A lot of film scores try to display
what the characters are feeling, or reflect what's going on.
Those are the only two ways it's done. But I don't want to do either. I've been very fortunate to keep working
with Miyazaki over these past 40 years. Over five years ago, producer
Toshio Suzuki said "We'd like to have you on
the next one too." Oh, I wouldn't say Miyazaki gave any
instructions at all. But well... He didn't give me any
background information. Didn't even show me the
storyboards or a script. And after I watched it, Miyazaki
said, "I leave the rest up to you." Even now, I don't know how
music should be made. Each time I accept a job on a film,
I think, "How should I handle this?" I'll be asked to write a new symphony
and have no idea what to do with it. I don't know where to begin,
and I always start from zero. It's been that way
all this time, even now. With this project, The Boy and the Heron, Well, I've thought for a while
that I'd like to try out something other than a big orchestra. When I first saw the film,
the first half was the story of a lonely boy
who lost his mother I wanted to try handling it with just
my own piano and a few instruments. I figured that would bring
out the boy's loneliness. Mahito! Mahito! Then you had the dark fantasy
in the second half, and I tried to push through
with minimalism there too. That's where I brought in the
brass instruments and the like. I was a minimalist to begin with,
and I pushed that approach to its limits when writing the music. So it was like after 40 years,
I was finally able to accomplish what I wanted to do most of all. Miyazaki actually said we
didn't need any music there. He didn't want to treat that
scene with the heron as something special, and so he
didn't want any music. But it did feel really special to me, and it felt a bit unnatural
to me without music. As a result I wrote music for the scene, but when Miyazaki heard it he
felt it was a bit much. That was a proper piece of music and all,
but I removed sounds bit by bit, and in the end, I felt that
a single note worked best. Then in the next scene it would
become three notes, then five, and eventually a proper melody. Miyazaki was really happy with that
too, and was glad we did it that way. Your presence is requested. How should I put it...?
When you use vocals, it really resonates with the audience. Himi! It’s Himi! Rather than using them
all over the place, though, I try to save them for where
they have the most impact. For this film you have
the character of Himi, who's really important even if
she doesn't show up a lot. And as I watched it, I thought "Ah, a
chorus of women would be good here." It felt like a really good fit to me. <i>“To Grown Up Mahito”</i> <i>“From Mother
1937, Autumn.”</i> When I wrote “Ask Me Why,” I never expected it to
become the film's main theme. I didn't even know if it would be used. I knew Miyazaki was making a movie,
so it wasn't quite a birthday present. It's more that I've been
writing music for use in the Ghibli Museum
on each of his birthdays. It wasn't a specific request, but I was
in charge of music for the museum. I've worked with Miyazaki for years, and though I didn't know about
the story, somehow... I just happened to end up
writing a piece that fit the story. But then Miyazaki came to my studio.
Maybe for the first time, actually. Then he heard the piece,
and as soon as he left he told the producer Toshio Suzuki
"this is the film's main theme." That wasn't my intent in writing it, but things tend to leave a
strong impression on Miyazaki. I might just have really lucked out. I believe the music should be
distanced somewhat from the footage. If it's synchronized too much... Sorry to say it, but like
it is in modern Hollywood films, it's like sound effect music, where it's fast if characters
are running, or slow when they're sad. It's like trying to explain the scene. I really don't want to do that,
so I distance my work. I don't explain what's on the screen. Instead, I believe it's
important to write music that stirs up the
imagination bit by bit. This is really important
when it comes to films. You want to work with the
audience’s imagination, to help them picture things. Music shouldn't be explaining. It's never easy to write anything,
that's for sure! I'm always worrying about if I'll
be able to write the next one or not. But sometimes it'll just come to me and
I'll be like, "I'm a genius!" It's a real mix. I guess that is what motivates me. When I wake up in the morning
that melody doesn't exist, but I strive my hardest
in order to create it. So by the evening, new music
has been born into the world. And after I perfect it, it may
become something lots of people listen to for a long time. Or if it's no good, they may
just listen to it once. But still, I'm creating
something from nothing. That's why I really love composing. No matter how many times I'm reborn,
I'd still want to become a composer again. I believe so.
