Camera (2014 film) explained
| Camera |
| Director: | James Leong |
| Producers: | --> |
| Starring: | |
| Music: | Shao Yanpeng |
| Cinematography: | Basil Mironer |
| Editing: | James Leong |
| Studio: | Lianain Films |
| Distributors: | --> |
| Runtime: | 96 minutes |
| Country: | |
| Language: | Cantonese |
| Budget: | $1 million[1] |
Camera is a 2014 Hong Kong-Singaporean science fiction thriller directed by James Leong and co-written by Ben Slater and Leong. It stars Sean Li as a surveillance expert who falls in love with his newest target, played by Venus Wong. It premiered at the 2014 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. It is Leong's first narrative film.
Plot
In near-future Hong Kong, Ming receives a cybernetic eye to replace his biological eye, which went blind in his childhood. He uses this replacement to record everything he sees. On his latest surveillance job, he falls in love with the subject, a woman named Clare.
Cast
Po-Chih Leong, director James Leong's father, appears in a cameo as Ming's father.
Production
Prior to production, Leong received funding from the Network of Asian Fantastic Films in the form of the Puchon award.[2] Shooting took place during January and February 2012 in Hong Kong.[1]
Release
Camera premiered at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on 19 July 2014.[3] [4]
Reception
Richard Kuipers of Variety wrote that the film fails to live up to its premise and does not expand enough on Hong Kong's futuristic timeline, though he said it "never becomes dull".[5] Bérénice Reynaud of Senses of Cinema criticized the Variety review, saying that it missed out on how the film addresses surveillance issues in modern Hong Kong.[6] Clarence Tsui of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Beauty thrives but also distracts the director from his aspirations of fusing fiction with social commentary."[7] James March of Twitch Film wrote that the film "showcases the director's strong visual sensibility", but the dull screenplay causes it to fail to live up to its "intriguing premise".[8]
Notes and References
- Web site: Cameras now running for Camera. Frater. Patrick. Film Business Asia. 2012-01-18. 2016-03-29. 23 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160423021543/http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/cameras-now-running-for-camera. live.
- Web site: Camera in focus at NAFF awards. Frater. Patrick. Film Business Asia. 2010-07-22. 2016-03-29. 10 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160310002540/http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/camera-in-focus-at-naff-awards. live.
- News: [Cine feature] Eclectic delights in store for 18th PiFan]. Conran. Pierce. The Hankyoreh. 2014-06-29. 2016-03-29. 9 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160409004606/http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/644569.html. live.
- Web site: BiFan Program > Puchon Choice : Feature Camera. Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. 2016-03-29. 9 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160409051455/http://19th.bifan.kr/eng/program/program_view.asp?pk_seq=1416&sc_category_seq=503&sc_num=1&actEvent=view. live.
- Web site: Film Review: 'Camera'. Kuipers. Richard. Variety. 2014-08-04. 2016-03-29. 21 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190621102841/https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-camera-1201275486/. live.
- Web site: AFI FEST-AFM 2014: Of the Good Use of Actors. Reynaud. Bérénice. Senses of Cinema. 2015-03-04. 2016-03-29. 11 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160411083831/http://sensesofcinema.com/2015/festival-reports/afi-fest-afm-2014-of-the-good-use-of-actors/. live.
- Web site: 'Camera' ('Ngaan Gei'): PiFan Review. Tsui. Clarence. The Hollywood Reporter. 2014-08-08. 2016-03-29. 13 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160413224658/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/camera-ngaan-gei-pifan-review-724129. live.
- Web site: PiFan 2014 Review: CAMERA Has A Good Eye But Lacks Focus. Marsh. James. Twitch Film. 2014-07-24. 2016-03-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20160415151616/http://twitchfilm.com/2014/07/pifan-2014-review-camera-has-a-good-eye-but-lacks-focus.html. 2016-04-15. dead.
