TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In an exclusive interview, “Formosa Forevermore” producer Yang Sen-hong (楊憲宏) and composer Joseffy Huang (黃馨瑩) discussed their visions for the project initiated by the Ministry of Culture (MOC).

Yang, who curated the program, said the MOC wanted to make the video series a “statement on Taiwan.” It would be a way to tell the world what Taiwan is about through the Taiwan Plus platform.

He added that the project stemmed from President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) idea to present Taiwan to global audiences in English.

“I thought, if we were to present something, it has to wow the entire world,” Yang said, highlighting Taiwan’s uniqueness and history. “Most importantly, I thought this video series we create would be world-class. So, really, it was thanks to Liu Yamm-ming (劉燕明) and Chen Pei-kung (陳培堃); their images are truly exceptional.”

He said many of his friends who saw “Formosa Forevermore” told him the program’s videos would surely win awards at international film festivals. His intention with the series, aside from showcasing Taiwan, was also to demonstrate Taiwan’s filmmaking capabilities in order to highlight the strength of Taiwan’s freelancing filmmakers, who mostly work without support from large companies.

“Let me do it once to show you,” Yang said he told Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te (李永得). “I don’t have a company, I have nothing — but I have a team. I know where the best people are.”

He said the way he and his team put it together reflects how Taiwan’s economy is supported by small and medium enterprises, infusing the country with a spirit of fearlessly taking on projects with teams composed of just a few people.

Yang Sen-hong, Liu Yamm-ming, and Chen Pei-kung gather for a "Formosa Forevermore" production meeting. (Yang Sen-hong photo)

Yang also gave credit to advancing technology that popularized many handy tools, which made such small-small scale productions possible.

Nonetheless, the footage featured in “Formosa Forevermore” is the highlight of decades’ worth of experience and trained skill, he said in reference to Liu and Chen’s images. “That part isn’t something we could just go out and shoot on our phones.”

In terms of how he recruited Liu and Chen as the series’ two directors, Yang said, “I want to take on the most difficult challenge: conveying the humanistic spirit without featuring people.” As an example, documenting the Swinhoe’s pheasant connected Robert Swinhoe, who observed the bird in Taiwan’s mountains in the 1800s, with people nowadays, who continue to observe it at the same locations.

A male Swinhoe's pheasant. (Taiwan Plus, Liu Yamm-ming screenshot)

Much of what was featured in “Formosa Forevermore” also served to remind Taiwanese audiences of natural scenery that is often taken for granted. “These images are rarely seen even by Taiwanese, let alone foreigners — of course they’re unique,” said Yang.

Another consideration he had in mind was that nature is objective. It freed the production from having to cater to people’s tastes, and ensured that anyone who saw the product would be enamored regardless of their personal preferences or political leanings.

“The impression that Taiwan’s political parties are unable to reach any consensus, it’s not true,” Yang said. “Of course they can agree; if you show them beautiful videos like these, they agree (it’s beautiful).”

Yang said he used Liu’s work on wild birds to represent the “day” theme, and Chen’s work on stargazing to represent the “night” theme. “They represent Taiwan’s 24 hours.”

As for other themes he had in mind if given the opportunity to make more episodes, Yang said he had the idea to feature Taiwan’s street dance scene as it reflects the energy of Taiwan’s youth.

Joseffy Huang composed music and designed sounds for "Formosa Forevermore." (Taiwan News photo)

Joseffy Huang, who was the composer and sound designer of “Formosa Forevermore,” said she joined the project at the invitation of Yang. The two had collaborated on a similar project in the past, which showcased local folk songs of Taiwan’s cities and counties.

However, she said the production process and experience this time around was very different. Compared to the urban settings she worked with before, Huang said in reference to the Starry Skies documentaries, “The starry sky is silent. The entire video is quiet. So everything is based on imagination.”

For example, videos set in Penghu or Kenting may remind the audience of the sea, summer, and lying down to stargaze, so she would have to add appropriate sound designs and effects. “In videos like these, we may add some non-natural sounds … Of course, I’m not saying they should be very space-y or interstellar. They should come from within the heart. There is a type of sound in people’s mind that cannot be replicated by instruments,” Huang said.

Stars pivot around Polaris. (Taiwan Plus, Chen Pei-kung screenshot)

With the starry skies as her auditory canvas, Huang said she made sure to communicate with the team how she wants the image to match her music’s tempo. Her role in the production of these videos was thus much more significant, as compared to the Wild Bird series.

The Wild Birds series was an entirely different creative process, because videos themselves came with many sounds: birds chirping, nature’s sounds, and ambient sounds. “Yet without music or sound design, (the videos) would be like documentaries,” Huang said.

Her work focused mainly on toning down the existing sounds and making sure the music was coordinated with their timing, adding a lively atmosphere to the videos as appropriate. Additionally, she had the idea to add Taiwanese elements to these videos.

“Just by watching, you cannot tell what the Taiwanese elements are. Many people may not even be certain (the videos of) the birds were shot in Taiwan,” she said. “So we decided to add some music that would be familiar to Taiwan. That way, when people hear it and see (the image), they’ll go, ‘Oh!’ and make the association.”

A male pheasant-tailed jacana and its young. (Taiwan Plus, Liu Yamm-ming screenshot)

Huang said she used the same concept for the Starry Skies series, adding folk songs with significant geographic associations, such as with Yushan or Alishan, to help the audience understand where they are as they watch the night skies.

“With the addition of music, we hope to infuse the videos with a sense of humanity,” she added.

As the series is composed of 20 videos, Huang selected 10 Hokkien, five Hakka, and five indigenous folk songs to use with them. It was not easy selecting which songs to use, though, as the rights to many were not available.

In the end, Huang said “Formosa Forevermore” featured four or five songs that were her and her team’s original creations. They made use of Taiwanese folk songs’ elements and sampled notes from existing songs to adapt the music.

The Milky Way as seen atop Yushan. (Taiwan Plus, Chen Pei-kung screenshot)

The biggest challenge in designing the music, however, was in brainstorming how to create music that enhanced the videos, and adapting traditional styles to appeal to more modern and international tastes. “It takes a long time to brainstorm, many viewings, many compositions.”

Thankfully, Huang said Yang gave her a lot of creative freedom after she communicated her vision to him. She said the producer’s support made the creative process comfortable and enjoyable for her.

To watch the “Formosa Forevermore” series, please visit Taiwan Plus.