Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 50 Work Trivia
In the preparatory group's meeting room, the lights were bright, people were sitting around, and the buzz of conversation was heard one after another.

Hu Xiaobei held a stack of information and placed it gently in front of each person in turn. Soon, he made sure that everyone present had a copy.

Everything was ready, and then he handed the carefully sorted materials to the chief director Zhou Xiaowen and said softly: "Director Zhou, the materials are all sorted out."

Zhou Xiaowen sat upright, leaning forward slightly, raised his hand to take it, and tapped the cover twice with his bony fingers.

He patted Xiaobei's arm again, and said in a deep voice with a hint of praise: "Thank you for your hard work. Well done."

After saying that, Zhou Xiaowen stood straight, holding a stack of carefully sorted paper materials in his hand, and strode towards the demonstration stage, his calm aura overwhelming.

In an instant, the noisy whispers in the conference room were "suppressed" by this momentum, and everyone's eyes were focused on him.

Zhou Xiaowen neatly spread out the information on the table, straightened his back, tilted his head slightly, cleared his throat, and swept his eyes over the crowd like a falcon before officially starting his lecture.

When talking about the difficulties faced by the art team in setting up the ancient style scenes, he frowned slightly, as if he was caught in a tangled mess.

In a moment, slender and bony fingers pressed on the key point of the document and tapped the paper lightly, making a slight "tapping" sound, the voice was low and professional.

"This part is the soul of the work. Even the slightest deviation will greatly diminish the ancient charm. The art team must pay close attention.

Everyone, please close your eyes and think about it: if the ancient style and beautiful scenery that the audience is looking forward to is missing that touch of elegance, what will it be like!" When he got excited, he waved his hand violently, causing the papers to rustle.

When explaining the details of the camera crew's lens adaptation, he flexibly gestured with his hands, simulating the framing movements of different focal lengths. His eyes unconsciously narrowed, and his body swayed slightly with the rhythm of the explanation, vividly recreating the shooting scene.

Many classic examples in the industry were interspersed throughout the lecture, which was told vividly and made everyone feel as if they were there themselves.

At first, there were people whispering in the corner, and rustling sounds were faintly visible.

But Zhou Xiaowen seemed not to hear, immersed in the rhythm of his explanation. He became more and more excited, speaking faster and higher, and his loud voice made the air tremble slightly.

Everyone's attention was completely drawn to the information that had just been issued, and they listened attentively.

They all picked up their pens to take notes, the pen tips rubbing against the paper, making a rustling sound, and their heads nodded from time to time following the explanation.

After the explanation, the scene was silent for several seconds, so quiet that one could hear the sound of the breeze rustling through the leaves outside the window.

At this moment, the art director smiled widely, jumped up from his seat, and raised his thumb high.

"Director Zhou, you're amazing! We almost overlooked these details!"

The prop master also hurriedly stood up, leaned forward, and patted his thigh in agreement: "Now the direction of procurement and production is much clearer, which saves a lot of trouble."

As the question-and-answer session began, Zhou Xiaowen crossed his arms, looked calm, and answered the questions in an orderly manner.

Occasionally, when he encountered a difficult question and couldn't answer it for a while, he remained calm.
He just narrowed his eyes slightly, turned his head to look at Hu Xiaobei, and gave him a look that was secretly asking for help.

Hu Xiaobei immediately understood what he meant, quickly stood up, moved his chair slightly, walked forward quickly, took over the conversation, and gave a precise answer.

After the problem was solved, Zhou Xiaowen added a few summary sentences at the right time, with his chin slightly raised, showing his experienced attitude of controlling the overall situation.

However, after the old problem was solved, a new problem and contradiction arose regarding the venue layout and costumes.

The art team adheres to the concept of art supremacy and is determined to meticulously craft each scene.

The artist's face flushed red, and he slammed the table, emphasizing, "If these details aren't in place, the audience will immediately see that it's fake, which will ruin our reputation!"

The props team also had worried expressions on their faces. The person in charge was scratching his head anxiously and shouted, "The construction period is already tight. If we keep going like this, we will definitely be delayed!

And the leading lady hasn't been decided yet, how will the costumes be made later? And the budget is way over budget, will the higher-ups approve it? We have to be more realistic!"

Neither side gave in to the argument, the volume grew louder and louder, and the buzzing sound of the argument was so loud that it hurt people's eardrums.

For a moment, Zhou Xiaowen was unable to make a decision and subconsciously looked at Hu Xiaobei again.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Hu Xiaobei had no choice but to plunge into this deadlock.

His brain was working rapidly and he came up with an idea: "Stop arguing! We can take the path of simplified restoration." As he said that, he spread out a few simple hand-drawn pictures, and everyone gathered around curiously.

"Take Jueqing Valley for example. The focus is not on the extravagant decoration, but on the designs in these places." Hu Xiaobei pointed at the drawing with his fingertips, and the layout was clear at a glance with the marks on it.

“If you do this delicately, the atmosphere will be instantly created without wasting time or money.

"Looking at ancient tombs again, they want a cool and elegant atmosphere. Too many furnishings would make them look tacky. Just a few key items would be enough." He spoke clearly, his eyes radiating confidence.

"There's also the issue of the female lead's costume. The previous top audition candidate, An Xiaoqian, is tall, so we can use her as a benchmark.

If the female lead is confirmed to be Xun Ge'er or is changed to someone else, we can also make modifications, which is much faster than making a new costume individually..."

Everyone stared at the drawings, whispered to each other, and nodded frequently when they heard the words.

As the problems were solved one by one, the art team was the first to relent: "Okay, Assistant Xiaobei's method is reliable, it's us who were too stubborn."

The props team also agreed: "Now we can take care of the schedule and budget, let's do it!"

The two groups that were originally deadlocked finally reached a consensus, and the tense atmosphere in the meeting room eased.

As everyone nodded, Zhou Xiaowen walked over, glanced at Hu Xiaobei's hand-drawn diagram, and praised: "Xiaobei, this is a good idea. It solves the problems on both sides. It's feasible."

The art team leader scratched his head and admitted his mistake: "I was idealistic. Let's do as Assistant Xiaobei said. We will definitely pay attention to the details."

The props team leader also breathed a sigh of relief and patted Hu Xiaobei on the shoulder to express his gratitude: "The construction period can be shortened by one third, and the budget is stable. We will adjust the list immediately."

After that, the two groups quickly started working.

The art team sat together to refine the design, and the sound of pens and papers rustled.

The props team types on the keyboard to update materials and calculate costs.

Hu Xiaobei helped coordinate between the two groups and solved any problems on the spot.

By lunchtime, the site plan and model samples were ready.

Zhou Xiaowen gathered everyone for inspection and was very satisfied with the results: "It's done. Shooting like this after turning on the camera will save a lot of effort."

Just when everyone breathed a sigh of relief, someone raised a new question: "Has the female lead been confirmed?

After all, our The Return of the Condor Heroes is a martial arts drama, so the main actors still need to undergo closed training.

If we keep delaying this, where will we have time for the promotion and training? Director Zhou, why don't you go ask Big Beard and the investors to quickly decide on a candidate?"

Zhou Xiaowen thought to himself that he also wanted to settle on a role as soon as possible, but he joined the crew halfway through and had never been involved in the casting.

If you intervene at such a critical moment, you will not only easily offend others, but also be blamed.

"Uh……"

He pretended to be reserved and groaned for a moment, but before he could respond, he heard a resounding and majestic male voice coming from the door.

"As for the female lead, we'll try to finalize it within a week or so, prioritizing the option of Xun Ge'er."

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Ma Dajun, the general manager of Ciwen, walking in with steady steps. His shiny bald head gleamed in the light, making his face look even more angular.

He was dressed in simple dark clothes, with a straight figure and an aura of majesty without even being angry. His thick eyebrows were slightly furrowed, his eyes were sharp and bright, and he glanced at everyone with an unquestionable sense of oppression.

The fine lines at the corners of his eyes seemed to reveal the sharpness of someone who had been through many battles.

As soon as he finished speaking, he pursed his lips, showing the decisiveness and confidence of an industry leader.

As such a powerful aura spread, everyone in the room subconsciously fell silent, and no one dared to respond rashly.

(End of this chapter)