I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 40 Beijing Film Academy's Auditions and Re-examinations
March 2010, 3 was the day for the re-examination of the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy.

As schools across the country started to reopen, Beijing Film Academy also welcomed students returning to campus one after another.

As soon as Chen Jin and Su Wanyu arrived at the school gate, they saw a huge promotional billboard erected there - "Beijing Film Academy Auditions for Director Zhang Yimou's New Work "Under the Hawthorn Tree"".

【Please contact the class counselors for registration...】

"Xiao Jin, isn't this... the play you auditioned for?"

"Why do we have to come to school to select people again?"

Su Wanyu looked at the information above and asked Chen Jin.

"I guess I haven't found the right one yet, so I'll have to wait and see!"

Chen Jin actually didn’t know much about it and just said it casually.

"No way, then...didn't Director Zhang say there would be a next time?"

"How should I know? Maybe they are just saying it casually!"

"Big director, are you not keeping your word?"

"Okay, Mom, let's take the art exam first, that's the real thing!"

"oh oh!"

Su Wanyu reacted immediately, subconsciously looked at the signboard again, shook her head, and followed Chen Jin towards Building B of the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy.

After a while, several students who were returning to school happened to walk over to where they had just been.

"Wow, the instructor was talking about this in the group a few days ago, and it started in the past two days!"

"Xiao'er, have you signed up?"

A student said to the tall, sunny boy next to him. The boy scratched his head and showed his white teeth: "No, this one is hard to be selected, right?"

"Brother, give it a try, maybe you will be chosen!"

"Come on, sign up with me!"

"right now?"

"You can also sign up on the spot. If you go late, the queue will be so long that you will die!"

"Okay, let's go!"

After greeting a few people, they ran towards the large conference room for the audition.

Sure enough, a long queue had formed in front of the door of the conference room at this time. Basically, all students studying acting at Beijing Film Academy would come to try their luck; many of the seniors became famous through the school's open auditions.

This is a unique resource of Beijing Film Academy, as they have the largest network of directors in China.

70% of the famous directors in China graduated from Beijing Film Academy.

However, recently there was a rumor circulating online that "Beijing Film Academy directors only use actors from the Central Academy of Drama", which made the school pay great attention to this matter, so this audition was held.

In any case, the current dean of Beijing Film Academy, Zhang Huijun, had to ask his roommate Zhang Yimou to use students from Beijing Film Academy to play the male and female protagonists.

The rumor should start with whoever started it.

Currently, Zhang Huijun is the most famous domestic director who likes to use actors from the Central Academy of Drama the most. Since he has publicly announced that he will use new actors this time, he has to give Zhang Huijun a try.

Of course Zhang Yimou had to give face to this old classmate. After all, he is now the second-in-command of Beijing Film Academy.

Before the auditions began, Zhang Yimou was sitting in the conference room. In addition to him, there were two assistant directors of "Under the Hawthorn Tree", a producer and a screenwriter.

The other two assistant directors were unable to make it in time as they were conducting another round of auditions in Su Province.

Same with "Under the Hawthorn Tree" and "The Flowers of War"!
"Director Zhang, someone just told me that there are a lot of reporters outside the school!"

Assistant Pang Liwei suddenly walked up to Zhang Yimou and whispered in his ear.

"reporter?"

Zhang Yimou frowned. The thing he feared most about auditions was that the media would find out.

After all, for the release of a movie, confidentiality work in the early stages is very important, as this involves subsequent promotion and exposure.

If it were revealed too early, it would do more harm than good to the promotion of the film.

What plans to make and when to make them are things that the film producer and coordinator have already arranged.

"Tell the school not to let the reporters come over!"

Zhang Yimou waved his hand, believing that Beijing Film Academy could still handle this matter; Pang Liwei nodded and walked out immediately, but Fu Lulu next to him looked at him and said, "Director Zhang, can the auditions begin?"

"Wait a minute, there are reporters coming!"

"Maintain order at the scene first!"

Zhang Yimou frowned. Although he knew that the audition was something that could not be concealed, was it a bit too much to come to Beijing Film Academy?
"Is it possible that it's not coming for us?"

Fu Lulu thought of the banner she saw when she first entered the campus. This was the Beijing Film Academy’s custom of welcoming art students - the place where dreams begin.

"The Beijing Film Academy is also holding an arts exam these days. There are several celebrity candidates in the acting department. I guess the reporters are here for them, right?"

Fu Lulu guessed. Zhang Yimou grinned: "Really? Haha, I almost forgot!"

"Is the acting department taking the arts exam today?"

"Let me check!"

Fu Lulu knew a lot of people at Beijing Film Academy, but she read the school announcement: "Yes, today is the re-examination for the Department of Acting, all day long!"

"Chen Jin, who auditioned that day, should also come for the exam today!"

Fu Lulu said with a smile, and Zhang Yimou nodded: "Well, this child should have no problem getting into Beijing Film Academy!"

The next second, Pang Liwei also walked in.

It was indeed a false alarm, the reporters were heading for the Performance Department.

However, Nortel still took corresponding security measures.

"Then let's... get started!"

Zhang Yimou spoke quickly and said that since it had been clarified that it was a misunderstanding, the auditions would proceed as normal.

***
On the other side, in Building B of the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy, the art exam re-examination is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Unlike the initial examination which takes several days, the re-examination can be completed in one day because there are less than 500 art candidates taking the exam.

There are also 20 people in a round, divided into several classes.

The number of candidates who finally advanced to the third test was about 200 or so, no more than 300.

After the final three tests, only half, about 150 people, will remain.

Chen Jin's turn had not come yet. He was in the next exam at 10 o'clock. This time he was not in the same examination room with Li Xian, but was mixed with Yang Zi.

Because Yang Zi's mother Ma Haiyan was chatting enthusiastically with Su Wanyu.

Otherwise Chen Jin wouldn’t have known that the two of them were assigned to the same examination room this time.

"Hi, first of all, I heard from my mom that you auditioned for the new film directed by Zhang Yimou?"

Yang Zi looks much more mature than she appears.

She is well-known for her role as Xia Xue in "Home with Kids" and is well-known to audiences all over China. There are many reporters squatting downstairs.

Chen Jin obviously didn't have this treatment, so it was normal for Yang Zi to be eloquent.

"No, we just met at the school gate and he took a few photos of me!"

Of course Chen Jin couldn't reveal too much, Yang Zi said, "I thought it was an audition?"

Look how scared my mother is. She called to investigate and is now asking questions indirectly. If you don’t know, you would think Chen Jin has a very strong background.

All I can say is that people in the entertainment industry are all shrewd people, and they will start asking around at the slightest sign of trouble.

So it’s normal that there’s a lot of gossip in this circle.

"Do you know the examiner of your first test?"

Seeing that Chen Jin didn't talk much, Yang Zi deliberately tried to chat with him. This kind of art exam is actually quite painful.

She was the kind of person who couldn't sit still. Many others were looking at cheat sheets and cramming for the exam, but Chen Jin was like nothing had happened. She didn't take anything and was the calmest person in the whole audience.

At least Yang Zi held up a piece of paper to pretend, so that her mother wouldn't turn around and see it and scold her directly.

It should be said that she is more pitiful than Chen Jin.

Such a big star is still controlled by her mother.

"I know him, Huang Lei!"

"Yeah, same with me, I am him too!"

"What time are you?"

"..."

All the chat was meaningless. If Chen Jin hadn't thought that she would be famous in the future and there was no harm in getting to know her, he would have been too lazy to say more.

Fortunately, Ma Haiyan chatted with Su Wanyu for a while, and seeing that the exam time was approaching, she hurried to Yang Zi and pulled her aside, probably to tell her some key points of the art exam.

Chen Jin could understand many professional terms as soon as he heard them, such as rhythm, tone, etc.

I have to say, Ma Haiyan is really professional. Chen Jin’s line delivery skills improved after listening to her!

Can this “class” lead to improvement?
"Then taking art exam classes should be of some use, right?"

Forget it, I don’t have the time.

As Chen Jin was muttering to herself, the door of the art exam classroom in front of her was opened. Ma Haiyan subconsciously walked to the door and looked inside.

A smile immediately appeared on her face. This examiner...she happened to know him.

Xu Xiaodan is a famous teacher in the undergraduate class of the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy.

(End of this chapter)