The entertainment industry: My 99 future timelines!

In mid-June, the sun in Washington State began to set in the west.

After filming the last set of shots, Jing Tian changed back into her own clothes and got into the car.

Zhao Shanshan handed over a document: "Take a look at the follow-up publicity arrangements for Cherry GG. Also, everything's been arranged with the Beijing Film Academy; you'll be a freshman in the acting department when school starts in September."

Jing Tian took the document but didn't look at it. She just stared out the window at the cherry orchard rushing past.

"Sister Shanshan."

"Um?"

"Tell me, how long does it take for someone to go from... well, a talented newcomer who hasn't proven themselves yet, to someone people look up to?"

Zhao Shanshan was taken aback: "This...it depends on fate. Some people never reach that point in their lifetime, some take ten or eight years, and some...maybe even faster."

"Ten years."

Jing Tian repeated softly, then smiled, "Then I can wait."

"What?"

Zhao Shanshan frowned: "Tian Tian, ​​why have you been saying such strange things lately? If anything's wrong, remember to tell me, don't keep it from me."

"No, I was just asking."

"Sister Shanshan, let's drive. I'm hungry. Let's have Chinese food today."

Jing Tian turned her head, her eyes curving into crescents.

The car drove away from the cherry orchard and headed towards the airport.

Jing Tian leaned against the car window and closed her eyes.

Those fragments of memory flashed through my mind again—the wedding dress, the kiss, the red carpet, his outstretched hand.

And Liu Yifei's empty eyes.

She let out a soft breath.

Not urgent.

There's really no rush.

Let Li Xu grow first, transform first, and become the man in her memory who is worthy of her and whom her family cannot find fault with.

Let her accumulate enough starlight and ability, and then—meet her at a higher level.

At the end of the red carpet, under the flashing lights, and under everyone's gaze.

He held out his hand to her and said, "Tian Tian, ​​come here."

Just like in my memory.

Before that, all the waiting, all the planning, all the "no rush" were all for that moment.

For that ending, which had already been written long ago.

The car sped along the highway.

In the back seat, Jing Tian opened her eyes, took out her phone from her bag, and opened the photo album.

There was a photo inside, which she secretly took with her phone that day on the set of "Love Announcement".

In the photo, Li Xu is talking to the photographer, his profile showing particular focus under the light.

So focused, it seemed like he only had the movie in his eyes.

Jing Tian looked at it for a few seconds, then locked the screen and put the phone away.

A faint curve appeared at the corner of her lips, a curve known only to herself.

wood.

Just focus on making your movies.

Spend quality time with your ex-girlfriend and have a relationship that's destined to end in heartbreak.

When I've gathered enough starlight, when you've become the person you were meant to be.

-

In mid-June, the days in Huairou are very long.

Sunlight generously poured onto the antique-style brick walls of the Huairou Film and Television Base, and the air was filled with the scent of summer heat mixed with dust.

The crew of "Love Announcement" had no time to enjoy the languid summer.

After the rainstorm kissing scene, filming went smoothly for several days, and the relaxed atmosphere made production manager Wang Jing smile every day as he looked at the accounts—the savings were real money.

until today.

-

The stage in the rented small theater had been set up overnight.

While not extravagant, the stage design team for "Love Announcement" managed to achieve about 70-80% of the quality of a professional concert within a limited budget, complete with lighting, sound, and a large screen.

Offstage, hundreds of extras and featured actors were entering the stage one after another under the direction of assistant director Li Deyuan and the crew's production assistants. They were to play Du Minghao's fans.

The entire scene was filled with the cacophony of voices, the buzzing of equipment being tested, and the commands coming from walkie-talkies, creating the unique chaos and clamor of a large-scale filming location.

Li Xu stood in the shadows to the side of the stage, holding a walkie-talkie, his gaze calmly sweeping across the entire venue.

Today he's dressed as Du Minghao, the pop star—a fitted black leather jacket, a meticulously styled hairstyle, and exquisite makeup.

But at this moment, although she is dressed like a pop star.

But at this moment, although he looks like a singer about to go on stage, his mind is still in the director's zone.

"Lighting crew, increase the main follow spot by 10%."

"When Du Minghao appears on stage, I want the beam of light to cut through the darkness like a knife, pinning him to the center of the stage, creating a stark contrast with the dimness of the audience below."

"Sound team, are the ambient sound materials for when the fans enter prepared? I want the effect of a real large concert hall or concert, not the scattered sound of the street."

"Play the ambient sound when the fans enter again so I can hear it again... No, it's too synchronized, like military training."

"I want that real, noisy, live atmosphere where people are screaming, chatting, and looking for seats. Realism, remember, realism is the most important thing. The plot can have a bit of a Korean drama feel, but everything else must be real."

"Assistant Director Li, let me reiterate the expression management in the fan area. The special guests in the first row need to have a variety of expressions—some should be purely infatuated, some should be singing along, some should be crying with excitement, and some should be whispering and gossiping. The extras in the back row can be a bit more formulaic, but they need to wave their banners and light sticks, not look like they're holding fire sticks."

Speaking into the walkie-talkie, Li Xu's voice was steady as he continuously directed and commanded.

"Received, Director Li."

"clear!"

Li Xu's production team responded quickly from all departments.

After a month or so of adjustment, Li Xu's command style has been fully understood by his filming team.

Li Xu turned off the walkie-talkie and rubbed his temples.

Today marks another major challenge for the "Love Announcement" production team – after experiencing a passionate kiss in the rain with Song Qing, Du Minghao, nourished by love, is gradually recovering and is re-entering the music scene to hold concerts.

The plot in the script is just a simple one-page document.

However, during the actual filming process...

Filming this concert scene was indeed far more difficult than filming the rain-soaked kiss scene.

No matter how difficult a kissing scene is, the core is the emotions of the two people.

But this scene also includes not only his duet with Liu Yifei.

It involves the coordination of over 300 people, the multi-line collaboration of lighting, sound, stage design, performance, and photography, and the need to capture both Du Minghao's superstar aura upon returning to the stage and Song Qing's subtle feelings of "glory and unease" in the audience.

Anyone who has acted in a movie knows this.

Coordinating extras, especially a large-scale extras, is incredibly difficult.

Most extras, let alone acting skills, can't even do a good job of performing a task in unison (refer to simultaneously commanding hundreds of people in military training to complete tasks involving turning left and right).

-

Li Xu walked off the stage and went to the first row.

Liu Yifei was already seated in the first row of seats reserved for her in the audience, and her look was complete.

She was wearing a simple light blue dress, her long hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders, her makeup was clean, and she sat in the reserved seat in the first row, holding a prop ticket in her hand, looking somewhat nervous and reserved.

This is the state Song Qing should be in right now.

It's understandable that a girl who used to have social anxiety, even though love has healed most of her, would be nervous sitting in the front row of her idol's concert for the first time as his "secret sister-in-law" or "girlfriend who can't be publicly acknowledged."

Li Xu sat down in the empty seat next to Liu Yifei, speaking softly to make sure only she could hear him:

"Senior Yifei, remember how Song Qing feels right now."

"She is very happy now because Du Minghao kept his promise and invited her; she is also nervous, afraid of being recognized by the fans around her and causing him trouble; but more than anything, she is proud, she wants to see with her own eyes how the man she loves can shine on stage again."

"So when you're filming, you should mostly follow me on stage, but occasionally, you should also look back at the enthusiastic fans around you and feel the vast sea of ​​people between Song Qing and Du Minghao."

Liu Yifei nodded seriously and took a deep breath: "I understand."

"It's that tug-of-war feeling of being both close and distant. Her boyfriend is right there on stage, shining brightly, but she can only sit in the audience, as a 'spectator.' Song Qing felt sweet, but also bittersweet."

"Yes, it's sweet with a hint of sourness."

Li Xu confirmed, "And for the part where we sing together on stage, I'll finish my solo first, then give you a hand gesture to invite you on stage."

"You are Song Qing, a piano prodigy, and you sing well too, but you've never been on such a big stage."

"You're nervous, but with encouragement from your boyfriend Du Minghao, you'll gradually relax. You can decide the appropriate level of performance for this part yourself; I believe in you."

"After all, you've released records before and received training at Sony."

Liu Yifei gave a soft "hmm".

She felt her heart beating a little fast.

It's not just because of the play.

Also, Li Xu was sitting right next to her, so close that she could smell his faint scent, a mixture of cosmetics and sweat.

Also because of the things he said—"a feeling of being both close and distant," "a bittersweet feeling"...

She felt that at this moment, her mindset was beginning to overlap with that of the character Song Qing.

Is this description of mindset referring to Song Qing, or Liu Yifei?

Sometimes she really wondered if Li Xu had secretly studied her psychology when he wrote the script.

Otherwise, how could he have written so clearly about her hidden, inexplicable thoughts?

After Li Xu finished speaking, he stood up, patted her on the shoulder, and turned to walk towards the stage.

Liu Yifei watched his back as his black leather jacket outlined sharp lines in the stage lighting.

She exhaled softly, suppressing the jumbled thoughts, and silently said:

"You are an actress, Liu Yifei. You are playing Song Qing now. You are not her. Focus."

-

"Attention all departments, Scene 201, Shot 1 of 'Love Announcement,' prepare for live filming!"

Shen Ao's voice rang out through the loudspeakers, and the theater gradually quieted down.

The stage manager claps the clapperboard.

"Action!"

The simulated concert environment surged like waves of sound, the stage lights suddenly changed, and the intense accompaniment music roared like a tidal wave!

The platform slowly rose, and "Du Minghao" slowly appeared in the center of the stage.

The spotlight pierced the darkness like a sharp sword, locking him firmly in the center of the beam of light.

In an instant, Li Xu's demeanor changed.

He was no longer the calm, almost cold director he usually was, nor was he the gloomy and aloof Du Feng from the previous campus scenes.

Instead, it was in 2007 that Du Minghao, a rising star in the music scene and a top singer-songwriter, emerged!

He held the standing microphone, stood in the light, his back straight, his chin slightly raised, and when his eyes swept across the audience, he exuded an aura of an ultimate superstar and the excitement of returning to the stage after a long absence.

He raised his arm and made a simple gesture to the fans in the audience.

It was just a gesture.

The reaction from the audience was like a lit bomb.

"ah--!!!"

"Du Minghao! I love you!!!"

"Brother Hao! Brother Hao! Brother Hao!"

Screams, cheers, cries, a sea of ​​light sticks, waving arms...

Li Deyuan nervously moved around the audience, using hand gestures to direct the "fans" in different areas to react.

The featured actors in the front row delivered solid performances, truly capturing the frenzied, almost manic state.

The prelude to stage music begins.

This is a solo song that expresses the artist's personal journey, with the melody rising from a low cadence to a high crescendo.

Since the song to be used has not yet been finalized, there is only simple background music on site. Li Xu is just lip-syncing at the moment, and it will be replaced with a pre-recorded song later.

Even so, he still acted very convincingly.

It really made everyone at the scene momentarily dazed.

Li Xu closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with turbulent emotions.

He began to sing, without lyrics, but simply followed the melody, wholeheartedly simulating the act of singing.

The mouth shape, the breath, the rise and fall of the chest, the slight bulging of the veins on the side of the neck due to exertion, the unconscious tapping rhythm of the fingers on the microphone stand...

Every detail is terrifyingly precise.

Moreover, although it was just a simulated singing performance, the extremely light breathy sounds that occasionally escaped from his voice as he hummed along with the melody were surprisingly accurate in pitch and rhythm, just like a top singer performing on stage.

Liu Yifei, the staff closest to the stage, and the "fans" in the front row who could vaguely hear the music were all involuntarily drawn in.

Li Deyuan himself usually likes to hum music.

As he listened, he couldn't help but stroke his chin, his eyes shining as he whispered, "Director Shen, is Director Li really acting? That sense of rhythm, that emotional delivery... I feel like he actually had professional singing training before?"

Shen Ao stared at the monitor and shook his head: "As far as I know, no."

"Our directing department at Beijing Film Academy isn't a vocal music department, so why would we teach this? But I did hear from someone that our junior did sing in a school celebration performance."

"Besides... you can't judge Director Li by conventional standards. If he told me one day that he could fly a plane, I might believe it. You've seen his genius before, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, Li Deyuan couldn't help but recall Li Xu's obsessive and precise demands on lighting and acting, and couldn't help but feel that Shen Ao's words seemed to make some sense.

A performance genius, a directing genius, and someone with a naturally good voice—it doesn't seem impossible for him to convincingly portray a real music superstar.

"But this is just too absurd... How can someone in this world be such an all-powerful monster?"

Li Deyuan patted his face, realizing that someone who was once considered an elite on the Beijing Film Academy campus didn't really understand what the world of geniuses was like.

As the music ended, the last note faded away.