Simple Life
Simple Life
Searching for the Simple Life…but the process of chasing is never easy.
Shawna Yang won the Best Annual Instrumental Album with her album “Simple Life” in 2016 at the 27th Golden Melody Music Awards. The album was also nominated for 4 other awards in that same year. This accolade and recognition also coincided with her embarking on her first tour in Europe. During that journey in 2017, via air, land, and sea, the Simple Life Tour travelled through Sweden and Austria where she performed with the Swedish jazz trio “MUSICMUSICMUSIC” and the Austrian Jazz Band “Tuesday Microgrooves” for 6 gigs in 14 days. On the road, Shawna Yang engaged in conversation with those musicians about music, art, and both personal and national identity.
What is the meaning of jazz music to Shawna Yang?
How do jazz musicians, from countries not usually associated with the genre, position themselves within that world?
What is the meaning of jazz music to them?
As a jazz music educator, Shawna Yang has led the NTU Riot Jazz Orchestra (Taiwan) as a conductor for over 10 years. The orchestra has participated several times at the Taichung Jazz Festival. In 2019, they even went on the trip to Japan for the Jazz music exchange concert. The experiences of being an educator has inspired another musical journey in her life as all the students she has ever taught have become individual, professional musicians themselves, thus carrying on and sustaining the artform. This mutual communication and exchange between teacher and student, musician and musician is ongoing. It never stops…
Director Hao-Hsiang Hu documented this quest for a Simple Life that Shawna Yang has undertaken. It was filmed over a 3-year period, from Taiwan to Sweden to Austria, and then back to her native country again. Along the way, some of those conversations between these jazz musicians, not only about music, but about life, were captured, as well as the music itself, which was performed in a variety of venues across the two countries.
In the busyness and chaos of modern life, may everyone discover their own Simple Life.
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Hao-Hsiang HuDirector
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Ting-Yi KaoProducer
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Shawna YangKey Cast
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Tuesday MicrogroovesKey Cast
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MusicmusicmusicKey Cast
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Hao-Hsiang HuCinematographer
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Pei-Hsien LinAssistant Cameraman
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Pitt LinAssistant Cameraman
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Tzu-Chin YuPhotographer
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Hao-Hsiang HuFilm Editor
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Emily ChangFilm Editor
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Eunice ChiangFilm Editor
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ONESTEP SOUND STUDIO Co., LtdFinal Mixer
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Eunice ChiangColor Grading
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Project Title (Original Language):Simple Life
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Project Type:Documentary
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Genres:Music, Jazz, Taiwan, Musicians, Roadtrip
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Runtime:21 minutes 40 seconds
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Completion Date:April 30, 2021
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Production Budget:30,000 USD
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Country of Origin:Taiwan
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Country of Filming:Austria, Sweden, Taiwan
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Language:Chinese, English
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
Hao-Hsiang Hu was born in Taipei, Taiwan. The founder of Haw Studio. Hu’s father, Hu Ding-Yi, is the most important foley artist in Taiwan Cinema history. Hu showed his artistic talents at a very young age. By the age of 20, he was nominated with the film《就要綠燈了》(Almost turning to Green) for the 2005 Golden Harvest Awards for Outstanding Short Films in Taiwan at the 27th Golden Harvest Awards and was the youngest winner of the Digital Award. At the same year, he also got the first prize of an Acoustic Guitar Performance Competition. After graduating from his university, he got the support from “Pushing Hand Project” founded by Film Director Ann Lee and Director Khan Lee. In cooperation with a telecom company, he made the first microfilm in Taiwan by smart phones.
Awarded list
2015 《歸》(Comeback), Excllent Film, Sony 4K Film, Taiwan
2014 《獨一無二》(Unique), Top Price, Taiwan NPO Microfilm
2014 《聽見幸福》(Hear the Happiness), Top 30, Taiwan Microfilm
2005 《就要綠燈了》(Almost turning to Green), Digital Award, 27th Golden Harvest Awards