TV, film, and video game composer Yuheng Yan enrolled in Berklee College of Music with plans to major in guitar music performance. But two years in, he developed tendonitis and had to change course, literally and figuratively. A friend who studied film scoring persuaded him to merge into his lane. He soon realized that he enjoyed scoring and had a talent for it. In short, he was scoring at scoring. Following graduation, he moved to L.A., landed an assistant gig with film composer Philip Giffin and later worked with Dominic Lewis. He’s since composed for TV shows, films, and video games including Apple TV+’s Dope Thief, The Fall Guy, and 2K Games' Mafia: The Old Country.
What appeals to Yan most about composing is its storytelling element. “Writing your own music is a great way to express your creative identity and music sensibility,” he observes. “But what I prefer is to have a rough framework. When I set those boundaries is when I do my best work. A lot of musicians are guilty of sitting around all day trying to dial in on one specific sound. When we work in TV or film, the story tells us what we need to do with our music. I also enjoy collaborating with people who aren’t trained musically. I have to find a way to communicate because they can’t always express why they don’t like a section.”
There’s much to be gained from a formal music education. But often some of the most poignant lessons are learned outside of college. “After graduation I realized that you can have the most brilliant idea, but if you don’t have the production chops to execute it, no one will even bother to listen,” the composer explains. “This is a service business and it’s not always about how creative your music is. It’s about how well it works with the picture. If you have an average idea but can execute it with professional-level production, then it’ll work and help pave [the path of] your career. Having good ideas is important. But being able to execute is even more so."
“Often there isn’t the budget to record with live musicians,” he continues. “Until you get to that point, you have to work with samples to mock-up your ideas. In the early 2000s, the technology was in its nascent stage and you could get by with 60 or 70 percent of what you were going for. But now, what you get with samples has to sound like the final product.”
Technical skills are crucial, of course. But there are other intangibles that often aren’t so easily taught. “My biggest realization came when I worked with Dominic Lewis,” Yan recollects. “I learned that this business is not just about how well you can write music. It’s about whether or not people like working with you.”
His current and upcoming projects include Jackie Chan’s Karate Kid: Legends, collaboration with composer Randy Miller, and he continues to create alongside Dominic Lewis. Compositions of which he’s most proud include his work for the Disney TV show Monsters at Work and the video game Mafia: The Old Country. He works largely from his home studio in Van Nuys at which he often employs many of the UAD plugins.
Contact yuhengyan.com; Instagram @yuhengyanmusic
