Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

Chapter 17: Choosing a role and improvisation
The photographer, who was adjusting the equipment, didn't even turn his head.

The LED screen, emitting a cold glow, filled the room with a blue hue. The reflective metal edge of Jiang Fang's name badge flickered in the light and shadow, and the two Song-style characters "Coordination" on the badge trembled slightly in the air conditioning wind.

"Come in!" She raised her head, put down the folder in her hand, put on her glasses, and looked towards the door.

The auditioners arrived quite early today, it seems that Director Tang is quite efficient.

He glanced at Yang Chaoyue and Jiang Yang.

Jiang Fang came to the same conclusion as Tang Shuliang.

Are you from Shanghai Theatre Academy?

The girl is pretty and the boy is handsome, and they are both very good-looking.

You actually came to audition for a role in a variety show?
Usually, someone with this kind of appearance would start out as a special agent.

"Director Jiang." Jiang Yang bowed slightly.

Yang Chaoyue followed suit and bowed, his neck tensing into a youthful arc, his movements much more natural. "Director Jiang! Hello!"

The call of "Director Jiang" made Jiang Fang smile.

Her undergraduate major was finance. After graduating, she struggled for several years before accidentally entering this industry at the age of 28, starting as a junior assistant.

Every time I go home for the Chinese New Year, my relatives always ask me if I can meet any celebrities.

Fortunately, since "Running Man" became popular, there have been more and more online variety show projects, there are many channels for promotion in the industry, and there is a shortage of talents. In two years, she was able to get the position of group performance coordinator.

It's not up to the director's level yet.

His responsibilities in the company are almost the same as those of an executive director.

But who doesn’t like to hear others call them director?

Jiang Fang got straight to the point: "I believe Director Tang has told you that the audition is for the second season and second episode of Go Fighting!, a group role with a Dynasty Warriors theme. You are in the plot."

"You need to play various NPCs. When you are not interacting with the MC guests, you can only make actions that conform to the NPC's behavior logic. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I won't say any more. Time is tight. Just choose your roles and act them out for me. You can each play your own roles. Interaction is best. It's all about improvisation."

Jiang Fang slid her fingers across the iPad on the table.

The large LED screen behind, which was originally playing a clip of "Go Fighting", suddenly stopped playing.

A screenshot of a document appeared, showing dozens of professions for the extras to choose from: farmers, palace maids, eunuchs, guards, soldiers, maids, servants, vendors, sedan chair bearers, waiters, matchmakers...

The densely packed professions are all the extras needed to prepare for this episode of Extreme Challenge.

Yang Chaoyue looked up at the big screen and forced himself to suppress the panic that was gradually spreading in his heart.

The words Jiang Yang had just said when he was giving her psychological counseling outside the door kept echoing in her mind.

"When you're choosing a role later, if you want to have a high chance of getting it, here's a little trick: if possible, don't choose roles you might play; choose roles you've already experienced in your life."

Jiang Yang took a quick glance at the big screen and knew what was going on.

In addition to learning about Yang Chaoyue's attributes, another purpose of bringing Yang Chaoyue here is to verify how much his acting skills have improved.

He turned his head and looked at Yang Chaoyue.

The little girl was a little dazed. Although she had received psychological counseling outside, she could tell from the sweat oozing from Yang Chaoyue's forehead that he was still very nervous.

This effect is exactly what Jiang Yang needs, and it will give him more opportunities to gain attributes.

"Brother Yang, what career should I choose?" Yang Chaoyue's cautious voice came from beside him.

"You used to be a textile factory worker. Do you have any similar jobs?"

"No."

"Before you worked as a female worker in a textile factory, you worked as a waitress in a restaurant." Jiang Yang coaxed.

"There's a job as a waiter!" Yang Chaoyue's eyes lit up.

She was about to tell Jiang Fang, who was flipping through resumes, her choice: "Director Jiang, I choose waiter."

"Cross-dressing? That's not impossible."

A waiter is not a eunuch, so he doesn't have to be a man.

"Director Jiang, I play the innkeeper."

As soon as the character Jiang Yang was mentioned, Yang Chaoyue knew that Jiang Yang was chosen to cooperate with him.

In reality, Jiang Yang is her boss, and in this impromptu performance, Jiang Yang also plays her boss, and it doesn't feel so abrupt when he acts it out.

Jiang Fang pointed to the prop cabinet near the corner and said, "Go and choose your own props. The audition will begin in two minutes, and I will enter as the MC guest."

"Remember that the extras are living sets. When the PD gives a close-up shot, you should actively step back outside the three-point depth of field line."

Done.

Jiang Fang got up and left.

Two minutes later, the sound of high heels clacking was heard at the door. Jiang Fang stepped in and found several prop chairs placed in the middle of the audition room.

Jiang Yang was sitting at the prop table near the door, wearing a black round-top melon-shaped hat with a ribbon hanging on the brim. It was a costume he found in the prop cabinet.

He lowered his head, his fingers sweeping across the abacus. Next to him was a notebook with two new words written on the blank cover: Account Book.

He really made good use of the limited props to play the role of the innkeeper.

Especially the expression of Jiang Yang with a frown on his face and his fingers tapping on the table from time to time as he was anxiously clearing the accounts was very lifelike.

As the cameraman adjusted the camera to film Jiang Fang, Jiang Yang suddenly looked up, covered the account book, and smiled: "Sir, are you here?"

Only then did Jiang Fang discover that Jiang Yang had two hairy pigmented moles on his face.

One is attached to the brow arch and the other is attached to the cheekbone.

It perfectly obscured the handsomeness of Jiang Yang's facial features. Simply put, it was intentional to make himself look ugly so as not to steal the limelight from the MC guest.

the most important is.

She clearly noticed that Jiang Yang moved slightly to the side.

From the camera's angle of view, she was in the center of the shot, while Jiang Yang was in the corner, barely revealing his outline.

Know how to act ugly, know how to use props to express your identity, know how to improvise, and most importantly, know how to control the camera, not steal the show, and know your position as an extra.

Obviously someone with a lot of experience.

No matter how high the requirements for extras can be, reaching this level is enough.

"One, didn't have breakfast." Jiang Fang replied casually, and the lines of her eyebrows suddenly softened a little.

The rest depends on how the other girl performs.

"Sir, please come in." Jiang Yang smiled at a table and gestured for an invitation. Then he turned around impatiently and shouted fiercely, "Waiter! Why are you taking so long washing the dishes? The guests are already in. One more!"

"Come on, come on!"

Yang Chaoyue's clear voice, accompanied by hurried footsteps, came trotting over from the prop cabinet in the corner.

My hands are dripping wet.

He was holding a wine jug in one hand, with a white towel hanging from his shoulder, and an apron tied around his waist with a copper coin bag pinned to it.

She came to Jiang Fang's table, took off the white towel from her shoulders, and hastily wiped the prop table. She took out a blank notebook from her copper coin bag and handed it to Jiang Fang with both hands: "Sir, this is the menu. What would you like to eat?"

Yang Chaoyue added, "Our tofu pudding is a specialty! It sold out yesterday at noon, and we still have two servings left today. My daughter loves it, and it's a great snack or dessert after dinner."

Yang Chaoyue spoke fluently.

Because this is what she used to say when she worked as a waitress in a restaurant, just with a few words slightly changed.

Jiang Fang looked at Yang Chaoyue.

Hip flask, white towel, apron, purse, blank notebook.

Being able to combine these and make the audience believe at first glance that Yang Chaoyue is a waiter shows that the character positioning is accurate.

"Hmm..." Jiang Xun opened the blank prop book in front of him and gave Yang Chaoyue's current behavior a score in his mind.

There was a smile in Yang Chaoyue's tone.

It sounds very youthful and energetic, which is what variety show viewers like to watch. The pronunciation is not particularly standard, but it is acceptable.

The lines are passable.

He specially added tofu pudding as a special dish and gave specific details, which shows that he has the ability to adapt to circumstances.

These are all advantages.

The disadvantages are also obvious.

Yang Chaoyue didn't pay attention to the camera adjustment and blocked half of the shot.

She is now playing the role of MC guest, and the camera must not be blocked.

It can be seen that this little girl pays attention to details, but lacks experience.

However, not paying attention to camera scheduling is usually a common problem among extras, and it is not a big deal. The executive director on site will remind the extras to pay attention to these details.

Yang Chaoyue's heart was in turmoil. He tried hard to put on a smile and looked at Jiang Fang without hesitation.

[Under your care, Yang Chaoyue's acting skills have improved. Your acting skills +1]

I got the attribute.

Jiang Yang did not make any unnecessary moves. While paying attention to the camera movements, he continued to calculate with his head down, moving the abacus beads and tapping the table with his fingers.

Jiang Fang didn't call for a stop.

She wanted to see how the two of them could continue acting.

The two auditioners, the man plays the inn owner and the woman plays the waiter. Their identities overlap. If they can coordinate their roles with each other, the audience will feel more involved.

"Give me a serving of tofu pudding. I'm already craving it." Jiang Fang ordered.

"Okay, sir, wait a moment."

Yang Chaoyue was about to leave when Jiang Fang suddenly stopped him: "Is your shopkeeper in a bad mood? He's gritting his teeth as he settles accounts."

"He."

Yang Chaoyue's heart skipped a beat.

She could only feel the red light of the camera moving along her spine like the red dot of a scope.

When preparing just now, Jiang Yang told her that Director Jiang would definitely talk to them about some random things to increase the difficulty of role-playing.

All she has to do is maintain her identity and position as a waitress.

It’s of course difficult to perform for the first time.

If you really can't handle it, call Jiang Yang.

But when Yang Chaoyue recalled that she once worked as a waitress in a restaurant and her boss was in a bad mood because of counting the bills, she immediately knew how to act.

Upon hearing this, Yang Chaoyue timidly glanced at Jiang Yang, bowed slightly, and whispered to Jiang Fang, "It seems the store was robbed. A large sum of money is missing. It's strange that the shopkeeper is in a good mood."

"Oh, go ahead. The tofu pudding needs to be hot." Jiang Fang nodded appreciatively.

Yang Chaoyue breathed a sigh of relief, returned to the prop cabinet, and took out a piece of white gummy candy. Just as he was about to serve it as tofu pudding, Jiang Yang suddenly called out, "Waiter, I'm thirsty! Bring me a glass of water. Why is the bill getting worse and worse?"

Hear the words.

Yang Chaoyue's eyes lit up.

As if receiving some secret signal, he replied, "Here comes the shopkeeper. I'll go to the kitchen to get you some water."

Yang Chaoyue ran to the bottle of water in the corner, picked up a prop bowl, and gulped down the water.

Jiang Fang looked over with interest.

Are there any interactive plots between these two extras?
interesting.

If you act well, you bring the character to life.

The bottled water was ice-cold. Yang Chaoyue poured half a bowl of it and hurriedly placed it on Jiang Yang's table. "Boss, I'm going to the kitchen now. Call me if you need anything."

"Go and do your thing, don't be lazy."

Jiang Yang responded impatiently.

He put down his abacus and took a sip of the cold water in the bowl. His tongue curled up instantly and he choked. He sniffed and said, "You're going to burn me to death!"

"No, sir."

Yang Chaoyue turned around and saw this, his eyes widened, and he quickly explained: "I'm used to drinking at this temperature, so I didn't pay attention."

She took the prop bowl and blew gently on the wall of the bowl: "I'll blow it for you, it will cool down in a while."

The whole process was smooth and natural.

The tracking shot was fully captured.

Because it was exactly what the two of them had experienced outside before, as soon as Jiang Yang brought up the topic, Yang Chaoyue immediately understood it and acted it out vividly.

Jiang Fang looked at this scene with a smile on her face, and was extremely satisfied.

A smooth performance, not to mention being an extra in a variety show, even as a special actor in a TV series, as long as you pay attention to the camera scheduling, the shooting can be done in one take.

[Under your care, Yang Chaoyue's acting skills have improved. Your acting skills +1]

And then I got to the acting attribute.

This shows that choosing the role of the shopkeeper and interacting with Yang Chaoyue can help me gain something.

From interviews to auditions, we focus on two attributes: acting skills and psychological endurance.

This audition is enough.

The only drawback is that Jiang Yang did not let go of his acting.

It was not difficult to cooperate with Yang Chaoyue to play the owner of an inn that was robbed.

It can be seen that Jiang Fang is very satisfied with his performance, but in fact, this is just the beginning.

He needed an opportunity to let go and act freely, but unfortunately there was none.

Forget it, be content.

Today's trip was at least profitable. Not only did I pass the interview and audition, I also got a lot of attributes, and I can get the salary after signing the contract.

Jiang Fang was about to call a halt and ask the two to go to the dressing room to change clothes, confirm their outfits, and then sign the contract.

Suddenly, the sound of leather shoes stepping on tiles was heard at the door.

Tang Shuliang stepped in, looked at the props layout in the audition room, glanced at the other people, and finally his eyes fell on Jiang Yang.

Jiang Yang and that girl surnamed Yang, have they already auditioned and gotten the role?

Tang Shuliang knew the specific content of the audition. He had done this kind of work many times before and had worked as a script supervisor on the crew for two years.

Judging from Jiang Fang's reaction, both of them should have passed the audition.

But it doesn't pass for him.

Since they are here to take advantage of the interview, disrupting the interview arrangements of their recruiters and increasing their workload, then if they want to pass, the requirements will naturally be higher.

The regular audition process is for regular interviewees.

For an interviewee who is a domineering person, you need something challenging.

Tang Shuliang randomly chose a table and sat down. The legs of the prop chair scraped against the floor, making a harsh sound. "Boss, give me a jar of Fenjiu. If it doesn't taste good, I'll smash your shop!"

The photographer immediately adjusted the camera to shoot Tang Shuliang.

Jiang Fang understood what Director Tang meant and realized that he was making the situation more difficult for the two auditionees.

Isn't it necessary?

It's just an audition for a variety show extra, is it necessary for Director Tang to be there in person?
If you have any questions, please ask later and cooperate with Director Tang’s arrangements first.

"Brother Yang, why is Director Tang here?" Yang Chaoyue's pupils trembled, and he had an uneasy premonition in his heart. His wrists shook uncontrollably because he was too nervous, and he whispered.

Even the tone of voice was trembling.

(End of this chapter)