On this day, as usual, "Wing" appeared at the recording studio early in the morning.
The recording of the song "Fly" was more difficult than expected. In director Li Xiang's vision, "Fly" should be a song that is similar in style to "Is It Black or White" but not the same. If the styles are very different, it may be easier to record. However, the two songs are essentially different, and they had to find the differences between the two songs.
To some extent, what they were looking for was a feeling, the feeling that director Li Xiang wanted, but the word "feeling" itself is ethereal and elusive, and it is difficult to measure it with specific standards.
The crew of "I, Nameless" still had a lot of work to do. Ji Yan and the others only met Li Xiang once on the first day of recording and listened to him tell the story of the movie "I, Nameless". As for how to record and how the recording would go, apart from the sound engineer giving some advice, they had to figure everything out on their own.
Director Li Xiang gave them complete freedom.
But after recording for three days in a row, none of the "Wings" members could find the right feeling.
They recorded a few takes that were pretty good, and the tragic feeling in the song was conveyed through their performance, but... even though the recording engineer thought there was nothing wrong with it, the members always felt that something was missing.
This wasn't just one person's idea—although on the surface this take was perfect, the moment it was finished, the group didn't feel the excitement they had when recording "Mist." Instead, their brows furrowed, and their expressions were even more serious than when problems arose during the recording.
"Something's not right, let's try again."
Besides recording, the group would also huddle together to work on the lyrics of "Fly". The bag of milk candy that Lu Wei brought was all gone. The sugar stimulated the secretion of dopamine, and for a while, the recording studio was filled with a rich milky aroma.
The theme song "Fly" was ultimately intended for the film "I, Nameless". The lyrics were written by screenwriter Qu Mi, and the song encapsulates the entire story of "I, Nameless". Although Ji Yan and the others did not participate in the story, they also cleared their minds, letting their thoughts wander throughout the story, and sharing their views with each other.
Ji Yan hummed the tune of "Fly" softly. Having recorded it for so long, he was quite familiar with the song.
As a music novice in the "Wings" group, from the album "Mist" to the song "Fly," Ji Yan's biggest realization is that singing a song well is far from as easy as imagined. He not only has to know how to sing a song, but also understand it—a song must first move him before it can move the audience.
“I have an idea,” Lu Wei suddenly said. “This song is actually very emotional, so let’s not worry about the lyrics being evenly distributed, and let Ji Yan sing a few more lines to try.”
"I think it's a good idea." Xie Mingxuan nodded. "Let's redistribute the lyrics."
After all, "Wings" is a group, and no matter what song they sing, they have to consider fairness among the members. The lyrics should be distributed to give each member a chance to perform. However, they tried to sing "Fly" many times, but they still couldn't find the feeling they wanted.
At this time, having someone with richer emotions perform the role might be a good idea.
Among the members of "Wings", Ji Yan's skills are the weakest. Although he has been working on this, there is still a gap between him and the other members. However, Ji Yan also has his own advantages. When performing a song, he always seems to be able to grasp the emotions that the song is trying to express. That is his talent. Even though he has not studied it systematically, he can do better than Xie Mingxuan and the others in this respect.
Ji Yan frowned: "Let's try a few more times, there's no need to re-segment the words."
"Give it a try first." Xie Mingxuan looked at him with a serious expression. "Dividing the lyrics isn't the point; the point is to sing this song well."
The group entered the recording studio once again.
Although they had been recording the same song for the past few days, which was exhausting, no matter what the situation was outside the recording studio, as soon as they entered the recording studio and started singing, the members were always able to give 100% of their energy.
Music is fascinating in itself, let alone the dream they've held since their debut.
There was no need to deliberately memorize the lyrics. Compared to the previous time, Ji Yan took on more lyrics this time, and he started the first line as well.
He leaped down like a bird.
"No name, no tombstone."
"The night recorded his shadow."
"Freedom is etched in his soul."
"Silent, without a sound, without end."
"Run for freedom and for light."
He was an anonymous person.
"He is you and me."
This section has a somber rhythm, and Ji Yan's voice also softens and slows down. At first glance, it seems calm, but beneath the calm lies an infinite surge of emotions. He closes his eyes, and it's as if a bird really appears in his mind. With a flap of its wings, it lifts the dark clouds, and the blue sky immediately appears before his eyes.
When Ji Yan was focused on singing, he would ignore the people and things around him. He was completely immersed in the song "Fly" and naturally did not see the surprised expressions on Xie Mingxuan and Lu Wei's faces.
—They knew they were on the right track the moment Ji Yan sang the first line.
...
Li Xiang finally managed to find some time to come to the recording studio, where recording was in progress. Li Xiang stopped the sound engineer from greeting him and put on his headphones.
Li Xiang is a typical nanny-style director. He takes care of everything from photography and costumes to music and editing. In terms of experience, he is no less experienced than a professional. Many directors from that era were like this.
Now that he's older, he doesn't have the energy to be so meticulous.
The theme song "Fly" really took Li Xiang a lot of time. He contacted experienced singers in the industry, and the production team also received many self-recommendations from singers. However, Li Xiang could not find a voice that matched the song "Fly". He has always been a perfectionist and was willing to spend time polishing the theme song because the theme song serves the movie itself. If a suitable singer cannot be found, it will be a flaw in the movie.
Before arriving, Li Xiang had heard that the recording of the theme song for "Wings" wasn't going smoothly, so he was mentally prepared. The accompaniment was playing in his headphones, seemingly about to enter the chorus. Li Xiang listened intently, his expression serious.
"Fly, let the sky and the earth stand still beneath your feet."
"Let the stars and fallen leaves write poems for me."
Li Xiang's eyes lit up instantly.
The sound from the headphones was so clear, and the emotions conveyed were explosive, resounding in his eardrums and striking his heart.
This is the feeling he wanted!
His envisioned theme song had this kind of feel—chaos in the first half and light in the second half, just like the message that the film "I, Nameless" wanted to convey.
After this performance, Ji Yan and the others felt that it went surprisingly smoothly. The natural state they were in while singing... they didn't need to deliberately lower their voices or consider what kind of atmosphere they wanted to create. Everything was formed naturally, yet it was better than any other performance.
The group listened again, and their idea was correct.
The lead singer of this song is Ji Yan. His talent for expressing emotions is fully demonstrated in the song. Because there is a focus in his voice, the whole song does not sound messy, but rather has a clearer expression.
"This time was very good." Lu Wei smiled. "Let's do it a few more times in this state."
"OK."
Fang Yu and Xie Mingxuan had no objections, and after they adjusted their state, they continued recording the song "Fly".
Once, twice... By the third time, Xie Mingxuan took off his headphones and said, "I think it's good enough."
After recording for several days, this take is definitely the best I've ever done. Even if I try again later, it might not be as good as this one.
Xie Mingxuan gently patted Ji Yan's hand: "You sang very well."
"Perfect!"
On the night of the formation of the group "Idol Century", Xie Mingxuan never thought that one day he would be moved by Ji Yan's voice. But now, he is very sure that "Wings" is incomplete without Ji Yan. Only when the other party's voice is completely integrated into the group "Wings" can they create songs that belong to them.
As they walked out of the recording studio, they noticed Director Li Xiang standing outside. He looked kind and gentle, showing none of the seriousness they had felt when they first met.
Li Xiang patted them on the shoulder: "Come join us for the celebration banquet after the movie is released."
The recording of the movie theme song officially came to an end here, but Ji Yan couldn't leave yet. Li Xiang dragged him directly to the filming base, which was near a mountain on the outskirts of City A. City A is the film and entertainment center of the country, home to major film and music brokerage companies. There is a large film and television base on the outskirts of the city, where half of the country's film and television works are filmed.
Some scenes for "I, Nameless" were filmed here, and the rest of the filming has been completed. The only character in the movie, He Tang, has not yet been cast.
The reason is simple—in the script, the character had to be very good-looking. Li Xiang interviewed many actors, and many smart young men were turned away by him with a single sentence: "Not good-looking." Later, the crew finally found a few good-looking people, but Li Xiang complained that they couldn't portray the character well.
Li Xiang has high expectations for "I, Nameless". In his setting, He Tang is the protagonist's "white moonlight" and guide. He Tang comes from a wealthy family. His father is the president of the Chamber of Commerce. He is also a famous child prodigy in the area. Even in the chaos of the world, he can live comfortably with his wealth and wisdom.
But this very person resolutely threw himself into the torrent of struggle for human liberation, only to have his identity exposed and be tragically murdered.
Such an image must be flawless.
"I heard Director Li has found a new actor?"
In the crew of "I, Nameless", the actors who still had scenes to film were discussing it.
"His looks are definitely not a problem," the male lead, Cheng Yuanzhou, muttered to himself. "If I were young, I probably would have been devastated and cried."
Cheng Yuanzhou is a well-known and talented actor in the industry. He is a professionally trained actor and his acting skills have always been highly praised. However, his appearance is not as good as some of the other male actors of the same period, so he became famous relatively late.
The young actors who auditioned for the role of He Tang were all good-looking, and many of them were top students from film academies. But when Li Xiang said that he wasn't good-looking, Cheng Yuanzhou could hear the sound of his heart breaking from a great distance.
"Where are the people Director Li brought?"
"They're doing a makeup test; they should be out soon."
A sound came from the dressing room. The actors looked in the direction of the sound and saw a handsome young man walking towards them against the light. He had clear features and clean, bright eyes, which immediately reminded them of the words used to describe He Tang in the script.
How could anyone bear to let such a beautiful person die?
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