The conversation brought many interesting perspectives on the film's soundtrack composition process - a job that requires close connection between musician, director and film story.
According to musician Chi Tam, the biggest difference of film soundtrack is that the idea always comes from the script, not from personal inspiration. Normally, he will work directly with the director to grasp the spirit of the film, then start writing music, so that the melody and emotions match each scene. Some songs must be completed before filming, such as Tam Tinh Nam 30 - which was used directly in the character's scenes.
He also emphasized the sophistication in arrangement: a song can have 2-3 versions, or even more, to suit many different emotions. For example, the song Hundred of kilometers in the movie This Is My Grandpa was mixed in 10 versions. The musician compared: Composing soundtracks for films is like doing a songwriting exercise. Only when there is a clear sample can the direction be correct and the number of amendments be limited.
Compared to advertising music, Chi Tam believes that composing film music is more comfortable, because emotions and artistic spirit are clearly defined. This makes it easy for musicians to find inspiration and create works that meet the requirements of the film.
