Huayu 2015, the Artist of Light and Shadow

……

"Don't worry. Everything has been arranged."

Regarding work-related matters, Ji Rujing told Tang Yan not to worry about them, but to focus on figuring out how to portray her character.

Hearing this, Tang Yan sighed in distress, "Tang Ruyi, your life is anything but satisfactory. But my life is at its most fulfilling. How am I supposed to portray you?"

【Tang Ruyi】 is the name that Lu Yunzhou gave to the female lead in the TV series "The Day of Death is Coming".

Life is not going well at all, which is why I thought about suicide.

However, Tang Yan is currently riding high, reaching the true peak of her life. She has not only become a traffic star, but also won an award with Lu Yunzhou.

Every day when she wakes up, she wants to laugh out loud.

In this situation, she almost forgot what despair was.

Just two months ago, she was attacked online and criticized by Yang Mi with articles, which made her depressed and caused her to lose hair all day and barely sleep.

But she has forgotten all of that now.

"Tang Ruyi, what am I supposed to do with you?"

She just won an award, the media praised her, and her fans celebrated. Even Yang Mi, her arch-rival, went quiet and could only offer a perfunctory congratulations online.

Netizens also praised her for her keen eye in discovering the new director Lu Yunzhou, saying she had a better eye than Yang Mi.

Yang Mi also discovered the new actress Dilraba.

With her first move, Tang Yan discovered a young director who was able to win awards at international film festivals.

For a celebrity to remain popular for 10 years is already quite an achievement. A talented director, on the other hand, only becomes more sought after with age.

During this period, Tang Yan was so flattered by netizens that she was practically floating on air, and her life seemed to be going perfectly.

In this situation, how could she portray the character's despair—a complete lack of interest in life and a desire to commit suicide by jumping off a building?

If she fails to perform, she will be ridiculed by the entire internet!

"No!"

……

On the other side.

Jiang Bing, the producer sent by Kiwi Fruit, found Lu Yunzhou and talked about the preparation work for the "Death Is Coming" project.

"Brother Xiaochuan, I've already finished all the preliminary preparations for you while you were away."

"The post-production of this drama can be handled by our team from the Kiwi platform without any problems. This is a team that our boss just poached from CCTV."

"The only problem is, you and I both know Tang Yan's acting skills are questionable. Are you confident in your abilities?"

TV series and short films are different.

A short film can give Tang Yan only a hazy, beautiful shot, but a TV series would never do that, because people watch TV series for the plot, not for aesthetics and artistic conception.

"We were prepared."

Lu Yunzhou nodded slightly: "Leave it to me."

Seeing Lu Yunzhou's confidence, Jiang Bing didn't say much, after all, Lu Yunzhou had just won an award and was in high spirits.

Even Mr. Ma, the second-in-command of the kiwi fruit company, was looking forward to seeing what kind of effect Lu Yunzhou would achieve in his first TV series.

As a small-time producer, he should just focus on providing logistical support for Lu Yunzhou.

……

Hangzhou.

The project "The Day Is Coming" has officially started filming.

There were quite a few reporters present today because this project was selected by the kiwifruit authorities as the most anticipated S-level project of the year.

Starring top celebrity Tang Yan.

Lu Yunzhou, a new director who just won an international award, directed and starred in the film, and also made a cameo appearance in one of the important roles, "Death."

The official photos have just been released and have already sparked a huge online discussion.

In the original "The Day Is Coming," Death uses a pistol to end the protagonist's life, sending him into the next cycle of reincarnation.

However, Lu Yunzhou revised the script, allowing the female protagonist, Tang Ruyi, to unintentionally obtain a book about destiny.

Therefore, he abandoned the concept of reincarnation through a gun and instead incorporated the "Book of Life and Death," which is more in line with traditional Chinese mythology.

The narrative loop of 12 cycles is completed using the premise that "flipping through a book can change one's fate".

He completely changed the hysterical and violent feel of the Grim Reaper in the original Korean drama. Under his portrayal, the character is more in line with the composure and mystery that a god who controls life and death should have.

"This promotional photo is really unique."

"The female lead and the male lead stood together. The female lead looked panicked, and her pain and despair almost overflowed from the screen."

"But the male protagonist stood behind her, gracefully and calmly taking down a thick black book from the huge bookshelf."

"Look closely, there's another name on the black cover?"

"I looked at the synopsis of this show, and the male lead is a 'Grim Reaper,' so these books are everyone's 'Book of Life and Death'?"

Without a doubt, this is a TV series full of fantasy elements.

Just like the hit TV series "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer" that aired during the summer vacation.

However, "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer" is a period drama set in the Republican era, so it naturally lacks a sense of immersion, while "The Day Is Coming" is clearly a modern urban drama judging from its costumes.

This surprised countless people.

How did this drama pass censorship?

"It features the Grim Reaper, the Book of Life and Death, and is a modern urban fantasy... Has censorship been completely relaxed? Or do directors who have won international awards have special privileges?"

"Couldn't it be because our Tangtang is a high-profile celebrity, and the platform is giving her special treatment?"

There are definitely some privileges involved.

Before winning the award, Kiwi was very strict with Lu Yunzhou's scripts and reviews, but after Lu Yunzhou won the award, Kiwi gave him the green light all the way.

Mr. Ma even assured Lu Yunzhou that he could freely shoot the film and unleash all his artistic imagination.

As long as Lu Yunzhou's story framework is sound, the platform will protect him if anything goes wrong!

The online controversy, curiosity, and the frenzy of Tang Yan's fans left Lu Yunzhou completely unmoved.

He knew very well that these fans, or rather, his rivals, were not his true base.

99% of viewers who watch dramas do not leave comments online.

We have now fully entered the mobile phone era. A TV series starring a popular actress like Tang Yan will have at least tens of millions of viewers, while the number of viewers leaving comments online will not exceed 10.

He cannot forcefully change his production philosophy just to hear the voices of 10 people.

……

After the opening ceremony, filming immediately began.

After attending the opening ceremony, Tang Yan had to go to Europe to attend the Diamond World Oscars prepared for her by Tongling Jewelry, so she left first.

There's no way around it, top female celebrities are just that busy.

Lu Yunzhou had already taken this into consideration, which is why he chose "The Dying Is Coming," an ensemble drama.

Using Tang Yan's popularity as a gimmick to attract viewers to watch the show, and then getting them hooked on the plot... that's his goal!

If possible, it would be best to promote some new talents.

"Little Zhang, are you ready?"

Zhang Ruonan is the character that Lu Yunzhou plans to heavily promote in this drama.

"Brother, I'm ready. I promise I won't let you down."

Zhang Ruonan has spent more than a month preparing for this role.

She didn't have many scenes, but she vowed to God that she would never give up in her life and would unleash her full potential in the limited amount of screen time she had.

She must make every viewer fall in love at first sight and leave a deep impression!

"Wait a moment. Something's not right."

Lu Yunzhou glanced at Zhang Ruonan's makeup.

18-year-old Zhang Ruonan has a face full of collagen, cute apple cheeks, and an incomparably sweet smile.

However, the facial contours are full of bluntness.

In a word.

At first glance, it looks too ordinary and not sophisticated enough.

It cannot create an instant wow factor for the audience.

Zhang Ruonan doesn't have many scenes in this TV series.

If a character cannot make the audience fall in love with her within a few tens of minutes, then the creation of this character is a failure.

"Makeup artist, come here."

Lu Yunzhou called the makeup artist over: "Xiao Zhang's face has some issues with its lines; it's too rounded and simple. Could you adjust the focus of her makeup to make her look more refined? Is that alright?"

The makeup artist shrugged and couldn't help but explain, "Director, Xiao Zhang has a naturally chubby face with very full soft tissue. Unless she loses weight quickly in a short period of time to tighten her features, it's difficult to soften this roundness with makeup alone. I've already put in the most effort in contouring."

"Trying your best is useless. I need results."

Lu Yunzhou sighed softly, knowing that getting angry with the makeup artist would be useless.

Lu Yunzhou closed his eyes, and Zhang Ruonan's face appeared in his mind like a high-definition photograph.

With a slight thought, as if manipulating a developing camera in a darkroom, he continuously adjusted the contrast and direction of light and shadow on Zhang Ruonan's face.

Diminish the light here, deepen the shadows there, highlight the brow bone, and define the eye sockets...

Different makeup effects appeared in Lu Yunzhou's mind.

He tried it out in his mind several times, and after a moment he found the best solution.

Lu Yunzhou opened his eyes and said calmly, "From now on, follow my instructions."

"Xiao Nan's mid-face features, particularly her cheekbones and apple cheeks, are very prominent, which makes her look very cute and especially sweet when she smiles."

"We retain this advantage to serve as a foil to the tragic circumstances of the characters in the play."

"But most of the time, she's a tragic figure. Her makeup needs a slight adjustment; it shouldn't be so bright."

"Moreover, this makeup now concentrates all the strength in her face in the middle, making her face look very bloated, like a catfish."

Zhang Ruonan absolutely refuses to admit that she looks like a catfish.

She nodded vigorously beside him, feeling that the makeup artist was incompetent, making her look like a catfish when she was clearly a delicate little angel.

The makeup artist admitted that Zhang Ruonan's face did look somewhat puffy, but that wasn't her fault. Zhang Ruonan simply looks like that.

However, in the very next second, Lu Yunzhou provided a concrete solution: "Painting is a diagram explaining force."

"As a makeup artist, you should understand this. Makeup is simply painting on a person's face."

"Xiao Nan's mid-face is too prominent, so you should modify her eye makeup and eyebrows to visually suppress the bulging mid-face and make the audience's attention focus on her eyebrows and eyes first."

"Xiao Nan's eyebrows and eyes are very beautiful and can convey emotions very well. She has an angelic sense of purity."

"When you're doing your makeup, you need to accentuate Xiaonan's eye area."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruonan nodded vigorously once again.

That's right, Sister Nan is an adorable little angel.

It's definitely not some catfish with a puffy face.

The makeup artist thoughtfully remarked, "Then should I give Zhang Ruonan some heavy eye makeup? To increase her visual impact?"

"No, no, no."

Lu Yunzhou waved his hand and said seriously, "Visual intensity and color depth have nothing to do with each other. What we need to do is create a three-dimensional visual effect. Imagine a beam of light shining on you, creating shadows, which is what gives it that sense of depth."

Upon hearing this, the makeup artist instantly realized what she meant and grasped the essence of the moment.

"Director, I understand."

"So... I'll outline a natural eye makeup shadow for Xiaonan, following the contours of her eye area."

"Apply light, gray, and dark eyeshadow to the inner corner, middle, and outer corner of the eye in sequence."

"In addition, I'll try to refine your eyebrows and eyelashes to enhance what you call 'three-dimensionality'."

As the makeup artist spoke, she quickly outlined the colors on Zhang Ruonan's eyes, clearly having grasped the key points.

"That's right, you're fantastic."

Lu Yunzhou nodded slightly and gave the makeup artist a thumbs up.

Hearing Lu Yunzhou's praise, the makeup artist felt a little embarrassed: "Thank you for your guidance, Director. You've given me a vivid lesson."

After Lu Yunzhou left, the makeup artists gathered together and discussed for a while, gradually coming up with a plan.

Soon after, Zhang Ruonan was born.

The dull, simple air on her face vanished instantly.

Instead, the moment people see Zhang Ruonan, their eyes are drawn to her pure and flawless features.

Her round, pitiful eyes, like those of Bambi, give her an innocent look and an air of needing to be cared for.

The moment their eyes met, everyone's hearts melted, and they longed to hug Zhang Ruonan and pamper this adorable girl.

"What an adorable little girl."

"The director's aesthetic sense is absolutely amazing."

"Although our director doesn't understand makeup, he understands light and shadow and three-dimensionality very well."

Faced with so many compliments, Zhang Ruonan looked at herself in the mirror with her brand-new makeup and couldn't help but smile.

Sister Nan is so cute.

Absolutely the most beautiful girl in the world!

……

Tang Yan, who was preparing to fly to Belgium to attend the Diamond Oscars, received a photo of Zhang Ruonan's new makeup from the crew.

Wow.

She couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.

Tang Yan couldn't quite put her finger on what had changed about Zhang Ruonan, but at this moment, Zhang Ruonan in the photo was more adorable than she had ever remembered.

Her eyes were especially captivating.

It gives you an irresistible urge to hug her and protect her.

"Xiao Nan, you're so cute."

She uttered a sigh, but at the same time, an absurd thought popped into Tang Yan's mind.

What if I get outshone in the drama again? Wouldn't that be a replay of the story of "Diamond Lover"?

Although it's highly unlikely that anyone will release any articles criticizing or disparaging her this time, Tang Yan's pride won't allow her to stoop so low.

"Xiaonan has suddenly become so outstanding... I need to prove myself too!"