Always Room to Grow
Link Sng receives his winning cheque.
Here with renowned judges, Xiao Ji Xiang Tian (right) and iQIYI’s Chen Xiao
at the ATF Chinese Pitch 2019
Do you know who is Link Sng (孙逸群)?
Probably not.
How about 警徽天职 (C.L.I.F.F. drama series), Portrait of Home (同心圆), Beyond the Axis of Truth (法医X档案), box-office hits Ah Boys to Men 1 & 2 (新兵正传) and a recent breakthrough, Lady Improper (非分熟女), which marked a milestone in singer-actress Charlene Choi’s acting career after being nominated for Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2019?
Certainly one or two titles from the abovementioned list ring a bell. They are all works of Link, who has also been writing numerous screenplays with Mediacorp – Singapore’s terrestrial broadcaster – since 2004, after graduating from the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts and the Beijing Film Academy.
Link is a veteran in the Chinese-speaking region, with 16 years of screen writing experience. So what attracted him to participate in the Chinese Scriptwriting for OTT Movie (网络大电影编剧入门) workshop that was offered, on the road to the ATF Chinese Pitch 2019?
“My main motive for joining the writing workshop organized by G.H.Y. Culture & Media and Ngee Ann Polytechnic, was to connect with more established Chinese writers.
“I hope to have a chance to be able to work and release my works in the China film market,” cited Link. He hopes to see more established writers from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia, among others, to join the scene, so as to raise the standard, maintain healthy competition and exchange opportunities.
He met Xiao Ji Xiang Tian (小吉祥天), a famous Chinese scriptwriter who was also a member of the ATF Chinese Pitch 2019 jury, and described him as being very encouraging, having given him some very good advice on how to improve his storytelling skills.
Link Sng (front left) with his fellow winners (front row), and other finalists and judges
Link entered the ATF Chinese Pitch 2019 with a thriller/suspense movie screenplay titled, 赤城, which is the type of topic he has always loved to write on, being one of his favourite genres. His greatest inspiration has been none other than Hollywood film director/scriptwriter, Charlie Kaufman.
Challenging times, like the recent global events, doesn’t hinder creative individuals like Link, as he usually seeks inspiration from news, books and films he watches. When everyone else panicked about individual country lockdowns, Link kept his cool, currently working on a new TV series and a movie script from home.
Besides having a good idea and script, Link reiterated that presentation is very important. He advises aspiring writers to keep the presentation short and punchy, making sure it draws attention.
Isn’t about time to submit that idea for a theatrical/online movie or/and an online drama series?
Take that step and send in your innovative concepts for new and original scripts.
What are you waiting for?