With the ergence of a new task, Xu Lin beca busy again.
"What’s the first step in making film scores?"
Of course, it’s not about jumping right into it, but first familiarizing oneself with the field of scoring, like appreciating classic scores by renowned dostic and international composers.
In this realm of scoring, there are many masters.
Famous nas whose works folks at ho are familiar with or have heard of include people like Chen Xunqi, Mak Chun-hung, Jas Wong, and others.
Especially during the peak of Hong Kong cinema, these masters created many classic, tiless scores.
Like Chen Xunqi’s "Let Roam My Lonely Shadow" and "True Love".
Xu Jingqing’s "Rapid lodies of the Cloud Palace," which is the famous BGM from "Journey to the West," even those who’ve never seen the 1986 TV version of "Journey to the West" know this as Sun Wukong’s exclusive score because it’s so widely known.
Joseph Koo’s "Companion on a Long Road".
All these are extrely familiar to people; many tunes may not be rembered by na, but upon hearing, everyone knows them due to their familiarity.
Then there are international pieces like "Victory" and "The Mass," which many have heard, but people simply don’t know their nas.
Xu Lin turned off his phone and tossed it onto the bed.
For the next seven hours, Xu Lin listened to classic scores from ho and abroad, over 130 tracks in total, each track listened to twice, so three tis.
For dostic tunes, Xu Lin focused on over forty pieces, and more from abroad, including from Japan.
Japanese music holds a distinctive place; during the golden age of Hong Kong entertainnt, many famous Cantonese songs were covers of Japanese music.
For example, two famous Cantonese songs called "Thousands of Songs" and "Song of Sunset" are covers of the sa Japanese tune.
There’s also a legendary Japanese star nad Miyuki Nakajima, who has over seventy compositions that were covered into more than a hundred songs dostically, many of which beca famous, both in Cantonese and Mandarin.
After all, in that era, before Japan’s economic bubble burst, it was very prosperous. When a country prospers economically, society generally improves, and people beco full of confidence about the future. As national sentint rises, the entertainnt industry flourishes, leading to the ergence of many classic works.
Simply put, when people have enough to eat, they seek spiritual enjoynt.
So, Xu Lin focused on listening to over thirty important Japanese tracks.
Xu Lin listened tirelessly until past midnight.
By now, he felt a bit hungry, so he turned on his phone to order takeout.
Tonight, Xia Xiyao and Rong Xiyi had sent ssages, but Xu Lin didn’t reply.
Xu Lin glanced at the ssages, saw nothing urgent, and decided to ignore them.
Having eaten takeout and showered,
Xu Lin continued working.
Having finished listening to the tracks, Xu Lin stored them in his mory, and thanks to his natural gift for learning, he was well-equipped to digest them.
Next ca composition.
Composing music for historical dramas is quite intricate.
For instance, the opening, ending, and the music interspersed throughout; it’s not a matter to be resolved with just one or two compositions.
Plus, each style is different.
For the opening the, Xu Lin plans to write sothing grand and imposing, akin to the mont when a million troops are about to march into battle, hence the style must be spirited, like the torrential rush of the Yellow River.
For the ending the, depicting an empire about to fade at the twilight of nations, the style should be tragic yet not despairing.
It’s worth noting that in all of Xu Lin’s compositions dealing with sadness, the style remains tragic yet not despairing. This ans the sadness is just right, not overdone, steering clear of petty sentintality.
A historical drama doesn’t entertain romance, even if it features romance, it would be like Empress Zhangsun, ready to die with her son if Li Shimin failed at the Xuanwun incident, a shared glory and loss.
Moreover, based on Xu Lin’s observations, our country’s traditional culture, except for a few creators leaning towards sadness, remains strong emotionally. Even major setbacks don’t lead to desperation, like Du Fu and Li Bai, who all had solid emotional resilience.
The foundational tone of Huaxia is not sadness; even in the face of national destruction, it remains grand and heroic, willing to die with generosity.
Besides the opening and ending, there are interdiate interludes; Xu Lin plans to first create five pieces.
This ans he’s taking on all the scoring for this drama.
"So can I milk so investnt funds now? I’m producing at least seven scores; working for free is not an option."
In film and TV, scoring is sothing that requires specialists, and it often involves significant expense.
Xu Lin pondered his compositions; aren’t they as assured as those by any famous expert?
Do you know my script better than I do? Understand this story better? Are you better at leveling up than I am?
Plus, hiring those composers might get you soone who enjoys posturing, or who takes three to five months for one piece.
Xu Lin can compose a piece in a few hours, and if he’s slightly less ticulous, he can produce several all at once.
With this thought, Xu Lin had clarity of mind.
"Which piece should I start with?"
Xu Lin looked around; his available instrunts were limited to a guitar and a guqin. For historical drama scoring, obviously, a guitar is unnecessary; a guqin fits well, but having more instrunts or a classical instrunt ensemble, like percussion, would be ideal.
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