People

Life, passion and music videos

He does a lot of research on the artistes, listen to their songs and talk to them. The preparations and hard work allow him to tailor-make videos for different artistes. “All their information is stored in my brain. It seems like a cabinet. Once a singer asks me to make a music video for him or her, I know which drawer I should open and what I should get from there,” he said.

When Mr Lee shot a music video for Mr Tam’s latest single, he used only black and white colour to create a moody atmosphere to match the artiste’s mature image. In contrast, he featured colourful scenes with happy and funny faces in a video of the Twins to go with the group’s younger image.

Mr Lee considers that a music video can help express the meaning of a song visually. The power of music, together with images, can touch the people’s heart, he said.

As a director, he also has to appeal to the audience with the message and the mood of the song. To grasp the song’s sensation, Mr Lee said he would listen to the piece over and over again every time before shooting began.

There were several occasions in which Mr Lee let himself slip into depression in order to get into the mood of some sad songs he needed to produce. “I may just sit for the whole day and stare at the window without saying a word,” he said. “Just to make myself down and feel bad.” He said he hoped a director’s dedication could make the audience get the true feelings of the music presented in the video.

But not every viewer understands what the director is trying to say, and that is Mr Lee’s biggest frustration.

“The audience now wants something simple. We cannot make things too
complicated,” he said. “They just focus on what appears on the screen. This makes me really upset.”

Yet, thoughts of giving up have never crossed his mind. His determination,
passion and hard work help him get through the difficulties.

Facing fierce competition from music video directors in the mainland and
Taiwan, Mr Lee said he had to read a lot and watch many TV programmes to help broaden his horizons and to catch up with the ever-changing market. He said he longed to work with other directors to exchange ideas and techniques.

On his future plan, Mr Lee said he would continue to seek improvement in his work. “My love for music video
production never dies,” he said, with a big smile on his face. “I can live without food, I can survive without sleep, but I cannot live on without the camera.”

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