Zhou Yan thought that after arriving in Plymouth, he would meet director An Li first, but he did not expect that the producer and screenwriter would come to him first.
"You two, please come in."
When they entered the room and saw Wang Zuxian, the two of them were not surprised, because Bregman knew in advance that Zhou Yan had brought his female companion.
But they didn’t know Wang Zuxian, so they just nodded to Wang Zuxian as a greeting.
"Should I call you Y, or chou?" Brigman asked with a smile.
Zhou Yan shrugged, "It's all fine."
"Then I'll call you Y." Bregman smiled, and then congratulated Zhou Yan very politely, ""The Sixth Sense" has been released in North America. Very good result, congratulations. I even went to the cinema to watch this movie. I was amazed by your talent in movies."
Zhou Yan also laughed. Who said foreigners can't speak in scenes? Look how well Bregman said this scene.
Brigman probably went to see "The Sixth Sense" because he was the soundtrack director of "Sense and Sensibility."
Compared to Bregman, Emma Thompson is a bit more impatient. The first thing she said was to ask about music.
"Have the songs to be used in the filming of the movie already been prepared?"
Zhou Yan glanced at Thompson, which was a little strange. In fact, screenwriters generally don't need to worry about the soundtrack.
After all, the production of Hollywood movies is different from American TV series. Screenwriters do not have that much power.
However, it seems that Emma Thompson still has quite a lot of power on the "Sense and Sensibility" crew.
Of course Zhou Yan had already written the score that Thompson asked. He stood up and took out his folder and pulled out a small stack of scores.
He handed the score to Bregman, "These are the four songs Marianne played in the film, as well as the lyrics to two of them."
In the script Zhou Yan received, Marianne had a total of Four original songs were played, two of which were played and sung.
Originally Zhou Yan only wrote the music and not the lyrics, but he still filled in the lyrics. As for whether to use them or not, it depends on the director and producer.
Basically, he did not write these lyrics himself, but directly modified some European and American poems and filled them in.
Seeing the lyrics included, Emma Thompson raised her eyebrows, quite surprised.
Because it was agreed before that Zhou Yan would write the music and they would write the lyrics.
The reason why she was anxious just now was because she wanted to finalize the tune quickly and then fill in the lyrics.
"Which song did Marianne sing at Sir Joe's luncheon?"
It can be seen that Emma Thompson cares more about this piece.
This is also normal. Among the songs played by Marianne, this one is the most meaningful, because this song is the key to Colonel Brandon falling in love with Marianne.
At the lunch party at Jazzy Joe's house, in order to help my sister out, I offered to borrow Jazzy's piano to play a piece.
When she was halfway through playing, Colonel Brandon, who had arrived late, walked into the dining room and saw Marianne playing the piano and singing. He was instantly fascinated.
This kind of plot that lasts for thousands of years is very important in shaping Marianne's love.
Therefore, the piece must be charming.
The music must be simple and at the same time amazing.
"This one, "Don't Cry"." Zhou Yan pointed to one of the scores, "The first page is the accompaniment score, and the second page is the melody."
In fact, there is no need for Zhou Yan to explain in particular, these two You can tell which one is the accompaniment and which one is the melody at a glance because the lyrics are written on the melody sheet.
Emma Thompson has participated in musicals before, and she still has the ability to sing scores, but she did not rush to read the scores, but read the lyrics first.
"Fountain of sorrow, don't cry.
Why are you passing by in such a hurry?
Have you not seen how gently the sunshine in heaven melts the snowy mountains?
But..."
Emma Thompson read the lyrics of this song in a pure English accent. Her reading was very contagious, although it was the first time I saw it.
It can be seen that she should read the lyrics frequently to achieve such a level.
After reading, Emma was a little confused: "This lyrics. I seem to have heard it somewhere. ”
"This is a poem from the sixteenth century. You may have heard it before."
"Maybe." Emma nodded, "Who is its author?"
"I don't know. "
Hearing Zhou Yan say he didn't know, Bregman had some doubts, "Will there be a copyright dispute? "
If it is true, as Zhou Yan said, this is a song from the 16th century. There would naturally be no copyright disputes about poetry, but Zhou Yan didn't even know the author. If it had been created by someone else in recent years, there would have been problems.
Zhou Yan shrugged, "You need to verify this yourself. If you are really worried, you can use other lyrics. Anyway, I won't charge you for this word."
Hearing what Zhou Yan said, Brig Man smiled, naturally he could tell that Zhou Yan was joking.
At this time, Emma Thompson began to try to sing along with the melody. It can be seen that her ability to sing music is still acceptable, and her intonation is not bad, but in terms of professionalism, Zhou Yan feels that she is not as good as the real Compared with musical theater performers, she is still a little less interesting.
Maybe it’s because I haven’t acted for a long time and I’m rusty.
And this song doesn’t suit her voice very well.
What Zhou Yan wanted was a more ethereal sound. Even if his singing skills were jerky, it didn't matter. The melody of this song is simple, the lyrics are simple, the singing skills are probably passable, and the rest is just a matter of timbre.
Emma Thompson's voice is relatively mature, and her singing is very rigid, and she did not sing the feeling Zhou Yan wanted at all.
Listening to her singing "Don't Cry", it feels like Tsai Chin singing "Little Hands Holding Big Hands". The singing is correct, but the taste is wrong.
However, after Emma Thompson finished singing, Zhou Yan clapped very politely, "Ms. Thompson's singing skills are even better than I thought. You sang this song very easily."< br>
He didn't praise it too much, he just said that Emma Thompson sang easily, which was true. After all, the song was simple, so it was strange that it was difficult to sing.
As a semi-professional, Emma Thompson could naturally hear Zhou Yan's compliment.
However, she had no reaction to Zhou Yan's compliment. She even felt that the Chinese was a bit hypocritical.
To be honest, her impression of Chinese people is not particularly good. During the time she was working with An Li, she was not used to it.
Under normal circumstances, when the crew encounters a problem, they like a group of people to discuss it together. Most people will express their opinions, but An Li is always silent.
At first, Emma Thompson thought that An Li agreed with other people’s views, so she didn’t say anything, but gradually, she discovered that An Li did not agree with their views at all, even completely be opposed to.
But even if he objected in his heart, An Li always remained silent, and then raised the issue again after a while. After doing this once or twice, and maybe the third time, he would tell his true thoughts.
Privately, some people call An Li "Silent An Li" or "Difficult An Li".
So Emma Thompson is a little irritable. Now every time they discuss it, it doesn't mean that the problem has been determined.
This Y seems to be similar to An Li in that he will not tell his true thoughts.
This made her feel a little tired when communicating with Chinese people.
He hoped that Y could directly tell her problem and then share his own opinion, so that she could feel more relaxed.
Perhaps this Y will be more serious than An Li. After all, An Li has stayed in the United States for a long time.
Sighing secretly, Emma Thompson said, "Marian sang this song, so I still have to let Kate give it a try."
"How about we wait until we meet? Let Kate sing it live at the beginning?" Bregman said.
Emma shook her head and said, "Y won't be able to stay here for too long. I think it's better to let Kate give it a try as soon as possible. There is a piano in the hotel lobby, so she can try it there."
< br>
Bregman was not surprised at all by Emma Thompson's eagerness. They had known each other for a long time, so he knew Emma quite well.
Not to mention Bregman, even Zhou Yan, after chatting with Emma Thompson for such a while, could feel that she was impatient.
Emma Thompson's impatience is completely visible on the outside. When she speaks, she makes a lot of gestures, and even her mouth is not as fast as her movements. Zhou Yan doubts that if Her hands were held down to see if she could still speak normally.
Zhou Yan calls this way of speaking "band conductor style" speaking. When they speak, their gestures are more exciting than those of a band conductor.
Brigman looked at Zhou Yan, "Y, would you like to go down with us?"
After all, Zhou Yan had just arrived at the hotel not long ago, and he was already very tiring from the journey, so he might not be willing to go to the hotel with them, so Bregman asked this question. .
But Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Of course, I am here to solve the problem, and I also want to hear how Marianne feels when she sings this song. This song was written for Marianne."
"Okay, then I'll go find Kate now. It may take a while, you can wait a while before going down." Brigman said.
"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded.
Then Bregman and Emma Thompson walked out of Zhou Yan's room.
After walking for a while, Bregman said with a smile, "Y is younger than I thought, what do you think, Emma?"
"But he doesn't look like a young man, I am Said, that kind of energetic young man."
Bregman pursed his lips and smiled, "How can a director who made "The Sixth Sense" be such a lively young man? Emma, maybe you don’t like their characters, but his and An Li’s talents are amazing. If you believe in them, this movie will definitely be good.”
Ai. Ma Thompson curled her lips, "Maybe, this song is not bad. But such a simple song is not a particularly difficult test in the first place."
Brigman was noncommittal and just said, "Let Kate sing for a while, maybe there will be a surprise."...
Here, after Bregman and the others left, Wang Zuxian said, "It seems that Miss Thompson does not particularly approve of you."
Zhou Yan smiled indifferently. , "For me, this is just a job. Emma Thompson's attitude will not affect my remuneration."
Wang Zuxian lay on the bed and said with a smile, "You are really a pragmatic person. Artists."
"Most artists are pragmatic," Zhou Yan said with a smile.
Zhou Yan also lay down next to Wang Zuxian, and the two of them looked at the ceiling quietly.
After a while, Zhou Yan said, "I originally thought I could rest today, but looking at the situation, I may have to get busy quickly."
"That's not what's wrong with you, a workaholic. What are you doing?”
“I’m not a workaholic.”
“You are.”
Wang Zuxian turned over and lay in Zhou Yan's arms, "A person who works at least sixty hours a week is not a workaholic, so what is a workaholic?"
"People who work longer than me There are many." Zhou Yan disagreed.
“But there are not many people who can insist on working like this without anyone taking care of them.”
……
Zhou Yan and Wang Zuxian did not stay in the room for too long. , less than ten minutes later, we went to the hotel lobby hand in hand.
When the two arrived in the lobby, Bregman and the others had not arrived yet.
There is indeed a piano in the hall. Zhou Yan walked to the piano in the hall and tried the piano's tone. It was okay. This piano should be played often, and it was relatively accurate.
“This piano looks very old.”
“Well, it should be a few years old.”
The piano in front of me can be regarded as an “antique piano”, but it is not It’s not that “antique pianos” are precious. Many “antique pianos” have just been kept for a long time.
This piano already has big problems with the rebound of some keys. It is not a piano that can perform high-level music.
"Play a piece of music for me. Waiting is just waiting anyway."
Zhou Yan nodded, "What do you want to listen to? Let me tell you in advance that music that is too difficult will not work. I can't control this piano."
"I can play anything."
Zhou Yan thought for a while and played a piece of "Hidden Joy".
Since he was out to play, of course he wanted to play some happy tunes.
"Hidden Joy" was very short. After finishing it, he played "Wind" again.
When he finished playing "Wind", Bregman came over with Emma and Kate.
Brigman applauded very proudly, "Both songs are very humorous and interesting."
"This is a song I have composed for other movies before." Zhou Yanxiao He explained.
"This is Kate, the actress who plays Marianne. Kate, this is Y, the film's soundtrack director."
Zhou Yan said with a smile, "When we arrived at the hotel today, we had already met Kate."< br>
As he spoke, he stood up and handed the piano to Kate Winslet, "Leave it to you."
Kate nodded, walked to the piano, and first put the music stand on it. Okay, then I sat down and slowly started singing to the score.
Because Zhou Yan wrote the melody and accompaniment on two scores, it made Kate's playing and singing somewhat difficult, so she was a little slow in reading the scores.
After a while, she almost fumbled with the accompaniment, and then started to fumble with the singing part.
About five minutes later, she finally spoke.
"Fountain of sorrow, don't cry.
Why do you rush by?
Don't you see how gently the sunshine of heaven melts the snowy mountains?"
...
Although Kate's singing was relatively unfamiliar, Zhou Yan's eyes lit up.
Firstly, Kate’s singing skills are better than Zhou Yan imagined. Although they cannot compare with those very professional singers, they are much better than ordinary people. Secondly, Kate’s voice is very ethereal and particularly suits Zhou Yan’s personality. Require.
This is actually not a surprise. This must have been taken into consideration when the movie was casting. Since Kate can be chosen to play Marianne, she should have no problem singing.
Most movie fans know Kate Winslet from "Titanic". Many people may not remember her name, but only the role of Rose.
Of course Kate has more than just one classic work, "Titanic", but compared to "Titanic", other movies are far inferior.
Even if you don't like this movie, you have to admit its success, and it's not just a box office success.
When hearing Kate sing "Don't Cry", the most surprised person was not Zhou Yan, but Bregman and Emma Thompson.
They knew that Kate was a good singer and had a good voice, but what they didn’t expect was that Kate would sing this song so well.
When Emma Thompson sang this song herself before, she didn’t think it was so amazing. She just thought it was a pretty good song. But now after hearing Kate sing it, she I understand, it’s not the song that’s the problem, it’s that she’s the wrong person to sing.
This song was not sung for her, Elinor, but for Marianne.
Kate Winslet herself was also surprised. She did not expect that the song would be so good before she started singing.
This is not a very complicated song, which fits the plot very well, but it sounds very nice and has a pure feeling.
At this moment, she even felt that she was Elinor herself.
What’s even more remarkable is that the melody of this song matches the lyrics very well, and the two complement each other perfectly.
After Kate finished singing the first time, Zhou Yan walked over and said, "You sang very well, but there are a few things that could be changed."
On Zhou Yan's previous score, there was only the melody, not the melody. Mark how each paragraph should be expressed.
Singing is not just about singing the pitch accurately, it’s just about singing at the right time. It also requires changes in strength and weakness, the use of breath, and other techniques. The same song can be expressed differently using different techniques. .
Zhou Yan pointed to the score, briefly talked to Kate about the issues of strength and weakness, and then stepped back and asked Kate to sing again.
Kate reviewed what Zhou Yan just said to the score and sang it again.
Because I had already sung it once, I was relatively familiar with the score, and with Zhou Yan’s guidance, my singing effect improved a lot the second time.
In fact, when Kate sings, she uses a lot of modern singing techniques, which is not in line with the setting of the movie.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, people did not sing like this. They sang more in an operatic style. Emma Thompson had a similar style just now.
However, An Li and the others do not want to adapt this novel into a serious movie that is entangled in historical research. They hope that ordinary audiences can easily accept this movie.
Originally, as a classic that has been handed down from generation to generation, the name "Sense and Sensibility" has already been somewhat repellent.
When many viewers hear that it is a masterpiece, they subconsciously think that this must be a movie with great literary and artistic value, but most likely it will be a boring movie.
Some viewers may even think that I, an ordinary person who doesn’t love literature, am not worthy of watching this kind of movie.
This is a scene that the producers did not want to see, so before the movie was shot and the script was adapted, they took this into consideration and made changes.
We must get rid of the shackles of the original work on the premise of respecting the original work.
Actually, if it were to be filmed according to the original work, this movie would be impossible to watch.
In the book, most of the male characters appear in people's conversations, and there are not many specific plots. According to the development of the book, it will probably become a drama with the main scenes focusing on the dialogue between the two female protagonists.
Therefore, when adapting, it is necessary to add many specific plots for these male characters.
The same goes for Marianne's singing. If she had to sing a few opera verses to the audience in this movie, it would feel too strange.
When Kate finished singing for the second time, there was a burst of applause behind Zhou Yan and the others.
It turns out that at some point, many people had gathered in the lobby, and these applauses were all caused by them.
Emma Thompson couldn't help but applaud as the song went beyond her expectations.
Brigman nodded slowly, Y’s talent is indeed worthy of belief.
In fact, when An Li asked a Chinese musician to score the movie, Bregman did not agree. However, after listening to Zhou Yan's two albums, his attitude changed. .
Zhou Yan’s talent in music is truly rare.
Bregman even compared the two versions of "The Piano Boy Who Wants to Fly" and "The Flying Piano Boy", and then he found that Zhou Yan's handling of the details of the soundtrack was really amazing, completely Different soundtracks can be arranged according to the rhythm of the plot.
The difference between the two versions is actually not big, but these differences were captured by Zhou Yan and reflected in the soundtrack.
Later, Bregman saw Zhou Yan's new movie "The Sixth Sense". He was surprised to find that Zhou Yan's director level had risen sharply. "The Sixth Sense" can be said to be a very mature work. .
If "The Sixth Sense" were an English-language film, Bregman believes that it would have achieved better results and would definitely have achieved more than this at the box office. (End of this chapter)