Text: Buffy
"Walking with the Phoenix" has rolled up the domestic Xianxia drama market again.
In terms of story, "Walking with the Phoenix" tells the story of Shen Li, the queen of the spiritual world, who escaped from marriage and went down to earth, met the god of the world, and met and fell in love with each other. Under the inherent Xianxia big shell, it has become the "fine brew" of Xianxia drama in the mouth of the audience in one fell swoop with its innovative character setting, delicate and natural emotional advancement, light and healing drama style, and highly textured production level.
In terms of popularity, it is the popularity champion on the Guduo drama list this year, setting a new high in the premiere ratings of all CSM provincial satellite TV in the past 27 months and breaking Tencent Video's fastest hit club drama and many other records.
In terms of word-of-mouth, "Walking with the Phoenix" has been scored by more than 220,000 people on Douban, with a score of 7.2, which is also a rare achievement in Xianxia dramas in recent years.
As another masterpiece of Xinli Media, a subsidiary of China Literature Group, "Walking with the Phoenix" not only opens up new ideas for Xianxia dramas, but also a surprise in the recent domestic drama market, and is an absolutely good work.
"Walking with the Phoenix" producer Zheng Zhongli
"Walking with the Phoenix" director Deng Ke
Superb "relaxation"
If you want to summarize the most significant feature of "Walking with the Phoenix", Gu Duo feels that it is a "sense of relaxation", not deliberately not twisting, and there is a natural sense of comfort.
Zhao Liying and Lin Gengxin, who are the second pair, have a unique relaxed atmosphere among acquaintances. Deng Ke mentioned in the interview that he deliberately explored the subtle chemistry between them, capturing the spark that comes with the two getting along, and the acquaintances' eyes, micro-expressions, and interactive rhythm have a natural sense of closeness when they are playing, which is easy for the audience to swallow.
The relationship between the creators of "Walking with the Phoenix" is also particularly relaxed. Xinli's producer Zheng Zhongli talked in an interview about the group name "Walking with the Phoenix" called "Traveling with the Phoenix", in the play, Shen Li chatters about the food cooked by Xingzhi every day, and everyone outside the play has a dry rice soul and gets along well.
In this particularly free and equal atmosphere, all creative opinions can be freely expressed. Deng Ke mentioned, "There was a scene in Fenglai, where the hands were blackened and some feathers were glued, and Li Ying said that it was very similar to the claws of a black chicken, and after she finished speaking, we also felt that it was indeed very similar, so we immediately adjusted it." In the very sadistic scene at the end, Li Ying also took the initiative to say goodbye to different people in different states. The creation of our whole drama is actually a process of collective wisdom, and if there is a good idea, it will be absorbed. ”
There is also a "bureau of acquaintances" in the dark line. For the audience, Lin Gengxin and Zhao Liying are also very familiar actors, just like the two are very familiar with each other. I think our second match this time is not only the actor's second pair, but also the audience's acquaintance. "The familiar actors and the familiar creative team not only give the audience a sense of intimacy, but also let them know the quality of the work, and gain a sense of security in chasing dramas, which is also one of the important sources of relaxation.
The style of daily light joy revealed in "Walking with the Phoenix" as a whole is also a rare existence in Xianxia dramas. Deng Ke and Zheng Zhongli were both moved by the quiet feeling of Shen Li and Xingzhi living in the small courtyard in the original work, and in the process of film and television, Deng Ke was also a little worried about market feedback, after all, most of the first few episodes did not have Shen Li's real body, only the "clucking" of the animated image appeared.
But Zheng Zhongli is full of confidence and supports him to shoot boldly, and the team has reached a tacit understanding that they must restore the pastoral healing feeling of life in the book, even if the plot may seem a little slow at the beginning. "Walking with the Phoenix" is a drama with its own rhythm, and the enthusiastic feedback from the audience and the market also shows that this rhythm is precisely one of the core charms of "Walking with the Phoenix".
The style of light joy is not only what Deng Ke is good at, but also in Jiulu Feixiang's original work, this style neutralizes the bitterness and abuse of Xianxia dramas, which originally loved to engage in sadomasochism in life and life, adding a new breath to Xianxia dramas, and it is also more suitable for the tastes of young people.
Deng Ke and Zheng Zhongli also hope to show a more contemporary and realistic spirit in the Xianxia drama "Walking with the Phoenix". Deng Ke's understanding of the story of "Walking with the Phoenix" is, "After working women return to the pastoral life by chance, they do not forget to enjoy life after working hard. Zheng Zhongli particularly admires Shen Li's character's "extremely stable female core, as well as her mature and restrained feeling when dealing with emotional relationships and her own responsibilities." "Being strong and confident in the workplace and being decent and chic in the relationship is not a reason for a sense of relaxation.
The sense of relaxation exuded inside and out has made "Walking with the Phoenix" a category that has become a popular Xianxia drama, and it is by no means the public.
Scheming "Sense of Refinement"
A sense of relaxation does not mean not working hard and lying flat, sometimes, there are countless efforts and intentions hidden behind the sense of relaxation, and the same is true of "Walking with the Phoenix", whether it is the production level or the subtle emotional flow contained in the play, its meticulous work can be seen everywhere.
When Zheng Zhongli reviewed the project, she said that from the start of script creation at the end of 2018 to the broadcast in 2024, 6 years gave "Walking with the Phoenix" enough room for growth.
"We have a lot of time to do creative ideas, such as in 2019 and 2020, we began to ponder the creation of the worldview with the concept company, Shen Li East China Sea Nirvana, Frozen East China Sea, Burning West Garden and other famous scenes, including many music and special effects in the play, we have already made a lot of plans in the early stage of start-up, and after the official shooting, the director and producer will continue to enrich the content on the scene to make the effect more ideal, and we all hope to make it perfect for a relatively long time. From development to launch, it is a process of co-creation, a spiraling process. ”
The small courtyard in the world at the beginning of "Walking with the Phoenix" is a very important scene in the play, Deng Ke defined the days when Shen Li and Xingzhi lived here as "can't go back to the good", and insisted on shooting with real scenes. Zheng Zhongli and Deng Ke surveyed the scenery together, went to Guizhou, and also went to the Jiangnan area, and finally chose to build a small courtyard in the real scene of the Dingfeng Lake Scenic Area in Xiandu, that is, the Xingyun courtyard in the play.
Deng Ke mentioned, "The whole story of "Walking with the Phoenix" is a kind of memory of the life in the small courtyard in the first six episodes, which was a separate chapter, so we did some separate processing in terms of tone, color, and art, and the tone of each stage was different.
We want it to show that memory, like reminiscing about the past when you were a child, you always think of such a picture: golden, quiet, foggy, there are many birds chirping, and the sun is always abundant. The life of these six episodes of the small courtyard created with countless fine treatments is the same existence as the "longing for life", which sets the tone for the warm and healing temperament of "Walking with the Phoenix".
In order to allow the audience to have a real sense of the worldview constructed by "Walking with the Phoenix", rather than just staying at the conceptual level, there are many references to the real cultural system and real places in the play. For example, Shen Li's spiritual realm, close to the source of the ruins, facing danger, but full of vitality, with countless brave and strong people, Deng Ke positioned it in Chongqing Hongya Cave, the people in the heavenly realm showed a sense of boredom and idleness, and it fell into the Taoist system of cultivating immortals in the Wei and Jin dynasties.
"I think when making a drama, it must fall into the attributes of Chinese culture, and it must be something that everyone can empathize with. Zheng Zhongli said.
The Chinese cultural temperament that has landed in this way not only got domestic audiences, but also drove the development of cultural tourism in many real-life shooting locations, set off a burst of "Walking with the Phoenix" cultural tourism style, and also made a large number of foreign audiences indulge in oriental aesthetics.
It is understood that after the simultaneous launch and release of overseas YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and other platforms, "Walking with the Phoenix" has reached more than 180 countries and regions, with more than 16 translated languages, and has reached the top of the popularity of dramas in Singapore, Vietnam and other countries in the same period, greatly broadening the international influence of Chinese film and television dramas. Chinese Xianxia dramas once again carried the banner of domestic drama content going to sea, and the mysterious power from the ancient East once again gave foreign audiences a great shock.
The delicate laying out of emotions is the precision of "Walking with the Phoenix" that cannot be ignored. When Zheng Zhongli talked about Shen Li, she described Shen Li as "like a vigorous and resolute girl who leads the team all the way, everyone relies on her, she is the pillar of everyone, but she will be moved by a sentence that calls her simple: "It's time to eat". She is strong and will be touched by the simple ordinary beauty. ”
In the interview, Deng Ke talked about the other side of the behavior hidden behind the identity and duty of God, "He was so lonely. There is a plot where he often goes to pick grapes when he is Xingyun, because he is very envious of the grapes being bunches, and each grape is accompanied by many other grapes, which are some details designed by the screenwriter. ”
In terms of the expression of the spiritual core of Xianxia drama, "Walking with the Phoenix" has also made a more detailed exploration. Many Xianxia dramas will make the protagonist face the problem of "choosing one between the common man and the lover", and then abuse or give candy to his heart's content, and the two protagonists of "Walking with the Phoenix" unconditionally put their responsibilities as ancient gods and as the king of Bicang before each other, there is no need to be entangled or resentful, they fully understand the burden on each other, and they do not just stay at the level that God should sacrifice himself for all beings and sacrifice forever, "Walking with the Phoenix" Let God love the world and love himself and love one person, and finally present a warm and happy ending for the audience.
Many details and ingenuity from the outside to the inside add a sense of delicacy to "Walking with the Phoenix", and also make it a good drama with a texture that is worth savoring and brushing again.
Xinli is new again
"Walking with the Phoenix" is very good, and the Xinli Media behind it has also been constantly creating "new".
Xinli is a veteran company in the film and television industry, but it has always been fond of exploring in innovation and insisting on a diversified and high-quality layout. Previously, Xinli's strong fields were concentrated in the era, spy war, real city, male frequency IP adaptation, etc., "The World", "Rebel", "The First Half of My Life", "The Golden Years", "Son-in-law", "Sword in the Snow" and other popular dramas appeared one after another, proving Xinli's ability to stabilize the output of the content production side as a head film and television company, and these multi-dimensional innovative works in theme, form, and expression can obtain enthusiastic market feedback, and continue to enhance confidence in Xinli's innovative play.
Previously, "Qingqing's Daily" became Xinli's first shot of female frequency, capturing the hearts of the audience with the narrative of ancient costume life flow and the innovative expression of light joy; They themselves are the embodiment of Xinli's layout of new theme areas, and the innovation of costume dramas and Xianxia drama models is the root cause of the drama out of the circle, and it is also a tried and tested hit methodology.
Zheng Zhongli mentioned that "in the future, Xinli will not repeat the development of female frequency, even if it is a Xianxia drama, there will be different characters and character relationship settings, topic selection and innovative methods, and we will do a lot of exploration and research in it." After "Walking with the Phoenix" got off to a good start, Zheng Zhongli and Deng Ke will cooperate in the future to adapt the author Junzi Yize's Xianxia work "The Moon Flowers Fall and the Sea Flowers Bloom".
In addition, Shijing's "I Don't Become an Immortal" and Jiulu Feixiang's "Ben Ruji" have also been included in the development preparation list of Xinli, and it is foreseeable that Xinli may bring another Xianxia storm to the domestic drama market in the future.
Next, Xinli also has a female emotional drama adapted from Yishu's work of the same name and assembled a super luxury team "The Story of Rose" to be broadcast, and the number of reservations on Tencent Video has exceeded one million.