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Winnie Chung

THE room looks like one that no one has got round to furnishing - or one that has been used for the rehearsal of plays or dances. Yesterday, however, it was the venue for something new.

 About 20 people are sitting in a circle in the middle of the room, listening intently to two obvious leaders of the group: film director Clifton Ko Chi-sum and award-winning playwright Raymond To Kwok-wai.

 Welcome to the first meeting of the Film Scriptwriters Training Programme, funded to the tune of $600,000 from the Hong Kong Film Development Fund which was set up by the Government in 1998.

 The course comes at a time when the film industry is bemoaning the lack of original or creative scripts, and directors are looking abroad to fill the gap.

 Under the auspices of a non-profit-making company they set up, Film Scriptwriters Training Programme Ltd, To and Ko had applied twice for the funds to run the courses.

 They opened the application process last month, attracting more than 90 interested students.

 To was responsible for whittling this number down to the more manageable 20, based on their interest and desire to carve a career in this field.

 Despite the government funding, students have to fork out $4,000 each for the course. 'The cost of the whole course is actually $800,000 which the allocation doesn't fully cover,' says Ko.

 This eight-month course of four-hour Saturday sessions is being facilitated by Ko and To, but will include guest speakers who are either directors or other screenwriters.

 'That will come later in the course,' says To. 'I think the students will benefit from hearing about the real-life experiences and sentiments from these professionals - and learn from it.'  To has scripted critically acclaimed plays and films such as I Have A Date With Spring, The Mad Phoenix and Sentimental Journey.

 The afternoon starts with introductions from the two facilitators, although none is necessary. Master storyteller To turns it into a story of his life: a child star in broadcasting from the age of six, he turned to the more 'practical' career of teaching geography before the pull of the arts became too strong and he left to join the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre as their first resident playwright.

 The course was initially aimed at professional scriptwriters or at those who had dabbled in writing and were keen to develop a career in it.

 'This is not an interest group,' Ko tells the group. 'We hope that after this first month, you can start getting into your script. It doesn't necessarily have to be for films, it can be for the stage or any other medium. There will be a lot of homework but at the end of it all, you will hopefully have a 90-minute script which you will be able to sell.'  The group is a mishmash of people from all walks of life including a primary-school teacher, a finance undergraduate, a housewife and a television producer. Despite their different backgrounds, they are all very keen to take something from the course.

 'When you reach a certain age, I think you need to pause, take a breath and see if you can find a new direction,' says Angel Lai On-kei, a 30-year-old housewife. 'I've always loved films and I really want to try doing this.'  Winton Yip Tung, a 22-year-old University of Hong Kong finance undergraduate, got hooked when he worked on a research programme with director Gordon Chan Ka-sheung (Beast Cops, 2000AD) last summer.

 'I've always loved films but after doing that summer research, I realised that I wanted to achieve something in this field,' he says.

 To turns their introductions into an exercise in memory with a series of questions such as: 'What's her name and what does she think her most outstanding point is?'  'Scriptwriters need to have a keen sense of observation,' he tells them. 'You have to write about different people from different angles. You have to be able to feel their emotions and know how they will talk - and you will only get that through observation. If you don't give your characters that personality, every one of them will only sound like you.' Heads nod and pens fly across notepads.

 The first four months will deal with the basic elements of scriptwriting - such as critiquing films or stories. 'You can't skip the foundations,' says To.

 The group will be split into groups of four to work collectively on a script. After four months each will choose a play or book that he or she wants to adapt and start working on their own script.

 It is a short time to work on a script, especially when the sessions are held only every Saturday, but Ko says that the young wannabes have to get used to the constraints of the writing profession.

 'In the real world, two months would be a luxury. Many people have to produce a script in two weeks - some even in two days. If they seriously want to be in this profession they have to get used to it,' he says.

 The course concentrates on adaptations in order to avoid duplication with courses that the Scriptwriters' Association - of which To is president - plans to launch. 'It's also because with adaptations, it doesn't really have to start from zero. There will already be a story to work on,' reasons Ko.

 At the end of the eight months, successful students will be presented with a certificate of participation. Ko and To will also be on hand to help them present their completed masterpieces to film-makers and producers.



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