Chapter 250 Don’t Cry? It’s Okay and Smells Great!

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.

However, they did not 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, "Anything is fine."

"Then I'll call you Y." Bregman smiled, and then congratulated Zhou Yan very politely, ""The Sixth Sense" has achieved very good results in North America. Congratulations. I even went to the cinema to watch it. This movie, your talent in cinema amazed me.”

Zhou Yan also laughed. Who said foreigners can't speak English well? Look how good Bregman is at speaking English.

Bregman 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, and the first thing she asks is about music.

"Have you prepared the music that will be used in the filming of the movie?"

Zhou Yan glanced at Thompson and felt 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.

But it seems that Emma Thompson still has quite a lot of power on the "Sense and Sensibility" crew.

Zhou Yan had naturally written the score that Thompson asked about. He stood up and took out his folder and pulled out a small pile of music scores.

He handed the score to Bregman, "Here are the four pieces of music played by Marianne in the film, as well as the lyrics to two of them."

In the script Zhou Yan received, Marianne played a total of four original songs, two of which were played and sung.

Originally, Zhou Yan only wrote the music, not the lyrics, but he still filled in the lyrics. Whether to use them or not 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 one 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 to the shaping of Marianne's love.

So the piece had to 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, Zhou Yan doesn’t need any special explanation. 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, do not weep.

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 she saw the lyrics, she still read them very fluently.

It can be seen that she should read aloud often to achieve such a level.

After reading it, Emma was a little confused: "I seem to have heard this libretto somewhere."

"This is a poem from the sixteenth century that you may have heard before."

"Perhaps." Emma nodded, "Who is its author?"

"have no idea."

When Zhou Yan said he didn't know, Bregman had some doubts, "Will there be a copyright dispute?"

If, as Zhou Yan said, this was a poem from the 16th century, there would naturally be no copyright dispute. But Zhou Yan didn't even know the author. If this was created by someone else in recent years, there would be 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."

Bregman smiled when he heard Zhou Yan say this. He could naturally 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 singing ability is still acceptable, and her intonation is not bad, but in terms of professionalism, Zhou Yan feels that compared with real musical performers, She was still a little confused.

Maybe it’s because I haven’t acted in a long time and I’m rusty.

And this song doesn't quite suit her voice.

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 rigid, and she didn't 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 right, but the taste is wrong.

However, after Emma Thompson finished singing, Zhou Yan clapped very politely, "Ms. Thompson's singing skills are better than I thought. You sang this song very easily."

He didn't praise it too much, he just said that Emma Thompson sang it 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, and 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.

Normally, when the crew encounters a problem, they like a group of people to discuss it together, and most people will express their opinions, but An Li is always very 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, or even completely opposed them.

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.

In private, some people call An Li "Silent An Li" or "Difficult An Li."

So Emma Thompson was a little irritated. 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 doesn't express 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.

Maybe this Y will be more serious than An Li. After all, An Li has been 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 asking Kate to sing live when the meeting starts?" 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."

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 tell that she was impatient.

Emma Thompson's impatience is completely visible on the outside. When she talks, she makes a lot of gestures, and even her mouth is not as fast as her hands. Zhou Yan even doubts that if she holds her hand down, , whether she can still speak normally.

Zhou Yan calls this way of speaking "band conductor style" speaking. When they speak, their gestures are even more exciting than those of a band conductor.

Bregman looked at Zhou Yan and said, "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 tired 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 smiled and said, "Y is younger than I thought. What do you think, Emma?"

"But he doesn't look like a young, I mean, energetic young man."

Bregman pursed his lips and smiled, "How could a director who made "The Sixth Sense" be such a lively young man? Emma, ​​maybe you don't like their characters very much, but he and Ann Lee's talents are amazing. You have to believe them, this movie will definitely be good."

Emma Thompson pouted, "Maybe, this song is not bad. But such a simple song is not a particularly difficult test to begin with."

Bregman was noncommittal and just said, "Let Kate sing and listen to it later. Maybe there will be a surprise."

…

Here, after Bregman and the others left, Wang Zuxian said, "It seems that this 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 was lying on the bed and said with a smile, "You are really a pragmatic artist."

"Most artists are pragmatic." Zhou Yan laughed.

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."

"Isn't that playing into the hands of a workaholic like you?"

"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?"

"There are many people who work longer than me." Zhou Yan disagreed.

“But there are not many people who can persist in working like this without anyone taking care of them.”

…

Zhou Yan and Wang Zuxian didn't stay in the room for too long. After less than ten minutes, they went to the hotel lobby hand in hand.

When the two arrived in the lobby, Bregman and the others had not arrived yet.

There was 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 frequently, so it was relatively accurate.

"The piano looks ancient."

"Well, it must be a few years old."

The one in front of you can be regarded as an "antique piano", but it does not mean that an "antique piano" is precious. Many "antique pianos" just have 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.

"Please 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 won't work. I can't control this piano."

"You can play anything."

Zhou Yan thought for a while and played a piece of "Secret Joy" casually.

Since he was out to play, of course he wanted to play some happy tunes.

"Secret Joy" was very short. After finishing it, he played "Wind" again.

When he finished playing "Wind", Bregman came over with Emma and Kate.

Bregman applauded enthusiastically, "Both pieces of music are very humorous and interesting."

"This is a song I composed for other movies before." Zhou Yan explained with a smile.

"This is Kate, the actress who plays Marianne. Kate, this is Y, the film's soundtrack director."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "When we arrived at the hotel today, we had already met Kate."

With that said, he stood up and handed the piano to Kate Winslet, "Leave it to you."

Kate nodded, walked to the piano, set up the music sheet first, then sat down and slowly started singing to the music sheet.

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.

After about five minutes, she finally spoke.

“Fountain of sorrow, do not weep.

Why are you passing by in such a hurry?

Have you not seen how gently the sunshine in heaven melts the snowy mountains? "

…

Although Kate's singing was relatively unfamiliar, Zhou Yan's eyes lit up.

One is that 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. The other is that Kate's voice is very ethereal and particularly meets Zhou Yan's requirements.

This is actually not surprising. The movie must have taken this into consideration when 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 before, she didn't feel how amazing it was. She just thought it was a pretty good song. But now after hearing Kate sing it, she understood that it was not a song. The problem is that she is not the right singer.

This song was not sung for her, Elinor, but for Marianne.

Kate Winslet herself was surprised. She didn't expect the song to 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 together complement each other.

After Kate finished singing for the first time, Zhou Yan walked over and said, "You sang very well, but there are a few things that could be changed."

In Zhou Yan's previous scores, there was only the melody, but no instructions on how to express each section.

Singing is not just about singing the pitch accurately, it’s just about singing the right timing. It also requires techniques such as changes in strength and weakness, the use of breath, etc. The same song can be expressed differently using different techniques.

Zhou Yan pointed to the music score and briefly talked to Kate about issues such as the handling of strengths and weaknesses, then stepped back and asked Kate to sing again.

Kate reviewed what Zhou Yan just said to the music 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 didn't sing like this. They mostly sang 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 handed down from generation to generation, the name "Sense and Sensibility" already meant that it was a bit 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 was a scene that the producers didn't want to see, so they took this into consideration and made changes before the movie was filmed and when they were adapting the script.

We must get rid of the shackles of the original work on the premise of respecting the original work.

In fact, if it were to be made 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 operatic verses for the audience in this movie, it would feel too strange.

When Kate finished singing the second time, there was a burst of applause behind Zhou Yan and the others.

It turned 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.

Bregman 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 discovered that Zhou Yan's handling of the details of the soundtrack was really great, and he could completely match the rhythm of the plot. Arrange different soundtracks.

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 directing 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 chapter)