Innovation and pluck are all that needed to make new TV programs a success. Ms Zoe Siu, 30, assistant creative director of Asia Television Limited, possesses both traits.
She has been to the Amazon, Lebanon and Israel to shoot the documentary "Stories From Afar", which scored the highest appreciation index in the "1998 Television Programs Appreciation Index Survey".
Q: Who contributed to the idea of producing Stories From Afar?
A: My boss read an economist's forecast, which claimed that the world would become the paradise of the Chinese in fifty years' time.
As a result, we wanted to tell the stories of Chinese people and preserve our history.
Q: How did you discover the stories?
A: We first contacted foreign embassies for the information of Chinese residents in their countries. Then we phoned our targets and asked for interviews.
If we found that he or she had something to tell, we would send a crew of five to six people to the places where they lived.
We had to make friends with them before they would tell us their stories. Therefore, I had to go out and eat with them three to four days to report their lives from all perspectives. Fortunately, most of the interviewees were generous and warm. They treated us like important guests because they rarely had Chinese visitors.
Q: Why did you appear on the screen?
A: I reported some of the stories by myself because it was easier for me to ask follow up questions that spontaneously came out of my mind.
Since the Stories From Afar is the first of its type ever produced by local television stations, we have tried every possible way to make it more innovative.
Therefore, we abandoned the ordinary mode of reporters controlling the conversation and let both parties chat in the scenes.
Q: How did the stories of those Chinese inspire you?
A: I think there must be a reason for an ordinary Chinese to start everything again in a place far away from their homeland.
I remember I met a Hong Kong woman who lives in the rural area of Israel with her Moroccan husband. Her life there was very different from that in Kowloon City where she grew up.
In fact, she does not feel she belong to Hong Kong. She spent a lot of money travelling because she wanted to find a quiet and simple place to live. That was why she went to Israel and became a farmer.
I think she is very courageous. I could not tolerate to live in the countryside even for three days, not to mention the rest of my life.
Q: Do the interviewees want to return to their homeland?
A: Although all interviewees said that they would not return to their homeland anymore, they still miss the places where they were brought up.
I think Chinese are very practical. Once they have settled peacefully in a particular place, they tend to stay there. One thing for sure however, they would never forget their identities as Chinese.
Q: Were the expeditions unforgettable?
A: I will never forget the interview with a Lebanon military head. Strict security measures were in force, which made the interview full of mystery. Imagine how I felt when I was talking to the military head who was armed with guns.
Besides, when we visited the southern part of Lebanon, there was evidence of war everywhere. The houses had collapsed and everywhere was in a mess.
I will not forget that terrifying moment when a mountain just one-kilometer away from me was bombarded. I was very frightened at that time. I just want to escape from the scene. I thought it was absolutely not worth losing my life in such a way.
Q: What was the most difficult part of the expeditions?
A: It was the pressure of meeting the tight deadlines. I had to write the script on a flight!
Q: Will you choose to live in another country?
A: Perhaps I am not brave enough. I think it is very difficult for me to adopt a new life in a foreign country. Moreover, I don't want to leave my family and friends.
After I have visited so many places, I think Hong Kong is the best place to live.
