Chapter 263 Career
Beijing, "XZC" headquarters.
As Zhou Xiao entered the magazine building, she saw a young man drawing on a tablet. Hearing footsteps behind him, he immediately looked in her direction.
Zhou Xiao thought to himself, "She has those iconic almond-shaped eyes." He immediately knew she was the staff member he had contacted through the messaging app.
Lu Shanshan was still wondering whether the person in front of her was the one she was waiting for, but she didn't know that the other party had already recognized her based on the only one eye exposed in her profile picture.
"Hello, I'm Zhou Xiao." Seeing the other person still looking at him, Zhou Xiao took the initiative to step forward and extended his hand. "Excuse me, are you Lu Shanshan?"
After hearing Zhou Xiao's self-introduction, Lu Shanshan quickly leaned against the front desk, extended her hand, and shook it back. "Yes, yes, I'm Lu Shanshan! Teacher Zhou, just call me Shanshan. I didn't expect you to arrive so early. How about I take you to the studio first?"
XZC is the only magazine in the industry, among the increasingly diverse cover art scene, that still uses solid-color backgrounds or wall-based images. While this significantly reduces photography costs, it often puts a greater test on the photographer's skills.
Zhou Xiao followed him toward the elevator without question. This short walk gave her a chance to appreciate the changing aesthetics of XZC magazine's covers.
The entire building they were in now belonged to "XZC". The fact that it had such a large area in Beijing, where every inch of land was valuable, was enough to show the former glory of this top women's magazine. However, it still could not stop the gradual decline of print media.
Coupled with the negative news Zhou Xiao had previously found on a certain potato platform, about a magazine intern posting on a social platform that she was exploited and ran away, she also looked around with some curiosity at the obviously low-pressure atmosphere around her.
Fast, urgent, and busy were the first impressions that "XZC" gave him. When Zhou Xiao's eyes passed over the large cover photos hanging on the left and right sides of the lobby walls, his pace couldn't help but slow down.
The cover is the most positive reflection of the magazine's changes. The pictures on the left are framed on the wall in chronological order, and one can vaguely see the rigid style.
Lu Shanshan, already two steps ahead of her and heading for the elevator, saw Zhou Xiao's admiring expression as he gazed at the wall to the right, and a surge of pride welled up inside her. She smiled and introduced, "Hanging on this wall are the best covers of XZC since its founding. We have two more hanging there in China!"
Zhou Xiao glanced over. She'd seen the cover Lu Shanshan mentioned from the very beginning. Its strong Chinese elements made it look particularly grand and festive among the other blockbusters. However, only two covers from the distant past showed that the Chinese edition of "XZC" was lagging behind.
"Ding" the elevator door opened, Zhou Xiao followed Lu Shanshan, and waited until she made way for the people who were rushing out of the elevator before following her into the elevator.
"We at 'XZC' have specially built a studio that can basically meet the teachers' shooting needs!" Lu Shanshan pressed the button, turned around and said to Zhou Xiao with a smile.
They took the elevator to the fifth floor, which was filled with the magazine's uniformly arranged photo studios. As soon as the two of them stepped out of the elevator, someone rushed through the closing doors, causing Lu Shanshan to laugh and scold the person, "Look at you, you're so impatient! Safety first!"
"We have an event this month, and everyone's been super busy since last week. Teacher Zhou, please forgive me!" Lu Shanshan slowed down her pace and took Zhou Xiao to the designated studio, asking, "We can only spare two employees to help with the filming for now. Is that okay with you, Teacher?"
Pushing open the studio door, the first thing you see is the shadowless wall the magazine had custom-made at great expense. Photographic equipment and props are neatly stacked in a corner, a scene that suggests someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder might have organized them. Even the angles of the lighting fixtures are identical.
"No problem, you go ahead and do your work," Zhou Xiao pointed at Lu Shanshan's ringing phone and continued, "I'll make some adjustments here."
When the other party left the studio with the phone that had been ringing all the way and considerately turned it off for Zhou Xiao, the whole room suddenly became quiet.
Zhou Xiao took out his laptop and used the studio's printer to print out the storyboards for the next shoot. This shoot wasn't just for the magazine, but also included a Qixi Festival short film for a sponsored brand.
…
It was a hot summer day, and the weather was perfect. Sunlight streamed through the windows into the studio, and only the occasional rustle of props being moved and paper scraping through the air could be heard.
After an unknown amount of time, a head with bangs quietly poked its head in. Zhou Xiao, sitting behind his computer, heard the studio door open. He looked up and saw two employees wearing badges pushing the door completely open. Behind them, the main character of the shoot, followed closely.
"Teacher Xiaoxiao~" Dai Linfei held the door open and blew Zhou Xiao a kiss after seeing her. Then she stood up and walked towards Zhou Xiao.
As her body swayed, the high-padded houndstooth wool coat draped over her black velvet swayed rhythmically. The vibrant scent of perfume quietly infiltrated the studio. Zhou Xiao handed the printed storyboard to Dai Linfei and said with a smile, "Teacher Dai, you're in great shape today!"
"I think so too," Dai Linfei playfully replied, taking the A4 paper. She casually pulled back her straight hair that fell across her chest before carefully examining the final version. Even though this was for tomorrow's shoot, taking a look at it first would give her some idea of what she was looking for.
Sitting on the sofa, Dai Linfei, intently studying the storyboard, exuded the charm of a mature woman, as well as an elegant, intellectual side. Zhou Xiao's fingers moved, pressing the shutter button to record this moment.
This magazine was sponsored by the brand WP, and both the fall collection and the jewelry Dai Linfei wore were truly exceptional. Just looking at the high-quality beads she had prepared for the shoot, one can clearly see the brand's love for her.
…
"Mr. Yuan, please come this way," Lu Shanshan said respectfully, leading a well-maintained woman to the studio. Dai Linfei's agent Lu An was also with them.
The studio door was gently pushed open, and filming had already begun inside. Lu Shanshan looked at the light on the computer monitor at the back, knowing that it was connected to the monitoring equipment. So she turned around and said to the two people, "Let's go to the monitor to watch it. It will be clearer."
The woman known as Ms. Yuan sat gracefully in the middle, watching the changing photos on the screen. Her expression was serious and attentive, and she nodded frequently as if she was extremely satisfied.
Lu An, standing diagonally behind the woman, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw her nod. The man before him was none other than WP's Vice President of China, who had the final say over today's shoot. With this nod, he felt relieved.
On the screen, Dai Linfei stares directly into the camera, her hair swirling freely in the air from the blowers on the court. Every captured photo perfectly highlights her beautiful eyes, filled with profound emotion. Her determined gaze tells a powerful story, and each strand of her hair is so radiant that it makes you call her a queen.
The classic houndstooth fabric and the waistline that seems to be casually drawn with a few strokes, coupled with the metal earrings faintly revealed under the straight long hair... The overall picture looks not only feminine, but also very free and easy.
"The little girl's photography is full of energy and spirit." Yuan Zhili was particularly satisfied with Zhou Xiao. She still remembered the two sets of photos Zhou Xiao took of Ji Shao. Of course, the most important thing was that those two sets of photos were praised by their chief designer.
Designers are the soul of a brand, which is one of the reasons why WP supported Dai Linfei in choosing Zhou Xiao to shoot the cover. Excellent photographers, no longer bound by age restrictions, are actively blossoming within the industry.
Zhou Xiao, filming Dai Linfei, felt her touch was particularly good today. Coupled with the studio artists' active cooperation and familiarity with the camera, she quickly invited them to take a break after deliberately securing two extra takes.
Like Zhou Xiao, Dai Linfei felt she was in excellent shape. This was a rare occurrence during filming, and she thought it would disappear if she took a break. So she shook her head decisively and said to Zhou Xiao, "I'm in great shape now. I'll change and come over!"
Zhou Xiao had no objection. She directed the three staff members on the scene to adjust the props. Yes, during the filming, another person came to help. It was probably because they saw someone from the brand and added a temporary person.
This change allowed the remaining five looks for the magazine to be shot in a hurry. A striking collision of black and white, a perfect combination of exaggeration and art, finished with a heavy couture embroidered dress.
The speed of the progress was so fast that even Zhou Xiao, who had put down his camera, was stunned. Originally, today's magazine shoot was split into morning and afternoon sessions, but now... Zhou Xiao glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already noon.
"Teacher Dai, take a break and continue in the afternoon," Zhou Xiao said, looking at Dai Linfei whose makeup was a little smudged.
There's another key reason for the quick filming. Dai Linfei's makeup didn't change significantly. Whenever she changed clothes, she'd simply have the makeup artist touch up and adjust the look before returning. Thankfully, the makeup stayed similar throughout the shoot. While subtle changes were made, each outfit and jewelry piece added a touch of freshness to the shot.
Zhou Xiao was actually a bit too excited about the shoot. The last set was originally supposed to be shot outdoors, but when they were changing the outfits, they got the order wrong. Although they realized it, they made the best of it and shot indoors straight away.
Looking at the outfit Dai Linfei is wearing now, with a yellow inner layer and a black embroidered jacket on the upper body and suit pants with a perfect drape on the lower body, Zhou Xiao feels that there seems to be nothing wrong with using this outfit to shoot another outdoor scene.
Dai Linfei was about to say something in the studio when she saw three people approaching from behind. The leader, Yuan Zhili, looked pleased and said, "Don't get tired. Listen to me and eat first! I'm not in a hurry, so why are you so anxious? Let's get some rest before we start filming!"
The group went to a nearby restaurant for dinner, and at Lu Shanshan's recommendation, they went to a teahouse next door to rest for a while. When they returned to the magazine building, Zhou Xiao felt that his spirits had recovered.
…
On the rooftop, Dai Linfei sat casually on a chair. One hand rested on the chair's back, which had been repainted with yellow paint, the other rested on the knee of her crossed legs. Her originally straight hair had been lightly twirled by a makeup artist with a curling iron. A nearby hair dryer blew the strands, giving her a particularly lazy and carefree look.
Zhou Xiao pressed the shutter button very quickly. Every move, every frown and smile of the woman in front of him was full of infectious charm, and even made the concrete background wall behind her look like a work of art.
The heavily embroidered jacket gleamed in the sunlight, and her slender fingers danced gracefully in the air. The striking yellow at her fingertips looked like playful notes dancing in the air from a distance.
"Click!" He pressed the shutter button for the final magazine shoot. Zhou Xiao put down the camera and looked at Dai Linfei, who was still posing while leaning against the back of the chair in front of him. He smiled and said, "The magazine shoot is over. Teacher Dai, you've worked hard today!"
Zhou Xiao looked at Dai Linfei, who raised her eyebrows in surprise, then checked the time. "How about asking her? Should we just go all out and film the Qixi Festival video?"
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