A Hook
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. LIVING ROOM - 11:20
PETER sits on a sofa, checking unread WhatsApp messages.
PETER (V.O.): Oh, YK has texted me twice.
He types on screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He' s online.
Peter taps the phone icon and then chats with YK.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's about the need to get a copyright licence for performing other's songs in public.
Recalling.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In 2010, I wanted to play out. I didn't want to buy a licence. I began writing my own songs.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I promised YK to write a theme song for his band "Dancing Bees". I got the verse, but the bridge and the chorus can be better.
Act 2
INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Peter clicks the phone off, puts aside his phone and scrolls through his voice memos. He selects one labeled "Dancing Bees V1." and presses play. We hear guitar riffs and Peter's voice.
PETER (V.O.): The verse is melodic. The bridge is hesitant. The chorus isn't punchy.
He puts the phone down and picks up his acoustic guitar. He settles it on his lap, his fingers finding the familiar neck. He plays a soft, finger-picked verse.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The chord progression C Am F G7 can't be bad.
Then comes the bridge.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Em chord is too dark.
He tries Am.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Sounds good.
Then comes the chorus. He stops.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I thought it was okay. Over a month ago, Apple-FM reminded me of the song: (There's) Always Something There To Remind Me. It's so bright and punchy.
He walks over to the upright piano in the corner. He sits down, placing his fingers on the keys.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): External pressure might unlock artistic potential I don't know I have.
He plays a few notes, randomly.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): No inspiration at all.
He pulls out the phone again, this time to check FB. He stops at a feed: the chord sheet for "Unchained Melody". He studies the chords. A look of surprise dawns on his face.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's not that different from thousands of other songs in the key of C.
He plays the song's chord progression,
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's how they're placed. The space between. The way the bass moves from C to Am, the melody soars...
He plays "Unchained Melody" obsessively.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I analysie the structural changes, the way the bridge moderates...
Peter looks puzzled.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Why does a chorus with simple chord progression sounds so monumental?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's a ballad, a cry from the heart. But the style...all wrong for the Dancing Bees.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Just hope that musical curiosity might lead to profound growth.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I'm learning the universal principles of a hook, so I can later apply them to a completely different context.
Peter plays the iconic intro of the Japanese song: Kitaguni no Haru. It sounds beautiful and rich.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's Minoru Endo's signature hit.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I read that he has created approximately 5000 musical works. And so I listened to some of his popular songs.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But only Kitaguni no Haru appeals to me.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Creating a song's soul is deceptively simple.
Act 3
INT. BEDROOM - 22:00
Peter uploads an image to a draft on his laptop. It shows a VW wheel cap cover hook.
PETER (V.O.): I spent over a year learning other people's signature hits just to figure out why my own wouldn't stick.
Thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Unchained Melody sounds like it is reaching for heaven. All notes are white except one Eb in the chorus. That's magic I can study but never fully explain.
Reflecting.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I know a hook is what I hum in the shower days later. It bypasses the brain and goes straight to the body.
The END
FADE OUT
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