Upclose with Henry Lai
One of Hong Kong’s best-known film composers, Henry Lai’s repertoire includes such hits as “14 Blades,” “Echoes of the Rainbow” and most recently “the Stool Pigeon.” He talks to Penny Zhou about his architecture background and how to break into the film scoring business.
HK Magazine: You studied architecture instead of music in college.
Henry Lai: I was at an interview for HKU Medical School and randomly picked up a pamphlet and the architecture program was on the first page. I thought it looked really cool. So after I flunked that interview, I just applied for architecture and was accepted. It was quite accidental, but I did enjoy it.
HK: But you didn’t follow that path.
HL: I found out the ugly truth after graduation: in real world, architects have to work with developers, the big sharks. So I started playing guitar in a band with a record contract and later a producer. Finally, a friend referred me to a director to score his movie.
HK: What is your composing process like?
HL: It varies greatly for different projects. For the movie “Resurrection of the Dragon,” the director was looking for investors for this major commercial flick so he gave me the story one year before the shooting and asked me to write a theme song for this film. And for “Echoes of the Rainbow,” I started with composing a score for the trailer.
HK: Why is it so hard for new film composers to break through?
HL: Schedules for composition are usually rather tight. You get four to six weeks to compose a film, and if a director finds out the composer’s not up to the job on the third week, he or she is in deep trouble because there’ll be no time to find a replacement. That’s why they’d rather go to composers with a good record and good references. Some young, new composers might even compose films for free, but the directors still won’t use them.
HK: How is the film soundtrack market in Hong Kong?
HL: It’s a tough market in Hong Kong—if you don’t have movie or record companies backing you up, you simply cannot make any sales. I had to release two OST albums by myself. But in mainland China people appreciate movie soundtracks much more. I receive letters from fans from the mainland all the time, asking me when my next project’s coming out. The “Echoes of the Rainbow” OST was a rare case—it was on the HMV charts for months.
HK: What’s the quickest project you’ve done?
HL: The quickest has got to be “Stormrider – Clash with Evils.” I had to work with an orchestra and fly to Beijing to record the music, but I got it done in three weeks and the final piece was very good.
HK: You ever get composer’s block?
HL: All the time. When it happens I’ll just put the work aside and go to a movie, play mahjong or cook. The best way to get over these situations is to forget about them then pick them up again.