The name they put on me | Neo Yau | TEDxHKBU
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0:08 - 0:11Hello, everyone. I am Neo Yau.
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0:11 - 0:13And before I start,
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0:14 - 0:17I have to apologize to all of you
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0:18 - 0:22because I speak
really, really bad English. -
0:23 - 0:26(Laughter) (Applause)
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0:30 - 0:34I kept asking the organizers
if I can speak Cantonese today, -
0:35 - 0:37and they told me
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0:37 - 0:41that some of you cannot
understand Cantonese very well. -
0:42 - 0:44Who cannot understand Cantonese here?
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0:44 - 0:46(Laughter)
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0:46 - 0:47Oh my god.
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0:47 - 0:50So it's you, you, you, you bastards
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0:50 - 0:51(Laughter)
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0:51 - 0:55who makes me suffer for the last weeks
for an English script, okay? -
0:56 - 0:58Okay, let's get started.
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0:59 - 1:01Okay.
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1:01 - 1:03First of all,
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1:03 - 1:07I would like to know
the name you guys put on me. -
1:08 - 1:11Any of you know me before today?
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1:14 - 1:16Okay, thank you.
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1:16 - 1:18So, any of you know me
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1:18 - 1:23because of watching the movie
"She Remembers, He Forgets," -
1:23 - 1:25"哪一天我們會飛"?
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1:26 - 1:28Okay, thank you.
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1:28 - 1:31How about the "Ten Years"?
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1:33 - 1:34Thank you.
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1:34 - 1:36How about the online videos,
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1:36 - 1:41such as the "Mocking Jer" and "CapTV"?
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1:43 - 1:44Okay, okay.
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1:44 - 1:47So, what does that make me?
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1:47 - 1:48An actor?
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1:48 - 1:51A short film producer? Or what?
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1:52 - 1:53I don't know.
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1:53 - 1:55I will talk about it later.
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1:57 - 2:02I would like to make today's event,
the speech, meaningful. -
2:03 - 2:07So I'm going to talk about something
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2:07 - 2:11that I don't usually talk
to the magazine or the newspaper, -
2:13 - 2:17such as the relationship
between me and the "100Most" -
2:18 - 2:21that nobody knows, okay?
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2:22 - 2:23So,
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2:25 - 2:27the first name they put on me -
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2:27 - 2:30or the first name they put on all of us -
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2:30 - 2:31what's that?
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2:32 - 2:34I would say a student.
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2:36 - 2:37When we were a student,
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2:37 - 2:40it means that we have lack of experience.
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2:41 - 2:43When we were a student,
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2:44 - 2:47we can try, we can fail,
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2:48 - 2:50we can be reckless,
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2:50 - 2:52we can be anything.
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2:52 - 2:54And we are always forgiven
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2:54 - 2:56because we are still studying.
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2:57 - 3:01Back in my days in secondary school,
when I was a student, -
3:03 - 3:08actually, I didn't spend
a lot of time to study. -
3:08 - 3:10(Laughter)
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3:10 - 3:14But instead, I spent my time
on swimming and basketball, -
3:15 - 3:16video games
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3:16 - 3:18and girls.
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3:18 - 3:19(Laughter)
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3:20 - 3:23Girls are very important, you know,
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3:23 - 3:24for school.
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3:24 - 3:28I can't imagine how do boys
live in a boys' school. -
3:28 - 3:30(Laughter)
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3:30 - 3:34So, and more important,
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3:34 - 3:37is that I made short films.
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3:37 - 3:40I made short films,
and I acted in my own short films. -
3:40 - 3:43And also I played in dramas,
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3:44 - 3:47which is the thing I really loved.
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3:48 - 3:49It turns out,
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3:49 - 3:52my academic result was not that bad.
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3:53 - 3:57But not bad means not good enough -
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3:58 - 4:01I'm not good enough
to get an offer from the university. -
4:03 - 4:08And it was really, kind of,
the end of my world -
4:08 - 4:09at that moment,
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4:09 - 4:13because my family wanted me
to study in university -
4:13 - 4:18and I didn't really consider
any other choices. -
4:19 - 4:20So, what can I do?
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4:21 - 4:24I became a repeater.
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4:25 - 4:28I repeated studying Form 7.
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4:28 - 4:29And one year later,
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4:29 - 4:33I got one grade better,
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4:33 - 4:36which is in Use of English.
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4:36 - 4:37How ironic.
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4:37 - 4:38(Laughter)
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4:39 - 4:41I actually got a B in oral.
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4:41 - 4:43(Laughter)
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4:43 - 4:45Okay, so,
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4:45 - 4:47one year later,
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4:48 - 4:52I got an offer from PolyU
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4:52 - 4:53for a degree
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4:56 - 5:00which studies about some mechanics,
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5:01 - 5:05calculators, science, etc,
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5:05 - 5:06something that -
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5:06 - 5:08[No clue WTF to study]
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5:08 - 5:09(Laughter)
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5:09 - 5:11I have no clue what it is.
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5:13 - 5:15But there's also another way,
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5:15 - 5:17which is The [Hong Kong]
Academy for Performing Arts, -
5:19 - 5:22APA, 演藝學院.
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5:23 - 5:26I applied for two courses:
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5:26 - 5:29the drama school and the film/TV school.
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5:31 - 5:34Actually, drama school
was my first priority, -
5:34 - 5:37but when I get to the second
audition in drama school, -
5:39 - 5:44I actually don't dare
to take it very serious. -
5:44 - 5:47I got zero preparation for that audition.
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5:48 - 5:49Why?
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5:49 - 5:51Because I don't want to have any hope.
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5:52 - 5:57Because I don't think my family
will allow me to get there. -
5:59 - 6:01When you study in APA,
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6:02 - 6:05you're not considered
as a college student. -
6:05 - 6:08But actually, it is a degree course.
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6:09 - 6:12So, the second audition in drama school
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6:12 - 6:19became the most embarrassing
performance in my life so far, -
6:20 - 6:23which is really, really bad
because zero rehearsal. -
6:24 - 6:27So, as a result,
I got into film/TV school. -
6:27 - 6:29(Laughter)
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6:29 - 6:31But don't get me wrong:
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6:31 - 6:36I get passion in both
behind the camera and acting. -
6:38 - 6:42So, what does that make me become?
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6:43 - 6:47A filmmaker, actor,
director, scriptwriter? -
6:47 - 6:49No, not yet.
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6:49 - 6:52I became a film-making student.
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6:54 - 6:56In that four years,
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6:58 - 7:02what I most benefit from, in my opinion,
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7:02 - 7:06is that I got the chance
to act in my classmates' films - -
7:06 - 7:09in acting in my classmates' short films.
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7:11 - 7:18It gave me the opportunities
about camera acting. -
7:20 - 7:25And four years later, I become a graduate.
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7:27 - 7:34And I know most of you think
that I was a YouTuber: -
7:34 - 7:37I make some online videos,
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7:37 - 7:41and one day, I don't know why,
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7:42 - 7:44a director picked me up on the street
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7:45 - 7:48and took me to the movie industry
to act as a leading role, -
7:49 - 7:50right?
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7:50 - 7:52I was a YouTuber,
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7:52 - 7:55and I turned to a movie actor -
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7:56 - 7:57which is not true.
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7:59 - 8:02It actually never happened
in Hong Kong history. -
8:03 - 8:05You can ask Tommy.
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8:05 - 8:07(Laughter) (Applause)
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8:08 - 8:10It never happened.
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8:10 - 8:13So, what did I do after I graduate?
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8:15 - 8:16When we graduate,
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8:17 - 8:20it means that we are hopeless.
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8:20 - 8:22(Laughter)
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8:22 - 8:25We are hopeless for our future,
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8:25 - 8:28and we are hopeless in our industry.
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8:29 - 8:33We got twenty students in my class,
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8:34 - 8:39and only seven students
studied major scriptwriting - -
8:40 - 8:41I am one of those.
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8:41 - 8:44And only one out of seven students
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8:45 - 8:47are actually working in the industry -
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8:47 - 8:48and that's not me,
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8:48 - 8:49(Laughter)
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8:49 - 8:53because I'm not doing
a scriptwriting job, right? -
8:54 - 8:58So, that is what I mean, "hopeless."
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9:01 - 9:03So what did I do after I graduate?
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9:05 - 9:06I was very lucky
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9:06 - 9:09because there were two movies,
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9:09 - 9:11got a public audition,
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9:12 - 9:13which is, you all know it,
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9:14 - 9:15"哪一天我們會飛" -
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9:15 - 9:17"She Remembers, He Forgets,"
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9:17 - 9:20and another movie, "Weeds on Fire" -
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9:20 - 9:21"點五步,"
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9:21 - 9:25a baseball movie, which was actually
produced by your school, -
9:26 - 9:30and I applied [for] both auditions,
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9:31 - 9:35and I actually earned both leading roles
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9:36 - 9:38in these two movies.
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9:39 - 9:43But they don't want me to act
at the same time in two movies, -
9:43 - 9:45so I have to choose.
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9:46 - 9:49But I like Adam Wong a lot -
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9:49 - 9:52I like his last movie, "The Way We Dance."
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9:52 - 9:54So, actually, I got no choice.
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9:54 - 9:58So I chose to act
in "She Remembers, He Forgets." -
9:58 - 10:02It turns out, I think,
it is really, actually, a wise choice -
10:03 - 10:06because this movie ["Weeds on Fire"],
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10:07 - 10:09it still hasn't released.
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10:09 - 10:11(Laughter)
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10:12 - 10:14Don't get me wrong:
it may be a good movie. -
10:14 - 10:17I believe it would be a good movie,
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10:17 - 10:22but I would not be standing here
to share with you, -
10:23 - 10:26because I would still be nobody.
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10:26 - 10:28Nobody means no money.
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10:28 - 10:29(Laughter)
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10:30 - 10:33So after I shot this film
["She Remembers, He Forgets"] -
10:34 - 10:38but the movie needed to prepare
for the post-production, -
10:40 - 10:43so I got some money in my pocket,
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10:44 - 10:46but I was still nobody.
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10:46 - 10:47So what should I do?
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10:50 - 10:51That was 2014.
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10:53 - 10:56In 2014, we all know
what happened in Hong Kong: -
10:56 - 10:58the Umbrella Movement.
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11:00 - 11:06It gave me a lot of impact
and a lot of ideas. -
11:07 - 11:12So I started to gather my crew,
my friends and my classmates -
11:13 - 11:17to make my first online videos.
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11:18 - 11:22We established
the organization Mocking Jer, -
11:22 - 11:25but it was barely an organization,
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11:25 - 11:28because we have no money,
no income, nothing. -
11:28 - 11:31We are just some friends
gathered together. -
11:31 - 11:35And we started to make
our first film with zero budget, -
11:37 - 11:42the film named "陳浩南教書篇."
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11:44 - 11:45That video
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11:51 - 11:54became the top video of the week
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11:54 - 11:56in Hong Kong YouTube.
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11:56 - 12:00It gained 200,000 views in one week.
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12:01 - 12:05So the magazines, the newspapers
started to interview us, -
12:06 - 12:09and we were encouraged.
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12:09 - 12:14We started to make another film
and another film, with no money. -
12:15 - 12:19So we are happy to make our own films,
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12:19 - 12:21but the problem is still there.
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12:22 - 12:23I got no income.
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12:23 - 12:26I barely lived with my freelance jobs.
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12:26 - 12:28So what's next?
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12:28 - 12:32At that time, our savior comes out:
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12:32 - 12:35the boss of "100Most,"
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12:35 - 12:38(Cantonese) Roy Tsui.
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12:38 - 12:40He called me.
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12:40 - 12:45He gave me a phone call
and asked me to work in "100Most," -
12:46 - 12:50which is - actually,
I was the supervisor for "TVMost" -
12:50 - 12:52before it launched.
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12:53 - 12:54Why?
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12:54 - 13:00Because, actually, I did
lots of the funny TV news online, -
13:00 - 13:02(Cantonese) "Most News."
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13:02 - 13:04Actually, I did a lot for a month.
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13:04 - 13:06Every day I did this news,
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13:07 - 13:10but it was never published,
because we had to test, -
13:10 - 13:13and before the day
"TVMost" launched, I quit the job. -
13:15 - 13:19I think there are many
talented youngsters in the company, -
13:19 - 13:20and I like to work there,
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13:20 - 13:22but somehow,
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13:22 - 13:26we are not on the same track
of making films - -
13:27 - 13:28I mean, me and the bosses -
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13:28 - 13:30so I have to leave there.
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13:31 - 13:34So a few months later,
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13:34 - 13:39CapTV find me to make
other funny videos online. -
13:40 - 13:42And a few more months later,
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13:44 - 13:46(Cantonese) "She Remembers, He Forgets"
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13:46 - 13:48finally released.
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13:48 - 13:49(Laughter)
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13:50 - 13:54And the movie released,
it means that I'm relieved, -
13:54 - 13:59because, finally, someone
knows me by the movie, -
13:59 - 14:01and they started to call me an actor,
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14:03 - 14:07and I started to have
a more stable income. -
14:08 - 14:09So,
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14:13 - 14:15here's today's moral of the story:
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14:20 - 14:24I was not a YouTuber first
and turned to movie actor. -
14:25 - 14:28Actually, there's no door.
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14:28 - 14:35There's no door for any YouTubers
to become movie makers or movie actors. -
14:35 - 14:36There's no door.
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14:37 - 14:39And, in my opinion,
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14:39 - 14:44there is no door for youngsters
to get in the industry, any industry. -
14:44 - 14:46It is very difficult nowadays.
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14:47 - 14:49So I'm telling you today:
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14:51 - 14:52you will never make it.
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14:53 - 14:56Whatever your dream is,
you will never make it. -
14:58 - 15:00Does that sound evil?
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15:00 - 15:02(Laughter)
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15:02 - 15:03You will never make it.
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15:04 - 15:05Why?
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15:06 - 15:08Even as lucky as me,
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15:08 - 15:12I got the chance to move
into the movie industries, -
15:12 - 15:17but I have not got a bright future,
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15:17 - 15:18as you've seen.
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15:18 - 15:22I still have not got many opportunities.
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15:22 - 15:25So, why would that happen?
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15:26 - 15:27In my opinion,
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15:28 - 15:32there are too many old men
in the industries. -
15:32 - 15:33(Laughter)
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15:34 - 15:39They just simply cannot
understand our situations. -
15:39 - 15:42They think we are
(Cantonese) "waste youth"; -
15:44 - 15:46they think we are "rubbish youngsters" -
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15:46 - 15:48I don't know how to translate this term.
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15:48 - 15:50It is really difficult to translate, okay?
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15:50 - 15:52(Laughter)
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15:52 - 15:54Because back in their days,
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15:54 - 15:57they work hard, they get paid.
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15:58 - 16:01They can move in their own flats.
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16:02 - 16:04We cannot buy our own flats -
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16:04 - 16:08it is, as you said,
"mission impossible," right? -
16:09 - 16:11We are barely living on our own.
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16:12 - 16:16In their eyes, we are rubbish:
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16:17 - 16:18"Why would you do that?
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16:18 - 16:21Because you are not hardworking enough.
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16:22 - 16:24That makes you rubbish."
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16:25 - 16:27They are not willing to open the door.
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16:28 - 16:29They keep the door shut,
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16:30 - 16:34without which the youngsters
cannot get into the industry. -
16:36 - 16:39Every time I see some young actors,
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16:40 - 16:42like me or even younger than me,
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16:43 - 16:46they are as talented as me or even better,
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16:46 - 16:49but they are still being unseen
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16:50 - 16:54because there are no platforms
for them to show up, -
16:55 - 16:57and that really breaks my heart.
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16:58 - 17:02So, that's why I am telling you:
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17:03 - 17:06whatever your dream is,
you will never make it. -
17:11 - 17:12To the big bosses
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17:12 - 17:14(Laughter)
-
17:14 - 17:15today -
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17:15 - 17:18I don't know if there are
any big bosses sitting here - -
17:18 - 17:19I am telling you:
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17:19 - 17:22so, please, give out opportunities
to the youngsters -
17:22 - 17:24or we will kill you.
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17:24 - 17:25(Laughter)
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17:25 - 17:27Just kidding.
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17:27 - 17:29And to the youngsters,
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17:29 - 17:31like me, and all the students here:
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17:33 - 17:34you will never make it,
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17:35 - 17:36but that's not your fault.
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17:38 - 17:39Even you will never make it -
-
17:39 - 17:42please tell yourself
you'll never make it, prepare for that - -
17:43 - 17:47but please, still try your very best
to achieve your goals. -
17:50 - 17:52So, that's what I want to say:
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17:53 - 17:56please walk your own way.
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17:57 - 17:59Because nowadays in Hong Kong,
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17:59 - 18:02we don't know what will happen tomorrow.
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18:03 - 18:06In every aspect, it is such a mess,
-
18:06 - 18:08especially the politics.
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18:09 - 18:10We all know it.
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18:10 - 18:13So walk your own way.
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18:14 - 18:17And we have to stand together.
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18:17 - 18:20We have to stand by each other
for our new generation. -
18:21 - 18:25If we cannot get in the door,
we create our own door. -
18:26 - 18:28We create our own generations.
-
18:30 - 18:32There's a sentence in Chinese,
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18:32 - 18:35(Cantonese) a misfortune
may be a blessing in disguise, -
18:35 - 18:38which means -
I'll try my best to translate - -
18:38 - 18:39(Laughter)
-
18:39 - 18:41which means
-
18:41 - 18:46if you lost something,
you may be able to get something back. -
18:48 - 18:50But in the way I see it,
-
18:51 - 18:55we must - we must be able
to get something back. -
18:57 - 18:59In my case,
-
18:59 - 19:03I wasted a lot of time
in my secondary school. -
19:03 - 19:08But I did try many aspects, many things,
-
19:09 - 19:12which is really good for my actor career
-
19:13 - 19:15because I need to play
different roles, right? -
19:16 - 19:19And I failed to get to university,
-
19:21 - 19:24but I got the chance
to study what I loved. -
19:25 - 19:28I failed to get in drama school,
-
19:29 - 19:33but I got a chance to know
more about the camera acting, -
19:34 - 19:38and for the scriptwriting majors,
I can write my own stories, -
19:39 - 19:41I can write my own films,
-
19:41 - 19:43and that's what I got.
-
19:43 - 19:47And the camera acting experience
didn't make me fail -
19:48 - 19:52for the public audition
of the feature-length films. -
19:52 - 19:56So, you never know
what you've got from your past, -
19:56 - 20:01so don't regret for what you did
or what you didn't do. -
20:01 - 20:03It's never too late.
-
20:03 - 20:07Don't think that
if I did this or did that, -
20:07 - 20:09didn't do this, didn't do that,
-
20:09 - 20:11maybe I can be better.
-
20:11 - 20:12Don't think about it,
-
20:12 - 20:16because that's just some assumption
which never exists. -
20:17 - 20:19So think about it:
-
20:19 - 20:21the way you walked is always the best way,
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20:22 - 20:23that's what I think.
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20:27 - 20:29And we have to stand together.
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20:29 - 20:31You will never make it,
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20:31 - 20:33but please,
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20:33 - 20:34try your very best to achieve it.
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20:35 - 20:39Because we are in such a messy society.
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20:40 - 20:44Do I still got time for a short story?
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20:45 - 20:47(Crew: Cantonese) Let's save it for later.
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20:47 - 20:49Okay. Thank you very much.
-
20:49 - 20:51(Cheers) (Applause)
- Title:
- The name they put on me | Neo Yau | TEDxHKBU
- Description:
-
Failing is not something to be scared of. You will eventually get to somewhere you enjoy and where you are considered to be successful.
Emerging as a new star in showbiz, Neo Yau is taking baby steps towards his dreams of acting and playwriting. After graduating from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), he and his partners started off establishing the group Mocking Jer whose first production gained over 100 thousand views online in just a few weeks’ time. The two local movies, ‘For Love, We Can’ and ‘She Remembers, He Forgets’, boosted his fame among the Hong Kong audience and have earned him recognition. As a movie lover, Neo has been indulging in movie appreciation and production since his childhood. His urge to perform and his belief in local production are his greatest motivation and drive in his acting and script-writing career. With Stanley Kubrick as his favorite director back in the days in HKAPA, Neo believes that imitation is at the root of improving performance.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 20:54
Retired user approved English subtitles for The name they put on me | Neo Yau | TEDxHKBU | ||
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Retired user edited English subtitles for The name they put on me | Neo Yau | TEDxHKBU | ||
Retired user edited English subtitles for The name they put on me | Neo Yau | TEDxHKBU | ||
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Clement Fu accepted English subtitles for The name they put on me | Neo Yau | TEDxHKBU | ||
Clement Fu edited English subtitles for The name they put on me | Neo Yau | TEDxHKBU | ||
Clement Fu edited English subtitles for The name they put on me | Neo Yau | TEDxHKBU |