Chapter 4

After the second-in-command of the company spoke, the agents and artists below had a clue in their minds that the so-called filming was probably just to "play" with the young master.

Although they were disappointed, President Wang also said that their remuneration would not be reduced. Therefore, when the working time came, the two or three remaining kittens in the Xinghuo Artist Department all came online on time and entered the Xinghuo home, even the old front-line star was no exception.

Huan Xu had already come online in advance. Seeing that everyone was present, he nodded with satisfaction.

Director Huan, whose mental projection looked just like the real person, clapped his hands, attracting everyone's attention. He said concisely, "Next, prepare for the audition."

During the non-shooting period, Director Huan was very nice to the supporting actors. Seeing the artists' nervousness, Huan Xu smiled slightly:

"Don't be nervous. The audition is very simple. The main purpose is to see if you match the character's image and temperament after putting on makeup. So before the audition, everyone should go to the dressing room and change into the corresponding costumes and makeup. Then start the audition in order."

There is nothing wrong with artists getting paid to make a living.

Online shooting is not only convenient for directors, but also saves a lot of time for actors.

In the virtual fitting room, Wu Qianying, who was auditioning for the leading female role, stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself in shock after changing her clothes with just one click.

"Who is this beauty...ah, the beauty is speaking." He was so shocked that he babbled nonsense.

In front of the mirror, there stood a pretty girl with a pair of fox eyes that were round and big. They were not exaggerated, but rather natural and cute.

The girl cannot be called stunningly beautiful, but she has a natural and graceful temperament.

Wu Qianying also knew that her appearance was not outstanding in the entertainment industry full of beauties. However, at this moment, Wu Qianying felt that there was no one more beautiful than herself in the mirror.

It's not because of how beautiful she is, but because of the way she dresses.

Poor words could not describe the shock in her heart. Her thin lips painted with red rouge opened and closed, and after a long while, Wu Qianying only uttered two dry words: "Fuck."

As Wu Qianying spoke, the girl in the mirror also uttered vulgar words.

“…” Wu Qianying shut up silently and said sorry to the “beauty in the mirror” in her heart.

Wu Qianying quickly immersed herself in the beauty again——

Her clothes were as white as snow, her hair was as black as ink, half of her long hair was tied up in a bun, and the other half hung down behind her. On her bun, she wore decorations that Wu Qianying had never seen before, one of which was a forehead ornament hanging down along her hairline.

A lavender rhinestone hung at the bottom of the thin silver chain, right on the girl's forehead. With slight movements, the silver chain and rhinestone reflected the shimmering light, making the girl's skin look even whiter.

What made Wu Qianying hold her breath and dare not breathe out was the long dress she was wearing, which was unprecedented.

The long skirt is made of white cloud silk as the base, and covered with a thin purple smoke sand outer skirt. A satin ribbon with brocade beads of the same color is hung at the waist, outlining the girl's slender waist, and pearls dotted on it, giving it a bright and lustrous luster.

There are also layers of tulle under the hem, and the complex patterns outlined with silver thread make it look more ethereal.

As if fascinated by the girl in the mirror, Wu Qianying's cheeks gradually turned red. At this moment, the girl's ears moved, and two pointed furry fox ears emerged from between her hair. Three large, white, fluffy tails suddenly appeared behind the girl.

The fox ears and tail swayed left and right according to Wu Qianying's wishes.

Wu Qianying subconsciously raised her hand to cover her lips, but still couldn't help but let out a scream.

The heroine of the script is undoubtedly a little fox demon with a clean temperament.

Huan Xu looked at the time and felt it was about time, so he snapped his fingers and the audition began. The first person to go on stage was Wu Qianying, who played the little fox demon.

Seeing Wu Qianying's image, Director Huan nodded secretly. His vision was as good as ever. Regardless of her acting skills, her image was already up to standard.

However, Director Huan still said to Wu Qianying with a sense of ceremony: "Take a few steps on the stage, not too fast, and then... recite a multiplication table."

As an 18th-tier actress, Director Huan did not require Wu Qianying to have a deep command of the lines. Anyway, it could all be done in post-production, and it would be quite convenient in the interstellar era. As long as the lip movements matched, there would be no problem.

Wu Qianying was still very obedient. She took a deep breath and then said, "One plus one equals one..."

It wasn't until Wu Qianying reached number 342 that Huan Xu had to interrupt her: "Stop."

Wu Qianying looked at Huan Xu sincerely. At this moment, her opinion of Young Master Huan had completely changed. Young Master Huan was awesome. Even if the photo taken by Young Master Huan was a mess, well, anyway, being able to design such a look was awesome.

"Director Huan, please speak."

Huan Xu: "Don't carry yourself bare-backed. Walk a few steps so I can see."

Wu Qianying continued to look back sincerely.

Huan Xu: "Move."

Wu Qianying: "...No, I dare not move." The pose was too beautiful, and she wanted to be a quiet beauty. If she moved, she was afraid that her impetuousness would tarnish the beauty's peaceful temperament, and she was even more afraid of dirtying her long skirt.

This time it was Director Huan's turn to be speechless. Wu Qianying, under Director Huan's smile, still walked according to Director Huan's instructions.

After confirming that the post-production editing and synthesis could be completed, Huan Xu put a check mark behind the name of the leading actress.

Although technology has advanced and directors can turn waste into treasure through "technology", the quality of actors is still required. However, the conditions and funds are limited now, so Huan Xu can only settle for second best.

The leading female role was confirmed, and the next step was the audition for the leading male role. Wu Qianying, who was reluctant to take off her long skirt, maintained the image of a little fox demon and stood aside watching silently.

It was both reasonable and unexpected, and the image of the male lead was something Wu Qianying had never seen before.

Qin Dongxiao, wearing a moon-white scholar's robe and holding a scroll in his arms, stood on the stage at a loss. Huan Xu was also satisfied with Qin Dongxiao's image as a pale-faced scholar.

His heart moved as he wished. Props appeared on the audition table. Following Huan Xu's instructions, Qin Dongxiao stiffly made the movements of grinding ink behind the desk, and then stood by the window and made the movements of gazing out lonely and drinking alone. Finally, he passed the audition for the leading male role.

Wu Qianying and Qin Dongxiao looked at each other and could see excitement in each other's eyes.

Just like Wu Qianying’s idea, even if other aspects are bad, their costumes and makeup can still attract a group of audiences who are obsessed with looks!

Even if they are likely to be criticized to death for other reasons, so what? Being criticized is also traffic. In an era where traffic is king, showing your face in front of the audience and being remembered by the audience is good for them, even if it is just a decorative vase.

Besides, what if, what if they can make a pretty good movie? Director Huan gave them such a big surprise, and they subconsciously expected more.

The following auditions were much quicker, and they were all supporting roles with few shots. However, even if they were just supporting roles, their attire and image were as exquisite as the leading actors.

Even though the male and female protagonists are mentally prepared, every time they see a colleague who has changed drastically, they still open their mouths and look 'Aba Aba' written all over their faces.

But soon, their attention was diverted.

Because when other supporting roles were auditioning, the script was also distributed to the actors, and the actors who received the script quickly immersed themselves in the plot.

After auditioning the last actor, Huan Xu looked back at the actors in a good mood and said, "Okay, get ready, start shooting!"

No one responded.

Huan Xu only realized something was wrong at this moment.

In the silent space, the actresses were sobbing softly and suppressedly. Although the actors did not cry, their eyes were slightly red.

As mentioned before, the people of Cang Tianxing prefer delicate emotional expressions. This is because most of the people of Cang Tianxing have stronger empathy and delicate minds, and they also desire sincere and moving emotions.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Huan Xu's first drama caters to the tastes of the audience and is a short love drama. The story is very simple, even a bit clichéd. From the identity of the heroine, we can guess that it is a simple story of a fox demon repaying a favor.

Tushan Xiaoyu, the fox demon of Tushan, was seriously injured and lost her magic power, so she was captured by hunters. Fortunately, she was rescued and released by a young boy. After she recovered from her injuries and transformed into a human form, Tushan Xiaoyu went down the mountain again to repay her gratitude. From this, she developed a love-hate relationship with the scholar who had grown up.

While advancing the plot, in order to deepen the main line, Huan Xu also emphasized the basic law that "humans and demons have different paths."

On this basis, the audience is destined to have a strong heart while supporting the couple. It is very likely that they may be choked by the sweet love and laugh, but a knife may fly from the sky and hit their heart in the next second.

However, although he had anticipated that the twists and turns of the love line would make the audience "unable to stop watching", now looking at the reactions of the actors, Huan Xu felt that he seemed to have underestimated the emotional sensitivity of the people of Cang Tianxing.

After a moment of silence, Director Huan spoke: "Before we start filming, let's give everyone ten minutes to calm down."

"Okay, okay."

"Thank you, Director."

"Wow, Xiaoyu and her scholar, I really... Director, can't you let them be sweet and happy without a knife?"

Huan Xu didn't answer but asked, "Do you want the show to be a hit? Do you want to make money? Do you want to be famous?"

Not only Wu Qianying, all the young actors nodded and thought about it, even dreamed about it.

Huan Xu smiled and said, "Then film it well. When the audience laughs heartily and bursts into tears following your performance, you will have won."

Qin Dongxiao chewed on Huan Xu's words, his eyes gradually brightening. He came from a good family and could be considered a rich second generation. He entered the entertainment industry not to make money, but for his dream.

When he applied for his major, he ignored his parents' objections and secretly applied for the Souei Acting Department. He wanted to stand in the center of the stage and be the focus of everyone's attention.

Qin Dongxiao will never forget the first time he entered a movie theater. As a tragic character died on the screen, all the audience couldn't help but choke up with sobs.

However, several years passed and there was still no trace of him. His parents kept urging him to go home and inherit the family business if he didn't become famous. Just when he was about to give up, he received an audition invitation for the leading male role in the bathroom.

From the moment he received the invitation, his mood was like a roller coaster, with ups and downs, and with the auditions, he began to climb upwards.

Although the script in hand is not the type that the mainstream market likes today, and can even be classified as unpopular because of the strong mother planet elements, Qin Dongxiao inexplicably feels that this drama is okay.

He was not the only one who thought so. After reading the script, he believed that other colleagues must have felt the same way.

No, not only can it, this drama will definitely be a hit. Whether it is the director who is younger than himself, or the actors and their Spark Company, they may all be reborn with this drama.

Qin Dongxiao's hand clenched into a fist unconsciously. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for, but...

Ten minutes later, Huan Xu walked out of the rest room. Looking at the actors, who had basically adjusted their mood and were looking at him with faint anticipation, he chuckled and said again, "Get ready to shoot."

Unlike the others who were excited, Qin Dongxiao took a deep breath and finally took a step forward: "Director Huan."

"Well, go ahead."

"Are you really going to let me play the male lead?"

"What?"

Qin Dongxiao smiled bitterly: "Such a good script, such good costumes, I feel that I am not worthy of it."

Although in the interstellar era, the quality of a drama depends on the comprehensive ability of the director, and the status of the director is getting higher and higher, the director and the actors still complement each other, and the participation of famous actors is more conducive to the promotion of the new drama.

To be honest, Huan Xu didn't expect Qin Dongxiao to say that.

If the initial selection of people was based on the cost-effectiveness of the tools, Huan Xu now has a little more appreciation for Qin Dongxiao. Rather than being clever, he prefers to work with actors who are self-aware.

"Like acting?"

"Ah?" Qin Dongxiao was stunned for a moment before he said without hesitation, "I like it!"

After a pause, he added sheepishly, "It's just that I don't have much experience or acting skills, so I can't compare with my predecessors."

Huan Xu looked around and saw that the young actors, who had been excited just now, were now looking at themselves silently with their heads down.

It’s not that they don’t cherish this opportunity, but they are very clear that their current acting skills are really not worthy of the script in their hands.

Seeing everyone's disappointment, Huan Xu simply asked curiously, "Why did everyone join the entertainment industry? Is it all for their dreams?"

Of course not!

There are people like Qin Dongxiao who pursue their dreams, and naturally there are also people who pursue other things.

Seeing that no one answered, Wu Qianying mustered up the courage and took the lead: "For money, there are a lot of people making money in the entertainment industry."

With Wu Qianying taking the lead, others followed suit.

Some people have realistic reasons, some people have fairy-tale reasons, but whether it is for dreams or for money, everyone wants to be famous.

After hearing everyone's reasons, Huan Xu smiled again: "Don't worry, as long as you don't have facial paralysis, I promise, just follow my instructions during the filming, and leave everything else to me."

"Even if you don't become an instant hit, at least the audience will remember your faces and prove that you were there."

"It's not just the male and female protagonists. There's a saying on my planet that I'd like to share with you all: there are no small roles, only small actors. In my scripts, the supporting characters also have their own souls and are the protagonists under the camera."

Of course, even if the other person has facial paralysis, Director Huan is confident that he can tailor a role for him.

As Huan Xu finished speaking, the expression of the only veteran A-list actor who had always maintained a calm demeanor suddenly changed dramatically for the first time. After a while, his face regained its composure, but his eyes never left Huan Xu.

There are no small roles, only small actors... Young people are really bold in what they say.

In any case, with Director Huan's mobilization, all the actors not only recovered fully, but also seemed to have been injected with three pounds of chicken blood.

Huan Xu spoke for the third time: "Get ready to shoot!"

This time there were no unexpected interruptions.

Under Huan Xu's construction, the surrounding environment began to change. As the first scene, Huan Xu chose the scene where Tushan Xiaoyu and Song Moxuan fell in love at the Lantern Festival.

Before entering the venue, Qin Dongxiao clenched his fist and said solemnly to Director Huan: "Director, I will definitely not let you down!"

The chicken blood seemed to be really effective. Qin Dongxiao's acting skills were indeed better than usual. Under Qin Dongxiao's leadership, Wu Qianying's acting skills evolved from 0.1 to 0.5 as if assisted by God.

However, sometimes the development of things is beyond human control.

"Card!"

"Card!"

"Tushan Xiaoyu, you are a fox spirit, not the Black Mountain demon. What's the matter? You look hungry. Are you planning to kill the benefactor you finally found and make soup with him?"

"I didn't mention you, did I, Qin Dongxiao? Your character is that of a shy scholar, not a war god with a crooked mouth. Push down that corner of your mouth! Push down the other side too! Keep pushing!"

In the entire virtual set, except for Director Huan's roar, everyone was silent, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Mom, they thought Director Huan was a nice person before, but once he entered the shooting mode, he became like a different person. He has such a strong aura, and his gaze is like high-energy rays, so scary, and he is also very sharp-tongued!

It’s over. What if they can’t capture the feeling Director Huan wants?

Fortunately, after calling "cut" more than thirty times in a row, Director Huan finally waved his hand and said, "Pass."

Qin Dongxiao and Wu Qianying looked at each other, feeling quite flattered.

"Director Huan said we passed, passed?" Qin Dongxiao looked confused.

"It seems I passed." Wu Qianying's tone was also vague: "I think my performance just now was a little better, but... really only a little."

Qin Dongxiao and Wu Qianying silently turned their heads to look at Huan Xu. Huan Xu habitually picked up the thermos and took a sip. Then he remembered that consciousness projection would not be damaged even if one shouted at the top of his lungs. For this reason, Director Huan felt that the researcher who developed the system was a good person.

After giving the researcher a nice guy card, Huan Xu said to the two leading actors, "We've almost collected enough material. Let's prepare for the next scene. We'll try to reduce the number of 'ngs' to at least two."

They both: “…”

It's not that the two's acting skills are up to par, but that they have accumulated enough material, and after going back and patching it up, they can at least put together a watchable piece.

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