System: Master Your Life-Chapter 567 - 139: Bookstore, Chi Linyue and Shang Wanjun’s First Meeting

Chapter 567: Chapter 139: Bookstore, Chi Linyue and Shang Wanjun’s First Meeting

With the emergence of a new task, Xu Lin became 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 domestic and international composers.

In this realm of scoring, there are many masters.

Famous names whose works folks at home are familiar with or have heard of include people like Chen Xunqi, Mak Chun-hung, James Wong, and others.

Especially during the peak of Hong Kong cinema, these masters created many classic, timeless scores.

Like Chen Xunqi’s "Let Me Roam My Lonely Shadow" and "True Love".

Xu Jingqing’s "Rapid Melodies 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 extremely familiar to people; many tunes may not be remembered by name, 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 names.

Xu Lin turned off his phone and tossed it onto the bed.

For the next seven hours, Xu Lin listened to classic scores from home and abroad, over 130 tracks in total, each track listened to twice, some three times.

For domestic 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 entertainment, 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 same Japanese tune.

There’s also a legendary Japanese star named Miyuki Nakajima, who has over seventy compositions that were covered into more than a hundred songs domestically, many of which became 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 become full of confidence about the future. As national sentiment rises, the entertainment industry flourishes, leading to the emergence of many classic works.

Simply put, when people have enough to eat, they seek spiritual enjoyment.

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 messages, but Xu Lin didn’t reply.

Xu Lin glanced at the messages, 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 memory, and thanks to his natural gift for learning, he was well-equipped to digest them.

Next came 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 theme, Xu Lin plans to write something grand and imposing, akin to the moment 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 theme, 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 means the sadness is just right, not overdone, steering clear of petty sentimentality.

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 Xuanwumen 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 intermediate interludes; Xu Lin plans to first create five pieces.

This means he’s taking on all the scoring for this drama.

"So can I milk some investment funds now? I’m producing at least seven scores; working for free is not an option."

In film and TV, scoring is something 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 someone 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 meticulous, 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 instruments were limited to a guitar and a guqin. For historical drama scoring, obviously, a guitar is unnecessary; a guqin fits well, but having more instruments or a classical instrument ensemble, like percussion, would be ideal.