Chapter 462 Career Line
Behind the door, there seems to be another world.
The stage that has not yet been fully built, the nervous and excited performers, the noisy atmosphere and the explosion of professionalism that fills the entire venue have become CCTV's powerful stage backup resources at this moment.
A poetry recitation was currently underway on the large, centrally located stage. Surrounded by a group of dancers, the tender voices of children intertwined with the vicissitudes of life on the elderly, creating a striking and moving scene.
The LED display screen on the ground of the big stage echoes the super-large screen behind the performers. The director is obviously very good at aesthetics. He paints a picture with the theme of the poetry recitation, presenting a visual feast for the audience at the scene and even for the audience watching on TV in the future.
No one at the scene paid any attention to Zhou Xiao and the other two. It was like another scene in the director's studio. It wasn't that everyone was busy or overly shy, but rather that the noise was so loud that it was difficult to even notice the door opening.
Zhou Xiao's eyes quickly scanned the studio. The venue was much larger than she'd imagined. It was only the second morning's rehearsal, and the performers lined up below the stage, waiting for their turn, had already taken up most of the open space.
Shang Xia, who was standing by, was already introducing the camera positions distributed at the scene to Zhou Xiao. Zhou Xiao looked in the direction of her finger, but before he could see the camera, he heard the noise of children.
"Ah——" The screams of children playing sounded in the hall, immediately attracting the attention of many people.
These playful children were all wearing the same clothes, and it seemed that they were from the same children's group. They were playing and screaming among the crowd waiting for rehearsal.
Although a bit noisy, children of this age are all incredibly cute and adorable. Many people, nervously watching the children play, relaxed a little, now happily letting the children play with their clothes.
"Give me light! Give me light!"
Near the bottom of the stage, there was a tall and strong man holding a big loudspeaker, spitting everywhere, and shouting at the staff next to him with full energy.
After being yelled at by that voice, you know what? It actually had some effect. Zhou Xiao stood at the door and looked at the stage. Although the view was not very clear, he inexplicably felt that the overall picture was more harmonious.
Lighting is such a magical thing; every shift in color can change the overall landscape. Just like the controversial saturated colors in recent years in film and television dramas, whether they are used well or not is crucial to the audience's experience of watching the drama.
"Teacher Zhou, we can watch it up close," Shang Xia said excitedly. Although she was not selected to be the photographer of the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala, she has Teacher Zhou this time!
In the past, when she was able to attend rehearsals, it was mostly as a handyman. During the rehearsal process, Shang Xia had seen a lot. But entering the studio as an escort for the first time was still quite exciting.
Zhou Xiao followed Shang Xia's gaze and found the temporary badge hanging around his neck. He casually flipped the badge and walked towards the rehearsal site in the center with the two people behind him.
As he got closer, he realized how meticulously every piece of equipment at CCTV was made. The row of cameras set up at the edge of the stage exuded a meticulously maintained, polished sheen. As if they understood their mission, even the camera angles adhered strictly to regulations. Zhou Xiao stood there watching for several minutes without noticing any movement of the cameras.
The group dance was the largest in number and scale during the entire rehearsal. Unlike the other actors who were a bit more relaxed, everyone's expressions were a bit tense.
For a large-scale gala like the Mid-Autumn Festival, the production team must select a group dancer with a well-presented appearance. Zhai Yunshao added that the group dancers they invite must maintain a professional quality for each performance, which is why they have such a large number of them.
Some local TV stations often play along with public opinion by bringing in a group of less-than-perfect dancers to highlight the center-stage performers. This is a common practice, otherwise there wouldn't be so many actors constantly marketing themselves as "chosen idols."
Half a day of rehearsal flew by. For the performers, every rehearsal was undoubtedly precious and tense. But for the staff on the stage, mechanical repetition had become the mainstream.
This is also one of the reasons why CCTV hired Zhou Xiaolai as an external aid. Repeated stage shooting is not a bad thing. This is also a set of standard answers summarized from the experience of all levels in the station.
Regular programs are already demanding, let alone one broadcast live on CCTV. Even though Zhou Xiao didn't participate in rehearsals on the first day, Shang Xia and Zhai Yunshao, who were with her, could sense a difference in the atmosphere.
"Catfish" is how some employees call Zhou Xiao, describing her influence on everyone. Only a strong and outstanding catfish has the credentials and ability to stir up trouble within CCTV, which is increasingly stagnant.
…
The next morning, in the director's room.
"Teacher Zhou is here." The staff member holding a thick stack of information saw Zhou Xiao pushing the door and immediately smiled and greeted her.
Compared to yesterday, Zhou Xiao's presence in the studio had skyrocketed. After the show, she realized that many of the station's employees had volunteered to work overtime during rehearsals.
"Teacher Zhou, come here quickly!" Assistant Director Zhai Yunshao, who was sitting next to the director, also stood up and waved to Zhou Xiao. Because Zhou Xiao was a first-time operator, she was the one leading the group for this morning's rehearsal.
Zhou Xiao didn't recognize the boy wearing glasses and holding the documents, but he could sense the intense intensity of his gaze. Especially when he looked at Zhai Yunshao, his eyes were filled with naked envy and jealousy.
Could he also be an assistant director? Zhou Xiao didn't have any objection, she just felt that CCTV was truly dedicated to talent development. For example, many of the behind-the-scenes partners she met at the rehearsal yesterday were similar to the master-apprentice model.
"Good morning," Zhou Xiao smiled at the man, then strode over to sit down next to Zhai Yunshao. The reason Shang Xia wasn't around was because her "job" today was to stay in the rehearsal area and help Zhou Xiao record any problems that occurred during the camera roll.
"This key is..." Zhai Yunshao explained the science very seriously, as if he always regarded this task as the final "stage". It was obviously a very simple task, but neither of them took it lightly.
Zhou Xiao listened attentively. Even though she had a system training room, it wouldn't be a problem for her to familiarize herself with the functions of each button. After all, it was all good intentions, so she could just treat it as a simple review.
The people observing from the side were so confused that even the buttons needed explanation. Who knew if today's morning rehearsal would be wasted? After all, a morning of rehearsal would consume countless resources.
Zhou Xiao could feel the gazes from all around her, but she paid it no mind. After the official announcement of the rehearsal's start, hundreds of split screens across from her rapidly flipped and spun in her mind, eventually forming a 3D model of the rehearsal scene from an omniscient perspective.
This was the perfect application of spatial thinking in directing. This innate ability had made Zhou Xiao's mind more active than others even during his school days. Even Zhou Xiao hadn't expected it to be used in this area.
…
Inside the studio.
Just think about it, what would everyone’s reaction be when a young and powerful voice appeared on the intercom?
Du Huiyue, standing behind the camera, was almost the first one to come to her senses after a moment of daze. With everyone's microphone muted, the only person they heard was the supreme "commander" in charge of them.
In fact, the news about the assistant director had been circulating internally for a while. After the initial novelty wore off, everyone was filled with worry and anticipation. Among the photographers, however, the favorable impression of Zhou Xiao was alarmingly high.
Besides the fact that Zhou Xiao was suggested by Du Huiyue, a "family member," the most impressive factor was, of course, the hefty grand prize. So, when the unfamiliar female voice was heard, the atmosphere in the photography area, which had been somewhat subdued since the early days, suddenly brightened, and everyone eagerly awaited Zhou Xiao's next move.
The music played as usual, and the dancers rehearsed as normal, as if nothing had changed. But changes were inevitable, and some of the staff, still somewhat oblivious to the changes, had already noticed something different among those who had come to participate in the rehearsal.
Offstage, after a break from rehearsal, a woman in blue looked thoughtfully at the camera. During rehearsal, she seemed to sense the camera capturing her most captivating dance moves.
This was the "camera" she had never felt since she started performing on CCTV. She was so excited that she wanted to throw out everything she had learned in her life to perfect this stage.
Whether someone is in good form or not is very obvious. Yan Qing, the lead dancer, is also the core of the dance. After discovering the spirit of today's shot, she stretched her arms to the extreme.
The lead dancer's fluctuating state immediately affects the performance. After noticing that their lead dancer's movements were a bit more intense than before, the group dancers around her also put in their best efforts.
The exquisitely choreographed stage was matched with moving music, and the dancers had rehearsed the dance to a high standard for who knows how many hundreds of times. What was presented to the audience was a hearty stage performance.
The highly precise movements, every spin, jump, and every wave of the long sleeves were all performed to a level beyond anyone's expectations due to the lead dancer's extraordinary performance.
Offstage, Meng Zhen, the choreographer and core creative staff member of the dance team, watched the performance with a dazed look on her face. Her gaze, from beginning to end, was fixed on the dancing woman in the center.
Meng Zhen noticed that Yan Qingyi on stage seemed to be sprinting towards her own bottleneck. Her infectious stage presence also influenced the other members, helping them to complete this perfect performance.
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