Chapter 53 Pre-recording assessment
Cen Qi asked, "What are your thoughts?"
Jiang Xunzhen didn't answer directly. She leaned back in her chair and looked up at Cen Qi, "Do you still remember the original goal of this program?"
Cen Qi's gaze drifted into the distance, his eyes flashing. "You mean, to make an inspirational and positive ensemble program?"
The initial plan for "Team Up" was to focus on both competition and friendship, creating a youth ensemble variety show that would leave a lasting impression.
However, after the major companies confirmed their participation, no one mentioned this goal anymore, because everyone knew that with these companies involved, the competition would only become more intense, and there might even be malicious competition. The idyllic picture seemed more like a pipe dream.
Noticing Cen Qi's shifting gaze, she said, "Of course, I'm not fixated on a group performance, but the key to this competition show is the people. The initial stage performances have already shown signs of gradually losing control of the direction. I can't watch my show filled with opposition and negative emotions. I don't want the audience to talk about this show with disgust and ridicule a few years from now."
Jiang Xunzhen's gaze fell on Meng Fanxi in the surveillance footage. "He gave me hope."
“You,” Cen Qi frowned, wanting to say why she was suddenly so naive, but after considering it for a moment, he said, “You know perfectly well how cruel and even unfair the rules that run through the entire program are, and now you’re saying you don’t want to provoke conflict?”
Jiang Xunzhen explained: "No, I allow for conflict and controversy, but this show needs contestants who can balance these complex factors with the competition itself."
Meng Fanxi handled the hostility perfectly.
Cen Qi followed her gaze, his eyes deep and serious. "What are you planning to do?"
"We don't need to do much; I believe he will surprise us."
Jiang Xunzhen looked relaxed. Was it the camera's favor? Even without the live broadcast's popularity, she had seen the post-show interviews before the initial stage performance, and the storyline was slowly pointing towards him.
What she had to do was to point the camera at Meng Fanxi in time and capture his behavior.
I hope he won't disappoint her.
Jiang Xunzhen slapped Cen Qi's arm without any mercy. "Stop frowning. I didn't say anything about those companies putting their own people into the special judging panel, but you're unhappy about praising Meng Fanxi a couple of times?"
"No, I'm just happy that the live stream is so popular," Cen Qi said, coming back to his senses.
...
The production team prepared three sets of outfits, which were neatly placed at the entrance of each room. One set was a uniform to be used on formal occasions, and the other two were practice outfits. It is said that there are more, which will be distributed as the program progresses.
Their practice uniforms had gold logos, and Meng Fanxi guessed that the other teams' logos were probably the different colored logos that were lit up on the tiered seats at the time.
Over the next few days, they will learn the theme song and film it. Shortly after filming, they will select the song for their first performance.
Between the theme song and the first performance, the S-level and A-level teams also had to find time to record spin-off programs.
Meng Fanxi instantly felt a sense of fulfillment from running multiple trips in her previous life. She got up early in the morning and struggled to drag Xu You, who was sleeping in, out of bed. The six of them went to the S-class exclusive restaurant to enjoy a delicious breakfast.
The studio interior was redesigned, the stage was doubled in size, and irregular geometric frames were erected around it. The stage set combined dark red and dark black to create a sense of impending battle.
The production team tested the lights on stage to ensure that the trainees' faces could be clearly captured on camera. At first glance, they were the second team to arrive.
The first to arrive was Jiangzhen boy. The tiered seating had been removed, and the four of them were now sitting in a corner chatting quietly.
"You guys sit down first, I'll go put my jacket in the locker." Meng Fanxi greeted his teammates and then turned to go backstage to put away his clothes. He wasn't afraid of the heat, but he was afraid of the cold. The morning air was quite chilly, and since his practice clothes were sleeveless, he had put on a jacket when he left the house.
“Okay,” Lin Ruohe replied.
The production team had set up a special storage area backstage, with each person having a locker labeled with their name. Meng Fanxi headed straight for it.
After entering the password, Meng Fanxi neatly folded her coat and put it in the closet. She closed the closet door without a second thought. Then, she turned her head and suddenly saw Jin Ziran walking over from another entrance.
That direction is...
Their eyes met unexpectedly. Jin Ziran was the first to look away, then revealed a bright smile and quickened her pace toward them.
"Hi," a familiar voice came from behind. Before Meng Fanxi could turn around to respond, Jin Ziran had already walked up and put his arm around the person who greeted him. "Zhong Chu, what are you doing here? What a coincidence."
"Come on, put your clothes away." Zhong Chu was clearly taken aback by Jin Ziran's sudden enthusiasm. After Jin Ziran efficiently helped him put his clothes away, he was completely blocked from looking at Meng Fanxi and left.
Meng Fanxi watched the two figures leave, her profile clean and gentle, a subtle, almost imperceptible glint in her eyes.
He didn't miss the intense emotions in Jin Ziran's eyes when their gazes met: jealousy, dissatisfaction, anger, and even a hint of hatred.
Regarding the falling out with Zhang Yang, he mainly worked behind the scenes and didn't have any open conflict with him. If it was something that happened in the last few days, he hid it very well when the recording ended and the group disbanded last night.
Has something happened again?
Meanwhile, while Jiang Xunzhen was busy coordinating and scheduling, she received a phone call that angered her. She couldn't contain her anger and said, "You said that four or five trainees didn't go into other practice rooms this morning, but instead wasted their time in a locked practice room?"
Without needing to be told, she already understood the meaning: "After today's recording, I'll look for them in front of those trainees and see where they hid their phones!"
Once all the trainees had arrived, they sat cross-legged on stage under the guidance of the staff, which made them appear less serious.
After receiving Jiang Xunzhen's notification last night, the already increased screen time given to the Eternal Six Stars group, with more close-ups of Meng Fanxi, was added. Although the recording of the theme song segment hadn't started yet, the reality show featuring all the trainees was being filmed non-stop for 24 hours.
The production team and Cen Qi sat in the control room, watching Meng Fanxi's footage, and gradually discovered some interesting things.
Staff members distributed the recording equipment and helped the trainees put it on. Due to the large number of trainees, the way they put it on was rather rough. In the footage, Meng Fanxi was seen adjusting the equipment and tidying up the in-ear monitor wires for his teammates with small, precise movements, demonstrating excellent skill.
Even Lin Ruohe, who should have a lot of experience in this area, stood obediently by and waited for Meng Fanxi to make adjustments.
Han Jia from the WONE group, who was nearby, also came over to ask for help. Meng Fanxi paused for a moment, then naturally began to help him untangle the equipment cables.
Even the members of the Jiangzhen Boys, who were known for their tough lifestyle, quietly moved over and lined up to wait for their turn.
This is unusual. Cen Qi suddenly thought of something and asked the director to flip through the footage recorded a few days ago. In the corner of the waiting area, Meng Fanxi naturally helped his teammates adjust the equipment. The staff were still busy at that time, so the adjustments were not significant, and there were some other small details such as adjusting the cuffs.
Switching back to the current scene, Cen Qi noticed that Xu Cangyan's nephew was propping his face up with one hand and impatiently tapping his knee with the other, looking irritable and seemingly extremely dissatisfied with the waiting time before the recording.
Lin Ruohe, the team leader, was sitting in the back talking to Zhang Yang when Meng Fanxi suddenly made a move, sticking out a finger and poking Xu You's bulging cheek, not backing down and determined to flatten his cheek.
Meng Fanxi's lips barely moved, but the recording equipment heard it clearly: "Where's your facial expression control?"
Finally, Xu You couldn't resist and flashed a formulaic, bright white smile, "How about this?"
“Very good, Brother Xu.”
"Hmph." Hearing this "big brother" address, Xu You felt a surge of joy, and the smile on his face became genuine.
He had heard from friends that this kid was difficult to handle, but he didn't expect him to be so easily coaxed. Remembering the complaints from the later episodes, Cen Qi quickly dialed the post-production team leader's number, "You told me last time that the Will duo was difficult to edit, that they were mostly cold and like villains?"
He was worried back then that if the team with the highest viewership on the show couldn't hold its own, it would be like ruining half the show.
"Yes, starting with Meng Fanxi is a good approach, but didn't you reject it?" The person on the other end sounded irritated. "By the way, I was just about to ask you two. Director Jiang said to stick to the original plan, but you rejected it. So, whose advice should I take?"
Cen Qi coughed awkwardly, "Let's listen to her."
He watched as Meng Fanxi practiced the dance moves in small, seemingly engrossed in his own world. It was probably the same routine he had practiced in the practice room the night before. Seeing this, his teammates followed suit and joined in.
Gradually, the other bored teams in the studio noticed their situation and began practicing the unknown dance moves as well.
Only then did Cen Qi understand what Jiang Xunzhen had said.
As the recording began, Yun Mengtao walked out from the center of an even more magnificent stage.
Matching the trainees' practice clothes, she also wore a casual sportswear outfit, with her hair tied in a high ponytail, looking neat and beautiful.
"Dear trainees, welcome to the theme song recording session. Before revealing our theme song, let me briefly introduce the rules for this recording."
Are there rules for recording a theme song?
It seems this isn't just a simple recording as the production team described; there must be an assessment involved. Meng Fanxi and his teammates exchanged glances, already understanding the situation.
As expected, Yun Mengtao announced the recording rules: "Before the official recording of this theme song, there will be a level assessment. For the verse, each team will design their own dance for evaluation. For the chorus, each team will perform a solo cover of the dance choreographed by the program team for evaluation. The combined result of the verse and chorus will be the team's latest rating."
"All treatment during the program will be changed again based on the rating results."
"During the assessment, you will need to go to a special room for independent recording, and our five mentors will conduct a comprehensive evaluation behind the scenes."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
