Chapter 144: Filming
Zhou Xiao hit the six o'clock alarm and jumped out of bed quickly, not even lingering on the warmth of her bed. Standing on the balcony, she felt the sudden drop in temperature since the previous night, realizing that summer seemed to have long since passed.
Yesterday afternoon, she and Qin Shi had finalized the shoot time and content. Since NINE STAR also had a commercial shoot, they moved the original shoot from the afternoon to the morning to ensure smooth filming for the official promotional photos. During the phone call, Qin Shi apologized profusely to Zhou Xiao.
Regardless, last-minute time changes are a big no-no in any collaboration. However, Zhou Xiao didn't have any conflicting schedules, so she readily accepted Qin Shi's request for a time change.
Zhou Xiao, who was wearing a sweatshirt, was ready at this time. When he saw that the taxi he had taken in advance was almost arriving downstairs of the hotel, Zhou Xiao took his camera and computer and set off.
She got into the back seat of a taxi. As soon as she opened the window, a gust of cool air blew into the car. The instant coolness made Zhou Xiao, already alert, even more sober. On the way to XS, Zhou Xiao received a message from Qin Shi. She was told to text her when she arrived, and she would come out to pick her up later.
Although she wasn't sure why Qin Shi was picking her up again, Zhou Xiao still agreed and sent her her estimated arrival time. It was still early, but probably because it was Golden Week, there was a lot of traffic on the road early in the morning. Zhou Xiao's taxi followed the flow of traffic ahead, heading smoothly towards the XS studio in the suburbs.
The closer the car got to their destination, the more Zhou Xiao felt something was amiss. XS Studio was a relatively well-developed company, but the sheer number of cars on the road was making Zhou Xiao feel even more strange.
But when she looked out the window and saw the crowd gathered at the entrance of XS, something clicked in her mind. Because of the large number of people and cars at the entrance, the driver had no choice but to stop further ahead to drop Zhou Xiao off. The driver, who had been silent the entire way, was surprised to see so many people so early. He suddenly spoke up, "It's quite lively here."
He realized he had misunderstood something, but just as Zhou Xiao was about to reply, the driver asked curiously, "Did you say when this will end?"
What's more, Zhou Xiao, who was about to open the car door and get out, thought about it seriously for a moment, but then she shook her head regretfully, "I don't know either."
Zhou Xiao was in charge of the official promotional photos, but it was clearly the commercial shoot that consumed the most time. As soon as I got out of the car, I could smell the unique aroma of XS perfume, which blended skillfully with the cool morning air, showcasing the power of the master perfumer.
"When are you coming?" "Just wait a little longer. It won't take a while longer." Zhou Xiao went to the gate of XS. When he passed by the two girls under the tree, the conversation between them floated into his ears.
Zhou smiled vaguely. It seemed quite a few fans knew that Nine Star would be filming the XS perfume campaign today. Looking around, he saw quite a few fans milling around not only at the studio entrance but also nearby, even before his arrival.
Before Zhou Xiao even reached the main door, Qin Shi, who had already come out, spotted her. Then, she swiftly gave her a work badge and led her towards the main door of the studio.
The closer to the door, the more fans gathered, and everyone had already lined up. When they noticed someone approaching, they saw that it was a staff member with a work badge leading another staff member in. The fans who looked up at it once again lowered their heads to play with their phones or resume their conversations.
As they walked further inside, Qin Shi, who had been wearing the stern face of a seasoned client, paused. Seeing the curiosity on Zhou Xiao's face, she sighed helplessly and hurried back to the studio with him, saying, "I don't know how those fans outside got to know the schedule. They're waiting for us at the door so early on their holiday instead of taking a break."
Zhou Xiao checked the time on his phone. It was already past seven o'clock. He wondered when Ji Shao and the others would arrive. Thinking of this, Zhou Xiao casually asked. Qin Shi, who was standing in front of him, glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and said, "It should be around—"
Before he could finish his words, he heard excited shouts from outside—"Ji Shao," "Lin Nan," "..." From time to time, he could hear a few high-pitched screams. The two people who had just entered the door looked at each other, and Qin Shi couldn't help but smile. "Luckily, I brought you in early, otherwise I would have to take you out the back door later."
"Look, this is the studio where you filmed last time." Qin Shi brought Zhou Xiao into one of the studios. At this moment, the shouting outside had been completely blocked out.
Zhou Xiao nodded, placed her bag on the table, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared to go set up the scene. Qin Shi stopped her, saying, "Don't worry, they still have to put on makeup, which will take at least half an hour. Would you like something to drink? I'll order it for you."
Qin Shi took out her tablet. Zhou Xiao, standing next to her, took a look and saw that the notes were filled with food and drinks, and quite a lot of them. "Teacher Zhou, have you had breakfast yet?" Seeing the other person's serious question, Zhou Xiao nodded. "I have. Just order me a latte." Seeing the other person send a screenshot of the note, Zhou Xiao raised an eyebrow. "I have to thank Teacher Qin for making this arrangement for me."
Putting the platform on the table, Qin Shi smiled and said, "Well, Mr. Zhou can go and debug the equipment now. I have to go meet the members too. If you have anything, call me!"
Seeing the other party leave in a hurry, Zhou Xiao glanced at the furnishings in the studio, full of energy, and started working mode!
Before Ji Shao and his team arrived to film, two other staff members arrived to help. Zhou Xiao had already done some simple adjustments and told them to rest. She was almost done with her work, so they would just help NINE STAR with the filming.
Ten minutes later, the studio door opened, and a group of teenagers followed Qin Shi inside. As they entered, they bowed and called out, "Hello, teacher!" Then, after several of them looked up at the photographer who had taken their photos that morning, their minds faltered. Xu Zhou, who was in the crowd, seemed to double-check, then glanced at the photographer again before turning to look at Ji Shao.
Ji Shao obviously recognized the photographer in front of him as one of his fans. After a moment of distraction, he noticed Zhou Xiao's professional attitude. He restrained his expression and gave Xu Zhou and Liang Wendao, who were winking at him, a slap on the head.
The first shoot was the official solo photo shoot, which was taken by team leader Wu Yanyan. During this time, Xu Zhou and Liang Wendao approached Ji Shao and started gossiping among their teammates.
Ji Shao folded his arms as he watched Zhou Xiao photographing Wu Yanyan, his mood bright. He felt no jealousy or resentment towards his fangirl for photographing others. Perhaps it was the first time he saw Zhou Xiao standing next to Brother Zhang at the official photo shoot for Star 101 that gave him a vague feeling that Zhou Xiao would become more than just a fangirl (or just an ordinary photographer). Of course, Zhou Xiao's subsequent rise to fame proved Ji Shao's suspicions.
"Is your fangirl a photographer collaborating with XS?" Xu Zhou rubbed his chin as he asked. The fact that Pianranxindong was collaborating with XS had caused quite a stir among the trainees still competing. While Star 101's training was closed, it was actually quite easy for the trainees to keep up with the gossip outside.
Where there are people, there's bound to be gossip, especially among the contestants, whose phones are officially restricted. The trainees privately chat about whose page takes the best pictures, who has the most fans, and so on.
Not to mention that later, the internet broke the news that Pian Ran Xin Dong was also the photographer of Ji Shao's magazine. Thinking back to when Ji Shao was on the cover of XS Recommended, Xu Zhou felt that his guess was becoming more and more reasonable, and he couldn't help but nod, lost in self-affirmation.
Liang Wendao, who didn't think too much about it, looked at Ji Shao curiously, "Can your fangirl take promotional photos for this kind of brand?"
Ji Shao, who was holding his arm, glanced at Liang Wendao with a sidelong glance, and said with a hint of pride and emotion, "The first out-of-competition promotional video I ever shot was shot by my fan club. What do you think?"
Liang Wendao, who was completely impressed... watched Ji Shao walk towards the filming location to prepare for the shoot. He turned around and looked at Xu Zhou beside him, "That's the fan who keeps asking me to flirt with her on the front lines in my private messages. What do you think, should we both go all out?"
Xu Zhou looked at Liang Wendao, then at Ji Shao, who was already "flashing his teeth and claws" and "showing off his branches and flowers" like a peacock in front of the camera, and kindly reminded him, "We seem to be losing a little bit in terms of looks." After all, Ji Shao had the votes for the top position in Star Path 101's looks, and Ji Shao was universally recognized as the most handsome. Besides, being a fan is still about chemistry and fate.
After finishing filming Wu Yanyan, Zhou Xiao saw Ji Shao, a little sun radiating a cheerful aura from the inside out, in the camera. She pursed her lips and looked at the other person. No, she still wanted to laugh.
Having collaborated with Ji Shao on several shoots before, Zhou Xiao felt like Ji Shao had a double advantage today. Not only was the shoot smooth, but the results were also impressive. Less than a third of the originally planned shoot time had already been used. Zhou Xiao glanced up at the clock on the wall and, with a decisive wave of his hand, ended the shoot.
Under the spotlight, Xiu Gou's eyes sparkled. Just when he was feeling incredibly good today, he was suddenly informed that filming was over. Huh? Confused, Xiu Gou was led to the rest area by the staff. He glanced at his roommate, Chu Cheng, who had followed the staff to take over the filming. A sense of sadness washed over him.
The official photo shoot took slightly longer than Zhou Xiao anticipated. Besides her natural touch and the systematic practice in the training room, she's always been faster than other photographers. Furthermore, most of the NINE STAR members had become accustomed to being photographed by now, and were generally able to adjust to the poses and angles Zhou Xiao suggested.
After Zhou Xiao finished taking a group photo of the nine members, many members felt that they were in great shape today. When the assistant went to contact Qin Shi to ask if they could go directly to shoot the commercial, Zhou Xiao was already surrounded by the NINE STAR members.
That's the downside of having so many people. It was fine during the photo shoot, with everyone looking youthful, lively, and "dumb" and handsome. But when Zhou Xiao showed them the photos he'd taken on his computer, the noise from the mouths grew exponentially.
"I wish it would be my teacher who takes the photo next time!" Seeing the finished film on the computer, Wu Yanyan felt that she could bow her head to the world and flatter the teacher a little (of course, this was still a heartfelt sigh).
Unexpectedly, he looked up and saw several people, led by Ji Shao, looking at him. Wu Yanyan analyzed it inwardly. Ji Shao's eyes were sharp and looked murderous. As for Xu Zhou and Liang Wendao, their facial expressions were too expressive, which made them look strange. Thinking of this, he glanced at Lin Nan, who was still carefully watching the screen.
When he turned to look at the three people again, they were also looking at the photos on the computer as seriously as Lin Nan. Wu Yanyan touched his upper lip unconsciously, and could only think that he had just had an illusion.
Soon, the team assistant came running in and told the members to get ready to go to another studio to shoot the commercial. XS Studio is equipped with more than just this studio, there is also a large studio specifically for shooting commercials.
After the members were satisfied and took a few photos with their phones, they followed the assistant and prepared to leave. Of course, before leaving, everyone, led by Wu Yanyan, said a sincere goodbye to the photographer, whom they considered to have a first-class aesthetic.
Zhou Xiao said goodbye to everyone one by one. When her eyes met Ji Shao's, she saw him clench his fist and give her a cheering gesture. The smile on her face unconsciously deepened. After all the NINE STAR members had left, Zhou Xiao sat back in her chair and began to select photos.
Although the photoshoot was enjoyable, the selection process was also a matter of careful consideration. Before long, the ten folders on my computer desktop were filled with photos.
Zhou Xiao picked up the warm water on the table and took a sip, then opened the folder signed by Ji Shao, and suddenly remembered Qin Shi’s special instructions to him this morning.
Although the shoot was for all members, Ji Shao, the new XS brand ambassador, required Zhou Xiao to take it even more seriously. Of course, getting everyone a good shot was the best. Zhou Xiao had originally scheduled Ji Shao for a bit longer, but he was surprisingly in great shape today. In fact, after a quick break in, the shoot was already complete (with excellent photos). To be sure, Zhou Xiao also took a few extra shots, but even so, it only took a third of the scheduled time.
Qin Shi, on the other hand, was somewhat surprised to learn that NINE STAR had already finished filming. Fortunately, the staff always waited for the artists in advance, and the studio had already been set up. When the NINE STAR assistant called to ask if they could film the commercial, the director and crew quickly arrived. The early start time was also a boon for them, hence the scene where the assistant led the members from Zhou Xiao's studio.
Qin Shi nodded as her colleagues brought in the Huayao and NINE STAR personnel. After briefly explaining some precautions, she left the location to the advertising director to guide the filming. She stood by, watching the scene.
…
"Ding-ling-ling!" Zhou Xiao raised her head from the computer, stood up and walked towards the landline on Qin Shi's desk. When she answered it, she heard the voice of the person on the other end of the line, "I called you and you didn't answer, so I know you weren't checking your phone. I'll have Xiao Shen bring you some food later. Do you have any dietary restrictions?"
Zhou Xiao spent the entire morning in Qin Shi's office after the shoot. Partly because the fans at the door hadn't left yet, and partly because Zhou Xiao was retouching photos, it didn't matter where he was. So Qin Shi had a staff member bring Zhou Xiao into her office to avoid being disturbed.
On the other side, the fans who had been waiting at the door all morning also received counter-support from the members.
Even the McDonald's restaurant in the suburbs of XS was incredibly busy. Orders were already surging during Golden Week, and now they were flooded with them. The on-duty manager was scrambling to make last-minute calls to off-duty employees to handle the sudden surge in orders. Due to staff shortages, the restaurant even stopped accepting online orders.
——【Forum】——[October 1, noon]
【Theme】NINE STAR offline reverse support for fans by giving them McDonald's
[Main Building] I hate it so much. I had such an opportunity in front of me, but I was defeated by my procrastination. I should have passed it earlier. I could have eaten at McDonald's (not
[picture]
The picture is a McDonald's restaurant shared by fans in the super chat
1L
Offline? Are there any activities?
13L
Reply to 1L: Today NINE STAR went to XS perfume to shoot a commercial
32L
Yes, yes, I am very satisfied with the Ji Shao that XS took. I hope to be able to follow this standard.
56L
I'm eating McDonald's right now... How abominable! But aside from anything else, the signage inside the restaurant is really cool! The one I have is Ji Shao's single sign, and some passersby who were eating McDonald's stopped to take pictures when they passed by, hahaha
82L
Sorry, the content caused extreme discomfort [crying]
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