FADE IN
Act 1
INT. STUDIO - 09:30
Surrounded by musical instruments, PETER is having screen time.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, the Turtles' hit "Happy Together" wasn't written by them. A bandmate arranged the horns...I don't have that luxury.
Reading and pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The demo they got from a publishing house included a singer and a guitar...most of my MV were recorded like that.
Reading and Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): The recording is in F# minor during the verses and F# major on chorus...I only recognize the guitar riff, and I love the band's vocal harmony.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): In 2022, I wrote and recorded my KT song. Recently, I performed it live in a Christmas party at HKUST.
Peter takes a look of the calendar.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): In 2023, I haven't written a proper trilingual song yet.
Act 2
INT. STUDIO - CONTINUOUS
Grabbing a 12-string acoustic guitar, Peter strums chords in Am, F, C and G7.
PETER (V.O.): They sound like "幸褔滿瀉" in Cantonese. Let this be the title of my possible new song.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Not long ago, my music composer friend Ricky observed that my approach is lyric-driven and isn't music-driven.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's good that music takes the forefront, capturing the listener's attention and creating an emotional impact.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I give priority to storytelling and message conveyed through the lyrics. The music supports and compliments the lyrics.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I read that David Gates of Bread often incorporated a lyric-driven approach in his songwriting.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Let me consciously try the lyric-driven approach for a possible upbeat song.
Peter surfs the web with his mobile.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): This is how I get inspirations to write the rhymed lyrics in English and Putonghua, as I think and try the melodic Cantonese lyrics.
Soon, we see Peter jotting down the verses in Chinese and English lyrics on screen.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): See if I can create the melodies...
Strumming chords in C major or A minor, Peter sings the verses in Putonghua.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Am I singing somebody's old tunes?
As Peter sings the other verses: Hand in hand, we face the day; heart to heart, in every single way..., we hear melodic and upbeat sounds.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I'm in the "flow channel"!
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): But I've no chorus, no good Cantonese and Putonghua lyrics, no intro and outro.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): Anyhow, let me reward myself a bit to have lunch first.
INT. MALL - 13:00
We see Peter waiting for takeaways.
PETER (V.O.): There's a risk that after lunch I'd have no more flow.
INT. STUDIO - 15:00
We see Peter composing the Putonghua lyrics: 愛情甜如蜜，又像朱古力，愛情濃如酒，又像細水長流。
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): For the Cantonese lyrics, I just use “嗲嗲锡锡” to rhyme with “幸褔滿瀉”.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): However, I still can't link them up melodically in the song...
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): But if I stop and go swimming now, it's more likely than not that I won't have a song.
Peter takes a deep breath.
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): I've to press on
Act 3
INT. STUDY - 22:00
Working on a laptop, a refreshing Peter selects an AI drawing and inserts it into a draft.
PETER (V.O): I created it after my evening swim. It depicts "Chasing Trilingual Harmony..."
We follow Peter to read the subtitles of an image on screen: Peter Cheung...graced the occasion with a captivating performance of a song he composed himself...
PETER (V.O.)(Cont'd): It disrupted my creative process in a positive way - I completed the song effortlessly afterwards.
Smiling.
PETER (V.O) (Cont'd): I feel deeply satisfied with I've done today. Chasing trilingual harmony is a kind of "幸褔滿瀉" to me!
FADE OUT
THE END
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