Director , Cinematography、Position(攝影師Camera Operator)

Director, Cinematographer

Title: Camera operator

Born in 1931, Cheng-Ying Lai graduated from Provincial Taichung First Senior High School (today’s Taichung Municipal Taichung First Senior High School) and is a senior cinematographer. He started his career in 1952 as a camera assistant for many films, such as Qi Lu, Feng Huo Li Ren and Jun Zhong Fang Cao. In 1955, he served as the cinematographer for the first time for Shan Di Gu Niang and continued his career as a cinematographer. In 1958, he shot Chang Feng Wan Li, the first black-and-white CinemaScope film in Taiwan. In the same year, he went to Japan to learn color cinematography in Daiei Film and color film developing in Tokyo Laboratory, and also observed animation production and learned bluescreen special effects-based cinematography in Toei Company. In 1959, he returned to Taiwan and served as the cinematographer for Mo Ku Sha Zi Bao and Reunion; both films won the Best Black and White Cinematography Award for Excellent Mandarin Films from the Government Information Office. In 1963, he worked with director Hsing Lee in Our Neighbors. They became long-term collaborators, and Lai won Best Cinematography for Color Film of Golden Horse Awards for three films directed by Lee: Beautiful Duckling, Stardust and Execution in Autumn.

In 1975, he began to direct films. His works included Tao Hua Nu dou Zhou Gong and Yue Xia Lao Ren. In Confused Love (1976), he served as a cinematographer for the last time, accumulating over 60 cinematographical works in total. Since then, he has served as the Director of the New York branch of I-Sky-Net, the Deputy General Manager of Era Film and TV Prod. Ltd. Co., and the administrative secretary of the Chinese Society of Cinematographers and Directors Guild of Taiwan. He has devoted himself to filmmaking for long years and contributed greatly to Taiwan’s film industry.

In 2022, he received Lifetime Achievement Award of the 59th Golden Horse Awards.