When Doves Fly

Shang-Sing just sent me his final draft of When Doves Fly, his new and first long feature film. The producer and he had approached me a couple of months ago to have me on board as the composer. I really liked Shang-Sing's first short film he did two years ago, How I learned to tell a lie. His style oscillates between bittersweet humour and coming-of-age drama. I particularly like the way he always manage to walk on the rope and always keep the balance. That reflect the person he is: witty, melancholic, sarcastic and profoundly humane. When Doves Fly seems to follow the same thread as his first film, even though he didn't write the screenplay. But somehow he managed to make it his own. 

There are still some holes in the story. I shall meet with him to discuss that. The score will require a couple of song to be written. As soon as I was told the story, I immediately started hearing some guitar-laden music, in the style of what Ry Cooder did for Wim Wenders' Paris Texas albeit from an Asian perspective. When Doves Fly will be a road movie about two American blokes who end up in Taiwan by mistake, thinking they are in Thailand, that is one of them does, for the other is on a personal quest that he keeps secret until the later part of the film.

The film will be funded by a Taiwanese TV channel, but they hope to turn it into a full-fledge film and release it theatrically. Apparently, that's how many Taiwanese films are made.

Shooting is set for October. Casting is not yet done. I hope I won't just have one week to write and record all the music! 

I'm happy to work for films. Working for dance has lost of its appeal to me. After Les Contes d'Hoffmann with Jo Kanamori in 2010, most of the contemporary dance projects with the exception of Double Yellow Line and Winterreise last year, have proved fairly underwhelming. 

I had written to Bryan Kuo to have some updates regarding his film Pierre est heureux and it seems the film will be shelved again for some time. I wrote the music two years ago, and the film was done more than six years ago. I won't take a fortune teller to understand that Bryan must have some personal issues connected to that film and many more years may go by before he finds the courage to bring his baby to the world. I have recently befriended a friend who has known Bryan since the time they were in high school and I wasn't so surprised to learn that the screenplay found lots of its material from Bryan's personal life and family issues. 

Maybe I should encourage him to walk the last mile and take the dive. 

Meanwhile, the song To the Sun, which was written for the film, will have its own life when the music video is edited! Jay just gave me a software which will allow me to do the editing while Zed is away. 

Another tool to become more independant!

Shang-Shin and Bibbe Hansen in New York.