The entertainment industry: My 99 future timelines!

Li Xu teased him like that.

Shen Ao finally recovered from the shock brought by Li Xu's monstrous acting skills.

He was the most rough around the edges, and immediately couldn't help but laugh and mutter under his breath:

"Li Xu, you son of a bitch! If I'd known you were such a good actor, why did you torture me with all that casting before? Who can act as well as you as Du Minghao?"

"When did you learn acting skills like that?"

Hearing this, Li Deyuan couldn't help but chime in, "That's right, Director, how come you suddenly became such a good actor?"

"I don't think our photography department taught much about acting, right? Knowing how to act and being able to act are two different things."

Li Xu smiled upon hearing this.

How could he explain that? He couldn't very well say that he had suddenly gained memories of another timeline from the future.

So he could only say, half-truthfully, "Actually, I've always had a talent for acting. People have said that since I was in school."

"Moreover, when I applied to the Taipei Film Academy, in addition to considering starting with the cinematography department and becoming a director, I also thought about applying to the acting department. It was just a matter of a single thought."

Hearing Li Xu's explanation...

Although Shen Ao and Li Deyuan felt that this explanation was not quite enough to explain Li Xu's superb acting skills, there seemed to be no other possibility, so they could only choose to believe it.

However, Liu Yifei thought differently. Her mind raced, and she suddenly remembered that in her future memories, when she was walking with Li Xu by the lake, he seemed to have mentioned that he had thought about applying to the Performance Department of the Beijing Film Academy.

So she unconsciously felt much relieved and said with a smile, "It seems that your mistake back then directly caused our acting department to lose an outstanding actor, but gave the cinematography department a future top director."

"But Li Xu, you're both directing and acting, which fulfills two wishes you had back then. Aren't you very happy about that?"

Li Xu's eyes held a hint of a smile.

He glanced at Liu Yifei, smiled without saying a word, and simply turned his gaze back to Shen Ao.

"Shen Ao, you're the executive director of this film. From a professional perspective, would you rate my performance just now? Was it up to par? Could it support the character of Du Minghao?"

Shen Ao glared at him.

He's already portrayed himself as a monster, and he's still asking himself if he can pull it off? He's clearly just trying to embarrass himself.

He snorted, unable to resist finding fault with Li Xu's performance and trying to find a problem.

But no matter how he considered it, he found himself unable to comment on Li Xu's acting just now. In the end, he could only dryly say, "...Damn! If your acting is not up to par, there are very few actors in the country who can pass. Li Xu, you're deliberately messing with me."

"Hahaha, serves you right for being so cocky before. Now you know who the real boss is, right? You've got to be on your feet!"

Shen Ao's words secretly pleased Li Xu.

Although he wasn't particularly vengeful, he still remembered how this rough-around-the-edges senior had berated him when the casting process was dragging on for so long.

"Cough cough."

Li Xu coughed lightly, his expression completely composed, and calmly said, "I'm just being meticulous. After all, a doctor can't heal himself. You're the executive director; who else should I ask in this studio if not you?"

"Alright, since you, the executive director, have approved it, let's proceed accordingly."

At this point, Li Xu patted Li Deyuan on the shoulder again: "Deyuan, let's work together to come up with a process these next few days. I'll set the main theme for the filming, and you and Shen Ao will film a few clips for me and Senior Sister Liu."

"After all, we still need to ask China Film Group for money and support policies. Instead of trying to persuade them, we might as well just show them the content."

Li Deyuan nodded. He was still somewhat stunned and could only obey Li Xu's words without question.

Liu Yifei's tone was now full of energy again, and she immediately nodded: "Li Xu, I believe you can definitely convince China Film Group. Judging from your acting performance just now, I think I'm the one who's dragging them down."

In this way...

With Shen Ao, Li Deyuan, and Liu Yifei all nodding in agreement, the casting decision was finally made.

Shen Ao wiped his face, walked a little further away from Liu Yifei, and lit another cigarette on the balcony outside the studio, his eyes full of excitement.

The casting issue has finally been resolved.

Next, we need funding and support, and at the same time, we need to prepare the script for review.

-

late at night.

Li Xu quickly revised the shooting plan, balancing the work of the director and the male lead, and also began preparing to submit the script for review and shoot a "proof sample" for China Film Group.

According to Li Xu's own estimate, filming "Love Announcement" would require close to ten million yuan to make a truly good film. Considering the later promotion and distribution, it would be best to have another two to three million yuan in reserve.

We only have 6.5 million in funds right now, and there's still a big gap.

China Film Group currently has a program to support young directors.

But even with the help of veteran film artist Zheng Dongtian, Li Xu still needs to prove himself in order to secure this funding and support.

The fact that he is now acting on his own initiative further increases the risk of this distrust.

Therefore, he urgently needs "evidence" to prove that he can not only act, but also act well, and act more perfectly than all the other male lead actors who could be considered.

-

With the decision made, and given that Shen Ao and Li Deyuan were both capable individuals, they quickly completed the preparations for filming the short film.

Photographer Wang Luyao, sound engineer Lu He, and lighting technician Liu Hu, who had just been confirmed a few days ago, were all brought in directly.

The scene being filmed is still the first encounter between the male and female leads in the late-night bookstore at the beginning of "Love Announcement".

There was no real set.

The studio was designed to resemble a bookstore, with a single sofa and a makeshift wooden table serving as Du Minghao's performance space.

As for the lighting, a few floor lamps wrapped with warm yellow filter paper will suffice.

"I want the lighting and shadow to be warm, but with a touch of damp chill within that warmth."

"Du Minghao broke in on a cold, rainy night. He carried a chill with him, so the light he gave was weak and diffused."

"Liu Yifei is the source of warmth for the male lead, Du Minghao, so the main light should be given to her, but at the same time, side backlighting should be used to bring out the halo of light on her hair, making it feel as soft and enveloping as possible."

"Finally, as the plot progresses, the 'light' emanating from me, Du Minghao, also needs to gradually brighten, as if slowly being 'blessed' by Song Qing's light. Liu Hu, can you do that?"

Standing in the "scene," Li Xu carefully surveyed the situation and gave instructions to Liu Hu.

Liu Hu's eyes lit up when he heard Li Xu's specific request for lighting and shadows that touched on emotions.

Although he is only in his twenties, he is already a veteran lighting technician.

Li Xu's requirements were far more demanding than the "brightening" and "beauty enhancement" he had heard about in other film crews.

If any other new director made this request, he would definitely retort immediately.

But as for Li Xu, he had already witnessed Li Xu's monster-directing skills firsthand when he was interviewed by the filming team a few days ago, and Li Xu was also generous in paying the core team.

Upon hearing this, he was immediately intrigued and chuckled, "Don't worry, Director Li, I will do my best to meet your requirements. If there are any areas that need adjustment, please give me your guidance, and I will modify them little by little."

Liu Hu isn't stupid.

This demanding lighting requirement, while a great test of his skills, also meant he would undoubtedly learn a great deal from Li Xu's guidance.

Li Xu was satisfied with Liu Hu's answer.