Chapter 342 Chapter 342
Inside the studio, two girls, each wearing a DL metal plaque, huddled together. After careful consideration, one of them cautiously said, "Hey, what do you think...if I ask Teacher Zhou to get Yingying's autograph for me, will it work?"
"Why bother Teacher Zhou? Aren't we planning to hold a platform event in Jiangcheng next month? Now that "Flower Journey" is so popular, you can urge the publicity department to write a plan and invite Lu Mengqi to participate! Not only can you get an autographed photo, but you can also see the real person!" Ke Yining looked at Yuan Yu's little plan and said with some regret.
If they bothered Teacher Zhou Xiao with such a small matter, their superiors would definitely make them memorize the employee code of conduct. It was just an autographed photo of Lu Mengqi; for employees like them responsible for the preparation of the DL photoshoot, it was just a small matter of finding a middleman.
"No, I only like the character of Chang Ying." Yuan Yu glanced around and found that no one in the studio noticed them. Then she curled her lips and said, "I still have her agent's contact information, but that's all from her previous agency. Of course, you can guess why I didn't take the initiative to ask for it."
Ke Yining understood, then let out a long "Oh!" It seemed there was something hidden behind this! Thinking of this, she looked at the closed dressing room on the right side of the studio, and for some reason, her tone was filled with regret. "This is completely different from the one in there."
She leaned against a nearby pillar, speaking rather boredly, "I was wondering why no one in the group was rushing to take the position, and why it was assigned to the two of us. It seems someone must have suffered enough before and informed their own group in advance."
As she spoke, Ke Yining's gaze involuntarily fell on the table beside her. It was a suitcase, slightly larger than a makeup bag. But despite its small size, it contained three thick stacks of photos waiting for Ji Shao's signature.
"I feel embarrassed to have Ji Shao sign a bunch of autographs." Yuan Yu's face wrinkled into a small pout as he listened to Ke Yining's words. Although it was quite exciting to work with such a top star, there were too many troubles afterwards, such as the autographed photo issue.
Ever since they knew she was going to shoot a commercial with Ji Shao, at least dozens of people, including colleagues, former colleagues, relatives, and friends, have asked her to help them get an autographed photo.
At first, when there were only four or five requests, she could still tell herself that she could get Ji Shao's autograph later if she became thicker-skinned. But as time went on, the number of people coming through the backdoor to request autographs kept increasing.
"Alas," they exchanged glances, finally sighing heavily. Although they hadn't openly complained about this to each other, after exchanging glances, they both had their own answers.
As for how many photos he could finally sign, that was up to fate. I heard that when Ji Shao participated in the DL platform, he was "lucky" enough to be allowed to sign his name in the lounge for half an hour. This time was squeezed out of his schedule.
But why is Ji Shao's attitude really as good as Xing said... The strong affinity and gentleness he showed when they first met made them feel that making this request was exploiting a good person.
…
Zhou Xiao had just gotten out of her car at the Shanghai Film and Television Base when she saw a group of fans waiting on the roadside. Although she didn't recognize anyone among them, the cheering banners they were holding made it easy to identify the artist they were waiting for.
However, Zhou Xiao frowned, thinking that she still remembered that Ji Shao's filming schedule for today was confidential. Could it be that... it was leaked?
Standing behind a nearby pillar, Zhou Xiao lowered her head and typed "Ji Shao" into a Weibo search bar when she saw a similar entry: #Ji Shao DL摄影#. Clicking on the entry, she discovered that many fans had already posted photos. Of course, inevitably, the photos were quickly scooped up and used by the marketing accounts on the square.
Even passersby knew about the collaboration, but weren't both parties (Huayao and DL) being too open about it? Zhou Xiao silently complained, pulling a mask from his bag and putting it on. Then, quite naturally, he followed the several photography teams that had just arrived at the photography base and entered together.
We still have to shoot today, so can we skip the offline recognition? Zhou Xiao pondered this as she quickly arrived at the studio DL had rented. As she pushed open the door, she saw the staff at the base setting up the necessary scenes for the shoot, as planned.
DL's shoots aren't limited to studio shoots; a larger portion is spent outdoors. So this morning, Zhou Xiao's shoot was primarily focused on brand official photos, with some studio footage added for later editing.
"Teacher Zhou, you're here!" The moment the door was opened, Ke Yining, who had been paying attention to the movements at the door, came forward excitedly.
Zhou Xiao raised her hand and greeted the other person, then placed her camera on the table beside her. Ke Yining was the DL Group employee responsible for connecting with her online, so even though this was their first meeting in person, they didn't seem unfamiliar. After all, the more intense storyboard discussions had all taken place via messaging apps.
There were still quite a few props in the studio that would be needed for this shoot. Zhou Xiao's habit was to check them carefully before filming began. So after a brief greeting with the two people across from her, she dove headfirst into the equipment.
The pre-built filming location is a European-style palace castle, and the interior and exterior scenes will be combined using relevant technology. Zhou Xiao's only task this time is to shoot, and DL headquarters will later handle the branding and stylization.
Yuan Yu was sitting bored on a stool nearby. When she saw Zhou Xiao wiping his hands with a wet towel and walking towards her, she quickly stood up and went to greet him.
"Teacher Zhou, my name is Yuan Yu. You can just call me Xiao Yu like Ke Yining did. By the way, did you watch "Fang Hua Xing" last night?" Her eyes sparkled. After getting into the show, Yuan Yu often reviewed previous materials (except the trailer at the press conference) with fans in the drama supermarket during her breaks.
Zhou Xiao was a bit surprised; it was the first time she'd encountered a fan of the show in real life. After all, it had only been five days since "Flowering Flowers" aired. The fact that someone would ask about her in this moment was a clear indicator of the show's success.
"I saw it," Zhou Xiao said with a smile, "but I can't tell you the subsequent plot~"
Yuan Yu felt like she was drowning in Teacher Zhou's smile. She nodded obediently. After a few simple words, she was completely captivated.
…
"Ah? Aren't you asking for Chang Ying's autographed photo?" Ke Yining, who came back from the other side of the monitor to get some water, curiously asked Yuan Yu, who looked excited.
She turned to look at Zhou Xiao, who was concentrating on filming, and her eyes fell on the signature on the notebook. Ke Yining also had this notebook; it was one of the notebooks DL provided to employees. The handwriting on the paper was crisp and powerful. Although it was only two words, it was "Zhou Xiao."
"You don't understand." Yuan Yu carefully closed the notebook. She hadn't put it away just now because she was worried that the signature would be smudged because the ink hadn't dried yet.
The reason for changing the target at the last minute...wasn't actually that sudden. Just a short while ago, Yuan Yu suddenly understood why Zhou Xiao was able to portray the vivid "Chang Ying" in the drama.
She liked the character of Chang Ying, but what initially caught her eye was a set of stills taken by Zhou Xiao. Thinking of how he had described the character's charm in just a few words, Yuan Yu felt that this character was someone who was being cared for with love.
In fact, Lu Mengqi's performance is only considered passable in the industry. The fact that she has attracted so many fans is due to the character's personality, the completeness of the plot, and the publicity methods, which are the key reasons for the drama to become a hit.
Yuan Yu, leaning against a nearby pillar, was a little dazed when he saw Zhou Xiao's serious look as he checked the machine. Where did this familiar feeling come from?
Oh right! Director Fang Xi!
Yuan Yu had the good fortune to work with Director Fang before, though back then she was just a small-time behind-the-scenes worker, and yet she had already witnessed his meticulous approach to work. In comparison, the sense of security Zhou Xiao conveyed was something she could more readily appreciate.
When selecting a photographer within the group, Yuan Yu sensed Zhou Xiao's strong aura and talent from his past work. Therefore, she had always wanted to bring Zhou Xiao to the group.
If there was a character that Zhou Xiao loved with her camera, she thought, that character would definitely become a classic. So, even if Zhou Xiao had no intention of getting involved in the film and television industry, her skills would leave a deep impression in Yuan Yu's heart.
…
Inside the studio, Ji Shao, who had been carefully dressed up by the makeup artist to look like the Little Prince, was now wearing a pure white suit and performing a pre-set storyboard performance in an empty European-style palace.
Although the scene looks a bit funny, with the support of Ji Shao's sense of belief and the special effects that will be added to the video later, as the spokesperson, he only needs to concentrate on performing well.
As for Chen Shenju who came with them, he was standing in front of the studio at this moment, holding the camera high in his hand, recording the behind-the-scenes footage.
After confirming that they would be joining the crew at the end of the month, he and Ji Shao had been actively preparing various videos during this period, so that fans could often see a "fresh" Ji Shao during the filming.
The blower inside the arena whirred. Ji Shao, under Zhou Xiao's direction, stood beneath the spotlight, lost in the action as if in a dream. The blower's wind speed had been fine-tuned after numerous experiments, ultimately achieving the most realistic force possible today. It felt like a true breeze in nature, a gentle caress of an invisible hand caressing the faces of the young men in the arena.
"Teacher Chen, can we talk?" A voice from the side interrupted Chen Shenju's filming. He first confirmed that the filmed content had been saved, then turned around and followed DL's Ke Yining to the table.
"We've discussed this before. If the shoot goes smoothly this morning, we'll have plenty of time..." Ke Yining pointed to the opened small box and asked cheekily, "Could you please have Mr. Ji Shao sign for all of this?"
As if realizing that this request was a bit excessive, Ke Yining lowered her head and scratched it sheepishly, then quickly added a compensatory smile, "Haha, whatever you can sign is fine!"
Chen Shenju looked at the three stacks of photos, his usually composed face twitching. To protect Ji Shao's freedom to use his chopsticks, he said politely, "It depends on the upcoming photoshoot, but this number is really..."
Although he said so, Chen Shenju was already angry inside. He remembered that DL had said the same thing last time, but in the end, didn't the respectable Ji Shao sign it?
"I understand," Ke Yining rubbed her hands awkwardly. "We really don't know how to do this. Actually, if Teacher Ji Shao is busy, it's okay if we write a little sloppily."
Sloppily scribbled autographed photos are almost the norm in the industry, and with so much demand, it seems perfectly reasonable for artists to do so. At least for Ke Yining, she doesn't mind it; fans will go crazy for any signed photo they see as the real deal.
These autographed photos are also a powerful driving force for fans to collect data, buy products, and spontaneously promote the product. Ke Yining knows that there are still many people in the industry who privately resell autographed photos. Needless to say, they make a lot of money.
Chen Shenju shook his head, rejecting the other party's somewhat lazy suggestion. In fact, he had mentioned this when he first became Ji Shao's assistant, when he saw Ji Shao taking out his already limited sleep time every day to seriously sign.
For Chen Shenju, this was the case with most of the artists he had encountered. He had thought Ji Shao would happily accept, but he was unexpectedly rejected outright. Chen Shenju still remembers what Ji Shao said at the time.
"Autographed photos are destined for fans eventually. To them, every one is precious. Brother Chen, you know what? If you just scribbled a circle for convenience, it'll leave the recipient feeling disappointed."
Ji Shao, who was sitting at the table, raised his head, dark circles still hanging under his eyes. Perhaps what the other party didn't know was that his casual words had truly touched Chen Shenju's heart.
Accompanying you all the way and being healed all the way.
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