The masterclass featured Day Tai, an award-winning Hong Kong composer who has received multiple honours at both the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Asian Film Awards. Tai, whose notable works include The Way We Dance, She Remembers, He Forgets, Project Gutenberg, and The Way We Talk, shared insights into his creative process and his collaborations with directors. 

He explained that the score for The Goldfinger was conceptualised even before filming began, then later refined to match the rhythm and tone of the visuals. “Sometimes I visit the set to experience the atmosphere firsthand — it helps me create music that feels closer to the story,” he said with a smile, “though I don’t actually enjoy being on set too much — it’s usually quite hectic, and I’m afraid of getting in the way!” 

Tai also shared some of the subtle creative details behind his compositions. For example, in Zero to Hero, he used a steady, uplifting rhythm to symbolise the protagonist’s first steps after learning to walk — a motif that then continued into the following scene as the character entered school. “It’s a subtle design,” he explained. “The audience might not consciously notice it, but they’ll naturally be drawn into the story.” 

During the Q&A, audience members showed great curiosity about his choice of instruments. Speaking about She Remembers, He Forgets, Tai shared how he captured the youthful, nostalgic tone of a high school setting: “It’s a story that takes place in a secondary school, so I used simple classroom instruments like recorders and triangle bells to bring out that sense of innocence.” The session ended on an engaging note, with students eagerly asking about his collaborations with directors and how he expresses emotion through music.