Chapter 49 Audition [VIP]

Chapter Summary: What can I possibly compare to you? Don't worry.

the next day.

Before the movie audition.

Mu Zhi, who just successfully terminated her contract yesterday, has come to Lanxing Media to officially sign a new contract.

Inside the general manager's office.

Mu Zhi had already reviewed the electronic version of the contract several times.

Even after receiving the paper contract, I still carefully flipped through it, checking each clause to ensure it matched the electronic version.

After confirming there were no issues, I paused for a few seconds at the signature area.

Mu Zhi signed her name.

He Zhiyue had his assistant Lu Ke affix the official seal of Lanxing Media to the contract, and the contract became effective immediately.

He extended his hand to Mu Zhi: "Welcome to Lanxing Media, it will be a pleasure to work with you!"

"It's a pleasure doing business with you!"

After the signing was completed.

Mu Zhi went to Ji Binghe's office again.

"You just terminated your contract with Xinghe Culture, so it's not appropriate to announce your signing with Lanxing Media right away. I plan to wait until after the Spring Festival or when the start of filming for your new movie is announced before making the announcement."

Mu Zhi nodded, indicating that there was no problem.

Next, Ji Binghe discussed the audition with Mu Zhi.

"The audition details revealed by the production team of 'Back to 17' two days later test the actors' ability to handle roles of different ages."

Based on this clue, the auditions will likely be for a young female lead during her school years and a working professional female lead. By comparing the contrast between their interpretations, we can assess the actresses' acting skills and whether they can portray the characters well.

Without a script, the audition plot cannot be guaranteed.

This tests the actors' acting skills and their ability to improvise on the spot.

"I'll make time to go with you to the audition."

This demonstrates the importance that Ji Binghe, the agency director, places on Mu Zhi.

"By the way, I've already sent the recruitment information for your team to HR: a bodyguard for your safety, a public relations representative, a makeup artist, a personal assistant on set..."

I'm managing several artists at the same time, so I might not be able to be with the crew the whole time you're filming. Also, you'll need an executive agent to handle your work.

Mu Zhi: "I recommended Xu Min for the role. During the filming of 'The Bell Ringer,' she was the only staff member around me. She was the one who coordinated all my work. She has a pretty good learning ability."

Mu Zhi terminated her contract and left Xinghe Culture.

Xu Min also resigned and left, and then came to Lanxing Media.

Given that Mu Zhi's initial work was not extensive, Ji Binghe had discussed it with Xu Min, who found the young woman quite clever and had no objections.

"Okay, I'll find someone to mentor her so she can get familiar with the skills as soon as possible."

Two days later, Ji Binghe drove to pick up Mu Zhi and Minmin and headed to the audition location.

A hotel that hosts auditions for film crews.

Upon arriving at the audition floor, I saw a sign indicating the cast and crew of "Back to 17" as soon as I stepped out of the elevator, and staff members came over to guide me.

"Director Ji, Ms. Mu, please sit in the dressing room for a while."

Ji Binghe asked casually, "Is someone auditioning in the audition room?"

The staff member nodded, said nothing more, poured them two glasses of water, and left.

"Among the actresses who auditioned for 'Back to 17,' one was Du Xixi, who could be considered your biggest competitor..."

Minmin whispered to Muzhi, "Du Qianqian became popular after starring in several IP-based ancient costume dramas. She also filmed two modern dramas that aired on satellite TV, but the ratings were only 1. Some netizens mocked her, saying that her comfort zone is filming ancient costume IP dramas."

Du Xixi's team is very capable. She's been dubbed one of the "New Four Little Flowers" by netizens, but this title is actually a result of marketing accounts and press releases, designed to link her to the other three actresses and create the illusion that all four are at the same level.

It actually works.

The term "new four little flowers" has become so popular that it's actually become a reality.

In fact, in the words of the fan community, Du Qianqian has no awards, no box office success, and her viewership ratings don't even break 1. She has no real achievements, and without the ancient costume drama IP, she may not even be able to carry the ancient costume drama genre.

Ji Binghe: "Du Qianqian is a third-tier celebrity. She has a lot of fans, but her acting skills are just barely passing grade for idol dramas. Her acting skills are inconsistent."

Zhizhi, I told you before that the director of the movie "Back to 17" values ​​the actors' acting skills, but if the two actors' acting skills are similar, their star power and popularity will become the deciding factors. You know what I mean?

"I understand."

Mu Zhi understood Ji Binghe's meaning: if her audition performance was not good enough, she would not get the role.

Ji Binghe said these things to put pressure on Mu Zhi, and also to hope that Mu Zhi would be aware of the situation.

Just as he finished giving his instructions, the door to the dressing room opened.

The assistant director came in and gave Mu Zhi a brief explanation of the audition requirements.

"There were two auditions in total. The first audition was for the role of Zhou Can, a 17-year-old female lead."

The stylist brought over the character's costume, which was a school uniform: a light blue short-sleeved shirt with a collar and black athletic pants with white stripes.

After changing her clothes, the stylist gave Muzhi a simple high ponytail.

Because she was playing a high school student, she was only allowed to wear no makeup at most.

21-year-old "Muzhi" has such good skin that you can't even see her pores. Before coming to the audition today, she guessed that she would need to do her makeup and styling.

Mu Zhi came without makeup; since she was required to be without makeup, she didn't need to wear any.

Led by the assistant director, they headed to the audition room, accompanied by their agent, Ji Binghe.

We arrived at the entrance of the audition room.

The door opened from the inside, and a woman with exquisite makeup, a low ponytail, a red dress, and high heels walked out, followed by a man wearing glasses and a floral shirt.

"Teacher Du, Steven, it's been a long time."

"Oh my, Director Ji, I didn't expect to run into you here."

Steven noticed Mu Zhi standing to the side and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Oh, where did you find her? She's really pretty."

Mu Zhi felt two burning gazes scrutinizing her. One was from Steven, the man who had praised her, and the other was from "Teacher Du," as addressed by her agent.

If I'm not mistaken, it should be Du Xixi.

"Hello, Teacher Du." Mu Zhi smiled politely at the other party.

"Hello." Du Qianqian gave a perfunctory smile.

She had her agent obtain a list of artists auditioning for the role of "Zhou Can".

When I saw the name "Muzhi", I didn't take this new idol seriously at all.

Now that I've met the real person, regardless of her acting skills, the school uniform she was wearing at her last audition exudes youthful energy.

It's not about wearing fake short hair, putting on youthful makeup, or deliberately trying to act young to win someone over.

A sense of crisis instantly surged through my heart.

After watching Mu Zhi and Ji Binghe walk into the audition room.

Du Qianqian said to her agent Steven with a worried expression, "Mu Zhi was actually brought by Ji Binghe. Brother Wen, what are your chances of getting this role for me?"

Steven was also surprised to see Ji Binghe here.

"Don't worry, I've taken care of everything."

"You're one of the Four Little Flowers, your status and popularity are undeniable. Ji Binghe is just a newcomer, how can she compare to you? Don't worry."

"The question that new director asked you before you came out after the performance was basically asking you to play this role."

is that so?

Du Qianqian originally thought the role was hers, but for some reason, she felt a little flustered when she saw Mu Zhi.

As soon as Mu Zhi entered the audition room, there were four people sitting inside.

The assistant director introduced the director, producer, screenwriter, and a young actor, who plays the male lead in "Back to 17".

After Ji Binghe entered, she made eye contact with the director, nodded in greeting, and then stood aside, knowing that this was Mu Zhi's show.

Mu Zhi lingered on director Xu Kuan for a few more seconds. He looked to be in his thirties, with shoulder-length hair, a thin face, and glasses; he had a rather artistic air about him.

When director Xu Kuan saw Mu Zhi, his first impression was one of amazement.

He came in wearing a school uniform, and from his appearance, he looked like a 17 or 18-year-old high school student. At the same time, he had a mysterious aura that didn't seem like that of a high school student.

Even without saying a word, she already perfectly embodies the female lead, Zhou Can.

"Your name is Mu Zhi? You're an idol who debuted through a talent show. Why did you choose to enter the acting industry?"

Mu Zhi's answer was straightforward and concise: "I really like acting, so I came to audition for the role of Zhou Can in 'Back to 17'."

It was clear that Mu Zhi didn't like to talk much, so Xu Kuan didn't ask any more questions.

They went straight to the audition stage.

The first round of auditions was very simple. Mu Zhi was given a piece of paper with the solution to a problem written on it.

Just have Mu Zhi stand in front of the camera recording the audition with this paper in her hand, and read the contents of the paper aloud.

Mu Zhi: It's that simple?

Without asking any further questions, he took the paper and stood directly in front of the camera.

After a three-second pause, he gave the camera an "OK" sign and began.

For the first audition, Xu Kuan wanted to see how well the auditioning actors got into character and how well they recited their lines.

Without even seeing the script, Mu Zhi only had to read a question, yet she grasped the essence of the character, and it was clear from her voice that her delivery of lines was quite strong.

After Mu Zhi finished reading, she said, "Cut, thank you for your performance."

"The second audition is about Zhou Can becoming a high school teacher 10 years later. Assistant Director Yang will take you to the dressing room in a little while. Pick an outfit to wear to attend your high school reunion."

He paused here, then gestured to the young male actor beside him, "For the second audition, Teacher Song Yuanliang will accompany you."

Mu Zhi nodded, indicating that she understood, and followed the assistant director out.

We entered the dressing room.

Two rows of clothes racks were hung with all kinds of clothes, and next to them was a large shoe rack with high heels, flats, cloth shoes and other kinds of shoes. Mu Zhi walked over and picked up a shoe to take a look. The crew had prepared several shoe sizes, which was very thoughtful and considerate.

Ji Binghe crossed her arms and analyzed, "So when we see Du Qianqian... that outfit she's wearing is what she put together for a classmate reunion."

A little confused: "Director Xu just revealed that this character is a teacher."

"Zhou Can, who is 27 years old, travels back to the age of 17 and wants to change her life. This shows that she did not have a good life before. At the high school reunion, everyone reminisces about the past. This may be a painful memory for her and make her feel very embarrassed."

Du Qianqian's thought process is probably that Zhou Can, who was given a second chance at life, successfully turned his life around and is now attending a high school reunion, which is also a cruise ship party. He wants to dress up beautifully and amaze everyone to gain a sense of satisfaction.

Ji Binghe watched as Mu Zhi chose a white shirt paired with a mustard yellow cardigan and black trousers.

"I won't bring my shoes, I already have some." She was wearing a pair of white sneakers.

Ji Binghe asked curiously, "What was your problem-solving approach?"

Mu Zhi: "I remember in the story synopsis, Zhou Can came to attend a cruise party for her classmate reunion. She was pushed into the sea from behind and traveled back in time. After returning to her 17-year-old self, she wanted to find the murderer."

The suspense of the story will likely be saved for the end, so she must have been wary when she boarded the cruise ship again. I find her outfit very comfortable, especially her shoes; they make me feel safe.

The female protagonist became a high school teacher, hoping that someone could lend a helping hand to her, just like she had when she went astray.

Mu Zhi believes that people who have lost themselves and then rediscovered themselves don't care about outward appearances.

Of course, there's no script, so everyone can freely express their own ideas, and each person's "problem-solving" approach can be different.

The script was written by the screenwriter, and it can actually be said to be a very subjective plot design.

The standard answer lies with the director; it depends on how the director films it.

After getting dressed, Mu Zhi went to the dressing room, tied her high ponytail into a bun, and applied lipstick.

I walked towards the meeting room for the audition.

[Author's Note]

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:58:06 on June 2, 2022 and 23:26:43 on June 3, 2022!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Lin Juwei (1 landmine);

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Aunt Zha Ke, 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!