1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 101 Two Golden Songs
In the next few days, Zhai Yuan stayed behind closed doors to write books.

First, I worked out the script of "While You Were Sleeping" and made some simple adaptations.

The main reason is that there is a side storyline about a little girl in the movie, and they were worried that the film censorship would not pass the review. So, in accordance with currently popular social issues, the little girl was replaced by a voyeuristic villain No. 2, who is often used as a smokescreen in Hong Kong films to confuse the audience. She was killed directly because she discovered the male protagonist's secret.

Other adaptations mostly involve localizing the scenes and character logic in the movie.

This time the script has a lot more plots and dialogues than "The Blind Girl", and the difficulty of adaptation has also increased, so Zhai Yuan can only do it himself.

After deleting and revising, I wrote a total of more than 20,000 words, which is almost the amount of content of a later online drama script.

"Director, the script is ready. Are you free today? I'll send it to you later."

After finishing the manuscript, Zhai Yuan called Peng Jiayan.

"So fast?"

On the other end of the phone, Peng Jiayan sounded surprised.

She didn't expect that Zhai Yuan had written a movie script just a few days after being discharged from the hospital.

At that time, Hong Kong film and television dramas had not yet developed into the abnormal production model of "Seven Days Fresh" (shooting a movie in seven days) that followed the trend of pursuing speed. It was normal for screenwriters to delay submission of manuscripts. Therefore, there were also cases where two TV stations, such as TVB and ATV, competed with each other and could not wait for the slow creative speed of screenwriters, so they would just write one episode and start filming immediately, and then immediately return to drawing to grab ratings.

Therefore, it often happens that half of the series has been aired, but the director is still waiting for the progress of the screenwriters and has no idea what to shoot tomorrow. This mode of creating works based on audience feedback has certainly produced many exciting plots, but it has also led to many TV dramas with contradictory settings, most of which are rushed out.

This is just a TV script.

Zhai Yuan finished a movie script in just a few days. Even if he had a rough draft in mind, this speed was already quite amazing.

"Of course, I'm famously fast."

Zhai Yuan lowered his head and flipped through the manuscript, responding casually.

"If you have time this afternoon, come to our school. I'll have a chat in person after I read the script."

"Okay, but I have another favor to ask of you. Can you introduce me to someone who can compose music?"

"Are you planning to do the film's post-production music now?"

"No, I wrote two theme songs for my phone company and wanted to use them as a signboard."

"You? Writing songs?"

Pang Ka Yin's voice sounds like it's haunted. How come you, a nominal director who writes perverted scripts, are researching songs again?

The script can still be fooled by relying on wild imagination to make up stories, and now the screenwriters in Hong Kong are basically such a makeshift team.

However, music involves too much professionalism, and it is almost impossible to complete creation without systematic learning. Even music giants like Xu Guanjie, Gu Jiahui and Huang Zhan have accumulated little by little in professional schools to achieve their current success.

Do you really think you are a god?

Maybe he just wrote the lyrics, which is relatively easy.

Peng Jiayan on the other end of the phone thought so.

"You can think whatever you want."

Zhai Yuan did not argue, and continued: "Anyway, please help me find such a person. When you read the script later, I will talk to him about the theme song of my company."

Peng Jiayan said angrily, "Why? I'm willing to help you make a movie because of Senior Sister Xue. You can't push your luck!"

It was rare to hear the name Senior Sister Xue again, and that cold face appeared in Zhai Yuan's mind again.

I don’t know if I will have the chance to see her when I go to Hong Kong Island this afternoon.

But now we have to appease the fat sheep, Peng Jiayan, first.

"Director, I grew up in a poor family, but I have always dreamed of becoming a singer, because music is my life, and you can't just watch this life disappear."

"You said last time that movies are your life."

"I am a cat, I have a lot of luck."

"…I'm afraid of you. I'm not familiar with the music. I'll try my best to ask for you."

"Thank you, director!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhai Yuan folded the manuscript of "While You Were Sleeping" and packed the other two manuscripts together.

These are the two theme songs he selected for Secret Garden, which he planned to broadcast on TV in the form of advertisements.

Two MVs were shot at the same time.

At this time, singers in Hong Kong and Taiwan had already started making MV videos and broadcasting them on TV music channels. In Hong Kong, they were called music films, and in Taiwan, they were called music tapes. They all began to become popular in the past one or two years.

This is because American music videos only started to become popular around the world in 1981, so Hong Kong and Taiwan learned very quickly.

However, the level of MV production in Hong Kong during this period can be described as shoddy due to the limitations of the times.

After Zhai Yuan came up with the idea of using MV to promote Secret Garden, he turned on the TV and listened to a few songs on TVB's music channel.

One of them is "Love Goddess" by Teresa Teng and Alan Tam.

The two superstars danced and sang awkwardly in front of the camera, and the poor quality mosaic picture of the magnetic recording camera looked exactly like the damn Yunan folk song.

The other song was "Story of Time" by Sylvia Chang, the top singer of Rolling Stone at that time.

In comparison, Sylvia Chang is worthy of her background as a director and screenwriter. The story can be seen in the MV shooting, but it is still very weak.

Not to mention the other messy scenes, which are almost all of the singers singing solo or duet, with an occasional dance and some shots of the blue sky and white clouds, which do not reflect the advantages of MVs at all.

"Since the MV is made into pictures, the plot should be put in it, such as Guangliang's "Fairy Tale" which takes the touching route, Mak Junlong's "Super Birth Training Desire" which takes the cult route, and "Three Years, Two Children" by teachers such as Tony Oki and Natsume Nana."

"But it's too early to say that now. We have to make these two theme songs first."

Zhai Yuan relied on his memory to copy two golden songs that matched the style of Secret Garden.

But it is useless to just know how to sing. A song with only melody and lyrics but no accompaniment is just an empty shell without structure.

Unfortunately, he couldn't even recognize the musical notation, let alone the accompaniment.

That's why he asked Pang Ka Yin to invite a knowledgeable musician. He sang a cappella at the time, and the other party composed music as accompaniment according to his requirements.

"It's true that different trades are like different mountains. From this point of view, copying movies is easier. At least I have really done this."

Zhai Yuan shook his head, seeing that it was still early, and walked out of the room to spend some time with his family.

I sat on the sofa with Zhai Yao and watched two episodes of "The Female Black Knight Mulan" together.

Zhao Yazhi is in her prime on the screen.

"Brother, let me tell you, the heroine is Zhao Yazhi. When she was filming with Zheng Qiuguan, who played Chu Liuxiang, she was slapped by Zheng Qiuguan's girlfriend and sent to the hospital. I heard that she was found to be pregnant!"

"Which girlfriend?"

"The host of Happy Tonight is Shen Dianxia, the fat one."

Zhai Yuan glanced at the fat on her belly and thought to himself, how dare you say others are fat!

But it does sound like the style of the rumored top female star of TVB.

I tricked her elder brother Deng Guangrong into moving to Stanley. She won't hold a grudge and suddenly come after me, right?

The tabloid gossip about Zhai Yao did not move Zhai Yuan, but her mention of Shen Dianxia made Zhai Yuan more cautious. These people all have their own small interest groups. When you are popular, they may not dare to say anything, but once you lose power, it is not surprising that you will be kicked when you are down.

I have to be more careful next time.

With a warning bell ringing in his heart, Zhai Yuan decided that if he met the other party in the future, he would either avoid him or strike first.

……

It was already past six in the afternoon when we arrived at Hong Kong Island from Kowloon.

Zhai Yuan called Peng Jiayan, who said he had to deal with some club matters first and asked him to wait in the cafe opposite the school.

The location is easy to find because there is only one store called Island Coffee opposite Hong Kong University.

When Zhai Yuan walked into the cafe, a waiter came up to ask if he had a reservation. He gave Peng Jiayan's name, and the smile on the other party's face was obviously more friendly.

"It turns out to be Miss Peng's friend. Please go upstairs."

These second-generation rich people are really proud of themselves.

Zhai Yuan sighed and walked up the spiral staircase to the second floor, only to find that in addition to the booths on the first floor, the cafe also had several private rooms on the second floor.

"Sir, this is the room that Miss Peng has reserved for a long time. Please come in."

The waiter led him to the door of a private room decorated by the window. When he walked into the room, it was like a small conference room. Famous Chinese and foreign movie posters were hung on the four walls. It didn't seem like a place to drink coffee, but more like a gathering place for a group of movie fans.

After serving a cup of American coffee as Zhai Yuan requested and confirming that no other service was required, the waiter politely left the box.

“There’s a world of difference between students.”

Zhai Yuan looked across the window at Xiangjiang University: "I have to work hard to make money. Although I don't have a four-legged money-eating beast to support, Yaoyao and Haimei will start school soon, and I can't let them be looked down upon in school."

If Zhai Yao was a boy, he would not bother to think so much. Selling hooks is also his ability. Unfortunately, she is a little girl. If you don't provide her with food and clothing like Peng Jiayan, and let her broaden her horizons, maybe she will bring home a yellow-haired gangster the next day, and then Zhao Meizhen will be so angry that she will be hospitalized.

"A lifetime of oxen and horses, alas!"

Zhai Yuan sighed.

I sat in the cafe box and waited for about twenty minutes.

Through the window, Zhai Yuan saw Peng Jiayan appear in front of the gate of Hong Kong University. She was accompanied by an elderly lady. The two of them walked towards the cafe while chatting and laughing.

Not long after, the sound of high heels was heard at the stairs, and Peng Jiayan pushed the door open and walked in.

"Let me introduce you. This is Professor Du Qinlan from our school's music department. You're lucky that Professor Du is free today. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to invite her normally."

Zhai Yuan was flattered when he heard this.

There is still some value in the title of university professor. Moreover, the old man looks to be in his sixties with gray hair on his temples, so due respect must be shown to him.

"Hello, Professor Du. I am deeply troubled to have you come here in person for such a small matter."

Peng Jiayan frowned and thought to herself, this guy is not bad at talking, why is he so rude?
"It doesn't matter. I just heard from Jiayan that there is a friend like you who writes his own songs at such a young age. You are really promising."

The old lady also said a few polite words, then changed the subject: "I heard that you and Wan En are also friends?"

Zhai Yuan was stunned, and then he heard Peng Jiayan squeeze out the three words "Senior Sister Xue" from between her teeth.

"Oh, I did meet Miss Xue a few times."

"Wan En is also my student. She used to like playing music, but later she was so busy with her career that she couldn't devote her attention to it."

Du Qinlan spoke with a smile.

Peng Jiayan stood behind the old lady, patted her face and winked at Zhai Yuan.

Only then did Zhai Yuan understand that Professor Du came here today not only out of respect for Peng Jiayan, but also because of his relationship with Xue Wanen.

Just a simple greeting.

Zhai Yuan handed the script to Peng Jiayan and began to talk with Du Qinlan about the theme song.

"I majored in Chinese instrumental music and Chinese music history in school, and I also dabbled in composition. I still need to see what your creative style is before I can give you advice."

Professor Du was more knowledgeable than Peng Jiayan. When he heard that Zhai Yuan could not compose accompaniment and figured out the lyrics and melody on his own, he did not show much surprise.

She took the two sheets of lyrics that Zhai Yuan handed to her, read them carefully, and asked with a kind smile: "Would you like to hum along to the melody you composed?"

Zhai Yuan was being looked at by the old lady and inexplicably felt nervous, as if he had returned to the scene when his name was called at school.

"Okay, then I will embarrass myself in front of Professor Du."

Peng Jiayan looked up at him, pouted her lips and said, "You are afraid of being embarrassed?"

But his eyes had already moved away from the script, and he looked at Zhai Yuan curiously, wanting to see what kind of ugliness he could perform.

Zhai Yuan picked up the first sheet of lyrics and closed his eyes to ponder for a while.

Taking a deep breath, he began to hum slowly: "Can you please not be like this? If you keep looking at me, you will realize that I am simply too lonely to bear it. Even though I have kissed you in my dreams thousands of nights ago, it did not exist after all. The sound of people and cars began to disappear. I struggled silently like an emotional slave. How much I miss her, but I can only sigh endlessly..."

The singing skills of adolescent voices are not very good, the only thing that stands out is their powerful strength.

As long as they are not tone-deaf, people of this age usually don't sing badly.

This is a song called "Secretly Obsessed" by Andy Lau, which was specially created for users of Secret Garden. The style of the song is sad and heavy, just like the restrained feelings of the user who made the call and got comfort from a prostitute, secretly in love but dared not express them.

The user and the prostitute admired each other across the phone line, but reason prevented them from being together, so they could only be "secretly obsessed".

At the end of the song, Peng Jiayan's expression was a little dazed.

Bro, are you really good at it?
On the other side, Professor Du Qinlan's face also showed an expression of surprise and appreciation.

Judging from the style and lyrics, this song sounds a bit vulgar to an academic like her, but when she learned that it was written by an 18-year-old young man, the slight flaws were all covered up by his talent.

"Sing the second song for me."

Professor Du did not give an immediate evaluation and planned to listen to Zhai Yuan's second lyrics style.

Zhai Yuan held the second sheet of lyrics and smiled a little embarrassedly: "Professor Du, the second song is a love song I wrote from a female perspective. It was originally intended to be sung by a female singer. My voice is definitely not suitable. Don't feel embarrassed when I sing it."

Professor Du was also amused by him and waved his hands to indicate that he didn't know how to sing.

Zhai Yuan lowered his head to look at the lyrics. Even though he was thick-skinned, he still felt that it was a bit strange to sing such a sweet song.

Especially in front of this old lady dressed like a scholar.

"Cough cough!"

After coughing twice, Zhai Yuan gathered his thoughts and sang the second song with his voice strained: "Don't be so sentimental and dream about it. Don't be so attentive to me and take care of my transportation. Don't keep asking me if my love is fading. Current affairs are chasing me like a gale. Because I'm not in the mood to dream. I won't give you my feelings to manipulate. Don't spy on me losing control of myself in front of my window. I'll stand there all night like a clock. Find someone you love tonight. Don't be disappointed and wait for me. Please go home tonight. Don't worry about whether I'm happy..."

The classic song "Self-Love" by the leader of the jade girls Zhou Huimin.

It’s really corny.

Peng Jiayan burst out laughing, and even Du Qinlan couldn't help but smile.

Zhai Yuan, a rough man, sang this sweet girl's song. Even if he raised his voice, he still sounded like a donkey.

(End of this chapter)