Before " and Feng Xing ", director Deng Ke's last hit drama was "The Son-in-law". He is good at finding innovative points in the costume genre, adding a unique light comedy style, and putting his own creative mark on it. I took on the project "Walking with the Phoenix" because the script was innovative.
Poster of "Traveling with the Phoenix"
"From the beginning, I did not treat it as a fairy tale fantasy." Deng Ke said, "Jiu Lu Feixiang, the author, her works have the perspective of today's young people."
Deng Ke feels that "Traveling with Feng" is very similar to a contemporary story: a very strong working woman mistakenly enters a slow life in the countryside and develops feelings for a man, but later she returns to her own life and work very sensibly. middle. When she met a man again, she gradually learned not to put too much responsibility on herself and to enjoy the moment.
"At that time, I felt that the core of this story was very contemporary and youthful, and it would make people very healing and relaxed after watching it. The first 6 episodes of the series were filmed in a small courtyard, and they were not shot like traditional fairy tale dramas. Fighting and killing, all kinds of fate in the three realms, but a 'pastoral slow life', which makes me very creative. "
The first six episodes of this pastoral slow lifestyle are rare in the current market of costume dramas. , Deng Ke said bluntly: "When our team read it, we made an intuitive judgment: the taste presented by this text is good. Several of our core creators, including Liying, we all feel that the only way to maintain the original taste of this novel is is the most important thing. We hope that the audience can feel its stretch and specialness."
"Along with the Phoenix" poster
At the very beginning, Deng Ke's positioning of "Along with the Phoenix" was "a story that tells people." , "The advancement of this drama mainly relies on the emotional changes of the characters. When you have emotionally identified with these characters, they are like your friends, and it is difficult for you to let go."
This time, Zhao Liying not only As the starring role in "Hong Kong Phoenix", he also took on the role of producer of a TV series for the first time. Deng Ke said that Zhao Liying confirmed her participation at a very early stage, which was "very practical" for the creative team. In his practice and observation, many times, projects on the market are suddenly finalized due to actors' schedules. The entire team has to rush to make progress, and quality is naturally difficult to guarantee. But "Traveling with the Phoenix" took a year and a half to prepare. "In the early stages of filming, producer Zheng Zhongli, myself, and Zhao Liying had a lot of discussions together and set the tone and direction of the project."
cooperated with Zhao Liying. Deng Ke said that she is "as excellent as ever and as dedicated as everyone says." Deng Ke and Zhao Liying are the same age. "Our communication will be more direct. When two people talk about creation, it is like chatting. I think it is best for directors and actors to form such a state of communication. If we, directors and actors, are communicating We also have to consider the wording and the other party's emotions, and the communication will not be so direct and efficient. But she entered this project early. We have been working together for more than a year in the early stage. When we entered the shooting, we were already very familiar and talked about everything. "
Director Deng Ke (left) and Zhao Liying of "Walking with the Phoenix" on the set
In Deng Ke's observation, Zhao Liying is already a mature actor with her own style. To stimulate mature actors to come up with brand-new performances, they must "give her New thing". "She is a feeling actor. After you change the lighting, camera position or even the scheduling, she can capture it instantly and she is in good condition." For example, the "tank throwing" plot that has been hotly discussed in the past few episodes is Deng Ke The new design was thrown out at the scene. After trying it out, Zhao Liying and Lin Gengxin had fun at the scene and both thought it was very good. This laugh point, in the plot, later became a tear point in the memory killing.
Deng Ke has a wide range of daily interests and likes to experiment. Animation, music, movies, and even short videos can all become sources of inspiration for his creations. In "Walking with the Phoenix", he also guest-starred as a hawker selling "Phoenix" in the first episode. "As soon as I read the script, I thought this hawker was quite interesting, and I was selfish at the time.
Before " and Feng Xing ", director Deng Ke's last hit drama was "The Son-in-law". He is good at finding innovative points in the costume genre, adding a unique light comedy style, and putting his own creative mark on it. I took on the project "Walking with the Phoenix" because the script was innovative.
Poster of "Traveling with the Phoenix"
"From the beginning, I did not treat it as a fairy tale fantasy." Deng Ke said, "Jiu Lu Feixiang, the author, her works have the perspective of today's young people."
Deng Ke feels that "Traveling with Feng" is very similar to a contemporary story: a very strong working woman mistakenly enters a slow life in the countryside and develops feelings for a man, but later she returns to her own life and work very sensibly. middle. When she met a man again, she gradually learned not to put too much responsibility on herself and to enjoy the moment.
"At that time, I felt that the core of this story was very contemporary and youthful, and it would make people very healing and relaxed after watching it. The first 6 episodes of the series were filmed in a small courtyard, and they were not shot like traditional fairy tale dramas. Fighting and killing, all kinds of fate in the three realms, but a 'pastoral slow life', which makes me very creative. "
The first six episodes of this pastoral slow lifestyle are rare in the current market of costume dramas. , Deng Ke said bluntly: "When our team read it, we made an intuitive judgment: the taste presented by this text is good. Several of our core creators, including Liying, we all feel that the only way to maintain the original taste of this novel is is the most important thing. We hope that the audience can feel its stretch and specialness."
"Along with the Phoenix" poster
At the very beginning, Deng Ke's positioning of "Along with the Phoenix" was "a story that tells people." , "The advancement of this drama mainly relies on the emotional changes of the characters. When you have emotionally identified with these characters, they are like your friends, and it is difficult for you to let go."
This time, Zhao Liying not only As the starring role in "Hong Kong Phoenix", he also took on the role of producer of a TV series for the first time. Deng Ke said that Zhao Liying confirmed her participation at a very early stage, which was "very practical" for the creative team. In his practice and observation, many times, projects on the market are suddenly finalized due to actors' schedules. The entire team has to rush to make progress, and quality is naturally difficult to guarantee. But "Traveling with the Phoenix" took a year and a half to prepare. "In the early stages of filming, producer Zheng Zhongli, myself, and Zhao Liying had a lot of discussions together and set the tone and direction of the project."
cooperated with Zhao Liying. Deng Ke said that she is "as excellent as ever and as dedicated as everyone says." Deng Ke and Zhao Liying are the same age. "Our communication will be more direct. When two people talk about creation, it is like chatting. I think it is best for directors and actors to form such a state of communication. If we, directors and actors, are communicating We also have to consider the wording and the other party's emotions, and the communication will not be so direct and efficient. But she entered this project early. We have been working together for more than a year in the early stage. When we entered the shooting, we were already very familiar and talked about everything. "
Director Deng Ke (left) and Zhao Liying of "Walking with the Phoenix" on the set
In Deng Ke's observation, Zhao Liying is already a mature actor with her own style. To stimulate mature actors to come up with brand-new performances, they must "give her New thing". "She is a feeling actor. After you change the lighting, camera position or even the scheduling, she can capture it instantly and she is in good condition." For example, the "tank throwing" plot that has been hotly discussed in the past few episodes is Deng Ke The new design was thrown out at the scene. After trying it out, Zhao Liying and Lin Gengxin had fun at the scene and both thought it was very good. This laugh point, in the plot, later became a tear point in the memory killing.
Deng Ke has a wide range of daily interests and likes to experiment. Animation, music, movies, and even short videos can all become sources of inspiration for his creations. In "Walking with the Phoenix", he also guest-starred as a hawker selling "Phoenix" in the first episode. "As soon as I read the script, I thought this hawker was quite interesting, and I was selfish at the time.The assistant director suggested a bunch of candidates to me, and I kept giving him winks. Finally, I said I must find someone "heavyweight." Who did he say? I said I. "
Stills of "Traveling with the Phoenix"
From this guest appearance, he felt the difficulty of being an actor: exposed to everyone's eyes and spotlight, and his heart is extremely sensitive and fragile. This in turn made him think about how to protect actors. There are new thoughts on performance creation. Similarly, in his view, the director behind the scenes is actually "exposed" to the audience all the time: as small as what color to use for a set of clothes, as big as how to arrange a scene, the director Every choice he makes will reveal his own characteristics, "You can't hide yourself. Only if you are an interesting and curious person, will the world you create be liked by others. "
Deng Ke became a dual-platform director with more than 10,000 thanks to "The Son-in-law" and "Traveling with the Phoenix"
[Dialogue]
The unique taste of the work
The Paper News: In terms of the aesthetic style and audio-visual aspects of "Traveling with the Phoenix", the early stage was How do you find a direction?
Deng Ke: I always hope that every work I make has its own unique flavor. The preparation for "Traveling with Phoenix" took a long time, and Zhao Liying also confirmed her participation very early. , this is very practical for our creative team. We have a year and a half to discuss and collide with her many times, including making some preparations for scripts and costumes based on the actors' own characteristics.
《 "Traveling with the Phoenix" stills
First of all, I gave a very detailed director's explanation, which is about 500 pages long, and divided all the main scenes and world views into styles. Like the human world, the keyword we gave to the human world is "the years are quiet and good." At that time, I found some reference pictures, the pastoral atmosphere, the mottled tree shadows, the small rivers and streams, to highlight the sense of sunshine and the feeling of the Jiangnan water town. Then I asked the music teacher to make a melodious piece of music. Once the pictures and music were available, it was basically done. The main creators of each department can know what the style of this Xingyun courtyard should be.
The spirit world is the heroine’s home and a very lively place, so we think it should be a bit like Chongqing’s Hongya Cave in terms of terrain structure. Layers upon layers, in terms of aesthetics, we also refer to Dunhuang, so now we see that the heroine’s clothing and accessories, including the color palette of the spiritual world, are actually a bit like Dunhuang.
Fairyland has a touch of Taoist culture, and there are many images. Cranes, pine trees, the whole fairy world has huge buildings, vast territory, and inaccessible people. We joke to ourselves that the fairy world is a villa area with a high floor area ratio, and the spiritual world is a living area with a strong atmosphere of fireworks.
The Paper: interviewed teacher Yang Bingyin before. I also mentioned that you are a very new director who has high requirements for music. Can you talk about the process of music creation?
Deng Ke: I have always felt that music is particularly important. It can sometimes precede the visuals and give the audience a sense of intuition. A long time ago, I determined that King Bicang must have a war song that represents her character and spirit. I also made it clear that the penetrating power of the suona is unmatched by many instruments. When looking for a music team, I also wanted to find a team that was relatively young and unconventional. I happened to watch an animated series at the time, and was deeply impressed by one of the songs, "Dahkala", so I contacted the author, Mr. Yang Bingyin, who is the author of "Darkness".
was the first behind-the-scenes creator to be invited by "Traveling with the Phoenix". Generally speaking, we only find the music production team after the filming is completed, but we approached Mr. Yang in the early stage and held many meetings with him to ask him to help. Some more important music, such as "Blue Blue War Hymn", will be produced first. When shooting on location, I can play the music. With the music as the emotional foreshadowing, all the main creators can better understand what kind of feeling we want.
Stills of "Traveling with the Phoenix"
Xianxia dramas are not like urban dramas, nor are they like traditional ancient puppet dramas. Those types tell a general story, and the audience can have a specific and relatively unified imagination of its temperament and environment. But Xianxia, what do you think the palace of the gods is like, and what the sky is like? Everyone understands it differently and presents it differently in their minds.And I need to frame the imagination of each creative staff within a relatively unified scope to create. Music is the best way to express emotions and feelings. If I play music to the creative staff on the spot, they will be moved by that kind of compassion or compassion. Passionate emotions must be reflected in their creations.
"Dabai" style director
The Paper News: How to guide actors to give good performances is a topic for every director. What type of director are you in this regard?
Deng Ke: An actor once commented on me. He said that he was particularly willing to try and make mistakes in my crew. He said that I was the kind of "Baymax" ("Super Marines" character) director who would give Actors' sense of security. That is, I may not explicitly ask the actors: What direction are we going to go in. I am used to standing behind the actors, discussing with them to keep the general direction correct, and we will walk the rest together.
Directors Deng Ke (left) and Zhao Liying of "Traveling with the Phoenix" on the set
In fact, actors are very fragile. Think about it, the spotlight is shining on your eyes, and a crowd of people are gathered around the scene looking at you. You can feel their breath, but you can't see their expressions clearly. They are staring at you, maybe judging you in their hearts. , at this time, you may catch a micro-expression of a staff member, and you will be shocked. The negative working environment and feedback from others will cause the actor to have a stress reaction. So at this moment, actors need a strong sense of belief.
When performing, an actor must have his (or her) safest performance method: he or she can complete the task without making mistakes. But if you want them to try something new, such as acting more exaggerated or hysterical, you need to give them a safe and positive creative environment. I am used to letting the actors in my crew try whatever they want, letting them try out their performances without any burden. We may not know how it will feel in the end, and this creative unknown is what excites me the most.
Of course, maybe in the past few years, the types of projects I have taken on are also suitable for this method of creation. They are all market-oriented works with light comedies/costume dramas. As long as the actors can present a more relaxed and natural state, then it is right. . But if on the contrary, for example, I go to film a suspense drama, then I have to change the way I create it.
Stills from "Traveling with the Phoenix"
The Paper: I feel that as a director, you play the role of an atmosphere creator on the scene.
Deng Ke: Yes, it is actually very important to put everyone in a working state and mood.
The Paper: What was the biggest challenge you faced in the creation of "Traveling with the Phoenix"?
Deng Ke: special effects. Judging from the results, everyone now feels that the special effects are pretty good. However, the production of "Walking with the Phoenix" involved more than 20,000 special effects shots, which were completed by more than a dozen special effects companies. This also involved how to manage these materials by category and team management issues. How do you manage more than ten companies with different styles, different schedules, and different working locations to complete the same project? So we did take some detours at that time, but we also learned a lot of experience. When the final series was released, I saw all the special effects. When I saw all the complete effects and scenes put together, I had tears in my eyes: after watching it in various forms countless times. , finally saw it in its complete state for once.
I feel that as a professional director, special effects cannot be escaped. I am very lucky to be able to experience the entire special effects process through "Walking with the Phoenix" this time.
Stills from "Traveling with the Phoenix"
"You can't hide yourself"
The Paper News: Last time when you were working on "The Son-in-law", you talked about how your comedy experience helped you create. I would like to continue talking about my practice and thoughts on comedy creation in "Traveling with the Phoenix" this time.
Deng Ke: I think comedy is very personal, such as suspense or thriller. It has some rules and routines that you can use over and over again, but comedy is too dependent on individuals.Therefore, every time we do a different project, the presentation of the comedy part must be customized according to the actors. For example, what is Lin Gengxin’s comedy style, what is Zhao Liying’s comedy style, and what is the combination of the two? What effect will it have.
The overall positioning of our "Traveling with Phoenix" this time is a light cold humor, not relying on two actors to shake off the burden of being clever, but the kind of joke and tacit understanding between familiar people. The two actors are excellent and mature enough. After we unified the comedy direction, they were able to quickly give the best in this atmosphere. In terms of music, I also asked teacher Yang Bingyin to give a lively music to enhance the sense of comedy.
The Paper: How has helped your creation from animation, film and television, short videos and other media forms?
Deng Ke: Like everyone else, I occasionally use Douyin until two or three o'clock. I also like to go to the "square" to see everyone's feedback. The surfing speed may be "8g" (laughing). I hope to be closer to the audience. I am also a person who likes to live a down-to-earth life. I think the director must cover a wide range of topics and understand everything, as this will help his creation.
Stills of "Traveling with the Phoenix"
The Paper News: Many directors of long-form dramas have a repulsive mentality towards short videos, but you don't seem to be at all?
Deng Ke: Yes, after you understand the good and bad of many things, there is no need to resist them. Directors of our generation have experienced many changes in media and content formats. Black and white TV, color TV, VCD, DVD, online video, online drama... Now is the era of short videos. Including the development of AI, it is bound to change the way we create in the future. What we have to do is not to remain complacent, but to adapt to integration.
The Paper: Speaking of AI, how do you think it will change the film and television industry?
Deng Ke: is recent, maybe it is to change working habits and provide some help to Fu Huadao? From afar, I sometimes imagine a possibility. I think future directors will be more like world creators: creating a world that allows you not just to see a picture, but to enter it and be immersed in it. To feel. Sometimes I even wonder, is our world also an experiment by "directors" from creatures in another dimension?
In the face of AI, we still have to remain interesting, creative and curious. Maybe technology will be replaced by AI, but if you are a unique and interesting person, I don’t think you will be replaced so easily. I also talked with my friends that it may take two or three years for a director to make a film. During this process, you have to make tens of thousands of decisions, ranging from what color to use for a set of clothes, to how to schedule a scene, and how to plan a project. Set the tone. Every choice you make will expose your own characteristics. You can't hide yourself. Only if you are an interesting and curious person, will the world you create be liked by others.
And I need to frame the imagination of each creative staff within a relatively unified scope to create. Music is the best way to express emotions and feelings. If I play music to the creative staff on the spot, they will be moved by that kind of compassion or compassion. Passionate emotions must be reflected in their creations."Dabai" style director
The Paper News: How to guide actors to give good performances is a topic for every director. What type of director are you in this regard?
Deng Ke: An actor once commented on me. He said that he was particularly willing to try and make mistakes in my crew. He said that I was the kind of "Baymax" ("Super Marines" character) director who would give Actors' sense of security. That is, I may not explicitly ask the actors: What direction are we going to go in. I am used to standing behind the actors, discussing with them to keep the general direction correct, and we will walk the rest together.
Directors Deng Ke (left) and Zhao Liying of "Traveling with the Phoenix" on the set
In fact, actors are very fragile. Think about it, the spotlight is shining on your eyes, and a crowd of people are gathered around the scene looking at you. You can feel their breath, but you can't see their expressions clearly. They are staring at you, maybe judging you in their hearts. , at this time, you may catch a micro-expression of a staff member, and you will be shocked. The negative working environment and feedback from others will cause the actor to have a stress reaction. So at this moment, actors need a strong sense of belief.
When performing, an actor must have his (or her) safest performance method: he or she can complete the task without making mistakes. But if you want them to try something new, such as acting more exaggerated or hysterical, you need to give them a safe and positive creative environment. I am used to letting the actors in my crew try whatever they want, letting them try out their performances without any burden. We may not know how it will feel in the end, and this creative unknown is what excites me the most.
Of course, maybe in the past few years, the types of projects I have taken on are also suitable for this method of creation. They are all market-oriented works with light comedies/costume dramas. As long as the actors can present a more relaxed and natural state, then it is right. . But if on the contrary, for example, I go to film a suspense drama, then I have to change the way I create it.
Stills from "Traveling with the Phoenix"
The Paper: I feel that as a director, you play the role of an atmosphere creator on the scene.
Deng Ke: Yes, it is actually very important to put everyone in a working state and mood.
The Paper: What was the biggest challenge you faced in the creation of "Traveling with the Phoenix"?
Deng Ke: special effects. Judging from the results, everyone now feels that the special effects are pretty good. However, the production of "Walking with the Phoenix" involved more than 20,000 special effects shots, which were completed by more than a dozen special effects companies. This also involved how to manage these materials by category and team management issues. How do you manage more than ten companies with different styles, different schedules, and different working locations to complete the same project? So we did take some detours at that time, but we also learned a lot of experience. When the final series was released, I saw all the special effects. When I saw all the complete effects and scenes put together, I had tears in my eyes: after watching it in various forms countless times. , finally saw it in its complete state for once.
I feel that as a professional director, special effects cannot be escaped. I am very lucky to be able to experience the entire special effects process through "Walking with the Phoenix" this time.
Stills from "Traveling with the Phoenix"
"You can't hide yourself"
The Paper News: Last time when you were working on "The Son-in-law", you talked about how your comedy experience helped you create. I would like to continue talking about my practice and thoughts on comedy creation in "Traveling with the Phoenix" this time.
Deng Ke: I think comedy is very personal, such as suspense or thriller. It has some rules and routines that you can use over and over again, but comedy is too dependent on individuals.Therefore, every time we do a different project, the presentation of the comedy part must be customized according to the actors. For example, what is Lin Gengxin’s comedy style, what is Zhao Liying’s comedy style, and what is the combination of the two? What effect will it have.
The overall positioning of our "Traveling with Phoenix" this time is a light cold humor, not relying on two actors to shake off the burden of being clever, but the kind of joke and tacit understanding between familiar people. The two actors are excellent and mature enough. After we unified the comedy direction, they were able to quickly give the best in this atmosphere. In terms of music, I also asked teacher Yang Bingyin to give a lively music to enhance the sense of comedy.
The Paper: How has helped your creation from animation, film and television, short videos and other media forms?
Deng Ke: Like everyone else, I occasionally use Douyin until two or three o'clock. I also like to go to the "square" to see everyone's feedback. The surfing speed may be "8g" (laughing). I hope to be closer to the audience. I am also a person who likes to live a down-to-earth life. I think the director must cover a wide range of topics and understand everything, as this will help his creation.
Stills of "Traveling with the Phoenix"
The Paper News: Many directors of long-form dramas have a repulsive mentality towards short videos, but you don't seem to be at all?
Deng Ke: Yes, after you understand the good and bad of many things, there is no need to resist them. Directors of our generation have experienced many changes in media and content formats. Black and white TV, color TV, VCD, DVD, online video, online drama... Now is the era of short videos. Including the development of AI, it is bound to change the way we create in the future. What we have to do is not to remain complacent, but to adapt to integration.
The Paper: Speaking of AI, how do you think it will change the film and television industry?
Deng Ke: is recent, maybe it is to change working habits and provide some help to Fu Huadao? From afar, I sometimes imagine a possibility. I think future directors will be more like world creators: creating a world that allows you not just to see a picture, but to enter it and be immersed in it. To feel. Sometimes I even wonder, is our world also an experiment by "directors" from creatures in another dimension?
In the face of AI, we still have to remain interesting, creative and curious. Maybe technology will be replaced by AI, but if you are a unique and interesting person, I don’t think you will be replaced so easily. I also talked with my friends that it may take two or three years for a director to make a film. During this process, you have to make tens of thousands of decisions, ranging from what color to use for a set of clothes, to how to schedule a scene, and how to plan a project. Set the tone. Every choice you make will expose your own characteristics. You can't hide yourself. Only if you are an interesting and curious person, will the world you create be liked by others.
