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Interview/Sun Xinyu

Since his debut, Huang Yinghua has become a composer favored by famous directors such as Du Qifeng and Tsui Hark, and since king of comedy, the cooperation with Stephen Chow is even more commendable. Shaolin soccer, Kung Fu, The Demon of Journey to the West and other works will be dim (but not attractive) without the soundtrack of Huang Yinghua.

When New king of comedy was released, Ying Lezhi chatted with Mr. Huang Yinghua about his cooperation and friendship with Stephen Chow for more than 20 years. Who wrote the song "I raise you"? How to play bamboo folk music? Stephen Chow actually wrote the score? What is the accomplishment of comedy composition? I believe that in Huang Yinghua's wonderful words, readers will have a deeper understanding of his artistic vitality.

Ying Lezhi: Hello, Mr. Huang Yinghua. In fact, most people first mentioned you because of Stephen Chow's works. Besides, you are really low-key. In fact, many people are not curious about your career path. Can you tell me how you got into this industry first?

Huang Yinghua: I don't want to make movie music. I want to make pop music. At that time, I was studying in Canada and went back to Hong Kong to play during the summer vacation from 65438 to 0995. A friend introduced me to another friend because he knew that I like music and wanted to make music. He introduced me to the producer of a record company, that is, Lei Songde.

Lei Songde's pop music is very popular in Hongkong, so he said you can, and you can help in the company. There are a lot of pop music in Hong Kong, because the recording industry in Hong Kong was particularly developed at that time, so I entered the industry and met the first person in the music industry.

At that time, besides pop music, he also did some other work, such as advertising, TV series and movies. In one of the jobs, he introduced me to James J.S.Wong. He said there were not enough people there, so you should help and study. So I met Uncle Zhan. Later, I got to know Tsui Hark and Hu Weili, and then I got to know a lot of people in the film industry, so I got here.

Ying Lezhi: I see. So did you first study music in Canada?

Huang Yinghua: I majored in computer science. But I minored in music in college. But making music now still depends on computers, so it is still useful.

Ying Lezhi: So you met Mr. Hu Weili, who also wrote a lot of music for Stephen Chow's films. Did your interpretation of Stephen Chow's music begin with Mr. Hu?

Huang Yinghua: I think what Mr. Hu taught me most was how to be a man. In this line of work, how to be a man and how to survive, on the one hand, he has helped me far more than music, but I seldom talk to him about music.

I admire him very much. He is a superman. Compared with him, I am a lazy person. At first, I didn't know it was so difficult to make a movie soundtrack. I took a movie and helped in it. I only got two or three hours' sleep at work every day. What is even more distressing is that at that time, Mr. Hu often "scolded" me and said, "I can't stand this little pain. You know, besides this one, I have to make five movies at the same time. " At that time, I really couldn't believe that one person could make so many movies and so much music. He is really hard-working and diligent.

I remember the first film I made with him was Butterfly Lovers directed by Tsui Hark (1994). When I was working on Knife (1995), Tsui Hark and I stayed on the set all night until dawn. When I left the studio, I had to revise the music suggestions put forward by the director, and then I went to the studio that afternoon. Every day, but I don't have time to sleep. The next day, I was a little nervous and almost cried. After all, I didn't sleep for two days, so I said, "I really can't hold on." Then Tsui Hark came over and said, "Look at the assistant director next to me. Ask him how many days he hasn't slept, three or four days! Look at me again. I haven't slept for several days, seven days! Do you have anything to say? " I have nothing to say. Keep working. At that time, it was very hard to make movies, and it was common not to sleep for a few days. I admire those predecessors.

While working for Mr. Hu Weili, I also contacted other directors, such as Du Qifeng. At that time, he and Du Qifeng wrote many films together. Naturally, I got to know him with my help, so I also wrote many films for Du Qifeng. Later, he wrote some works for Li Lichi and Stephen Chow, and he introduced me to Li Lichi. I got to know Stephen Chow again through Li Lichi, so my cooperation with Stephen Chow began. The first one is king of comedy.

Ying Lezhi: Speaking of king of comedy, Jing Daole Nishi's music in those days was a very classic and fresh style of Japanese synthesizers in the 1990s, which was quite different from Stephen Chow's previous works. At that time, I asked you for help, was it filling music or other forms of creation?

Huang Yinghua: I called Jing Daole Nishino before I came, because Hong Kong TV was also on a long vacation at that time, which was very popular. Stephen Chow likes that kind of music, too. He thinks that such fashionable music can also be made into movies. So he went to Nishino, Jing Daole.

What about Jing Daole Nishi? Maybe the way to make Japanese dramas is to write a lot of music in advance, but don't look at the pictures. But if it is used in movies, it may not cover all the plot and atmosphere requirements of the movie. So Stephen Chow must have more than one leader to create, and that is me.

He told me that he had these Nidessuke's music, about ten or eight. Mainly romantic and relaxing music. The atmosphere of tension, horror and inspiration is all supplemented by me.

Ying Lezhi: Compared with this year's "New king of comedy", I think there is little original music, and I hardly feel its existence. What is the reason?

Huang Yinghua: The most special thing about this movie is that there is very little music. Because the taste, human feelings and stories of the plays in this film are particularly rich. There used to be a lot of nonsense jokes or exciting pictures, but in this film, you can savor the relationship between people, the scenes before father and daughter and walk-on, and so on. Everyone has many scenes, so the director decided not to need too much music. Because conversations and stories are rich, there is no need to exaggerate and spread music like telling stories. Besides, there are many music tributes to king of comedy and quotes Swan Lake.

"Swan Lake" carries out the whole film, from getting on the bus at the beginning, to eating lunch for free, to falling to the lowest point and wanting to die, and finally reaching the peak of life is also "Swan Lake".

Ying Lezhi: So is there any special purpose in using Lao Chai's Swan Lake? Who chose the music?

Huang Yinghua: Actually, what kind of music to use is decided by everyone. Swan Lake is my suggestion. Before that, there have been many ideas about music here, and I have tried many, about twenty or thirty songs. I have also written many original music and tried other classic movie music, jazz and classical.

After trying so many times, Swan Lake thinks this is the best effect. Because this song is not just a play, but can be applied to three scenes of happiness, pride, loss and success, and the effect is very good. Because this work itself is rich, tragic and gorgeous.

Ying Lezhi: So you didn't care too much about the story of Swan Lake itself?

Huang Yinghua: Actually, we didn't study the story of Swan Lake, mainly because the music itself conforms to the story.

Ying Lezhi: Master Xing will strictly control every step of filming, from performance to script, so will he do this when you write music?

Huang Yinghua: He pays more and more attention to music. Every time he makes a movie, he becomes more concerned and nervous about music. Speaking of "New king of comedy", when the music is dull, he will participate in everything from music to writing, when to promote it, when to start it, when to stop it, when to change the atmosphere, how to switch musical instruments, and what instrument to use, piano or guitar, all need his approval. Every capital is this process.

Ying Lezhi: It seems that he has imagined in his mind how the concert will be presented.

Huang Yinghua: Some of them were filmed with music in his mind, but others he will think about later. He is a man who often thinks. He may hear a piece of music while shopping, and he will think it can be used in a certain scene. He will continue to listen and pay attention.

When working with him, he often changes. Maybe he heard a song in the restaurant today and thought it was better than that one, and then called me-hey, have you heard this one? Hey, you try that song.

Maybe in two days, he will change what he hears in fitness, so he will keep thinking, trying and changing.

Ying Lezhi: So you will start the discussion earlier, but will you wait until after the filming?

Huang Yinghua: Yes. Moreover, he is more and more inclined to use classical music, such as old songs, the music of his previous works, and even his childhood things, which is his tendency.

But even if he takes a fancy to old songs, we may not be able to buy them and others may not be willing to sell them. Even if I want to sell it, but the record is rotten or the recording is poor, then I have to do it again. If music can't be bought at all, then I have to make a song with the same emotion with that atmosphere and feeling.

Ying Lezhi: You just said that some music was planned before shooting. I immediately thought of several scenes in Kung Fu, such as classic folk music such as Donghai fishing songs, adventure and knife meeting. I feel as if it is in harmony with the martial arts and emotions on the screen. Did you think about music before shooting?

Huang Yinghua: No (laughs). The characters, scenes and tricks in Kung Fu are all from Cantonese feature films we watched when we were young, so music has long been known to use traditional folk music in Cantonese feature films. So we found the most suitable songs and paragraphs commonly used in Cantonese feature films at that time and kept trying.

Many bands have played these songs, and different CDs can be bought, but we can't find a version with enough movie momentum and suitable editing speed, because it is not strong enough to put these folk music in a pure fighting scene. After all, writing folk music itself, we may not think of punching and kicking.

We can only ask the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra to re-play the recording according to our requirements. In order to be more suitable for action scenes, the version we use is more like the soundtrack of action scenes and faster. The national musical instruments used by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra are all modified, and the seating arrangement is influenced by western orchestras. Therefore, from musical instrument design to seating to recording, it is wider, more spatial, more dynamic and more dynamic. In my opinion, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra plays the best China music.

Ying Lezhi: So the same is true of Song of a Wanderer, which is reproduced in New king of comedy?

Huang Yinghua: Yes, it was often used in Cantonese feature films in the past. So many of his inspirations are from Cantonese feature films. Perhaps he was exposed to Cantonese feature films the most when he was a child, and it was these things that inspired his love for acting and movies. He is too sentimental in this respect.

Ying Lezhi: So in "New king of comedy", apart from so many old music that pays tribute, do you have any special thinking direction or orientation when creating new music?

Huang Yinghua: First of all, it should correspond to the style of the old version, and you can't jump too far, because when you put the old version of music in, the song is already very prominent and conspicuous. Since there is such strong music, original music should not be divorced from personality, with strong melody, exaggeration or confusing audience.

Ying Lezhi: Your musical timbre has a very special sense of the times of synthesizer timbre. Even writing songs for mainland costume dramas, why do you insist on using timbre instead of band recording?

Huang Yinghua: There are various reasons, sometimes time and budget. In fact, for a big production like Kung Fu, I also have time to do it with real band records, but not every capital is "real". We can use "real" products, but we chose to use synthesizers, because we found that some music was made by synthesizers and pasted in movies, but when recording, I felt that the effects and emotions could not be reproduced. If the finished product is put back in the movie, the director will think it is wrong. Stephen Chow will notice.

He would ask me, "Hey, why did you change music?"

I said, "Yes, I recorded the real thing."

"Who told you to record the real thing? ! "

"Huh?" "Real goods" are good goods, that band, many people's oh, a lot of money, recorded for a long time, very good. "

He said, "Who said that? I just don't want to be a very good one. If you do so well, it won't be like that. "

Actually, it makes sense. That's what happens in kung fu. Some music can be played so fast that only the computer is "fake". Although it sounds "fake", at that time, the guitar was recorded with a microphone in front of the real guitar, but if it was recorded in front of the real guitar, the sound would be different from that of the real record, because if the guitar was recorded, the microphone should not be too close, because it would hinder people from playing, so the real record could not achieve the "fake" effect.

When I make a fake, I don't regard it as a fake, but use it as a real musical instrument. I will try my best to make it to the extreme. How does this instrument express the feelings I want? What can this instrument do and what can't it do? I will avoid it from making unpleasant sounds when I create, so I have already created for the synthesizer.

Those of us who use computers to make music sometimes think of a melody and then play it in synthetic timbre. If we find it bad, you will naturally change it, and it will be much better if we change it. But when you find the real thing to play, you will find that it is not that good. I often encounter such a situation.

Ying Lezhi: Let's go back to the nonsense comedy. Of course, the most common idea of comedy films is to match funny music, but in their cooperation, it seems that music tends to be more serious in one word, such as sadness or fierceness, and a huge contrast is established to create humor. How to grasp the direction and degree of this contrast?

Huang Yinghua: We don't like funny pictures and funny music very much. We feel embarrassed, which means you are telling others that it is funny. Why don't you laugh ... It often happens in some old movies in Stephen Chow, but it's actually ugly and embarrassing. In case the scene is really not funny, it will be even more embarrassing, and you can't pass yourself at all. Music still wants to be written on another level, such as emotion and plot, rather than on the surface of the picture.

Ying Lezhi: I immediately thought that the music of three knives in Kung Fu was particularly sad.

Huang Yinghua: That's right. It is better than "Chong" (simulating the falling effect of a bass trumpet semitone) and will lose a layer of depth. I don't look at the surface anyway. Unless the style of a film really needs it, or the director requires it, I tend to dig deeper and think in that direction.

Ying Lezhi: I remember you also revealed that some music in Kung Fu was composed by Stephen Chow. Specifically, what is the creative process?

Huang Yinghua: He wrote the opening song of Kung Fu. What is the process? Here's the thing:

He said to me, "Have you ever heard a piece of music from a movie that Bruce Lee didn't remember before? The drums are like this-like this-like this, and some horns are blowing, so that from one state to another-like this. Remember? "

I said, "I really haven't heard of it, and I don't remember it. Can you find music or drama? "

He's not sure which one. After a scolding, he said, "Cut! What movie soundtrack do you do? You heard nothing. "

I said, "How do you describe this piece?"

He said, "There are many drums here." Then I used some "fake actions" to pop him out.

He would say, "Well, hurry up/no, slow down/almost."

"Then what?"

"Then get some speakers, bang bang."

I will give it to him.

"Not these speakers!" I changed his horn again.

"The voice should be lower/no, it's higher here."

This is how it was re-created, oral reproduction. Of course, there are also his mistakes. I'll help him make them up. For example, some melody modes and harmonies are wrong, so I fill them in correctly.

Ying Lezhi: Did you find the last legendary "Bruce Lee score"?

Huang Yinghua: No (laughs). So he probably imagined it himself, or heard it in a movie, but it wasn't Bruce Lee at all. Anyway, I haven't heard the song he said after all these years.

Ying Lezhi: After so many years of cooperation, what's your understanding of Stephen Chow's music?

Huang Yinghua: Nostalgia. He uses old music more than new music. He is particularly nostalgic and yearns for the past. He likes movies and music of his youth and even childhood very much, and he doesn't like staple food very much. For example, there are many big scenes in The Mermaid. Many times I showed him what I had done, and he said no, it wasn't what he wanted.

I said, "Hey, but these are already exciting. Such a big scene, blasting and flying, helicopters and cannons, Hans Zimmer made it like this. "

He said, "Do you think I have no money to hire Hans Zimmer now? If I wanted something from Hans Zimmer, I would have gone to Hans Zimmer. What do I want you to do? You think I have no money to find Hollywood? I just don't want that. "

He especially dislikes the staple food that everyone takes for granted. He feels particularly absent-minded, and this laziness is an insult to a creator.

Ying Lezhi: Speaking of ideological music, I read in the previous report that you seem to particularly admire ennio morricone's music. How much did you show in your own creation?

Huang Yinghua: Yes, even if I write some musical instruments, lyrical or romantic or sad, even if the melody is simple and silent, I will create color changes in harmony and chords and orchestration. Even if there is nothing in the melody, I will make many changes below, and emotions are brewing under it.

That's ennio morricone. What is under his melody is the best. The melody is natural and beautiful, but the following things are the most touching and stirring. This is my favorite style, and the melody doesn't need to exaggerate too many notes.

Ying Lezhi: Thank you very much for your wonderful sharing!