Chapter 688
Jiang Yang really knows how to direct.
At this moment, Bai Lu was still babbling on and on in front of Tian Xiwei. Liu Haochun quickly went over, pulled her away, and asked in a low voice, "Bai Lu, when Jiang Yang was teaching me how to direct, were you cursing him behind his back?"
"Go to hell, go to hell, go to hell!" Bai Lu hurriedly waved her hands, repeating the same thing over and over, trying to cover up her words.
Liu Haochun opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say for a moment. He could only glare at her fiercely and warn her, "You better watch your words. If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll kill you!"
After reprimanding Bai Lu, Liu Haochun asked again, "Jiang Yang is directing a film. Do you want to go and learn from him?"
"What's there to learn? I'm not going, I'm not going." Bai Lu pouted, looking unwilling.
Liu Haochun didn't press the matter further. He turned around and jogged towards Jiang Yang, looking serious as he prepared to study.
Bai Lu stood there, muttering to herself, "My mom scolded me, Xiwei hit me, and Chunbao even tried to kill me. I'll remember this grudge! One day, I'll be on a variety show and show you all!"
"Quiet down! Bai Lu, what are you muttering about?!" Jiang Yang shouted sternly through a megaphone, "Get back to the RV right now, don't get in the way!"
"Oh, I'm leaving now." Bai Lu trembled in fright and slunk away towards the RV.
"Okay, three, two, one... Go!"
As Jiang Yang gave the order, the set fell silent. Tian Xi took a deep breath and began reciting her lines.
Jiang Yang, holding a walkie-talkie, stood tall and straight, his eyes sharp as an eagle, methodically directing the entire scene: "Camera crew, slow down the follow shots, focus on Tian Xiwei's profile, close-up shots are ready to fill in at any time, blur the background, highlight the character's emotions, don't make the background more eye-catching than the actors like before!"
Upon hearing this, the director of photography immediately responded, quickly adjusting the camera position parameters, and steadily pointing the lens at Tian Xiwei, accurately capturing every subtle expression of hers.
Zhou Hao, who was standing to the side, was stunned.
He immediately perked up.
The subtleties in Jiang Yang's words were clearly those of a professional!
Moreover, that last sentence was clearly a direct reference to him. When he was filming Jiang Yang and Tian Xiwei's rehearsal scene, he didn't blur the background, which made the focus of the shot not stand out.
At this moment, with the background blurred, the figure instantly becomes the focus of the image, and the texture immediately improves.
Zhou Hao then realized that Jiang Yang had known these professional skills from the beginning, so why did he only teach Hao Chun some basic techniques?
He quickly figured it out. It was highly likely that Hao Chun had just started learning directing, and teaching him too much detail and professionalism at once was something Hao Chun couldn't digest. He could only start teaching from the most basic things and proceed step by step.
Jiang Yang continued giving instructions, his tone still calm and forceful: "Lighting crew, move the softbox to the left to add some side lighting, avoid the backlight blind spots, use natural light as the main source, and add another layer of soft light. Don't let the light be too dark and cause the actors' faces to be blurry. When we were filming just now, we didn't pay attention to the backlight problem, and the actors' faces were all grayish, which affected the viewing experience."
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Jiang, I'll adjust in the future!" Zhou Hao apologized hurriedly, his face full of guilt. This time, he listened very carefully, afraid of missing any details.
Liu Haochun ignored Zhou Hao's apology, her eyes fixed on the monitor.
He looked at the effect after adjusting the lighting setup with focused attention.
The light fell on Tian Xiwei, perfectly outlining her soft features and making the shyness and liveliness in her eyes even clearer. The quality was much better than when Zhou Hao had simply relied on natural light for his previous photos.
"No wonder Jiang Yang made me watch Zhou Hao film it once before teaching me how to direct. He wanted me to see the contrast effect most directly, so it would be easier for me to understand," Liu Hao thought to himself.
She knew in her heart that Zhou Hao's level was only that of an ordinary director in Hengdian. He did have professional skills, but compared with Jiang Yang, he was still far behind.
Jiang Yang is clearly a good director himself, but he deliberately arranged for Zhou Hao to be the director, even if it meant paying Zhou Hao a salary, so that she could learn and grow through comparison.
Previously, everyone suspected that Jiang Yang was using the title of director purely to make money.
But now it seems that's not the case at all.
"If anyone dares to say that Jiang Yang is only thinking about making money again, I'll fucking go!" Liu Haochun muttered to himself, and his attitude towards studying became even more serious.
[Under your guidance, Liu Haochun's directing skills have improved, and you have received corresponding feedback.]
Jiang Yang turned his head and looked at the production crew and sound crew, giving clear and unambiguous instructions: "Production crew, clear away the clutter at the end of the tree-lined path, make sure it doesn't get in the shot. Also, adjust the stand-in's position, keep a fist's distance from Xiwei, slow down your pace, match Xiwei's rhythm, and don't steal the spotlight."
"Sound recording team, move closer to the actors and focus on capturing Xiwei's lines, including the natural sounds of the leaves. Minimize other background noise. The lines should be clear, but you can retain some natural breath sounds to make it sound more realistic."
"Roger that!"
The stagehands and sound crew responded immediately and quickly got to work, getting everything in place in just over ten seconds.
From the moment director Jiang Yang took charge of the filming, the entire set was orderly and without any disorder.
In contrast, when Zhou Hao directed films before, there were often chaotic situations where the crew was in a rush. He couldn't even notice basic problems like objects getting into the shot or unclear sound recording, let alone make accurate arrangements.
On the other side, Huang Xiaoming watched with great attention, his tone tinged with surprise: "I didn't expect Jiang Yang to actually be a good director."
Yang Ying clung tightly to his arm and quickly flattered him, saying, "Even if he can direct, he can't direct as well as my husband."
She knew perfectly well that the reason she dumped Chen Weiting and chose to be with Huang Xiaoming, and even get married to him, was for fame and fortune.
If you want to have Huang Xiaoming completely under your control, you have to flatter him resoundingly.
After all, Huang Xiaoming is very susceptible to this kind of thing.
She continued to coax him, "Honey, if you were to direct a film, you would definitely do a better job and be more efficient than him."
"That's for sure." Huang Xiaoming was flattered and beamed with pride, his tone even more arrogant.
Just then, Huang Xiaoming's phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw a message from his agent, Guo Tingting: "Xiaoming, have you offended someone recently?"
Huang Xiaoming's heart sank. He immediately dialed Guo Tingting's number, his voice urgent: "What's wrong? What happened?"
“Since last night, a lot of videos attacking you have appeared online. First on Weibo, now on Bilibili, and on a new short video app called Douyin, it’s all over the place.” Guo Tingting’s tone was a bit anxious as she spoke, sending the video to Huang Xiaoming.
Huang Xiaoming opened the video, and his face darkened.
The video is a clip of him singing the Olympic promotional song eight years ago, which was unearthed by someone.
His pronunciation of "not at all" sounds like the Chinese word "闹太套".
It was repeatedly parodied by netizens, edited into various absurd and hilarious clips, and spread rapidly.
"Honey, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Yang Ying noticed his expression was off and quickly asked.
Huang Xiaoming suppressed his irritation and forced a smile: "It's nothing, just a small thing, it's nothing serious."
"Do you need my help?" Yang Ying asked, feigning concern.
"No need, it's a very small matter."
Huang Xiaoming waved his hand and said gently, "Go talk to Jiang Yang later and see if you can get a song. The price is negotiable. You talk to him first. I need to discuss something with Tingting. Be good."
"Okay, honey," Yang Ying replied obediently, her smile fading as she watched Huang Xiaoming's retreating figure. A small matter? Was it really a small matter?
Yang Ying quietly opened her phone and saw that the hashtag #HuangXiaomingNaoTaiTao# on Weibo was already trending, and she knew what was going on.
It hasn't reached the point of being ridiculed across the entire internet yet, but if the public opinion is allowed to fester further, the consequences will become apparent.
In serious cases, partners, platforms, and investors will be hesitant to entrust major projects to Huang Xiaoming, fearing that he is prone to generating negative news and jeopardizing the brand image.
Even Huang Xiaoming's Mingjia Capital will be affected.
If he doesn't handle consumer brands well, technology projects will reject his investment.
After all, no one wants their brand image to be associated with a spoof like "Nao Tai Tao," which would make them seem low-end.
Someone is messing with her husband.
She knew in her heart that this must be Huang Bin's doing.
When Huang Bin was Huang Xiaoming's agent, he controlled all the team's resources.
After she got together with Huang Xiaoming, her endorsements for Dove, Chow Tai Fook, and Dior were all personally negotiated by Huang Bin. Once the endorsement expired...
Without Huang Bin's connections, it remains to be seen whether she can renew her contract.
Can Huang Xiaoming really help her win over those Asia-Pacific presidents or the heads of 4A advertising companies?
It's hard.
It's hard.
She knew very well that 4A advertising agencies were the core key to celebrity endorsements.
Big brands like Dove, Chow Tai Fook, and Dior often don't directly work with celebrities; they rely entirely on 4A advertising agencies to select artists and develop endorsement plans.
Top 4A agencies like Ogilvy and Publicis hold the power to decide on a brand's advertising budget and partnerships.
To put it bluntly, even the most popular celebrity can't get a high-end endorsement if the other party doesn't agree.
The reason Huang Bin was able to help her secure these endorsements was because he had a good relationship with the brand liaison directors and artist selection managers of these companies. These people were willing to give Huang Bin face, give her priority in recommending her to the brands, and even help her get cooperation opportunities when she didn't have any representative works.
But Huang Xiaoming is different; he doesn't have these connections at all yet and is still developing them.
Let alone getting in touch with key personnel, she wasn't even familiar with the ordinary project liaisons at 4A agencies. How could she possibly help her win over those picky Asia-Pacific presidents and 4A advertising company executives?
Without Huang Bin's help, her popularity from variety shows alone wouldn't have lasted long.
Huang Bin could easily replace her with any other promising artist he signs, and steal her endorsements.
Moreover, Huang Bin recently signed a female artist who has just emerged and is not yet a big star, Zhao Liying.
to be honest.
We must produce outstanding works.
With her work as a foundation, even if her connections are slightly weaker, Huang Xiaoming can help her connect with global groups like Ogilvy, Publicis, and Dentsu, companies that have long served international brands and wield significant influence in the entertainment and branding industries.
No film or television works are needed.
Songs are also acceptable.
The difficulty of creating songs lies in their creation.
Improving acting skills is too difficult, but singing is very simple; as long as you edit the audio in post-production, you can achieve a good result.
She looked at Jiang Yang, who was directing a scene in the distance, and had an idea.
After "Under the Sea" became a trending topic, Benxi's name also became a trending topic.
It quickly gained a large following.
If Jiang Yang could write a song for her, she would definitely be popular. This kind of popularity, which comes from her work, can last a long time.
So, after seeing Jiang Yang's post on WeChat Moments early in the morning, she specifically suggested that Huang Xiaoming come over.
Huang Xiaoming is now trying to transition into capital, cultivate internet celebrities, and cross multiple industries. Whether he can succeed is uncertain.
If it works out, everyone will be happy. All she needs to do is keep Huang Xiaoming close to her.
If she fails, she can't let Huang Xiaoming drag her down and leave her with nothing.
If Huang Xiaoming can no longer be her support, she doesn't mind finding someone else.
Don't blame her for quickly finding another job after her husband's accident. That's how the entertainment industry is. Couples are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately. Her beauty is her biggest advantage. If she can't be ruthless, she shouldn't even think about staying in this industry.
She looked up at Jiang Yang in front of the director's monitor and muttered to herself, "Jiang Yang and Yang Chaoyue are the same. Even if they get married someday, if Jiang Yang falls from grace, Yang Chaoyue won't be there for him for long. Yang Chaoyue herself said on a variety show that she is a gold digger. Both of them have climbed up from the bottom. Neither of them will really stay by the other's side. In the end, they are both doing it for themselves."
At that moment on set, Jiang Yang, his eyes glued to the monitor, suddenly shouted, "Cut!"
He paused, then said to Tian Xiwei, "Xiwei, slow down your speech a bit, and don't be too stiff when reciting your lines. Zhang Xuan is an introverted and gentle person, so speak softly and gently. When your eyes dart around, pause for half a second longer before looking up at the stand-in. Try to make that innocent yet heart-fluttering feeling even stronger."
As he spoke, he quickly walked to Tian Xiwei and her stand-in and personally demonstrated: "Look, when you lower your head, tuck your chin slightly and curl your fingertips gently to show that nervous and shy feeling. When you turn your head, move slowly and move your eyes slowly from your feet to the other person. Your eyes should be filled with curiosity and unease. That's how you fit the character's setting."
After demonstrating, he quickly walked back to the monitor and added into the walkie-talkie: "Camera crew, when Xiwei lowered her head just now, give her a close-up, focusing on her fingertips and eyelashes. Lighting crew, add some top lighting to make her hair more shiny and to give the image more depth."
Throughout the entire process, Jiang Yang didn't utter a single superfluous word, and every arrangement he made precisely aligned with the core of this innocent first encounter.
It balances the visual quality with the emotional expression of the characters.
Compared to Zhou Hao's previous focus on long shots and the surface form of natural light, he understands the essence of camera language better, and also knows how to motivate the staff and accurately control the rhythm of the whole scene.
"Okay, adjustments complete, let's do it again! Three, two, one, go!"
Jiang Yang gave the order again, and this time, all the staff on set cooperated perfectly, and the camera followed the shot smoothly.
With the soft and suitable lighting, Tian Xiwei accurately grasped Jiang Yang's requirements and perfectly portrayed Zhang Xuan's naivety and innocence.
The entire scene is smooth and natural, with a fantastic atmosphere. Even Bai Lu, seen from afar, can clearly feel that this version is much better than Zhou Hao's previous one. (End of Chapter)