Pomato Studio Limited (Chinese: 小薯茄工作室有限公司) is a Hong Kong video production company that creates online comedic skits.
Pomato was established by students of Hong Kong Baptist University's film school who thought they collaborated well in their school projects and wanted to continue making skits. The group makes videos that appeal to Hongkongers' sense of humour and that focus on the topics of friendship, romantic relationships, and life in Hong Kong. They started their Facebook page in September 2016 and also upload YouTube videos. Their appeal led to their receiving numerous requests for producing advertisement skits including from businesses like Subway, government entities like the Hong Kong Police Force and the Consumer Council, and people like the singer-songwriter Deep Ng and the singer Wilfred Lau.
History
Pomato's members are people born in the 1990s who largely attended Hong Kong Baptist University's film school.[2] Pomato was borne from Ko Kong Lin, Kenneth, Kwan Ho Kit, and Kiko's film school project.[3] After collaborating, the group thought they worked well together and decided to continue making films together on various topics.[3] They participated in competitions and used the prize money to purchase filming equipment.[4] In September 2016, Pomato created its Facebook page.[3] To serve as their workspace, they rented a unit in factory.[4] Initially, Pomato had eight members, which grew to 13 people by 2018.[3] The group's headquarters is on Sha Tsui Road in Tsuen Wan District in New Territories.[1]
The group makes skits about Hong Kong people's lives with the videos having lengths of between several tens of seconds and two minutes.[5][6] The skits are primarily about romantic relationships, friendships, and life in general.[2] They attempt to produce comedic content that appeals to Hongkongers' sense of humour.[3] Ko and Kenneth are the primary writers for the skits' scripts.[3] As inspiration for their content, they pay close attention to the latest popular online discussions so that they can understand how Hong Kong people live.[3] According to U Lifestyle, Pomato's skits are "funny and easily resonate" with viewers.[2] In August 2019, Pomato had 130,000 Facebook followers, which has allowed its members to be recruited for outside job options.[5]
There are a small number of characters in Pomato's skits. The Hong Kong Economic Times said the characters are very relatable to Hong Kong netizens who love watching them.[3] Influenced by the popularity of seven-second funny videos from foreign countries, Pomato initially tried producing similar content. Their short videos received a tepid response from Hongkongers who had to imagine what happened at the end of the video to understand why the video was funny. Pomato director Ko Kong Lin found that Hongkongers preferred clear and direct humour. Ko concluded that Hongkongers enjoyed watching skits that shared some more information, was filled with dialogue, and had many laugh out loud moments. Pomato found inspiration in comedy films, which they analysed to determine what made the films funny and then created their own comedy content. Pomato actor Rik Ching said many Pomato skits have hints of Virtues of Harmony, which is marked by much dialogue, a fast cadence, and filled with laughter. Pomato's subsequent content has a heavy focus on how couples interact with each other. They distinguish their content by showcasing heartfelt words that people usually would not say to each other. In a demonstration of how the skits resonate with couples, after watching the skits, many boyfriends or girlfriends would comment and tag their counterpart. Pomato makes skits that discuss daily life such as one about the five-second rule that accumulated 660,000 views on Facebook.[3][4]
In support of the protests against the 2019 Hong Kong extradition bill, Pomato backed a joint statement from 44 members of the YouTube community that proclaimed "Hong Kong is seriously ill" and joined a strike on 5 August 2019.[7] Pomato participated in YouTube's "#StayHome #WithMe" campaign done in collaboration with Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild that encouraged people to isolate at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8][9] On 25 April 2020, local Hong Kong content creators including Pomato performed live for the campaign.[8] On 11 October 2020, Pomato performed live during the virtual YouTube FanFest in a segment that showcased Asia-Pacific creators.[10] On 20 April 2021, Pomato collaborated on YouTube with three other major Hong Kong YouTube video production teams, Trial & Error, Arm Channel and FHProductionHK, to hold a live four-hour broadcast of discussions and films they produced.[11] One of the initiators of the event, Neo Yau, considered it as a new generation of Hong Kong entertainment industry.[12]
Members
Actors
Rik Ching [Wikidata] (Chinese: 程仁富; born 25 June 1991), known as 程人富 (Ching Yan Fu), received a bachelor's degree from City University of Hong Kong's School of Creative Media and a higher diploma from Hong Kong Baptist University's film school. In his third year of university in 2016, a classmate invited him to perform in a comedy skit for Pomato that was posted online. The director of the ViuTV TV series Limited Education noticed the film and saw his resemblance to a character in the planned series and invited him to audition to the role, which he subsequently was selected for.[13]
Sabrina Ng [Wikidata] (Chinese: 吳冰), known as 阿冰 (Ah Ping), was a film student during university and dreamed of becoming an actress.[14] She struggled to get involved in the industry. During a freelance opportunity, she saw a Pomato staff member she recognised, after which she joined Pomato as an actress.[14][5] She acted as the leading female role in the band Dear Jane's "Galactic Repairman" music video. During the song's promotion, Dear Jane had frequent interactions with Pomato.[15]
Tang Lai Ying [Wikidata] (Chinese: 鄧麗英; born 4 April 1997) entered the entertainment industry when after graduating from high school, her drama teacher recommended that she try movie casting. She attended the Hong Kong Baptist University and said in August 2018 that she had two years remaining to receive a creative writing degree. Pomato invited her to join the group to make videos. Her mother was a huge fan of the singer Teresa Teng, so her maternal grandfather selected her name to be similar in sound to the actress' name.[13]
Choi Hiu Tung [Wikidata] (Chinese: 蔡曉童), known as 童童 (Tung Tung), began acting at school in sixth grade and joined Pomato in 2017. She has the youthful face of a girl but frequently portrays a fierce girlfriend in Pomato skits.[16]
Pomato's "fresh, positive image and filming style" has led to numerous government agencies, businesses, and celebrities to approach them to make sponsored videos.[3] In the last six months of 2017, Pomato received requests to make 20 advertisements, each of which they charged roughly HK$20,000 to HK$30,000 (US$2,574 to US$3,861) to make.[6] Pomato has created ads for Deep Ng, Wilfred Lau, the Consumer Council, and the Hong Kong Police Force.[3] With everyday products, Pomato focuses on how people use the products in their day-to-day lives to build common ground among Hong Kong viewers. They exaggerate how the product is used to induce laughs and to make people be fine with being shown an advertisement.[3]
For example, Pomato published an ad skit titled "When ordering a meal in Subway" that depicted how owing to weak English language skills, when buying food at Subway, Hong Kong people are reduced to saying "This, this, this". Despite the video's clearly being an ad, the skit's humorous depiction of daily life caused audience members to give it "likes". The audience acquiesced to it, which allowed the video to do a "hard sell" of Subway at the end.[3] In an ad produced for the Consumer Council and the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, Pomato taught consumers how to turn away people who make calls offering debt restructuring services. One method was for the person to tell the caller, "I want to buy an $80 million house. I want to be an owner." When the caller asks how much money the person makes a month, respond "$2000", which will make the caller immediately leave. The second method was to counter-sell to the caller in telling them that their voice sounds hoarse and to offer a reasonably priced physical examination plan. The third method was to be a "master of reasoning" who sees through the scam and tells the caller that if they were a real bank employee, they would disclose their full name and employee number.[18] In another sponsored video, they made a one-minute skit broadcast on Chungking Mansions' outer wall warning about a love scam where a woman played by the actress Mimi Chu is defrauded of her money.[17]
Skits
The Pomato skit titled "Women's level of makeup depends on their counterpart? One glance will reveal who most likes you" received numerous views.[2] It said women have different levels of putting on makeup. The first level of putting on basic makeup is for typical activities of going out and going to work. The second level of putting on eye liner and rouge is for someone she is more interested in. The third level of full makeup including putting on eyelash extensions and eye shadow is for a man she is deeply infatuated with because she wants to be his centre of attention. The fourth level of putting on no makeup is for showing a woman's true self to her boyfriend in which she no longer wears a "disguise". She loves the man so much that she will relinquish the opportunity to encourage other men to be attracted to her.[2][19][20]
Pomato created a skit in 2019 discussing a boyfriend's not understanding safety pants (leggings) versus underwear and sports bra versus bra.[21] It depicted a guy, upon seeing the length of his girlfriend's skirt, objecting to her wearing it and going out. She reassured him that she was wearing safety pants underneath but he countered that male voyeurs who wanted to see underneath her skirt would already have taken advantage of her even if she were wearing safety pants. The skit's release sparked impassioned debates among netizens with many saying it showcased male chauvinism. Stressing the importance of bodily integrity, they argued that women should be able to wear whatever they liked. Another set of netizens agreed with the male character in the skit, saying that "safety pants are not safe" and "Obscene males don't care if it's safety pants or underwear". SET News said the actors had "hilarious acting skills" and the skit sparked substantial discussion about respect and the relationship between men and women.[21]
Pomato published a skit in 2018 titled "Don't call the wrong girlfriend's name" in which a boyfriend who is playing on his cell phone uses the wrong name, Kiki, to address his girlfriend Tungtung when he asks her for water. As his girlfriend becomes angry, he successfully soothes her by saying, "Other guys call their girlfriend 'piggy" or 'BB' (baby). If I call you that today, am I calling another person's girlfriend?" His phone rings with Kiki's name on the caller ID, after which Tungtung becomes angry and immediately kills him.[22]
References
^ ab"香港特別行政區政府知識產權署商標註冊處: 接納註冊 (全文本)" [Trade Marks Registry, Intellectual Property Department: Acceptance for registration (full version)] (PDF) (in Chinese). Intellectual Property Department. Government of Hong Kong. 2020-09-18. p. 32. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
^ abc李詠 (2018-03-26). 余嘉軒 (ed.). "成名要趁早 電影系畢業生拍網絡短片突圍" [To become famous as soon as possible, film graduates make online short films to break through] (pages 1 and 2. U-Beat Magazine (in Chinese). Chinese University of Hong Kong. Archived (1 and 2) from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
^ abc蔡金伶 (2019-08-01). "90後文青演員分享工作及復古心得 阿冰鍾雪堅守個人風格" [Post-90s young actors share their work and retro experiences. Sabrina Ng and Chung Suet stick to their personal styles]. UPower (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
^李納德 (2019-08-01). "【8.5罷工】44個YouTubers響應 指香港病情嚴重 達哥、大J有份" [[8.5 Strike] 44 YouTubers responded, saying that Hong Kong is seriously ill. Lam Wai Wai and Jason Chau are participating.] (in Chinese). HK01. Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
^ ab區慶威 (2020-04-18). "YouTube 全日免費直播陪你抗疫 藝人創作者一齊 StayHome WithMe" [Free livestreaming on YouTube all day to accompany you in the fight against the pandemic. Artists and creators together StayHome WithMe] (in Chinese). HK01. Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
^陳栢宇 (21 April 2021). "四台聯播︱本地YouTube界盛事 有校服短裙加持照有觀眾呻悶？" [Four channels hookup | Local YouTube industry great event. There are uniforms and skirts but still the audience is bored?] (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). HK01. Archived from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
^"【新浪潮】試當真、小薯茄等 YouTube 頻道合作 4.20 四台聯播 游學修：改朝換代要開始了" [[New wave] YouTube channels including Trial & Error and Pomato etc. collaborate. April 20 four channels hookup. Neo Yau: Generation change begins] (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Stand News. 13 April 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
^ ab機 (2019-08-08). "【程人富、鄧麗英、盧蓁宜專訪（上）】《教束》神話過後！不老騎士去哪兒？" [[Interview with Ching Yan Fu, Tang Lai Ying, and Claudia Lo (Part 1)] "Limited Education": After the myth! Where is the eternal knight?]. Line Today (in Chinese). Line Corporation. Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
^ ab踢歪囉 (2019-10-18). "【Oops有正妹】在演員的路上努力追夢 氣質香港妹阿冰" [Chasing dreams on the road to become an actress, Hong Kong young woman Sabrina Ng]. United Daily News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
^劉傳謙 (2020-06-24). "Dear Jane開線上音樂會 邀阿冰合唱《銀河修理員》成最大亮點" [Dear Jane held an online concert and invited Ah Bing to sing "Galaxy Repairman" as the highlight] (in Chinese). HK01. Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
^林偉德 (2019-02-26). "【夢專訪】童顏不是限制 童童：每個人都有長大的一刻" [Youthful face is not a limitation. Tong Tong: Every person has a moment of growing up]. Orange News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
^ abcde"朱咪咪打救網戀港女 今重慶大廈外牆首播片" [Mimi Chu rescues Hong Kong women who are infatuated online. The film will be broadcast on the exterior wall of the Chungking Mansions]. Sing Pao Daily News (in Chinese). 2018-07-06. Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
^"消委會拍片教KO借錢來電 點分真假銀行職員？" [The Consumer Council made a video to teach how to KO to calls about borrowing money. How to tell the difference between real or fake bank staff?]. Hong Kong Economic Times (in Chinese). 2017-11-28. 點分真假銀行職員？ Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
^陳昱哲 (2018-08-10). "女生化妝看「對象」分級！ 最後一級「素顏」代表：超愛你" [Women' makeup depends on the level of their target. The last level of "face without makeup" represents: I love you so much] (in Chinese). SET News. Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
^ ab謝美伶 (2018-05-12). "安全褲才不是內褲！女友拍片訴苦惱 男友氣噗噗怨：都一樣" [Safety pants are not underwear! Girlfriend shoots video to complain about her vexations. Boyfriend puffs and grudges: they're all the same] (in Chinese). SET News. Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
^陳昕琳 (2018-01-23). "超悲慘！叫錯女友名字犯大忌 男友下場直接GG" [Very tragic! Calling the girlfriend's name wrong violated an absolute taboo. Boyfriend ends up doomed.]. China Times (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-11-16. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
