic producer who is young at heart, Mr Lee is daring to try new things.

He said he believed in not only “learning by doing” but also “working is living”.

“There is no boundary between ages. You can still produce as many creative works as you like if you are willing to do so,” he said.

Mr Lee has not considered leaving the media industry in the meantime. He said: “This is a place full of magic and fun. It's like a gift from God.”