As the music director of the TV series "Walking with the Phoenix", Yang Bingyin said frankly: "I was moved by the deep-seated feelings and values of this story."

Stills from "Walking with the Phoenix"

More than ten years ago, Yang Bingyin participated in the music production of "Let the Bullets Fly", which attracted the attention of the industry. Subsequently, his professional footsteps spanned various types of works. He and his team Bingyin created sounds for movies, TV series, and animations. He has produced a lot of wonderful music and received wide acclaim from both within and outside the industry.

When he first received "Walking with the Phoenix", he first read the script, and then read the original work carefully. This work interested him very much, "The characters in the story are quite novel to me. I have never read it before. I have never been to a fairy tale drama where the characters have such distinct personalities.”

For more than two years, there was sufficient time for the music creation of "Walking with the Phoenix", but the biggest difficulty was: how to guide the audience to understand the emotions of the characters? How to shape the world view of the ancient costume fairy? How to bring authenticity?

Yang Bingyin

Suona creates the domineering spirit of "I am here"

The beginning of the music production of "Walking with the Phoenix" started with the heroine Shen Li. "First determine the main direction from the characteristics of the characters, because the role of teacher Zhao Liying has a very large and heavy role. If we find her musical image correctly, the musical advancement of our entire drama will be smoother. ." Yang Bingyin first communicated with the director and producer and determined a few points: First, she is a god, not a mortal. She must be able to create a "feeling of a fairy" and give the audience a sense of reality. "We used some ancient musical instruments such as chimes and vocal singing to embody her 'divinity'."

In addition, the character of this character is responsible and aggressive, so after repeated consideration, Yang Bingyin chose Suona to express it, "Suona is very explosive, just like the domineering point of 'I am here' at the core of the play. , it needs to be displayed immediately." Yang Bingyin said frankly, "Usually we are more cautious when using suona in film and television drama music, because suona is an instrument that is very explosive and is not suitable for all film and television dramas. project. But for the project "Walking with the Phoenix", it is especially suitable. Because of the character Shen Li, her character is very suitable for the display of this musical instrument." Regarding Shen Li's battle scenes that often appear in the play, At the snap of a finger, "We don't have much time to brew the music, we just hope to burst out with the domineering power of the king."

As for the male protagonist Xing Zhi, "We emphasize more on his concept of ancient gods." For this reason, Yang Bingyin hopes that the music style will sound domineering and at the same time have an ancient feeling. "All his actions may be... It’s earth-shattering, so the music we paired for Xingzhi includes Mongolian long tunes and Khumai, giving everyone the feeling of ancient gods.”

Music shapes the fantasy space of the fairy world

How to shape the world view of fairy tale dramas, Yang Bingyin talked about the difference in music creation between reality-themed film and television dramas and fairy tale genres: "Music may be more about guiding the audience to experience the characters' emotions in realistic themes, and it can guide the story more directly. The plot of the fairy tale. But in addition to the emotions of the ancient costume fairy tale, the music needs to shape the world and show the diversity and authenticity of the fairy tale world." He admitted, "We know that the visual presentation of film and television dramas is definitely limited. , but music can expand the things outside the picture, making everyone feel that there is room for imagination about the world outside the picture."

In order to achieve this "expansion", Yang Bingyin laughed and said that he had dug a lot of holes for himself. When talking about Xingyun Xiaoyuan in the early stage, he told the film crew that he must give the music of Xingyun Xiaoyuan a "beautiful thing that can't be returned". He hoped that the first time he listened to it, he would feel quite warm. When the audience listens back to it, they feel like they are crying. "But during the actual operation, you will feel that this idea has many limitations. You can't make the music particularly strong, but you can't make it dull, so you tie your hands and feet." But fortunately, the final presentation good results.

Stills from "Walking with the Phoenix"

Some viewers commented that the music of "Walking with the Phoenix" has an "oriental epic feel". "The so-called oriental epic feel comes from our national self-confidence in recent years. Our Chinese musical instruments have their own very distinctive characteristics. It can make People quickly enter an emotion, and it also makes people feel historic." Yang Bingyin said. He said that the most suitable base for the performance of fairy-tale dramas must be Chinese-style musical instruments. "But in the process of using it, on the one hand, we take Chinese musical instruments as the core, but we are not limited to this. For example, we add some electronic music and some symphonies to match. Making some innovations in methods makes our traditional musical instruments more prominent. .”

The cooperation between Yang Bingyin and director Deng Ke was also very smooth this time. "He is a very thoughtful director who likes new things very much." Yang Bingyin commented, "In the process of our music production, he will hope that whether it is the form of the music or the In terms of content, it must be fresh and innovative. He will also often communicate with me. For example, he has recently watched some film and television works, which music is interesting, and what are its characteristics? We will also analyze the music made by everyone on the market now. Let’s discuss it.” Once the communication reaches an agreement, Director Deng will pass the musical consensus to other creative and production departments, “So the production process is very, very coordinated, and all our departments are working hard for a common goal.”

Stills from "Walking with the Phoenix"

Find the core point of drama

In Yang Bingyin's view, every drama has its core point of drama. "This core point is a very important direction to guide our music creation." He believes that there are more and more musical methods, styles and tricks nowadays. , but it’s actually something other than music. "If our music is too complicated or does not conform to the core point of the play itself, the audience will often not be able to get it. Only by grasping the most important core point and amplifying it on the basis of this core can we form the synergy of the drama. .”

The common feature of the film and television music creators and producers that Yang Bingyin admires, whether they are domestic or foreign, is that they know a lot about drama. "They not only need to understand the process of music creation, but also how the play expresses its core values and emotions. This is actually something other than music creation, but it is very important. These may not be learned directly from school. , it’s more about communicating with experienced directors and producers, and gradually understanding it during the production process.”

"Music is actually the soul of a drama. You can't see it, but it will add a layer of booster to the spiritual level of the drama. If the music is not done well, it will not function as the soul and may become an attachment. ." In the process of making this soundtrack, whether it is the "souls" of King Bicang and Lord Xingzhi, or even the "souls" of some supporting characters, "we are actually looking for: What should impress the audience?"

In Yang Bingyin's observation, the current audience pays more and more attention to music. “Especially when I work on some animation or game projects, the experience may be more obvious.” He said, “In addition to discussing the plot itself, people may listen to music in their free time or when they have no time to watch dramas. When they hear the music, it takes them back to the time they watched the show and the world in the show. Therefore, in addition to matching the plot of the film, our music may also allow the audience to recall the plot of the movie at other times, evoking the experience of watching the show. The role of feelings.”

"My feeling in recent years is that the production staff in every aspect of the film and television industry are becoming younger, and everyone has a very strong desire for new things." The audience expects something fresher and more interesting. This change is Yang Bingyin I think it’s great, “It will stimulate us creators to continue to produce more newer and more distinctive things, and this process will also give us a greater sense of accomplishment.”