Chapter 349 Career Line
"Knock, knock, knock!" Someone knocked on the half-open door. The locals inside the studio, called in by Fang Xi to help, pretended not to hear, still gathered together, leaning against their equipment and chatting in Cantonese. Zhou Xiao, however, looked up from behind the camera and glanced at the door.
"Is Teacher Zhou here? I...I've finished my makeup. Can you take a picture of me?" The girl who spoke still had a student-like look on her face. She looked at the people in the studio with a trace of confusion on her face.
In the past, she'd always been accompanied by an agent or assistant during shoots, but today was the first time she'd come here on her own. If Teacher Qin had seemed more approachable, Gong Ru would have had to ask him to bring her here.
"Come in, relax," Zhou Xiao extended his hand, beckoning the young girl to wait in front of the shadowless wall. She looked quite different from her appearance in the film, the most obvious difference being her height, and her appearance had lost a touch of childishness.
But Fang Xi's makeup team was clearly highly skilled. Compared to the makeup-free look Zhou Xiao had just seen, being able to restore the look to this degree was already quite impressive. Furthermore, this was for promotional photos for the film's post-production, so perhaps it would be a bit of an Easter egg for the audience.
Looking at the scattered crowd around the studio, Zhou Xiao raised his hands and clapped them upwards, shouting, "Teachers, let's get started!"
As Gong Ru was surprised, those middle-aged men who seemed to be in a state of disengagement immediately returned to their posts in an orderly manner, as if the machines in their bodies had restarted after hearing Zhou Xiao's words.
She looked towards the camera thoughtfully. The fact that she was able to get along well with these temporarily hired crew members in such a short time showed that they were indeed capable.
Zhou Xiao's shout sent the studio into a state of bustle and order. This marked the official start of the promotional photo shoot for "Letters from Time and Space"!
…
Inside the monitoring room, four people were discussing the footage being filmed on the monitor. Tian Hongsheng was the first to be affected. He had just glanced at the picture on the screen when he started shaking his head.
Huo Qing, who was sitting next to him, was straightforward. She felt that Gong Ru's condition in the picture was getting better and better. For a moment, she felt that this was more like a film set.
So seeing Tian Hongsheng shaking his head, Huo Qing was unhappy. Pingping (the character played by Gong Ru in the movie) and her have the most scenes together. What is this old man doing here? Is he doing it on purpose?
"Old Tian, tell me, what do you think?" Who was she complaining about? Huo Qing's long, thin eyebrows were raised high. They were tattooed years ago. Although it looked a little strange now, it had become one of her characteristics.
"Too thin!" Tian Hongsheng couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the photos on the screen. He had noticed in the car that the girls were all not as plump as he remembered, but the two boys looked much stronger, obviously they had been pampering themselves a lot in the past two years.
Huo Qing has been an actor for half her life, initially having a face as white as a silver plate, but now with a more petite look. Influenced by foreign films and TV series, the changing tastes of audiences are prompting domestic actors to follow suit.
However, for her, her age and acting style allow her to be free to act as she pleases. After all, in the middle-aged and elderly film industry, natural looks are still more popular. Being able to control facial muscles and convey the character's emotions vividly and smoothly is more effective for the audience than plastic surgery.
Listening to Tian Hongsheng's words, Huo Qing turned around and looked at the little actor on the screen who was so thin that only bones could be seen on his arms. He sighed slightly and fell silent.
Just when the two of them were silent for a while, Lu Chun, who had been silent all this time, interrupted the silence in the room. He turned his head and looked at Fang Xi and said, "Sister Fang, the photographer you hired is really something!"
The monitoring room had no idea what was happening in the studio, but Lu Chun, with his sharp eyes, could tell the photographer's skills from the photos he took.
The most intuitive point is that the actors have gone from being nervous at the beginning to being relaxed now. They have even vaguely entered the state of filming. All of this is closely related to the photographer.
"This is just the beginning." Fang Xi smiled slightly. She was able to arouse Gong Ru's emotions in such a short time. Zhou Xiao was more suitable for this job than she had imagined.
It was common knowledge in the crew that Gong Ru had difficulty getting into the role when filming began, so it was no wonder that Lu Chun, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but speak.
Hearing their friend's words, the remaining three people in the room began to ponder. It had to be said that Zhou Xiao had indeed been a great surprise to them. Even more remarkable was her youth, and her future was limitless.
Apart from anything else, I understand the excitement of the children in the car. However, unlike the young people, they are more interested in Zhou Xiao's sensitivity to the role than in good-looking photos.
…
Meanwhile, Gong Ru, who had just finished filming, found it hard to believe. She felt like she was just sitting on a sofa under the spotlight, with Teacher Zhou occasionally telling her stories about the filming and discussing the plot, and it was all done so quickly?
This speed forced her to compare it with the filming during the interview. Not only did the filming time decrease by almost half, but more importantly, Zhou Xiao's few words made Gong Ru truly miss the time when she was filming on the set.
As for the lively conversation in the car? That was just casual chat, just to keep things under wraps. We hadn't seen each other for years, and we were still a bunch of random people, so no one really wanted to socialize.
"Pingping, could you please call the next person who has done the makeup to come in for me?" Zhou Xiao, who was standing behind the camera, poked his head out and asked Gong Ru, who was still sitting on the sofa.
"Hmm," Gong Ru, who was called mediocre, didn't feel anything was wrong. She now felt very confident. Even though she couldn't see the photos after the photoshoot, when she met Teacher Zhou Xiao's eyes, her originally uneasy heart immediately calmed down when she saw the other person's approval.
Walking out of the studio with a somewhat excited mood, Gong Ru immediately saw Fang Dong sitting on a chair at the door, listening to music with headphones. Somehow, she suddenly couldn't help but walk over and pat her shoulder. You know, in the drama, they later became good friends.
When Gong Ru approached her, Fang Dong had already sensed someone coming towards her. But after being gently tapped on the shoulder, she opened her eyes and saw a face that gradually resembled Xu Mingping in the drama, which still made her slightly stunned.
Feeling the happy factor emanating from the other person, Fang Dongzhan took off his headphones and gave her what Gong Ru thought was the brightest smile he had given her today.
"Teacher Xiao Zhou," Fang Dong poked her head in from the doorway, her tone sounding somewhat lively. Perhaps she sensed something, but she had a feeling that today's shoot would be very easy and smooth.
"You're next," Zhou Xiao turned around and smiled at Fang Dong, who was wearing the costume of his character from the play. "Come in quickly. I think our shoot will go smoothly."
"Yeah!" This was Fang Dong's most determined response today.
…
A rustling sound echoed in the quiet studio, occasionally accompanied by the click of a shutter. In the center of the visual field, a girl in pajamas sat, her hair a little messy from just waking up.
The sound in the studio came from her hands. It was a piece of ordinary letter paper, but Pang Ke had repeatedly kneaded one corner of the paper, and through the camera lens, it could be seen that the lower half had lost some of its hardness.
This was the second letter Pang Ke had received, a letter from a family member in her past. The passage of time had left its mark on the paper relentlessly. Even when sent for appraisal, the results showed that the paper and the small amount of handwriting on it were quite old.
Standing behind the camera, Zhou Xiao is concentrating on capturing the scene. This is the beginning of the plot, and also the beginning of the audience's fantasy journey.
Against the backdrop of a black cloth, the table, chairs, and Pang Ke in the painting appear to be in a dream. The vibrant maple leaf tablecloth, the half-empty glass of water on the table, the two opened envelopes, the notebook containing something, and Pang Ke's expression of solemn bewilderment—everything seems real yet psychedelic.
The scene in the play was almost exactly the same as in the film, but it also gave a completely different impression from the one filmed. Zhou Xiao's photos, transmitted through the monitor, elicited nods from the people sitting in front of the screen.
"The suspense has increased," Huo Qing said after a moment of contemplation. "It's directing the audience's attention from the very beginning, making people curious to explore further what happened."
"I think overseas audiences are more interested in straightforward promotional photos like this, right?" Lu Chun reached out and tapped the table lightly. He turned to look at Fang Xi, pointed at Fang Dong on the screen, and said, "Has this kid stopped getting any roles?"
Fang Dong's portrayal in the photos allows anyone who has only read the script to subconsciously identify the character she plays. This has nothing to do with the costumes and props, but rather the emotional expression of both the camera operator and the subject.
Seeing Fang Xi nod, Lu Chun felt relieved. If the young woman had produced other works in recent years and could still perfectly recreate the emotions of her character during the filming, she would be truly a genius.
While there are many talented actors in China, finding a good script, director, and post-production is like winning the lottery. While being a star in a movie is already a rare opportunity, this kind of luck is obviously even more rare.
Lu Chun, who was prone to sweating, took a tissue from the table and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Then he spoke slowly and deliberately, "It's okay, it's okay."
Even though he's considered a veteran actor, Lu Chun still has a heart that keeps striving for progress. Facing the pressure from young actors, he says this, but he still hopes that more and more new actors can make progress in their acting skills.
As soon as these words came out, Tian Hongsheng laughed out loud. Just as his palm, as big as a palm leaf fan, was about to hit Lu Chun on the back, someone who had noticed it dodged it in time.
Huo Qing, who was talking to Fang Xi next to the two of them, was getting a little restless. She looked at the display screen that had paused and stopped scrolling, and knew that Fang Dong's group of photos had been taken.
"You two watch here," Huo Qing stood up and said impatiently, "I'll go give you two a sample first, and then you can continue chatting!"
"Oh, you can't wait?"
"You know what, it makes me itch," Tian Hongsheng said, looking at the photo of Fang Dong looking directly at the camera on the screen. "This kid is just like he's back to those days of filming."
As they were discussing, a "ding dong" sound rang out. Everyone's eyes subconsciously turned to the source of the sound. It turned out to be a message from Fang Xi's phone, which she had placed on the table from the beginning. When she picked up the phone and looked at it, she couldn't help but laugh.
Because "Time and Space Letters" is a modern fantasy comedy, it doesn't require time-consuming special effects makeup. So Qin Zi, who had messaged Fang Xi, was asking her to hire three veteran actors to do her makeup. What made Fang Xi laugh out loud was that the other party specifically asked her twice how she felt about the filming results.
This was also because Qin Zi had never worked with Zhou Xiao before, so the time he had reserved at the beginning was indeed too ample now. He really didn't expect that the other party could take promotional photos of the two actors in such a short time.
So after confirming with Director Fang in the monitoring room that she had no objections, he had to urge the progress of the masters.
"You two should go with Sister Qing. Xiao Zhou shoots fast," Fang Xi said with a smile. "We have other scenes to shoot later!"
The photoshoot was a relentless process, but for Zhou Xiao, it was surprisingly easy. She felt like simply giving the actors a few words of guidance during the shoot was enough to capture a good shot.
Little do they know that if other photographers knew about this talent, they would be envious to the point of detachment. The most difficult part of shooting stills is conveying the actor's understanding of the role to the audience through the picture.
Maybe it sounds a bit Versailles, but for Zhou Xiao, after understanding the plot of the movie, she will always find the unique shining points of the character in the actor.
The shooting of today's promotional photos is still going on.
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