4 - Founding an Army with Soft Power: Captain Andrew Lau

Summary

‘I do not fear these dark times, for I have seen worse. I can say with confidence that this is only darkness before dawn.’

— Andrew Lau, The Founding of an Army

Introduction

A filmmaker wearing multiple hats as cinematographer, director and producer, Andrew Lau began his film career as a cinematographer in the 1980s. Growing up as a film fan, Lau often watched ‘after-work showings’ (second-run films with cheaper tickets) with his uncle, and thanks to the coupons he received from his schoolmate's father, who was a cinema manager, he was able to watch many films when he was young. After graduating from secondary school, Lau wanted to find a job related to his interest in photography. He started his career taking photos for tourists but quit after two days because that was not what he desired. Before he actually found his life-changing job, he had a very brief tenure at a gold trading company, which was absolutely not his cup of tea. He finally had the opportunity to join Shaw Brothers in 1981 as a production assistant. He enjoyed the job and worked extra hard, and his eff ort paid off as he was soon promoted to camera assistant, having the chance to participate in Legendary Weapons of China (1982), directed by the kung-fu film master Kar-Leung Lau. Back then, Hong Kong's film industry was growing swiftly, and there was a great demand for new talent. Lau moved to Cinema City, the new force of the Hong Kong film industry, and then to Golden Harvest, where he made his cinematographic debut with his mentor Peter Ngor, Mr. Vampire (1985), directed by Ricky Lau, which was so popular that it triggered a wave of vampire films in Hong Kong in the late 1980s. Lau soon became one of the most sought-after cinematographers, and his works included, among others, commercial blockbusters such as Sammo Hung's The Millionaires’ Express (1986) and Jackie Chan's Armour of God (1987), as well as stylistic crime thrillers such as Ringo Lam's City on Fire (1987) and Kar-Wai Wong's directorial debut, As Tears Go By (1988).