Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 28: Is the male lead the main character or is the two characters evenly matched?
After Gu Jingyi, Cai Xukun, Zhu Zhengting and You Changjing from Class A also maintained an A rating.

The cheers he received from the trainees were not as enthusiastic as when Gu Jingyi came on stage.

Due to the huge disparity in strength, they simply couldn't muster any desire to resist.

But people like Wang Linkai, Ding Zeren and Lin Chaoze were not really convinced by Cai Xukun's words.

They don't think they are any weaker than Cai Xukun, and a drop in their level assessment doesn't mean anything.

When Cai Xukun received the "A" rating envelope, Wang Linkai, who was a rapper, just clapped perfunctorily.

The director team who had been backstage seemed to be thinking about something.

After the trainees finished their evaluation, the originally planned theme song "Center" competition was not filmed.

Zhang Yixing listened to the instructions in his in-ear monitor, and after the recording and evaluation, he let the trainees disperse freely.

The director team found a meeting room on the spot and held a meeting to discuss the results.

Jin Wen, who is in charge of Internet marketing and promotion, Cheng Gang, the director in charge of content control of "Idol Producer", Zhao Xian, the visual director of stage effects, and the screenwriters responsible for writing the script all gathered here.

A group of powerful figures in the program sat around the conference round table and had a serious discussion on the various documents and materials sorted out by the staff and placed on the table.

Idol Producer has been recording since early December. The production team has completed the recording of the first stage and the re-rating of the theme song. These contents can be edited into the main film and divided into three parts.

And they also have a general understanding of the strength of each contestant.

Which contestants can compete for the center position, which contestants can bring topics and heat to the show, which contestants have no background and are easy to manipulate, and which contestants come from big companies with backing.

They know all these things very well.

Because of the original script, the story line was biased towards a "battle between two kings" with equal strength.

As the recording progressed, the production team realized something was wrong.

They need to set the main and secondary arrangements of the script according to the current recording situation, so that the post-production staff can edit according to the direction they give, so that the audience can see the finished product under their guidance.

"Who do you think will be the center this time?"

"For now, there are two, Gu Jingyi and Cai Xukun."

The big screen then began to project the two people's stage performance in the theme song assessment today.

A person with exceptional skills and incredibly smooth dance moves. A strong personal style and a vocal voice so outstanding it could be a singer. Coupled with a face that is visually striking, he is undoubtedly a leading figure of the new generation.

Although one is not bad, no matter which aspect is taken alone, it is not satisfactory. It is just that among idols, his strength is relatively good.

"I know Gu Jingyi, but he's from Huace"

Cheng Gang frowned and pondered, "I feel like no matter how much I praise him, I'm still working for Hua Ce. Exchanging him for the S+ male lead role in an annual production, that's already more than enough."

"Cai Xukun and his former company are still locked in a lawsuit, and his past is indeed a problem that cannot be ignored. It's like a bomb buried in the show, ready to go off at any moment. I wonder if his former company will step in to get a piece of the action as the show airs."

"But Director Cheng, we haven't found another contestant who can write a rival script with Gu Jingyi yet."

Director Cheng frowned. "Isn't Chen Linong good enough? He's good-looking, and he's backed by Wanwan Capital." "It's a bit difficult. Chen Linong has only practiced dancing for more than two months..."

"What about Wang Ziyi?"

The staff member who responded froze for a moment before arranging his words and saying, "Wang Ziyi expressed his respect for Gu Jingyi during the interview yesterday. He admitted his mistake and said that he was indeed biased against Gu Jingyi's rapping ability. He said that few idols are good at rapping, and it was Gu Jingyi's appearance that changed his mind."

"What the hell? He gave in so easily?"

Cheng Gang was disappointed with Wang Ziyi's choice.

"A man of insight is a true hero. If Wang Ziyi doesn't admit defeat, his abilities will be judged by everyone after the show airs. If he admits defeat now, at least he can clear his name later. This is a very normal move, and it must have been instructed by the company."

Jin Wen, who was in charge of marketing, saw through the real intention at a glance and explained with a smile.

"So, have we reached a conclusion from today's discussion? Should we edit Cai Xukun into a rival who's equally matched with Gu Jingyi? Or should we change the script and highlight Gu Jingyi as the male lead? We've been sitting here for so long, we should at least have a preliminary conclusion!"

Cheng Gang was a little annoyed. He really didn't know how the story would progress next.

"It's hard to say. In the early stages before the show started, Cai Xukun could be considered Gu Jingyi's rival. But after the first stage is aired, most people will probably recognize Gu Jingyi's strength."

"Or are you planning to edit out the scene where Gu Jingyi fights on "The Throne"? If you edit it out, the fans will only be tortured and become even more loyal when they dig it out later. They'll defend little Gu and go crazy against the production team... I think it would be better to give Gu Jingyi a storyline where he's the main male lead."

Zhao Xian, an art visual director, really thinks that Gu Jingyi is quite suitable for the male lead, as he has a sense of story.

Director Cheng was also silent after being told the truth. After learning that Wang Ziyi had changed his mind, he did think about editing out Gu Jingyi's highlights, but hesitated and did not dare to do it.

On the one hand, it is Hua Ce's strength, and on the other hand, it is also because if Gu Jingyi's highlights are deleted. When Wang Ziyi appears in Class F, the answer is self-evident.

If he fails to delete the content completely and leaves room for gossip, even the Kiwi platform will not protect him.

"Forget it, let's first arrange a rival storyline for Cai Xukun. The popularity of these two people when they came in was not much different, so why is there such a big gap in strength?"

The editor felt a little reluctant. Even if Cai Xukun got more shots now, his name would often appear in comparison with Gu Jingyi when the show aired.

"Okay, then we'll change the editing order. Cut out Gu Jingyi's first A and give it to Cai Xukun. Let's edit it this way first. If Cai Xukun really can't make it, he'll lose to Gu Jingyi in the first public performance. We'll change the storyline later and make Gu Jingyi the main male lead."

Cheng Gang thought for a moment and gave an answer.

After the results were discussed, the meeting ended.

The senior members of the director team all stood up and walked out.

The screenwriters are not so relaxed. They are still working overtime to revise the script.

……

The next morning at around 9 o'clock, the trainees gathered together again.

Today they will carry out the most important task before the audition. The 100 trainees will choose one from Class A to be the center of the theme song MV.

After changing his clothes, Zhang Yixing appeared in the studio holding a task card.

(End of this chapter)