HuaYu: Starting with Photography to Navigate the Entertainment Industry

Although he knew that Li Gongda was considering changing roles, Xu Lang had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

He pointed to Shu Chang's photo and said:

"Xiaoyu is the female lead in the drama. In terms of character positioning, she is the core soul that runs through the entire drama, a growing fox spirit girl."

The character with the most screen time is also the most important.

Her character traits are that of an innocent, pure, sensitive, and fragile little fox who, after experiencing love, hate, and sacrifice, undergoes a transformation.

In terms of aesthetics, she belongs to the innocent, pure, and fragile type of spiritual girl.

All the main conflicts in the entire series—Chenxiang's adventures, the battle between good and evil, and the choices between love and hate—will ultimately fall on Xiaoyu.

The casting of Xiaoyu has a crucial impact on the entire drama.

At this point, Xu Lang glanced at everyone, then looked at Li Gongda, and said with a smile:

"After our last conversation, I was also worried that Shu Chang wouldn't be able to hold her own against the other four beauties, so I'm also preparing to find an actress in the industry who is suitable for the role."

As Xu Lang spoke, he clicked on the keyboard, and several stunningly beautiful actresses appeared on the screen:

Liu Yifei, Zhang Bozhi, Fan Bingbing, Jiang Qinqin.

Looking at these four people, Xu Lang couldn't help but marvel.

"These are all so beautiful."

He glanced at Li Gongda and said:

"Producer Li, if you want to stand out from the other four in terms of looks, then there are only these four people in the entertainment industry right now."

"Hiss~~~!"

Upon seeing these four people, Li Gongda gasped in shock.

Only now did he realize how difficult it was to control Liu Tao, Pu Shiyan, Tang Yan, and Yang Ying below him.

Then Xu Lang said:

"I've had a lot of contact with Liu Yifei. Right now, she's very popular, and her price isn't cheap. Moreover, her goal is to pursue movies, and she doesn't want to act in similar TV series anymore."

Secondly, while Zhang Bozhi, Fan Bingbing, and Jiang Qinqin are all exceptionally beautiful, they are all currently very popular, top-tier celebrities. Their price is one factor, but more importantly, their personalities might not necessarily be suitable for playing Xiaoyu.

As he spoke, Xu Lang quickly switched the camera to continue analyzing Xiaoyu's character traits:

"Her identity is that of a nine-tailed fox spirit orphan, a fox girl. The main storyline is that of an innocent girl → burdened with the hatred of her family's massacre → meeting Chenxiang and falling in love → struggling between hatred, family affection, love, good and evil, and finally choosing self-sacrifice to achieve redemption."

The requirements for performers are to possess a sense of wildness, fragility, purity, resilience, and growth potential.

The actress should ideally have a slender and delicate frame, like a young girl.

It shouldn't be too sexy; the figure should be light and graceful, like a small animal that has lived in the mountains for a long time, with agile and light movements, and running and turning with a natural sense of agility.

The actor can't be too tall, otherwise it will diminish the sense of youthful innocence.

As for facial features, an oval face with a touch of baby fat is best, as it gives a youthful appearance.

The eyes are the primary criterion; almond-shaped eyes are best, and eyes that can express extreme emotions are ideal.

When happy, it is lively and cunning, with the vivacity of a little fox; when sad or wronged, it is full of brokenness.

...

Xu Lang explained each point one by one, and Li Gongda nodded frequently.

After speaking, Xu Lang looked at Li Gongda and asked:

"Producer Li, do you think these four beautiful women are suitable to play Xiaoyu?"

Li Gongda frowned, finally shook his head, and sighed:

"It's really not suitable!"

Upon hearing this conclusion, Xu Lang felt half relieved.

After all, this conclusion means that relying on looks to overshadow the other four actors is no longer a viable option.

Xu Lang typed on the keyboard, and several photos of Shu Chang appeared on the screen.

Upon seeing the photos, Li Gongda couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation and involuntarily sat up straight.

"I've never seen any of these before."

"Yes, this was taken yesterday when I asked Shu Chang to audition for me."

As Xu Lang spoke, he pointed to the photo and said:

"Producer Li, look at this Shu Chang. She's 17 years old, 163 cm tall, and weighs 42 kg. She has a noticeably chubby face and bright, almond-shaped eyes. She really matches the image of our outspoken Xiao Yu."

These photos were taken by Xu Lang specifically for Shu Chang.

With the help of his [God-level Camera System], Shu Chang's youthful appearance, agility, and stubbornness were instantly magnified.

Li Gongda and the rest of the directing team couldn't help but nod in approval.

"Now that you mention it, Shu Chang is actually more suited to play Xiao Yu."

But then, Li Gongda frowned again and couldn't help but say:

"If Shu Chang doesn't make any changes, then should we lower the standards for the other female supporting characters? They're too high right now. She still needs to surpass Xiao Yu."

"Well..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lang gave a bitter smile to his heart.

"If we try to protect Xiaoyu at the expense of others, wouldn't that be like shooting ourselves in the foot?!"

He quickly laid out the photos of all five people and pointed to them, saying:

"Producer Li, actually, we've all fallen into a misconception. Whether an actor will be overshadowed or not can't be judged solely on their appearance."

Have you noticed that each of our five actresses has a different characteristic, or in other words, they each have a different way of being beautiful?

Take Liu Tao for example. You've worked with her before, so you must know that she has a dignified and elegant beauty, like a cool and lonely goddess.

Tang Yan, a young lady from the mortal realm, is passionate and unrestrained, a beautiful mortal woman with a strong personal charm;

Park Si-yeon, on the other hand, plays a tragic role as a mother burdened with a prison cage.

Yang Ying is responsible for creating a bright and cheerful atmosphere.

Finally, Xiaoyu is a lively, innocent, and naive demon girl from the mountains and fields.

Five personalities, five kinds of beauty, each without conflict, each with its own unique charm—that's a major characteristic of our drama.

Upon hearing Xu Lang's words, Li Gongda and the rest of the directing team exchanged glances, their eyes growing brighter as they nodded.

"Xu Lang, what you said makes sense. We were overthinking it before."

Actually, Xiaoyu's problem is easy to solve. As long as we pay attention to distinguishing the focus during the filming process, we can avoid it.

Not bad, not bad, Xu Lang, you've done a great job today.

Ha ha!"

Hearing Li Gongda say this, Xu Lang knew that

It's done!

He let out a long sigh of relief and smiled at Li Gongda, saying:

"Producer Li, don't forget, I'm the visual director for our production team. Of course I have to contribute; it's only right."

"Okay, sure!"

Li Gongda nodded, pondered for a moment, and then made his conclusion.

"Let's settle on these five actresses."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Xu Lang and reminded him:

"By the way, you need to put some effort into refining the image of the Holy Mother of the Third Princess."

Park Si-yeon is a highlight of our cultural exchange with South Korea this year; she has to shine.

Hearing this, Xu Lang was secretly delighted.

Previously, he wanted to "touch" Park Si-yeon, but he didn't feel there was a suitable reason.

Now that Li Gongda said it, it's like being "ordered to pick up girls"!

Haha!

Park Dae-sama, wait for me, I'm coming!