For years, Hong Kong’s leading producer of television dramas, TVB, has been criticized for its cheap production and lackluster quality. Leadership does not last forever, and upcoming new television station, City Telecom (CTI), is prepared to step up in the game to bring Hong Kong audiences with quality television and broadcasting experiences. CTI’s entertainment television network, Hong Kong Television Network Limited (HKTV), currently has over 10 daring dramas in the making. Of the few that are in post-production, the thorny medical drama The Three-Faced Doctors <三面形醫> will most likely be the drama that will have your heart racing in shock. The production crew behind The Three-Faced Doctors, a drama about a group of plastic surgeons, hired real models to undergo actual cosmetic surgeries. In what seems to be a first in Hong Kong television history, the crew was allowed to film inside an operating room to witness a double-eyelid surgery. Starring cast member Frankie Lam (林文龍), who was “in charge” of the double-eyelid procedure that day, revealed, “On the day of filming, all of [the cast and crew] had to get disinfected before we could enter the operation room. The surgery typically took three hours, but because of our filming, we had to stay in the room for over ten hours. I was there to witness the entire operation. I really don’t understand why women are willing to go through so much pain!” Cast members of The Three-Faced Doctors were also willing to take botox injections for the drama, and allowed the crew to film the process. Although Frankie expressed that his plastic surgeon role is one of his most difficult roles to portray, he is very satisfied with his current working relationship with HKTV. “I have enough time to rest. The time I get to have to prepare for my role is also much more than what TVB gave me. Before we filmed [The Three-Faced Doctors], I had to take some classes with a professional doctor. I needed to learn how to give injections and learn the proper way to hold surgical instruments. We spent a lot of time to prepare for this drama.” To produce the best of the best dramas, HKTV was willing to churn out a budget of at least $1 million HKD for each produced episode. Frankie disclosed, “I still get to earn more when working in mainland China, but [HKTV’s] price is close. Also, filming in Hong Kong allows me to spend more time with my family.” Maybe Frankie’s high pay was the reason why he was willing to do a fire explosion scene without the help of a stunt double. The scene required Frankie to go through a wall of fire to save costar Kate Yeung (楊淇), who gets the right side of her body burnt. The actor expressed that he will spend the majority of the latter half of 2013 in Hong Kong, filming for HKTV’s dramas. Creds: ihktv
