lu cheng
Written by: Kurtis Williams
In the ever-evolving world of film and television, composers serve as the invisible architects of emotion, weaving together symphonies that elevate stories to new heights. One such master of the craft is Lu Cheng, an emerging composer whose work has graced projects ranging from blockbuster television series to intimate independent films. Lu is a highly skilled composer based in Los Angeles, California. With a deep passion for music, he has dedicated himself to the craft and has achieved a remarkable milestone by completing a master's degree from the renowned University of Southern California (USC). Having spent over five years working professionally in the film industry, Lu Cheng has honed his talents and expertise in composing music for a variety of projects. His love for music resonates in every note he creates, infusing his compositions with emotion, depth, and creativity.
When we launched this magazine, I was especially excited to connect with Lu Cheng for this profile. He composed the score for my first short film, She Smiles Back, back when I had just moved to Los Angeles to pursue filmmaking. Even then, I knew he had something special. His ability to craft emotion through music was undeniable. I wanted the world to know about him and his work, and I couldn’t think of a better way than through this interview. It’s an honor to share his story.
Growing up in an immigrant Asian household, Lu’s introduction to music was as much about structure as it was about creative escape. Left to navigate his own world outside of school, he found solace in the piano, an instrument introduced to him at the age of six. However, it wasn’t until a fateful encounter with the enchanting scores of Studio Ghibli films, particularly Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Porco Rosso, that Lu felt the pull to compose his own music.
“I had been playing other people’s music for so long, and one day I just thought, ‘Why don’t I try writing something myself?’” he recalled. “I didn’t even realize I wanted to write for a film at first. It just happened naturally.” His journey took a pivotal turn when he attended the University of Southern California’s prestigious music program, an experience he describes as both exhilarating and grueling. “It was chaos,” he laughed. “The pressure of learning, absorbing, and immediately applying what I learned made the whole experience intense, but ultimately rewarding.”
At USC, Lu refined his compositional voice, drawing inspiration from the Romantic and Impressionist eras while infusing modern rhythmic elements into his work. While composers like Joe Hisaishi shaped his early appreciation for melody, his own style took a more rhythmically driven turn. With an impressive résumé that includes work on The Flash, Arrow, and Prodigal Son, Cheng has mastered the art of composing for television. The superhero genre, he explained, relies heavily on recurring motifs that evolve with each villain-of-the-week storyline.
In contrast, Prodigal Son presented a unique challenge, one that involved unconventional techniques. He said, “We wanted to create something personal and eerie, so we held a barbecue party, kept all the bones, and then recorded the sounds of them cracking, breaking, and snapping,” Lu shared. “We turned those into percussive instruments and digitized them for the score.”
Beyond television, he has composed music for nearly 50 short films, a format that requires precise storytelling within tight time constraints. “The biggest challenge with shorts is finding ways to reiterate a motif without exhausting it,” he explained. “You have only 15 to 20 minutes to create something memorable, but if you overdo it, it becomes repetitive. If you underdo it, it’s forgettable.”
What’s striking about Lu’s approach is not just his technical precision, but his willingness to experiment fearlessly. Whether it's cracking bones for a thriller or shaping the emotional arc of a 10-minute short, he approaches each score with the same intensity and care. In a way, his adaptability is a reflection of the industry itself: fast-paced, ever changing, and unforgiving of complacency. Yet, rather than bending to convention, Lu expands it, challenging how we think about sound and storytelling. For Lu, the process of scoring begins with reading the script twice, back to back, before setting it aside for a week. When he revisits it, he jots down key moments, characters, or objects that linger in his mind. “If something sticks with me after a week, I know it’ll be memorable for the audience,” he said.
He then crafts motifs around those elements, ensuring that his compositions serve both the film’s vision and his artistic sensibilities. His process speaks to a rare blend of instinct and intentionality. In an age when composers often rely on temp tracks and quick turnarounds, his decision to reflect, wait, and distill what matters most showcases a quiet rebellion against speed for speed’s sake, and serves as a reminder that the most lasting music comes from the space between inspiration and discipline.
Currently, Lu is working on the highly anticipated video game Project Vesperi, a sci-fi orchestral score that aligns with his classical training. “It’s exciting to blend orchestral elements with the futuristic feel of the game,” he said. He is also in the midst of composing for a Christmas film, a project that has pushed him into unfamiliar but rewarding territory.
Reflecting on his journey, Lu offers simple yet powerful advice to those looking to break into the industry: “Stop lowballing yourself.” Above all, Lu cherishes the relationships he has built through his work. “The most rewarding part of this career is the trust filmmakers and game creators place in me to bring their stories to life through music,” he said.
When asked who he credits for his success, he doesn’t hesitate: “The women in my life. My mom. My grandma. They’ve always guided me back to the right path.”
With an impressive body of work already under his belt and an eagerness to explore new creative avenues, Lu Cheng is a name to watch in the world of film and game composition. Whether crafting haunting psychological scores or heartwarming orchestral pieces, he continues to push boundaries, proving that music plays an integral part in supporting our stories.