Zhao Dong wiped his face vigorously.
It was very good. At the very least, it wasn't 'good-looking' but 'attention. This kid was trying to be euphemistic…
Jin Xiaochen choked.
He actually felt that something was wrong when the teacher taught Zhao Dong just now, but he wasn't a professional actor after all. It was hard to say if he was professionally qualified enough to understand elegant art…
Xue Xiao frowned and asked, "Brother Zhao, you felt it yourself, right?"
Before Zhao Dong could speak, Jin Xiaochen glanced at the cameraman behind them. He quickly turned around and lowered his voice. "It isn't good for us to do this, right?"
It would be fine if they got rid of the cameraman but they had failed to get rid of him!
All of this was recorded by the camera. If they disobeyed the teacher then it would be very embarrassing when it came time to edit.
Xue Xiao pursed his lips.
He understood Jin Xiaochen's concerns.
If it only involved himself then it would be okay. However, what he wanted to say and do now would involve the whole group. Xue Xiao inevitably had some worries.
However, it was obvious that this shot couldn't be avoided. If he didn't say it directly, did they have to waste a whole day and wait until night to turn off the microphone and secretly say it?
How were they going to show a performance like that to the audience?
Zhao Dong's temperament was much more stable than the two of them. Jin Xiaochen subconsciously looked at him and wanted to see if this big brother had more secure ideas.
Zhao Dong glanced sideways at the camera.
The cameraman brother held the machine firmly. They couldn't see the cameraman's eyes. They could only see the black lens and feel the mechanical sight.
The success of an actor lay in the lens but their ruin also lay in it.
Zhao Dong couldn't help sighing.
He turned around and said, "Xiao, tell me what you are thinking."
Jin Xiaochen looked surprised.
Xue Xiao sighed with relief.
—
There was no one in the cafeteria at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Many groups had probably finished eating a long time ago.
Once the three of them gave up on the camera, they stopped worrying about speaking.
Xue Xiao said, "It isn't good-looking, it really isn't good-looking. According to Brother Zhao's acting method just now, the audience would definitely laugh at that time."
Jin Xiaochen also gave up hiding from the camera and said, "Hey, just now, the three people of Fan Xue's group were laughing. They were laughing really happily."
He paused like he was enduring it.
Seeing his appearance, Zhao Dong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He raised his chin toward the cameraman. "You've already said so much. What else are you afraid of? Just say it!"
The cameraman big brother: "..."
Jin Xiaochen said, "I don't understand. Why can that group copy the performance of the original work while our group has to change it back and forth? Fan Xue and Teacher Shen's temperament are very similar? Hah."
Zhao Dong opened his mouth. "Um, well, this is…"
Xue Xiao laughed loudly. "Absolutely nothing!"
Jin Xiaochen told them, "I'm just saying!"
Zhao Dong: "..."
The cameraman big brother: "...…"
He tried his best to support the heavy machine in his hand to show his presence.
Jin Xiaochen went to the dining table and asked for advice. "How about we change back to the original acting?"
Unexpectedly, Xue Xiao shook his head. "I don't think that's necessary."
"It is necessary to make some adjustments but it isn't because we don't act as well as the other group or because we have to make the audience feel fresh. It is because the actors and characters are supposed to be close to each other."
When film and television crews were casting, they always needed to keep the actors close to the characters.
Even in this carefully selected situation, once the actors were decided, the role needed to be brought closer to the actor.
It was like pinching a piece of plasticine. Pinch to the left and pinch to the right. Adjust up and down, before and after. It was in order to pinch a living character.
Admittedly, on the stage of recreating a classic scene, changes needed to be done carefully but they shouldn't be afraid of it.
Zhao Dong nodded. "Indeed."
Xue Xiao said objectively, "Regarding the change in Zhang Yang's role, I think the teacher isn't wrong."
A lot of what the teacher taught today really helped the three of them.
Therefore, Xue Xiao always called the other person 'Teacher.'
It was just that in the teaching process, there were a lot of strange private goods mixed in.
Jin Xiaochen looked at the two of them and was stunned. "Then how should we change it?"
"For the change, at least Brother Zhao's classic scene has to be changed." Xue Xiao got up while holding the plate. He still had his vigorous style. "You've finished eating, right? Let's find a vacant space and rearrange it."
In the summer, they would get heatstroke from rehearsing outdoors, but they didn't want to go back to the classroom on the fourth floor to be with Fan Xue's group. Instead, they randomly found an empty classroom.
Zhao Dong first acted it out the way the teacher taught him.
Jin Xiaochen couldn't bear to look at it directly and finally expressed the truth. "Brother Zhao, if you really act like this, it will be the black history on your acting road. It is the type of black history that is truly black!"
Zhao Dong snorted.
He acted again according to the original work.
During today's rehearsal, Fan Xue always had his back to the three of them and they couldn't see his performance clearly. This meant they couldn't compare Zhao Dong with him.
But if compared with Shen Tingyan in the original movie, Zhao Dong's flaws were too obvious.
"Your eyes aren't sufficient." Jin Xiaochen smacked his lips together. "I remember that when I was watching the movie, the camera turned and Teacher Shen's eyes immediately exploded my brain. Then he rolled his eyes and looked at the camera i.e. Zhang Yang, and I got goosebumps."
If he saw that look from a close distance then he would've been scared enough to crawl away on the ground.
Meanwhile, Zhao Dong's eyes didn't achieve such an effect.
It could even be said to be a bit boring.
Zhao Dong sat up, scratched his head and sighed with worry.
In the beginning, he chose the role of Shen Tingyan. It was naturally because Zhao Dong had ambitions. On the other hand, it was also because he liked this role and felt he could try to control it.
His imagination was full but reality was skinny.
Studio Superstar provided them with an opportunity that invisible, unknown actors dreamed of but it also really allowed them to see the gap between themselves and superstars.
Just then, a slender and beautiful hand suddenly touched Zhao Dong's ankle.
Zhao Dong subconsciously trembled.
Xue Xiao knelt beside him, put his palms there and muttered, "Trembling non-stop is actually a wonderful change but you must not smile like that from beginning to end. That type of acting has no rhythm."
"I'm untying the rope for you. During this process, my gaze and the camera are always on your feet and your feet are always trembling slightly."
Xue Xiao started to make the action of untying the rope.
Zhao Dong was stunned. After reacting, he quickly cooperated and lay back on the ground on his side. He quickly entered the role.
"At first, there is silent trembling…" Xue Xiao said and paused.
He seemed to be thinking. He paused for several seconds, tilted his head slightly and said softly, "From a certain moment, a breath suddenly leaks from your throat, a bit like choking."
There was a moment of silence.
Soon, something resembling a rapid gasp sounded in the classroom. It was breathing, like the whimpering sound of a little beast.
"This voice makes me feel a bit funny." Xue Xiao had a funny expression on his face as he said the changed line. "Still trembling. I see that you are usually so bold but in fact, you aren't very good."
With these words, Xue Xiao turned his head.
Zhao Dong seemed to have finally found the feeling.
He stared straight into the void, smiling slightly with his mouth open. It was as if he was looking at the backs of Li Xueming and his subordinates. It was also as if he had witnessed the climactic scene of the game he designed with his own eyes.
The heartfelt, childlike joy and excitement mixed into the black, cold vortex in his eyes. It seemed strange and absurd.
In the next second, his angry laughter suddenly stopped.
His eyeballs rolled.
He kept this strange smiling face and met Xue Xiao's eyes.
The fear and panic couldn't be seen through.
The man's eyes and the corners of his mouth curved into a more exaggerated and presumptuous arc.
This was no longer a human face. It was more like a mask.
Jin Xiaochen covered his eyes like someone had punched him in the eye and shouted, "Oh my god!"
He hurriedly took a step back.
He was mentally polluted!
Xue Xiao smiled and said pleasantly, "Brother Zhao, this can work!"
Jin Xiaochen shouted, "Brother Zhao, how did you make such an expression? It is too perverted! Your face is too malleable!"
Zhao Dong was out of the act. He hadn't expected Jin Xiaochen to react so fiercely and touched his head in an embarrassed manner. "Is it so exaggerated? I didn't see it myself. I don't know…"
"Don't look at it or you won't be able to sleep tonight!"
Zhao Dong said, "Hey, I am curious now that you said this. Xiao, let's do it again. Xiao Jin, you are next to me. Help me record it with your phone. I'll take a look when I go back."
Jin Xiaochen exclaimed, "Help!"
...
They didn't stop rehearsing in the classroom all afternoon.
By the time he came back to his senses, the sun was setting and twilight was everywhere.
Jin Xiaochen was so tired that he lay on the spot and couldn't get up.
He sighed. "It is so cool to rehearse. I feel like I've learned a lot in just one day today."
"You can do it, child." Zhao Dong wiped his sweat with the towel he carried. "You really haven't acted before? I see that your foundation is much better than mine. I wasn't as good as you when I first came into contact with acting."
Jin Xiaochen was just nervous when facing the teacher this morning. His performance later could be called rapid progress.
Jin Xiaochen told him, "I really haven't acted before. But since I was a child, I have loved to imitate the characters in TV series, especially the big generals, policemen and soldiers!"
From this perspective, his choice of the role of Li Xueming could be said to have fulfilled his wish.
Zhao Dong said, "Then me too."
Xue Xiao was drinking water on the side. Once he heard this, he smiled and his eyes curved.
"Xiao too?" Zhao Dong wondered. "People who like acting are mostly like this."
"Haha, it is a great feeling to find someone like you." Jin Xiaochen rolled over and sat up. "But I really didn't think that in order to play a role well, you could pick up the details to this extent."
Xue Xiao and Zhao Dong's attention to detail could be called terrifying.
From the seriousness of the tone, the size of the expression, the foreshadowing of small actions, etc. Seeing that these two people were so dedicated, Jin Xiaochen's confidence also rose.
What was defying the teacher and what was a bad image in front of the camera?
He didn't believe that after achieving this level, the performance effect of their group wouldn't be good!
For actors, they still had to talk with the play in the end!
PART 2
Zhao Dong said with a smile, "We are now playing an important role in a classic scene. How can we act it out without details? Even if I play a passerby, I have to think carefully about how I want to act."
Jin Xiaochen's eyes widened.
Xue Xiao nodded with deep sympathy. "To play a corpse, you have to consider whether you have died a painful death or a peaceful one."
Zhao Dong continued, "When playing a passerby, smile when walking the first time, be leisurely when walking the second time and quarrel when walking the third time."
Xue Xiao added, "If playing an audience member, we have to consider whether they would be moved to tears or not!"
Zhao Dong turned his head, smiled at Jin Xiaochen and asked, "What is this called, do you know?"
Jin Xiaochen shook his head stupidly.
"It is called a lack of presence." Zhao Dong laughed loudly after saying this.
Xue Xiao also laughed.
But it wasn't just a lack of presence.
Any actor who craved a role would do this.
However, film and television dramas didn't allow these background actors to steal the show too much.
So they could only suppress their inner longings and quietly enjoy a small amount of fun within the scope of what was allowed.
Jin Xiaochen was stunned.
He suddenly scratched his head and looked down. "Suddenly, I feel like I am quite lucky…"
He hadn't walked the path of such group performances and came to a big stage like Studio Superstar.
Then after speaking, he stopped. He felt as if he had said the wrong thing.
Xue Xiao and Zhao Dong didn't mind.
Xue Xiao screwed on the bottle cap and Zhao Dong rubbed Jin Xiaochen's head.
"Good luck. It is a good thing."
—
[Pre-Interview]
"Then have you ever considered that if you change the acting method taught to you by the teacher without authorization, this might lead to a poor performance on stage and affect the subsequent progress of the competition?"
"The stage of Studio Superstar should be a very precious opportunity for you."
In front of the camera, the young man in the spotlight smiled softly and said, "Acting isn't a science that can be easily answered. This is what a director once told me."
"Don't blindly follow other people's ideas but use your own brains. Even if the director is fierce, if you feel that something is slightly wrong then you have to boldly bring it up. Actors must not be puppets."
"Is this from the director you met on a set where you used to run as a background actor?"
"Yes." The young man paused and lowered his eyes. "That director did teach me a lot."
—
The next day, the assistant performers of each group arrived at the camp and participated in the rehearsals in full swing.
Before eating at noon, Zhao Dong and Jin Xiaochen were called to record and prepare. The assistant performers were also left behind. Xue Xiao was stopped as soon as he walked out of the teaching building alone.
"Assistant director?" Xue Xiao barely remembered the person in front of him. He quickly changed his tone and called out, "Director Gao."
The assistant director of the show was called Old Gao. He was 30 years old this year and was a bit fat and amiable. Several of the students had a good relationship with him and liked to joke with him.
Old Gao came here in a hurry and was still panting. "Aren't Zhao Dong and Jin Xiaochen here?"
"They went to record the interview."
"Oh… Xue Xiao, I was looking for you. Your Weibo hasn't been verified yet, right?"
After the show determined the list of students, they asked everyone for their accounts on major social platforms.
Xue Xiao was an actor but his Weibo account was ordinary, just like those commonly used by amateurs. No one knew that this was the actor Xue Xiao's Weibo.
Of course, Old Gao understood that some people were low-key and didn't like to do business. However, since they were on the show, they had to cooperate with the show to forward some promotional Weibo posts.
He discussed it. "If you really don't want to affect your current account, why don't you open a new one?"
Xue Xiao quickly said, "It's fine. I'll change the Weibo ID."
This wasn't a big deal for Xue Xiao. He hadn't changed his Weibo account to 'Actor Xue Xiao' in the past because he felt it was unnecessary.
Xue Xiao saved Old Gao a lot of trouble by being so obedient. He wiped off the sweat from the heat and said, "Yes, okay. Then you can change it. After the change, you can occasionally cooperate with us to operate the Weibo posts."
Xue Xiao lowered his head and started to operate it.
The sunlight fell on the young man's black hair and spilled on his eyelashes, coating it with a layer of golden light. It made the young man look even more soft and harmless.
Old Gao remembered a matter he had only found out about this morning. He had just finished dealing with it and his brain hurt.
Of course, he didn't come here just for Xue Xiao's Weibo account.
After thinking about it, he said, "What happened yesterday won't happen again."
Xue Xiao was taken aback and abruptly raised his head.
Old Gao was silent for a while before saying, "I have changed the two contacts in charge of the three of you. Today, another colleague will come to add you as a friend on WeChat. You, Zhao Dong and Jin Xiaochen should all pass it. Yesterday, I also called the cameraman for the show yesterday and won't let him participate in this show again. As for the rehearsal teacher…"
Old Gao scratched his head and sighed. "In any case, you won't meet him after this part."
Xue Xiao looked surprised.
Old Gao originally thought that Xue Xiao would definitely ask him a lot of questions. For example, who did such things, how did he know, was there any punishment for the culprit besides driving out the staff of the show…
The last question made Old Gao a bit embarrassed.
However, Xue Xiao didn't ask anything in the end.
He was only surprised for a moment before suppressing his expression.
Then he lowered his eyes and his lips curved up. "Okay, thank you, Director Gao."
Now it was Old Gao's turn to be surprised.
He was even a bit embarrassed. "You… have nothing to ask?"
Xue Xiao continued to lower his head to change his Weibo account. He shook his head and said, "Some things were just guesses yesterday. If you tell me so now then I can be sure of the answer. As for how to deal with it, this isn't for you alone to decide. So I have nothing else to ask. I probably burdened Brother Zhao and Xiao Jin over this matter. I have to apologize to them when I get back."
Then he raised his phone. "I've corrected it. Can you see if this works?"
This look seemed like he wasn't entangled over it.
At this moment, Old Gao really…
Guilt gushed out like a fountain!
Xue Xiao was originally selected by him to be included in the list of participants. He wanted to do this show well, but when he failed to win the position of chief director of the show, he knew that someone would use the show he put a lot of heart and soul into to be a demon!
It was just that he hadn't expected this demon to come so quickly!
That Fan Xue's agent was really…!
Old Gao said with complicated emotions, "It's okay… Hey, Xue Xiao!"
Xue Xiao smiled. "Director Gao, why are you sighing?"
Old Gao knew that what he said next wasn't what he should say. At the very least, he shouldn't reveal so much. It was just that he couldn't help it in the face of such a Xue Xiao.
"It actually isn't that you put a burden on Zhao Dong and Jin Xiaochen. I can only say that your group happened to run into it…"
Xue Xiao was surprised again.
It turned out that this wave wasn't explicitly aimed at him?
Old Gao continued, "In any case, it is fine as long as you understand. I will control it more closely in the follow-up, no matter whether it is the show's process or editing. I will apologize to you on behalf of the show team."
"What about you? Go back and talk to Zhao Dong and Jin Xiaochen later. Let them come to the office to find me after the interview. Hey, it is really a coincidence. I originally wanted to tell you all at once. I didn't expect them to…"
Old Gao was thinking about it. Xue Xiao thought for a moment and nodded. "I understand, Director Gao."
Seeing that Xue Xiao was so obedient, Old Gao couldn't help advising him, "Also, Xue Xiao, once this account ID is changed, there will definitely be a lot of people paying attention to you. Don't always look at Weibo and it is best to turn off any comment notifications and forwarding notifications."
Fan Xue's wave wasn't specifically aimed at Xue Xiao but he had heard about the contradiction between the two of them today.
Once Xue Xiao verified his Weibo, Fan Xue's fans would find the right target.
The fans of traffic stars couldn't be underestimated. If it wasn't for the work tasks of the show, Old Gao wouldn't want Xue Xiao to face these things.
Of course, Xue Xiao knew what Old Gao meant.
He blinked and said, "Don't worry, I have an idea in my heart. The comments area should still be read. After all, for the people who pay attention to me, it isn't just those wanting to scold me. There will also be people who like me. I can't ignore those who like me because of those who hate me."
The eyes of Old Gao became even more complicated.
Hey, this good boy.
"Okay, as long as you have an idea in your heart…" He paused before asking, "Your idol is Shen Tingyan, right?"
Hearing the words 'Shen Tingyan,' Xue Xiao's ears visibly turned red.
He raised his eyes.
Perhaps it was because he thought of that person but his eyes rippled with light, shattering the reflection of the green leaves cast in his eyes. These waves in his eyes looked extremely beautiful.
He nodded honestly.
Old Gao encouraged him. "Then work hard. His vision is very high."
Xue Xiao showed a big smile and nodded. "I will, Director Gao!"
Once Xue Xiao left, Old Gao's heart, which had been clouded by Fan Xue's incident, became proud again.
He thought about it and took a photo of Xue Xiao's back.
Then he walked around all of Building 3.
The sound of practicing lines coming from empty classrooms, the figures that flashed in front of the window or walked in the shade of the outdoor trees, the sweat forced out by the heat, then forced out again…
Old Gao acted like a madman and took a lot of photos. Then he sent them to his friend of many years one by one under the sun.
Shen Tingyan: ?
Old Gao: Old Shen, I was thinking today, in this circle, any wish that wants to be transformed into a result needs to find ways to get attention. It needs to be commercialized and it needs to be profitable. This means some sludge will inevitably be mixed in.
Old Gao: But the light of the stars must not be hidden!
Old Gao: I bet you will find the person you want among these participants.
Old Gan: If you can't find it, I will chop off my head and kick it to you as a ball!
Shen Tingyan: "."
Shen Tingyan: I can't kick such a heavy ball.
Old Gao: Rage.gif, murderous.gif, you are dead.gif.
Old Gao: Tomorrow is the first round of the competition. Let's wait and see!