Split Light
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jul 2
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. HKCEE - 08:00
The official flagraising reception. Suits. Polished shoes. Polite nods.
PETER arrives. RICKY spots him.
RICKY: Hi Peter. We meet again at our usual venue.
PETER: Yes. Ricky.
Peter spots Ricky carrying a small bag.
PETER: What camera are you using this time?
Ricky opens the bag and holds up an Olympus for Peter to see.
PETER (Cont'd): Have you brought an additonal flashlight system?
Ricky pulls out the Godox kit and mounts it on the camera.
RICKY: The head flash is detachable, which lets you create subtle light effects from different angles.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
EXT. WEST HILL, HA TSUEN - DAY (1960)
School picnic. Peter (6) pulls out a camera in a bag. And then a flashbulb. His TEACHER nearby is shocked.
TEACHER: Where do you get them?
PETER: From my Dad. He was a newspaper photographer. He taught me how to take photos...
END FLASHBACK
PETER (V.O.): Besides playing guitar and composing songs, Ricky is a passionate photographer.
Ricky demonstrates to Peter how to detach the headlight and hold it at arm's length.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In his days as record producer, he turned his own photos into album covers for the artists he worked with.
Ricky takes a photo of Peter, checks the image on screen and shows it to him.
RICKY: Check the light contrast on your face.
PETER: Wow, split light. One bright. One draped in shadow.
RICKY: You have an eye on photography too...the photos you took at my birthfday party were different.
FLASHBACK
INT. CHARIOT CLUB - NIGHT (8 June, 2026)
Ricky's 80th birthday party. The room buzzes with old MUSICIANS, COMPOSERS, SINGERS, ENTERTAINMENT GURUS.
On stage, Ricky straps on a bright blue Fender Telecaster, beside him, his former bandmate VASCO, the bass guitarist of the Mystics; their music friends and other artists join in.
Ricky counts in. The celebrity band launches into a classic rock-and-roll number.
Peter moves like a ghost with his iPhone in hand. Click. The fingers of Ricky and Vasco dancing on the fretboards. Click, a singer's closed eyes, lost in music. Click. Ricky laughing mid-song, wrinkles deepening, pure joy.
PETER (V.O): I'm not just taking photos. I'm collecting moments.
END FLASHBACK
PETER: I just pointed and clicked...
RICKY: No, you see things others don't. Even with a phone camera, you still got it.
PETER: It was a very good night.
RICKY: You found the light, even in the shadows.
Peter claps Ricky on the shoulder.
PETER: It's not photography. It's real life.
Pausing.
RICKY: Your Dad taught you well. Not just photography. But storytelling.
PETER (V.O.): Like Ricky, my Dad was passionate on photography.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In 1960, he had to quit his job in Central. My family attempted to start a poultry farm in Tin Sum.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It was a financial disaster.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): To feed a family of nine, my Dad had to work as a labourer in an iron foundry in Ha Tsuen.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22:30
Peter uploads an image of a camera mounted with a two-piece Godox flash system. The top flashhead can be pulled off from the base, allowing flashes at different angles.
PETER (V.O.): Light without shadow is just brightness. Shadow without light is just darkness. Split light is where truth lives.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Photography isn't about capturing what's there. It's about capturing what is about to disappear.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The power of split light - in philosophy and in life - is its refusal to simplify. It says: I'm not one thing. I'm many.
The END
FADE OUT
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