Chapter 461 Career Line
"Teacher Zhou, this is the director's room of our station." Shang Xia pushed open the door first and introduced it quietly to Zhou Xiao behind her.
Zhou Xiao looked up at the small sign marked "Director's Room" on the door frame, nodded to Shang Xia who looked longing, and then followed her into this place that was both strange and familiar to her.
The unfamiliarity of the situation was that this was her first time in CCTV's director's studio. The familiarity of the situation was that she had been immersed in this scene in the system training room for quite some time.
The only difference between the director's room in real life and the system training room is that almost all the staff in the room have an aura of "I'm very busy, don't disturb me if you have nothing to do".
The director's studio, covering an area of over 100 square meters, has always been a mysterious realm that netizens yearn for and are curious about. Countless programs and live evening shows have been hosted in this space. There have been both praise and criticism, and it is these two types of comments that have shaped CCTV to what it is today.
The soundproof door, opened by Shang Xia, creaked mechanically. It wasn't a quiet sound, but it had no effect on the people already seated in the director's booth. Only the people walking back and forth with manuscripts would occasionally glance over, only to quickly return to their own tasks.
Zhou Xiao felt the pressure of the scene was intense. Rehearsals had only just begun, but the entire station was filled with a sense of tension. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it felt like a race against time.
Shang Xia, who had helped Zhou Xiao find her seat in the studio before her, was now waving cheerfully at her, urging her to come and sit down. Of course, this wasn't because Shang Xia had excellent eyesight; it was simply because the empty space in the studio was truly conspicuous.
Zhou Xiao had no stage work to direct today, so she had come to CCTV early to observe how her predecessors directed the show. Furthermore, the CCTV stage was a top priority for her on-site inspection. Just like before every shoot, even if the set had already been set up the day before, Zhou Xiao would still check it over again.
On this massive stage, caution is a talisman plastered on every staff member's forehead. Even the slightest deviation, if inadvertently captured and magnified by the camera, would not only be seen as a poor performance by the audience, but also as a lack of respect for the stage.
Zhou Xiao would not allow herself to make such a mistake, so when she sat down, her eyes were fixed on the chief director's movements, observing the difference between this and her simulated operation in the system training room.
Shang Xia, who was standing by, saw that Zhou Xiao had quickly entered the observation state, so she didn't disturb her. Instead, she waved to the assistant director who was watching her.
"Let's go talk over there?" Shang Xia spoke first, her eyes subconsciously looking at each other.
"No problem, let's go," the girl with a high ponytail responded, her actions were very quick and decisive.
Soon, the two people who had originally met each other stood like mushrooms in a corner where few people would pass by, and began to exchange information with each other.
"Is that Teacher Zhou Xiao?" the girl with the high ponytail asked. Her tone was quite certain, though. After all, the fact that Zhou Xiao was sitting in that position was enough to explain everything.
In reality, the person assigned to Zhou Xiao as his assistant after the meeting was Zhai Yunshao. Shang Xia was assigned to the position because she had previously "worked" with Zhou Xiao and was part of Du Huiyue's team.
While Zhou Xiao's cut of NINE STAR's performance at the May Day Gala was impressive, it was, after all, a recorded broadcast. While the station's leadership recognized Zhou Xiao's talent and charisma in agreeing to hire her as a "temporary" director, to ensure a backup during the live broadcast, this assistant director assigned to Zhou Xiao became the station's first line of defense.
"Yes, it's her! Teacher Zhou won't have a stage in today's rehearsal. I'll take her to the stage later. Do you want to come with me?" Shang Xia said as she opened the communication software and signaled the other party to add her as a friend.
It's very straightforward, but after all, we are all employees of the station. Although there are some conflicts in some industries, we all attach great importance to this Mid-Autumn Festival Gala.
Zhai Yunshao didn't hesitate and immediately pulled out her phone to add the other party as a friend. After the verification message was sent, she put the phone back in her pocket and nodded, saying, "I understand. I'll be with you guys for the next few days."
As a young assistant director, Zhai Yunshao cherished this opportunity very much. If the station hadn't temporarily added this assistant director, she wouldn't even be qualified to observe the director's performance.
Although the station has always been based on quality, there are still many internal relationships. It can be said that if it weren't for the harsh ridicule of netizens during the Qixi Festival live broadcast in August, it would be unlikely that she and Teacher Zhou would appear on the director's desk.
Therefore, Zhai Yunshao is also very grateful to the netizens who dare to love and hate. If they like it, they like it, and if they don’t like it, they don’t like it. This gives them, who have nothing to do with the industry but love directing, this opportunity.
The two were talking when they heard the female voice sitting in the central director's seat yelling at the big screen through the microphone, "Loosen the grip on camera number 2!"
Zhai Yunshao subconsciously glanced at the screen and saw that the camera on the screen belonging to machine 2 suddenly zoomed in. But even if the photographer was fast, she still saw the scene from the previous second -
The dark and gloomy perspective directly reduced the lighting teacher's role on stage to zero. However, after following the instructions and zooming out, light came in from behind the artist standing in the center of the stage performing a solo.
Whether knowledgeable or not, everyone understands that a completely dark stage is a taboo in the industry. Director Yang Rao finally broke through after repeated, fruitless attempts at warning. But judging by the effect, one can only say that forcing someone to reveal some of their true skills can indeed be effective.
"Do you know that person?" Zhai Yunshao didn't really have anything to say, but after realizing that the person next to him was from the photography department, he subconsciously brought up the topic and asked.
"I know him, but we're not familiar with him," Shang Xia, who had already changed from standing to squatting, said again, "He has good skills, but he makes others nervous."
"Let's go, don't squat here anymore," Zhai Yunshao said, "I think Teacher Zhou is about to leave."
Hearing this, Shang Xia no longer wanted to play the mushroom squatting game with others. She immediately stood up with the help of the wall and followed the other party in the direction of Zhou Xiao.
Zhou Xiao sat there and watched for a while before deciding that staying put was pointless. While the equipment used by CCTV was somewhat different from the one in the system training room, after comparing and observing it, it was clear that it would have no impact on her subsequent operations.
After confirming this, Zhou Xiao stood up decisively and prepared to go to the scene with Shang Xia to check it out. Although these were all marked in the script, in order to maximize the presentation of a wonderful stage, things like camera positions, equipment, and lighting had to be coordinated by the director during the subsequent review.
Just as she turned around and was about to call Shang Xia, Zhou Xiao saw the other person following behind a girl who looked very neat. She could feel that the girl was coming towards her. After her gaze paused on the person for a second, it naturally fell on Shang Xia.
As the middleman between the two strangers, Shang Xia immediately introduced them to each other. Although she had only known Xiao Zhai for a short time, she and Teacher Zhou had only met a few times! When she learned that Zhou Xiao was planning to go check it out, she nodded quickly, but the next second she said something else.
"How about I take you, Teacher Zhou, to get your work badge first?" Shang Xia said with a smile, "It will be convenient for you to come in and out then!"
Work badges were already in place, but each person had to present their ID card to collect them; no one else could collect them on their behalf. This was mainly because someone was caught selling employee work badges to scalpers some time ago, which caused some negative consequences and incidents. So, the station later implemented this internally to address this issue.
"No problem, let's go." Zhou Xiao nodded and took the initiative to signal the two to go first, and he followed behind them.
The CCTV building was truly enormous, and they could see many familiar hosts, both bare-faced and fully-made-up, passing by them. These were all hosts from different programs on the station, and because of the differences in live broadcasts, recorded broadcasts, and working hours, they only saw each other at this time, but this was just the norm in the building.
On the way to get their work badges, the three of them kept chatting. Of course, Shang Xia was mainly explaining some of the station's precautions to Zhou Xiao, with Zhai Yunshao adding timely supplements.
Just like a rehearsal, staff members are strictly prohibited from sharing live videos and photos. This is clearly stipulated in the contracts signed by everyone, including Zhou Xiao, with CCTV. The behind-the-scenes footage that netizens can see on the platform is likely authorized by the relevant departments.
In fact, from this perspective, the staff are subject to much stricter restrictions than the fans in this regard. Of course, this is also due to the fact that the station turned a blind eye. Zhou Xiao had already applied to Qiu Ze in advance for the camping site stage that he posted on his "Pangran Xindong" account.
The three of them chatted as they walked, quickly arriving at the logistics department. After Zhou Xiao provided her ID card for verification, she received a temporary work badge. Perhaps due to its connection to the Mid-Autumn Festival gala, the badge she received featured an embossed moon and rabbit pattern, giving it a festive feel.
Speaking of festive atmosphere, we have to think of the Mid-Autumn Festival gift boxes sent to Zhou Xiao by various brands and agencies. Fortunately, she has a photography studio and a group of friends to help her deal with the army of mooncakes.
Even though she already had more mooncakes than she could eat, she still had to send out mooncakes and other gifts from her own studio, or else people would worry that she had run away. Furthermore, this was Zhou Xiao's first Mid-Autumn Festival, so besides the usual holidays, there were also benefits.
Listening to Shang Xia and Zhai Yunshao muttering about the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts their department was preparing to give out, Zhou Xiao, the only boss among the three, put on his work badge with a smile on his face and listened to their complaints calmly.
Although she was once a social animal, everyone wants different things, so she was just listening in with a clear conscience. She nodded in agreement while mentally remembering the areas that needed improvement in the holiday gift.
Before they knew it, the elevator had reached the first floor. When they heard the electronic chime, "First floor reached," they both stopped talking and hurried to the door of Studio One, along with Zhou Xiao.
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