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Chapter 72 Video with Plot
Zhang Ruonan's most outstanding photo is a summer portrait of her wearing a floral dress and standing under the shade of a tree.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the sycamore leaves, dappling her face. She reached up to brush away the stray hairs that had blown the wind to her mouth, looking clean and refreshed.
However, the two of them had a different opinion.
Zhou Ye held his camera and flipped through it for a while before picking out a picture of her standing sideways in front of the rose wall, looking back; Zhang Ruonan chose a picture of her squatting on the grass, teasing a passing orange cat.
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At noon, a group of people had a simple meal at a nearby Hunan restaurant.
The restaurant wasn't big; they booked two tables in the corner.
Before all the dishes were served, Lao Li eagerly brought over a teacup, sat down next to Wang Zi'an, and asked what they were filming next.
Zhou Ye and Zhang Ruonan put down their chopsticks at the same time and looked over.
"Please don't shoot any more outdoor scenes!" Zhang Ruonan shouted hurriedly, her voice filled with the exhaustion of being wilted by the sun. "The weather in Yanjing is killing me. If I shoot for another afternoon, I'll turn into a dried-up corpse."
Zhou Ye nodded vigorously, cupped his hands around a glass of chilled lemonade, and took a big gulp. "I don't want to shoot outdoors anymore. I've changed so many outfits today, I feel like I'm pickled to a crisp."
She held her arm up to her nose and smelled it, then gave a disgusted look.
"Don't worry." Wang Zian picked up a piece of stir-fried pork, put it in his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it before speaking. "This afternoon we're going to the location shooting base to film some short videos with storylines."
Zhou Ye's hand, which was holding a glass of lemonade, froze in mid-air, and he instantly perked up.
As a freshman at the Beijing Film Academy and a future actress, simple portrait photos are not enough for her; she wants to take pictures of something like this.
She put the cup down on the table and asked, "What kind?"
"Keep it a secret for now!"
"Tch~!" Zhang Ruonan rolled her eyes from the side, poking the fish fillet in her bowl with her chopsticks. "All you do is pretend to be a male god and act mysterious."
Compared to the two women, Old Li had more to think about.
Shooting short video storylines requires even more work.
For example, camera movement, sound recording...
However, the corresponding compensation is also higher.
"Mr. Wang, do you have a script?" he asked practically.
Wang Zian turned around, took out his laptop from his bag, opened the screen, opened a folder, and then turned the laptop towards everyone.
Zhou Ye immediately dragged the chair half a meter closer to him, and Zhang Ruonan also came over. Old Li took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on.
Several documents were neatly listed on the screen, with titles that were easy to read: Couple Series Episode 1, Crossdressing Series Episode 1, and Reversal Short Drama Episode 1.
The group watched quietly for a few minutes, their fingers swiping down page after page on the touchpad.
Zhou Ye was the first to look up, still clutching his chopsticks; "Did you write this last night?"
"How is that possible! I've been writing for several days."
Zhang Ruonan then raised her head, her almond-shaped eyes filled with a re-examination.
"You wrote something quite interesting. That couple's argument, it was clearly the guy's fault at first, but it turned out the girl forgot their anniversary, it went through several layers of twists and turns."
"The plot has twists and turns, the pace is short and fast, and it's very watchable." Old Li finished reading the script from beginning to end before giving his evaluation, and then tapped his finger lightly on the screen.
"The idea behind this costume change video is also quite good."
From bare face to full makeup, from modern clothes to ancient costumes, the transition is made with a head-flipping motion or a change in lighting.
No one has ever filmed this kind of video before.
Zhou Ye grew increasingly excited, finally putting down his chopsticks and bracing himself on the edge of the table. "Shall we start filming this afternoon?"
"Hmm~!" Wang Zian nodded.
"Thank you, Mr. Wang, for giving me the opportunity to be a director!" Old Li suddenly said.
He picked up the teacup, but didn't drink it. He just held it in his hands, and a very sincere expression appeared on his face, which was tanned to a bronze color by the studio lights.
"Over the years, the most I've ever done is work as an assistant director on gay porn films. This is the first time I've actually directed something with characters and a plot."
"You're welcome, Director Li!" Wang Zian replied with a flattering remark.
The address "Director Li" caught Li Qi completely off guard.
He paused for a moment, holding the teacup, then a smile slowly spread across his face, and the wrinkles around his eyes gathered together.
After all these years, I've finally made it to the position of director.
His brothers and the makeup artist behind him were also overjoyed.
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Old Li looked at Wang Zian, thinking about what had happened in the past two days.
"Mr. Wang, I see you have a real talent for photography and composition. Haven't you ever thought about becoming a director?"
"Director Wang?" Wang Zian muttered the two words to himself, a slight smile playing on his lips. "That's a nice name. There might be a chance in the future."
Just as the two were chatting, a low but barely suppressed laugh suddenly came from the other side.
Zhang Ruonan and Zhou Ye were touching heads, with Zhou Ye's phone lying between them, displaying a short video interface on the screen.
Zhou Ye's fingers flew across the screen as Zhang Ruonan urged her, "Scroll down, scroll down to read the comments."
"What's wrong?"
"Wang Zian!" Zhou Ye suddenly stood up, holding her phone, almost knocking over the water glass on the table. She excitedly shoved the screen in his face. "My video already has over a hundred thousand likes!"
On the screen, the number of likes is prominently displayed in the lower right corner.
The red dots in the comments section have turned into three ellipses, indicating that there are too many comments to display.
"Mine also has over 100,000 likes!" Zhang Ruonan also held up her phone, her face showing an uncontrollable joy, forgetting even to cover the faint red mark on her nose from the sun.
The attention of everyone at the table was completely drawn to it.
Old Li stood up and leaned close to Zhou Ye's phone. After seeing the number of likes, his mouth opened slightly, and then he looked at Zhang Ruonan's phone.
He had taken photos before, and those people posted them on short videos, but they rarely had the same effect.
Looking at the hundreds of thousands of likes and nearly ten thousand comments on their phones, everyone knew that the two videos had gone viral.
It should be said that it became incredibly popular!
"These numbers... this is already a blockbuster!" he exclaimed excitedly.
Wang Zian also peeked out.
The comment section on the screen is growing at a visible rate, with dozens more comments appearing with each refresh.
This video has been continuously pushed to all users' phones since last night. With the two people's good looks, it would be impossible for it not to go viral.
Fewer people watch videos at night, but with the buzz generated this morning, Wang Zian estimates that the video will become even more popular.
"Alright, now that we've already achieved instant fame, let's proceed with the afternoon's shoot with full confidence!"
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In the afternoon, several cars parked again at the entrance of the filming location.
The sun was still strong, even more scorching than in the morning.
Zhou Ye jumped out of the car, holding the printed script in his hand, and hugged it to his chest as if it were a precious treasure.
She was very excited about filming her first video with a storyline.
More importantly, the plot involves her playing a couple with Prince An.
This excited her even more.
Zhang Ruonan did not come along; she had something more interesting to do than filming.
Wang Zian gave her the car keys and asked her to help him find a company location.
Ideally, it should be large, easily accessible, and free from traffic jams.
After entering the filming studio, Wang Zian and Lao Li wandered around the hundreds of real-life scenes in the central courtyard for a while before finally choosing a family living room scene.
It's a good size, with a coffee table, a fabric sofa, and a desk by the window.
There was a fake green plant in the corner, and the louvers were half-open, letting the light seep in through the gaps and drawing parallel lines on the wooden floor.
It's very ordinary, very real; it's the kind of scene you'd see if you just walked into the apartment of someone your age.
"To be honest, Mr. Wang," Old Li said, glancing back at him as he directed the lighting technician to place a soft light outside the blinds.
"You could film this storyline at home. Why spend money to rent this kind of factory?"