Dear Mr. Grube, (I don't know if you read these or not, but...)
I attended the VIFF screening of your film last night (9/28). First of all, let me just thank you for the beautiful, insightful, and inspirational film. I truly enjoyed it. If you recall the first question during the Q&A session, I wanted to say something in response to the comment made by the gentleman from Hong Kong. I am originally from Taiwan, and I thought it wouldn't hurt for you to hear this from another Chinese-speaking person's point of view.
The gentleman from H.K. commented that it was "odd" to hear the Mandarin schoolchildren's chant during the Hong Kong segment of the film. He expressed that he wasn't offended, but perhaps he was somewhat uncomfortable-perhaps not. He explained that the kind of chant was more typical of the schoolchildren of Mainland China, not of H.K.
I think I can understand why he made the comment, I too, thought the chant was a little misplaced when I first heard it juxtaposed with images that were supposedly H.K. I think perhaps the gentleman felt that the sound wasn't in sync with the image, as in that, to him, the sound (of the Chinese chant) did not represent the image he was seeing-in the mind it was the image of the H.K. he knew. Perhaps to him, the sound that accompanies the image was supposed to act as a representation of that particular place, and he certainly did not feel that was the case. But, after I thought about it, and after you explained that the chant was recorded when the children were on a field trip of some sort in H.K., I thought that the chant did in fact go well with the image. (I don't want you to feel that all Chinese-speaking Asians have a problem with that segment of the soundtrack!)
I recall seeing big Japanese characters on a building in that one shot of the busy Hong Kong street intersection. I don't read Japanese, but it was probably the name of a shopping center, or a Japanese brand. Why is that taken in so naturally? People in H.K. are probably so used to the other Asian cultures' existence and influence in their everyday lives (Japanese shopping centers, Chinese products, Korean t.v. shows, Thai restaurants, etc.) that hearing Mandarin schoolchildren chant in H.K. should be just as natural as hearing a popular Japanese singer sing his #1 hit song. But yet, it's not. Maybe it's the political uneasiness. Maybe the gentleman wanted a separation between what is distinctly Chinese and what is distinctly Hong-Kong. But in a way, sound can be so fluid. Sound travels. Just like the orchestra, They can play the same symphonies throughout their entire tour through the six different cities, and it's still the same piece by the same Beethoven or Strauss from Europe. Is it "odd" to be hearing western classical music composed so long ago juxtaposed with modern Asian images? It may sound almost dissonant at first, but it "fits" and flows together. I like that recording of the chant a lot. It is a strong piece of sound, maybe overpowering or dissonant for some if they think of the language and image as supposedly the same and representing direct reflections of each other. But the chant, after a while, becomes like music. Sound is music. And I no longer heard the words they were reciting, but the rhythm, tone, etc. Sound may speak of the image it's juxtaposing, or may contrast it or speak of different things, raising questions. It's not only a soundtrack "mix", but a juxtaposition of the dynamic relationship between the two equally important elements.
Sorry about the long message. I hope what I said made sense! Again, I appreciate the film crew's hard work and the musicians for letting us in on their lives. It was well worth the effort!
Cheers,
Esther
I attended the VIFF screening of your film last night (9/28). First of all, let me just thank you for the beautiful, insightful, and inspirational film. I truly enjoyed it. If you recall the first question during the Q&A session, I wanted to say something in response to the comment made by the gentleman from Hong Kong. I am originally from Taiwan, and I thought it wouldn't hurt for you to hear this from another Chinese-speaking person's point of view.
The gentleman from H.K. commented that it was "odd" to hear the Mandarin schoolchildren's chant during the Hong Kong segment of the film. He expressed that he wasn't offended, but perhaps he was somewhat uncomfortable-perhaps not. He explained that the kind of chant was more typical of the schoolchildren of Mainland China, not of H.K.
I think I can understand why he made the comment, I too, thought the chant was a little misplaced when I first heard it juxtaposed with images that were supposedly H.K. I think perhaps the gentleman felt that the sound wasn't in sync with the image, as in that, to him, the sound (of the Chinese chant) did not represent the image he was seeing-in the mind it was the image of the H.K. he knew. Perhaps to him, the sound that accompanies the image was supposed to act as a representation of that particular place, and he certainly did not feel that was the case. But, after I thought about it, and after you explained that the chant was recorded when the children were on a field trip of some sort in H.K., I thought that the chant did in fact go well with the image. (I don't want you to feel that all Chinese-speaking Asians have a problem with that segment of the soundtrack!)
I recall seeing big Japanese characters on a building in that one shot of the busy Hong Kong street intersection. I don't read Japanese, but it was probably the name of a shopping center, or a Japanese brand. Why is that taken in so naturally? People in H.K. are probably so used to the other Asian cultures' existence and influence in their everyday lives (Japanese shopping centers, Chinese products, Korean t.v. shows, Thai restaurants, etc.) that hearing Mandarin schoolchildren chant in H.K. should be just as natural as hearing a popular Japanese singer sing his #1 hit song. But yet, it's not. Maybe it's the political uneasiness. Maybe the gentleman wanted a separation between what is distinctly Chinese and what is distinctly Hong-Kong. But in a way, sound can be so fluid. Sound travels. Just like the orchestra, They can play the same symphonies throughout their entire tour through the six different cities, and it's still the same piece by the same Beethoven or Strauss from Europe. Is it "odd" to be hearing western classical music composed so long ago juxtaposed with modern Asian images? It may sound almost dissonant at first, but it "fits" and flows together. I like that recording of the chant a lot. It is a strong piece of sound, maybe overpowering or dissonant for some if they think of the language and image as supposedly the same and representing direct reflections of each other. But the chant, after a while, becomes like music. Sound is music. And I no longer heard the words they were reciting, but the rhythm, tone, etc. Sound may speak of the image it's juxtaposing, or may contrast it or speak of different things, raising questions. It's not only a soundtrack "mix", but a juxtaposition of the dynamic relationship between the two equally important elements.
Sorry about the long message. I hope what I said made sense! Again, I appreciate the film crew's hard work and the musicians for letting us in on their lives. It was well worth the effort!
Cheers,
Esther
