Chapter 470
At a gala attended by thousands of people, a light ink-themed stage stained the large screen. As the background music took a sudden downturn, a grand and majestic sense of destiny emerged.
The reserved, ink-wash sleeves danced freely in mid-air. Every dancer on stage moved as if copied and pasted, each movement, each turn, each step strikingly similar. Yan Qingyi, clad in an ink-stained white dress, surrounded by the other dancers, stood at the center, her graceful and elegant demeanor radiating at this moment.
Even those in the audience who didn't watch the dance, at the reminder of others, looked up and watched carefully. Yuan Mu, sitting in the front row, watched particularly attentively. Even when the host came out to introduce the performance at the end of the performance, he was still thinking about what he had just seen.
Yuan Mu's family is a station employee, so receiving insider tickets to major gala events is common. She attended the last Qixi Festival gala and, as a member of the audience and a member of the staff's family, felt deeply wronged by the widespread online criticism.
Aside from the increasingly fading skits and comedy routines, which are difficult to evaluate, the song and dance performances are the best of the best. Yuan Mu was particularly impressed by the dance troupe from "Ink and Brush," as they were practically a permanent fixture at the station's evening shows.
Among them was the principal dancer Yan Qingyi. It was no exaggeration to say that Yuan Mu would have gone to see their troupe's performance offline just for her. But today, Yuan Mu made a strange discovery: she seemed to be able to see her interact with other dancers during the performance.
Only those who have been paying close attention to Yan Qingyi would notice her subtle changes. These changes are even more pronounced on stage. In previous performances featuring Yan Qingyi, Yuan Mu often overlooked the other dancers' performances, or simply couldn't remember them after watching them.
But today was different. In addition to creating the atmosphere for the C position and enhancing the overall integrity, aesthetics and watchability of the stage, Yuan Mu was actually deeply impressed by several dancers through the camera switching on the large screen at the back.
And whether it was her imagination, Yan Qingyi's interactions with the dancers also became more frequent. This gave the "Ink and Color" stage, in addition to its cultural heritage, a touch of playful, lively energy.
It seemed like I had heard from my family that the station had invited an outside director to be in charge of filming several stages. Yuan Mu looked up at the photographer in front of him who was nimbly carrying a camera and moving around the party. He had an inexplicable feeling that this stage must be the work of the legendary invited director.
On the large screen behind the stage, whose background had not yet been changed, clouds and mist swirled around the mountains and rivers, and the stream continued to flow. Who could not be captivated by this vigorous and powerful ink-stained scene?
…
Backstage.
Meng Zhen watched the performance on the stage with her hands clenched tightly. When she saw the camera suddenly move higher, taking the entire stage into full view, she couldn't help but tighten her clenched hands a little more.
"marvelous!"
As the choreographer of the dance troupe, when she realized Yan Qingyi's transformation, she redesigned the details of the dance after the noon rehearsal. Even though some people in the troupe did not understand, this change made everyone feel the difference during the practice that night.
The most intuitive thing is the rehearsal on the second day.
Although Meng Zhen was a little puzzled as to why Yan Qingyi had been in such good form on stage these past two days, he decided to put aside his doubts and focus on the stage again because they were still in rehearsal. At the end of this performance, even many people at the rehearsal site spontaneously applauded.
The feasibility of the adaptation plan, coupled with Yan Qingyi's surprisingly good condition, meant that after the final rehearsal, this stage was undoubtedly included in the program list of CCTV's Mid-Autumn Festival Gala.
At this moment, Meng Zhen, who had watched the entire performance from backstage, finally understood why Yan Qingyi was in such good shape. If every shot that turned to her had been so perfect, Yan Qingyi might have been able to break through her bottleneck long ago.
As a choreographer, Meng Zhen clearly understood the true nature of her leading dancer's "stage fright." Stage fright had never entered her mind. For Yan Qingyi, gazes and attention were more like a catalyst, and for a dancer, wasn't that an enviable gift?
Yan Qingyi's performance on the stage was perfect, so perfect that even Meng Zhen, who had watched this dance countless times, fell in love with this stage again through the camera at that moment, and fell in love with the determined and sharp dancer under the camera - Yan Qingyi.
…
Zhou Xiao was originally responsible for the filming of three stages, including a dance program called "Fan Dance of China", but for some unknown reason it was deleted by the station when the stage was finally decided.
However, the probability of her being left with only two out of three is actually quite high in the station. When performers on each stage sign the contract, they will be informed in advance that their performance may not be performed on stage in the end.
In the director's room, after the "Watercolor Painting" stage ended, Zhou Xiao switched the camera to the host desk and immediately pulled the two headphone plugs he was using off the instrument in front of him.
Almost in the next second, the staff who were waiting for access quickly and accurately plugged the prepared monitoring and call headphones into the corresponding sockets.
Zhou Xiao sat on a chair with wheels and, with a slight effort, moved away from the director's desk. Someone then expertly stepped forward, put on headphones, and sat down in a chair that the assistant director had wheeled over to him without missing a beat.
While the headset was still on, Yang Rao, who was sitting on the chair, looked at Zhou Xiao, who was tidying up the headphone wires, and smiled slightly, saying, "The stage is cut very well, keep it up later!"
Shang Xia, who was standing next to Zhou Xiao, was delighted to hear this. She wished the party was over right now so she could pull her sister Du over and listen to Director Yang praising the assistant director she had hired!
"Hehe," Zhou Xiao squinted her eyes in delight. She was very happy to receive the praise from her senior, Director Yang. After receiving the other pair of headphones that Shang Xia had wrapped around her, Zhou Xiao placed them on a corner of the table.
The headphones were a bonus gift from CCTV to Zhou Xiao, in addition to his salary. Zhou Xiao could sense the thoughtfulness and care shown to her in every detail.
Because there was still nearly an hour until NINE STAR's reunion stage, Zhou Xiao called Shang Xia and Zhai Yunshao, who had just handed over the broadcast to Assistant Director Yang, to walk towards the corner.
Shang Xia had borrowed the three moon chairs from the entertainment area next door. They had raised backrests, making them much more comfortable than small benches. As Zhou Xiao sat down, Shang Xia, standing next to him, presented him with a freshly-published review from a certain blog post.
Because there was a delay of several minutes between the live broadcast and the actual performance, the number of people discussing the event in the square was relatively small. But what was very rare was that this was the only performance since the show started that received unanimous praise.
Other stages, perhaps due to the presence of artists, inevitably attracted their share of haters. Some more visually appealing stages were often labeled "boring" by discerning audiences. However, the appearance of "Ink and Brush" completely shattered this perception. Almost every netizen who posted praises of the show enthusiastically promoted it in the comments section, urging everyone who clicked on it to share its value.
Zhou Xiao looked at the phone that Shang Xia handed to her very seriously. Netizens' heartfelt comments on the stage made her feel the joy she felt when she was performing again.
"Ink and Color" is an artistic embodiment of traditional culture. The blank space and ink smudges of ancient Chinese painting art are combined with ink sleeves, and then through the wonderful interpretation of the dancers, they have reached the level of aesthetics in themselves.
Zhou Xiao is delighted to see more and more viewers sharing screenshots and praising the camera language. This is exactly what she hopes to convey to the audience when she edits the film. She sets herself the goal of capturing the infectious energy of the live stage as much as possible through the camera, ensuring that the audience in front of the screen can at least feel 80% of the stage's charm.
"It's a shame about the fan stage," Zhai Yunshao smacked his lips. "I heard from colleagues at the studio that the lead dancer was still running a high fever during the final rehearsal, and it was the person in charge of their troupe who finally brought it up with the director."
Final rehearsal?
Zhou Xiao was silent for a moment. "Fan Dance of China" was more about group coordination, so she didn't spend much time on it. The difficulty was much greater than the similarly designed "Ink Painting" where the camera switching was much more complex.
"During yesterday's rehearsal, I didn't feel any problems." Shang Xia was also a little surprised. "But the young lady is so determined. If the station needs her in the future, I will contact her again."
"Contact again?" Zhou Xiao was really curious now.
"We will get in touch again," explained Zhai Yunshao, who was standing nearby. "The dance troupes on the station often collaborate with each other. Unless the dancers themselves have technical or moral issues, this won't be a problem."
No one wanted to see someone suddenly develop a high fever right at the last minute. Furthermore, since the station had assigned the "Fan Dance of China" program to Zhou Xiao, it was clearly a recognition of their troupe's skill. Or, if nothing unexpected happened, it would have been on the program. So, these two weren't just trying to coax Zhou Xiao.
The three of them sat on moon chairs in the corner, watching the large screen not far away. The densely packed screens were quite entertaining from their perspective. Before the alarm clock rang, an assistant director who had always been with Director Yang came over and called Zhou Xiao to get ready.
Zhou Xiao pulled out her phone and checked the time. It was two minutes before her alarm. She casually turned off her pre-set alarm and stood up, motioning for Zhai Yunshao and Shang Xia to follow her toward the director's desk.
On the big screen, Dai Linfei, wearing a bright yellow couture gown, was singing a song with deep emotion at the microphone. For a solo performance like this, even with a group of dancers, the center of the view and the camera position were always fixed on her.
This was quite easy for Yang Rao, but even so, her attention was completely focused on the big screen. Zhou Xiao watched intently while casually putting on the headphones she had prepared earlier. She still had much to learn about this kind of stage.
Although the station has reached the point of seeking external assistance, it is due to a lack of experience in certain areas. For a program that only needs backup dancers to provide background and complete the overall atmosphere, this is clearly a piece of cake for CCTV.
"Teacher Zhou, are you ready?"
The assistant director who had just called Zhou Xiao over asked in a low voice. Seeing Zhou Xiao nod, he carefully picked up the ends of the two plugs of the wired headphones in her hand, ready to wait for the signal from Director Yang.
…
In the backstage dressing room.
Ji Shao, who was "forced" to stay in his seat, had no choice but to let Chen Shen, who was slightly hunched in front of him, focus on his face while fiddling with something. When his gaze met Chu Cheng's, both of them looked at him helplessly.
This is one of the largest dressing rooms backstage at CCTV, and it's a joint request from all the agencies. After all, now that the group has disbanded, each member must bring their own agent, assistant, or other support staff.
The small dressing room simply couldn't accommodate all these people. Furthermore, CCTV had to send in makeup artists and stylists, so the station quickly agreed to this request.
Of course, the most important thing is that this former group member is so popular that even the station staff couldn't help but take the opportunity to secretly ask them for autographs, not to mention the people involved in other programs.
The reason why the members were so frustrated was that the makeup artist who had finished applying their makeup suddenly came back and said that he had found the face diamond that he thought was lost. Seeing that everyone was getting ready to go on stage, he asked if they wanted to put it on.
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room, except the members, practically unanimously requested the diamonds. Such dazzling makeup was a rare sight at CCTV. However, since the makeup artist who had previously done the members' makeup had already gone on to work for someone else, the task of applying the diamonds fell to the managers and assistants who volunteered in the room.
Ji Shao originally wanted to apply the diamonds himself, but thinking that Brother Chen was already feeling involved, he quietly sat back and waited. Although the makeup artist used an eyebrow pencil to mark every spot where diamonds would be applied before leaving, many people still couldn't resist the clumsy touch.
"Brother, if you can't stick to me, please don't press my eyeballs hard." Zheng Shulin, who was not far away, was wailing loudly.
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the dressing room suddenly changed, and both the diamond-applying and the diamond-beaded people couldn't help but laugh. Of course, the diamond-applying people had different levels of skill. Besides the genuine sense of participation, the staff also wanted today's stage to be perfect.
"Shulin, stop moving all the time," Wu Yanyan next to him couldn't help but speak. He had already put the diamonds on his face and was admiring it in the mirror when he saw Zheng Shulin's face shaking.
"Captain Wu, you don't understand!"
"Shu Lin is like this, he is always the last one among us to finish putting on makeup," Lin Nan added with a smile.
"Brother Shao, why are you laughing at me like everyone else?"
Ji Shao, who was called out, coughed and then put away the upward curve of his mouth, saying lightly, "You are dazzled."
The nervousness before going on stage quietly dissipated after some fun and laughter. While waiting to be notified, everyone was looking forward to the next stage.
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