lcionline Chapter 189 A World of Cultural Discontinuity (11)
Chapter 189 A World of Cultural Discontinuity (11)
Wangyou carefully selected the music for the TV series "The Qin Dynasty," using the tunes from the banquets of the last world and the war songs used on the battlefield.
However, casting encountered some difficulties because Qin Shi Huang is not someone that just anyone can portray. Moreover, the entertainment industry is currently dominated by pretty young men, and it's rare to find someone with the aura of a general.
In order to prevent the drama from being ruined, Wangyou suggested to the national TV station that an open audition be held, which meant that everyone could participate.
Wangyou marked out the characteristics of the important figures, and the mentors began to select people according to these criteria, while Wangyou helped the people to become proficient in playing the music first.
After a month-long preliminary selection process, all those who caught the eye were brought before Wangyou for the final round of selection.
This drama has more male characters and fewer important female characters. The most important one is probably Zhao Ji, the birth mother of Ying Zheng. As for the concubines in the harem, they don't have many opportunities to appear. So there weren't many requirements when casting them. They just needed to be pretty and have a dignified temperament.
Regarding the casting of Ying Zheng, Wangyou ultimately decided on Zhao Chang, an actor in his forties. After observing him, Wangyou found that although his acting skills weren't great, they were quite good by today's standards, and he had a lot of potential.
Wangyou quickly selected actors for other roles such as Li Si, Meng Tian, Meng Kuo, Zhang Han, Fusu, and Chunyu Yue.
It must be said that the artists from the national television station have good taste; at least they haven't been led astray by the current entertainment industry atmosphere, and these people should have all undergone background checks.
Even those who were led astray were mostly corrected after watching Wangyou and his stage play.
With all the preparations complete, the crew began preparing for filming.
Regarding the filming location requirements, Wangyou chose to film on location instead of using special effects. As a result, everyone was flying around every day, and Wangyou's vacation was repeatedly extended. She only returned to school briefly during the final exams.
"Boss, you're finally back!"
"I have an exam and I'm leaving soon. I need to keep an eye on the film crew. It's the first national-level big-budget production, and I don't want to miss the chance to witness its birth." Wangyou interrupted their wailing with a smile.
"Boss, without you here, nobody's keeping us studying!"
"Didn't you do the test papers I gave you?"
"We did it, we didn't miss a single one!" The students quickly shook their heads and said confidently.
"That's good. You all have to study hard. After our college entrance exams, I want to put on a TV series, and you guys will be the actors. But whether you can participate or not will depend on your grades."
"Don't worry, boss, we'll definitely study as hard as we can!" the squad leader declared loudly.
"Boss, boss, these are the snacks we bought after we received the news that you were coming back. They're all imported, so be sure to take them with you when you leave."
"Okay, thank you for your kindness!" After playing around with her classmates for a few days, as soon as the final exams were over, Wangyou went to see her parents again before boarding a plane and flying away once more.
The international students are on summer vacation. It's not that they don't want to go out and have fun, but thinking about the promises made by their leader, they just wandered around for a bit and then made plans to study together.
Alone Better Together.
The parents were delighted with this, and they also learned from their children that Wangyou wanted to put on a TV series after the college entrance examination, on the condition that their college entrance examination scores could not be bad. What were they waiting for? After discussing it, the parents readily hired tutors to help them with their studies.
Students in other classes couldn't play anymore when they saw their international classmates studying hard. They all buried themselves in their studies at home. They were already being surpassed, and if they didn't work harder, they wouldn't even be able to see the tail of their classmates.
Filming on Wangyou's side went very smoothly. The actors were all very professional and didn't act like divas. They humbly accepted and corrected any suggestions Wangyou made.
"Wangyou, you can do everything! You make us old folks feel ashamed!" After listening to Wangyou's performance again, the old artist Yan Chuan said with shame.
"Don't mention it, Elder Yan. You guys are very capable too!"
"Forget-Me-Not, tell me, how did you compose this piece?"
"I just couldn't stand unpleasant sounds growing up, so I wanted to listen to the music I like. You guys are probably stuck in the same old music for decades. As long as you step out of this circle, I believe you can also create great songs."
"Wangyou is right. Our thinking is too conservative. Music should be bold and innovative!"
I spent my days connecting with the veteran artists and occasionally reviewing the script. As for the actors' acting skills, they improved by leaps and bounds under Wang You's constant criticism. By the middle of filming, the actors had already learned to adapt their acting styles.
By the time this drama is finished filming, the new semester will have been in session for two months. The rest depends on the editors' skills. Wangyou believes they will do a good job, otherwise it will be a waste of the few strands of hair she lost.
"The Qin Dynasty" was edited out as quickly as possible. After Wangyou reviewed it and found no problems, the national TV station quickly submitted it for review. The review process was also very fast. The TV series was officially broadcast during the next winter break.
The international students brought all sorts of snacks and squeezed into Wangyou's house to watch the show with her. After all, this was the first major production their leader had participated in, and they were really looking forward to it.
The broadcast of "The Qin Dynasty" did not disappoint the audience's expectations; its grand and magnificent production firmly captured their attention.
"Boss, that's it? How could Zhao Ji be so wicked? Little Ying Zheng is so pitiful!"
"Boss, why did you get such a role? I feel like crying!"
That's right, the young Ying Zheng was played by Wang You. After all, it's not unreasonable for her to want a role in a TV series she participated in producing!
"Boss, that look is so domineering!" When the young Ying Zheng first ascended the throne, the Qin state was not stable, but his innate kingly aura made people fear him.
"Boss, your makeup is so realistic. If your name wasn't in the cast list, I wouldn't believe it was you."
"Boss, could you air this show a little more each day? It's just not enough to watch!"
"It's good enough that there's something to watch. Don't think too much about it. Anyway, it'll be over by the end of winter break!"
"I'll watch it again then, I can't get enough of it!"
The same words were repeated across the country, and the viewership exceeded one billion overnight, growing at a rapid pace. Many foreign netizens also jumped over the wall to watch it overnight, marveling at the spectacle.
As soon as the show aired, Wangyou felt her mission progress bar increase rapidly, and the Heavenly Dao became more stable. It seems that there can be more big productions like this in the future. However, she will probably participate less. After all, people's aesthetics are gradually changing, and being fair-skinned, young, and thin is no longer the standard in the Chinese entertainment industry.
Good production can inspire creators. The broadcast of "The Qin Dynasty" broke down the barriers for many people who watched videos of panda cubs but felt something was missing. People began to study those historical videos, and various online creations sprang up like mushrooms after rain.