Huayu 2015, the Artist of Light and Shadow

……

Hangzhou, filming location.

Because Lu Yunzhou created a brand new makeup look for Zhang Ruonan, the entire crew came to watch.

Sometimes, the fit of the role is more important than acting skills.

The innocent and adorable little angel, even with just a single tear, can evoke endless sympathy from the audience.

This is more convincing than any spectacular acting performance.

After all, viewers watch TV dramas primarily for companionship.

Nobody likes having an ugly face constantly appearing in a TV drama.

Is that what you call companionship? That's more like visual torture.

Therefore, TV dramas are mostly dominated by handsome men and beautiful women. Even some serious dramas and period dramas require actors to have decent looks.

After seeing Zhang Ruonan's makeup, producer Jiang Bing, who was sent by Kiwi Fruit, had a good idea of ​​what to expect.

The segment starring Zhang Ruonan is sure to be a hit.

There's no other reason than that the female lead was perfectly cast.

Seeing that Lu Yunzhou seemed quite satisfied with Zhang Ruonan's makeup, Jiang Bing took the opportunity to go up and ask, "Brother Xiao Chuan, if everything goes smoothly here, how about we move to Bangkok, Thailand in a week?"

The TV series "The Day Is Coming" contains many disturbing and violent scenes, which would pose a censorship problem if filmed in China.

Although the kiwi platform has expressed its attitude to Lu Yunzhou, saying that it will do everything in its power to protect him and let him film freely.

But Lu Yunzhou didn't want to take that risk.

Most importantly, filming in Thailand is at least 30% cheaper than filming in Hangzhou, whether it's renting a location or finding extras.

As for accommodation and meals, the costs are even cheaper.

When Lu Yunzhou proposed this idea during the project preparation, Jiang Bing, the producer from the kiwi fruit company, immediately agreed with Lu Yunzhou's idea.

After all, filming in Thailand could save the company at least 1000 million!

Wouldn't it be better to use that 1000 million for post-production special effects?

However, Lu Yunzhou was still somewhat worried about filming abroad and repeatedly asked, "How are things going with Lao Jiang in Thailand?"

Producer Jiang Bing thumped his chest loudly: "Brother Xiaochuan, you can rest assured about that. Our platform is very familiar with filming in Thailand. Moreover, we have excellent relationships with several Thai television stations."

Kiwifruit has had in-depth copyright cooperation with several Thai television stations since 2011.

Every year, kiwifruit purchases copyrights from Thai television stations, paying them at least tens of millions of RMB annually.

How could the relationship not be good?

Just a few months ago, China, South Korea and Thailand co-produced a web series called "I Love You, Thailand," which was produced by Kiwi.

Most importantly...

At this point, after much thought, Jiang Bing decided to reveal something to Lu Yunzhou: "Brother Xiao Chuan, the short film you won an award for at the Busan International Film Festival is also very popular in Thailand, and its popularity has even spread throughout Southeast Asia. During this period, the Southeast Asian rights to several of Tang Yan's previous TV series were also sold."

"In addition, when the project was first launched, our CEO Ma hinted to several Thai TV stations that the main filming location for our series might be in Thailand."

"At first, the Thai side wasn't interested. But after your short film won an award and Tang's clip went viral, executives from several Thai TV stations immediately flew over."

"As of today, what I've heard is that... a Thai television station has offered 3000 million RMB to acquire the broadcasting rights for this drama in Thailand and Southeast Asia."

The TV series hasn't even started filming yet; it's only just been approved. The Thai TV station has already decided that Lu Yunzhou will primarily film in Thailand, and they've begun to support Lu Yunzhou's dream.

This is the value that "international awards" bring to directors.

Even if the award is insignificant, it at least lets others see Lu Yunzhou's talent and makes them willing to take a gamble.

"In that case, Lao Jiang, could you please fly to Thailand first and help me get the venue sorted out? I'll be quick here, it won't take a week, maybe three days will suffice."

Lu Yunzhou soon discovered that filming TV dramas was much easier than filming short films.

Because he was aiming to win awards when making short films.

Every shot must be meticulously crafted, and every beat must be perfectly synchronized with the background music, so that the three-minute short film has a poetic and beautiful atmosphere.

But when filming TV dramas, he can lower his standards a bit.

"It's not tiring at all. I love Thailand so much. As for why, you should understand, Little Boat Bro."

Producer Jiang Bing winked at Lu Yunzhou.

Zhang Ruonan, the female lead in this segment, has completed all her makeup and is ready to start filming.

Seeing Zhang Ruonan waiting nearby, Jiang Bing patted Lu Yunzhou on the shoulder: "Little boatman, I'll leave this place to you. I'm heading out now. See you in Thailand."

Shortly after, Lu Yunzhou received a WeChat message.

"Hey, do you have a favorite Thai actress?"

The subtext is self-evident.

As long as Lu Yunzhou replies with a name, Jiang Bing will definitely help Lu Yunzhou make a call; there's a 50% chance they'll be able to arrange a meeting.

Given the state of the Thai entertainment industry, if given the chance to make those female celebrities the next Teacher Tang, they would fight over Lu Yunzhou.

……

"Brother, am I cute?"

Lu Yunzhou put his phone back in his pocket, but the next second, Zhang Ruonan, wearing a school uniform, appeared in front of him, bouncing around.

Zhang Ruonan doesn't look good with a ponytail because her forehead is wide and not delicate enough, so she has to cover it with her hair.

The makeup artists knew Lu Yunzhou was picky, so they racked their brains to design a princess hairstyle for Zhang Ruonan.

(Hairstyle illustration, as shown above)

This hairstyle adds volume to Zhang Ruonan's head, and some wispy strands in front of her forehead help to conceal her wide forehead.

This hairstyle gives her face a three-dimensional look while lowering the center of gravity, drawing attention to her delicate eyebrows and eyes.

Highlight the strengths and cover up the weaknesses.

That's the significance of makeup.

After the makeover, Zhang Ruonan's appearance improved by at least 20%, making her a pretty and charming young woman in the entertainment industry.

At least, she is full of character.

"I feel as if I see someone growing wings."

Looking at the lovely and charming Zhang Ruonan, Lu Yunzhou couldn't help but smile and reply.

There are many beautiful female celebrities in the entertainment industry, but for film and television dramas, actresses need to be beautiful and have their own unique characteristics.

Zhang Ruonan is a very unique individual.

"Thank you for the compliment, brother."

Humans have grown wings? Then they're angels!

Haha.

Zhang Ruonan originally thought that Lu Yunzhou was a taciturn person, and that even in front of Tang Yan, Lu Yunzhou did not say any flattering words.

But she has now discovered that this is not the case.

However, there are very few people in this world who are worth Lu Yunzhou's time and effort.

She's different; she's her brother's little darling.

If she hadn't been so blind that day, they might have already successfully gone on a blind date and were going to and from get off work together every day.

……

After a brief adjustment, Zhang Ruonan took her first shot in her professional career.

"Scene 1, Shot 1, now beginning."

Lu Yunzhou sat behind the monitor, focusing on only one camera.

Most of the time, three cameras are used when filming TV series: one for long shots, one for medium shots, and one for close-ups, to facilitate post-production editing.

After all, many TV dramas use dialogue to express the plot.

However, Lu Yunzhou still prefers to express himself through visuals and lighting effects, retaining his own shooting habits.

He never intended to keep making TV dramas.

This show was just a stepping stone for him, a starting point, and a way to train his team.

……

"Be careful with your voice."

In an instant, the scene fell silent, and everyone stared quietly at Zhang Ruonan.

Before filming began, Zhang Ruonan took three deep breaths into her palms, went through all the notes in the script in her mind one last time, and instantly got into character when she heard the clapperboard.

Her hair was a little messy, there was a shoe print on her clothes, and there was some dust on her face.

She appeared alone in front of the sink in the public restroom.

The tap was running loudly.

She pursed her lips slightly, washing the scars on her face again and again, rubbing the stains on her school uniform with both hands, appearing so stubborn.

After she finished tidying everything up, she forced a smile at herself in the mirror.

But soon she discovered that the mesh pocket on her backpack where she kept her umbrella was torn, and that her umbrella had been lost during the argument.

She paused for a moment, couldn't help but take a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

"good!"

"Xiao Nan acted very well."

"Keep it right. Let's do it again. This time, rearrange the lighting according to my requirements."

As the director, Lu Yunzhou clapped lightly, expressing his appreciation for Zhang Ruonan.

Other crew members also gave Zhang Ruonan a thumbs up.

One shot, three emotional reversals.

He rubbed the stains vigorously with both hands, his expression full of stubbornness.

Forcing a smile in front of the mirror signifies an optimistic outlook on life.

Upon discovering that the umbrella had been lost in the earlier struggle, she couldn't help but take a deep breath and slowly exhale, clearly trying to suppress the frustration in her heart.

In addition, there was already a footprint on her school uniform.

From this single scene, it's clear that she was likely bullied at school, but couldn't let her parents find out, so she had to secretly clean everything up in the public restroom.

Who could bear to bully such a cute little girl?

The audience's emotions are immediately aroused, and they can't help but want to see which bad guy is bullying our little cutie.

"Zhang's performance in that scene was quite good. I think the director was quite satisfied. We should be able to wrap up early today."

"I heard we're going to Thailand next week. I guess the director won't waste too much time on these setup shots in China."

The crew members are already thinking about how to enjoy themselves after arriving in Thailand.

But in the next moment.

They realized something was wrong.

"This version, while it flowed smoothly, I felt it lacked a certain something!"

As Lu Yunzhou spoke, he walked to the sink area and gestured a circle with his hand.

Imagine it.

"She had just been bullied at school and hid by the sink in this public restroom. This was her safe zone in her world."

"While she was washing the stains off her clothes, she was also washing away the wounds in her heart; it was a kind of emotional processing. But nobody knows when the next bullying will come."

"At this moment, her heart felt like a small boat adrift at sea, a feeling of utter helplessness and despair."

As Lu Yunzhou spoke, he pointed to Zhang Ruonan's face and hands: "Shining the light here, making it appear and disappear, gives people the feeling that she is an isolated island in the darkness, about to be swallowed up by the surrounding darkness at any time, making the audience worry about her."

"This is called the island-style light and shadow contrast method."

"The classic lighting logic of the great painter Caravaggio should be correct."

"I hope that through the construction of light and shadow, the audience will know that even the safe zone is shaky."

"You need to have that feeling of unease, understand?"

Director Lu Yunzhou suddenly went mad, leaving all the staff completely bewildered, but they had to admit that the director seemed to have something going for him.

At least, after listening to it, they felt their aesthetic appreciation of light and shadow was instantly elevated.

"Let's start over!"

"Place the main light source here, at a 45-degree angle from above, illuminating only half of Xiao Zhang's face, the sink, and her upper body."

"Also, move the light shield a little closer to block the light coming in from outside, making the entire space even darker."

After doing all this, Lu Yunzhou looked around and asked, "Now tell me, do you all feel isolated and helpless? Do you feel particularly sorry for this little girl? Do you get so impulsive that you want to fight for her?"

The audience was silent.

But a silent sense of awe welled up inside me; the director is awesome!

Seeing that everyone remained silent, Lu Yunzhou looked around the room and revealed his true purpose: "From now on, we will film to this standard. You need to understand that we are not making an ordinary web series; we are creating a super hit for the end of the year."

"Give up your old habits of just getting by. From now on, you'll all listen to me."

"Work with me, and I guarantee everyone's year-end bonus will at least double!"

The last sentence is the key point!

Upon hearing that the year-end bonus would be doubled, all the staff members had no objections and were all eager to follow Director Lu Yunzhou into battle to defeat all the competitors.

……

"These people just coast along. Their professional skills are terrible."

"If I were a billionaire, I would definitely hire the world's best team for my brother, clearing all obstacles for him to pursue his dreams!"

Zhang Ruonan felt that Lu Yunzhou was more charismatic on set when he was directing than ever before.

That decisive, confident, and charismatic aura is absolutely amazing!

……

at the same time.

Tang Yan, who had just arrived in Belgium, attended the Diamond World Oscars wearing a haute couture gown arranged for her by the brand.

Her life was incredibly successful.

Some foreigners even came over to greet her warmly when they saw her at the dinner party, calling her "Teacher Tang" and praising her for her exceptional beauty in the short film.

That's the power of award-winning short films.

Because the short film is short enough, viewers only need three minutes to watch it, which is much faster than watching a movie.

"Sister Ji, why do I feel like everyone in the room knows me?"

This wasn't Tang Yan's first time attending such an event in Europe. When she came before, the foreigners weren't that enthusiastic at all; many people treated her like she wasn't there.

These foreigners prefer to follow celebrities from Europe and America.

But this time is different.

These foreigners are being a little too enthusiastic.

Ji Rujing smiled slightly and explained in a low voice, "Tangtang, the short film 'Dream' has been uploaded from South Korea to Europe, and its views on YouTube have exceeded 100 million in just a few days."

"You're a YouTube star now, and even have some educational websites... By the way, have you heard of the Duolingo app?"

"This app is very popular in Europe; it's a language learning software. The company recently contacted me, wanting you to become their brand promoter."

Although not a spokesperson, Tang Yan, a fashion star and popular actress, caught the attention of a world-class learning software company through a short video.

This made Ji Rujing realize the importance of the film's style.

At least in the eyes of these Europeans, Tang Yan was an elegant Eastern woman, full of intellectual beauty.

……

domestic.

The movie "The Witness," starring Yang Mi and Lu Han, is set to be released at the end of the month and is currently in the midst of a frenzied promotional period.

By partnering with Lu Han, one of the hottest celebrities at the time, for marketing purposes, Yang Mi has returned to the public eye and once again become a top-tier actress.

Her marriage and childbirth did not cause her any loss of popularity.

This year, she made a strong comeback, constantly releasing press releases to discredit Tang Yan.

Gradually, Yang Mi became known in the eyes of netizens as a successful "Boss Yang" in her career, and a winner in life with abundant love and family.

Yang Mi believes that the movie "The Witness" will definitely be a hit.

Because, besides her, this movie also features another top star, Lu Han!

Lu Han's current popularity is so high that even Yang Mi can't understand it; he's sure to boost the entire project.

Yang Mi felt that she had reached the true peak of her life.

A sense of exhilaration, being in charge.

A few months ago, Yang Mi would definitely have sent Tang Yan a text message: "My movie is about to be released, when is yours?"

She's the kind of person who can't help but want to show off a little.

But now, even though she has already edited the message, she doesn't dare to send it.

"Never mind."

"That Lu Yunzhou, I don't know who he is... His film crew, from top to bottom, are full of energy and shouting all day long, just like a pyramid scheme."

With the female lead Tang Yan absent, Yang Mi thought Lu Yunzhou wouldn't be able to handle it.

But now the news is that the female lead, Tang Yan, is not here, but Lu Yunzhou is performing exceptionally well, and newcomer Zhang Ruonan has won the approval of the entire crew under his guidance.

The entire crew felt that this drama was bound to be a hit, and it didn't matter whether Tang Yan was in it or not.

If one person says this, it could be a rumor.

But the entire crew, from beginning to end, even the old lady who delivered the lunch boxes, said the same thing... This gradually made Yang Mi feel a flutter in her heart.

A greedy desire kept growing and spreading from the depths of her bones, making her unbearably itchy all over.

"What should I do? I'm thinking of stealing Tangtang's boyfriend again!"

"After all, there's no other director in the entire Chinese entertainment industry who can make even a simple character like 'Silly Sugar' look amazing."

Back then, she successfully poached Lao Hu from Tang Yan. Now, if she tries to poach Lu Yunzhou again, she should succeed, right?

------

It has already reached the Three Rivers.

One update today, no need for multiple chapters. I still prefer posting long chapters.