If sensitivity is essential for an actor to taste the joy, anger, sorrow, happiness and the state of mind of different roles by heart so that characters in words are given life, then the same applies for those behind the screen. Slender and sensitive, they need enough acute observation and experience to vocalize the sound in mind. They are sound creators behind the silver screen and the sound expression of this gorgeous world by the director.
 
Audio designers belong to a minority occupational group. Compared with the cinematography and visualization production department gaining more investment and attention, audio designers sit by the mixer, accompanied by a voice box that keeps making sound. They tell story after story in their own impressive way, holding up half the sky of the audio-visual world in a film.
 
I first met YANG Jiang in the dry and rainless September in Beijing. As soon as we sat down, we began to talk about the 7 wet and rainy days in the countries of Pei and Yan without preamble, just like the scheduled war between Pei and Yan at the beginning of Shadow. It is the rain that offered the opportunity for Pei to win, setting force to the sound in the film.
 

YANG Jiang
Shadow-the audio editor
 
YANG Jiang was the audio designer of Shadow directed by ZHANG Yimou. Before that, his audio production ranged from the thriller The Great Hypnotist to the fantasy Painted Skin 2 to the documentary Delamu and so forth. Mentioning his grasp of audio production and texture of different types of films, he slowly uttered his insight: I set a requirement for myself. There is a target for every film for me. The target of Painted Skin 2 is the new tone, The Great Hypnotist is the expressive force of the sound and The Ghouls is the improvement of the final dubbing technology.
 
In retrospect,
Perhaps it was not he finally encountered Shadow.
Rather
The encounter was predestined and should be cherished.
 

▲ Shadow won 12 nominations in the 55th Golden Horse Award. Among them, YANG Jiang and ZHAO Nan were shortlisted for the best audio effect.
 
▲YANG Jiang-audio production work
 
* The best audio effect finalist in the 55th Golden Horse Award in Chinese Taiwan-Shadow
* The best audio effect finalist in the 53rd Golden Horse Award in Chinese Taiwan-Soul on a String
* The best recording finalist in the 30th China Golden Rooster Award-The Great Hypnotist
* The first prize of the excellent audio production work (the cinematic category) from the China Film and TV Technology Academy in 2012-Painted SkinⅡ
* New Prominent Recordist Award of the Year in the 7th Chinese New Generation Film Forum
 
I cannot fall asleep in the late hours of the night with the sound of rain drops-【Search】
 
Southerners cannot decipher the meaning of the saying, namely the spring rain is as precious as oil by LAO She as the reality is so different. During the period, the rain in the south keeps dropping down regardless of people’s enjoyment until the early morning. The rainy seasons differ in the south and the north, and the audio impressions of the rain also differ. As each place has its streams in from all over the country, the sound of rain has its own temperament.
 
So it is the case with the rain in Shadow. As the foundation to the temperament of the whole film, the sound is as important as the skin colour. Though YANG Jiang nearly searched for all the available materials of rain sound both at home and abroad and recorded the rain sound by himself, he failed to find the desired one. The story was mainly imagined combined with a few historical stories of Jingzhou in the Three Kingdoms Period, and little did one think the desired sound was found in Jingzhou in the end. It was only the most realistic presentation in nature that can be so amazing and accurate. As a student of LAI Qizhen, YANG Jiang found the rain sound recorded by his teacher in Hubei decades ago. “Cruel and powerful, the rain strike directly on the soil of Jingzhou with strength.” YANG Jiang repeated the words in the interview: “with strength”.

 ▲Shadow
 
Question: What helped your work in the editing studio and propped up the sound temperament of the film at the same time?
 
YANG: Because the 7-series JBL speaker was used in my editing studio, which made it easy to hear any sound, it was so strong. And the broader “sweet spot” was very precise and the sound was reproduced authentically. For example, when I felt tired at work sometimes, the sound I heard when I sat at a lower place didn’t differ greatly from normal height in the morning. This was due to the image controlled waveguide technology. If we sat at a lower place, we heard the high pitch from other types of speakers a bit too high. There was a difference in sound. For the detailed expressive force of the speaker, the details of all the sound of the film were needed, and then we selected them. To start with, all the sound should be heard. The 7-series speaker could resolve it for you. It was great, including the large dynamic range, the sound of the umbrella. The reproduction was real. Why did I think it was good when I first heard it? I felt its strength by first intuition. I liked the “cruel” sound, especially for a “cruel” film like this. To express the sound temperament with inner strength and the aesthetics of Wabi-sabi, a high requirement was placed on the speaker itself. This was because the sound should be unpigmented and the resolution force was good enough, integrating the switch between the high pitch and the low pitch as well as the large dynamic range. It was ideal that the sound expressed by the speaker was with the same temperament as the film. It was strong. So they complemented with each other.
 

▲Episode of Shadow - the Pei umbrella
 

▲the JBL 7-series
 
Solitude | Strength -【Learn from Renewal】
 
The picture aesthetics of Shadow was constructed based on the traditional ink and wash painting style, while the sound aesthetics was diffused on the Wabi-sabi undertone observing the art of Zen. “In my eyes, you are more beautiful than when you were young. At that time you were a young woman. Compared with your appearance back then, I prefer your present wrecked appearance.” The spirit of Wabi-sabi was also contained in the opening in Lover by Duras. The reality itched by time and nature was retained after all the bustling was removed. When YANG Jiang first cooperated with Director ZHANG, he attempted to mould and choose the sound centering on the “Wabi-sabi” style based on aesthetic concepts for the first time, which was also the marriage between the JBL 7-series active monitors and domestic big screens. While in working procedures before that, the keynote of the sound was determined after most of the sound production had been completed; the approach, different from those in the past, was brand new this time.

 ▲Wabi-sabi/ Shadow
 
Question: This was a different creation experience for you. With a new working method, the sound was produced by extending the aesthetic concepts. Then what is the most important to you in audio production? YANG
 
YANG: I seldom changed my stuff in my work, such as the speakers. You have to be familiar with the speakers to save time by casting aside the technical issues for creation. You must know the traits of the speakers, as this is the most fundamental. For instance, I can find new plug-ins, because it is keeps renewing. You can try new ideas such as the new tone, new team and so forth to find the new feeling. But in my opinion, the speakers cannot be changed easily. That is for auditory habit. The more you understand it, the more time you can save to seek new innovations.
The sound itself maybe innovative, but the expression of the sound becomes a big problem if the speaker is not good or if you are not familiar with it. The sound produced cannot be heard though it is good. I think the JBL 7-series will not be changed in the next 5-10 years. I have worked with my master since I was over 20, they used JBL4410 at that time. 4410 was used for many years that it became the unified standard of the industry. As I use it more, it becomes easier for me to cast it aside without considering it. You cannot waste your time figuring out the use of speakers or work stations. That is the most basic guarantee.

▲ Deluxe Toronto, Canada Dolby Atmos，Dub Stages
 
Question: What did you do in the editing studio? Were there any difference?
 
YANG: I premixed a lot during the editing, saving time for creation. In fact, the workload of the film was heavy. It was an art film. Though there were few fighting, it took a lot of time to find the temperament of the sound. The monitor was relatively fixed in editing, such as the environment. I might have edited it twice before and then I edited it again. I could finish it quickly within 20 days. That was why I outperformed. I premixed a bit in the editing studio.
 
Question: In your opinion, what are the traits of a good speaker? What is your criterion for choosing speakers?
 
YANG: In my opinion, for us in sound editing of the film, firstly, it is accuracy. It must be accurate. Secondly, it should be consistent. Considering the reproduction and expressive force of the sound, I hope the state in the mixing studio is relatively consistent with that in the cinema. The expression of the sound should be consistent from the editing and dubbing to showing in the cinema, which should be ensured. There mustn’t be any difference. To consider consistency, JBL is also chosen for front end monitoring environment. What’s more, when I am dubbing a film, I prefer something with strength in the actor’s lines, the dynamic effect and the audio effect. Something with strength inspires me in my audio production. This speaker can express the subtlety of the sound without efforts.
 

▲JBL cinema speaker in Zhongshan Movie Theater 
 

▲the JBL 7-series in Post Works New York City
 
In the film, Ziyu was supported by power and desire. “He bent on trickeries and wars all his life, never appreciating the beauty of the world.”Jingzhou was supported by his mother and Xiao Ai. “Whatever you want to do, I’ll do it for you.” Peiliang was supported with the desire to recapture the real power. “You are not a chess piece.”
  ▲Character posters of Shadow
 
If a man needs faith for support,
Then the sound needs aesthetics for support,
And the product needs technology for support.
The JBL 7-series provides the strong support-driver unit technology
 

▲JBL driver unit technology
 
WANG Xiaobo once wrote in Looking for Wushuang, “Life is a coincidence in which we look for cause and effect. One thing is destined to be the subject of a man’s life.” The real and unpigmented sound is the lifelong subject of JBL monitor.