Huayu 1992, my entertainment era

On the second day, Zhou Ziheng officially joined the crew of "Journey to the East" and began filming his first TV series.

It was the first time for Zhou Ziheng, who was used to filming movies, to shoot a TV series, and he felt a little uncomfortable for a while.

Compared to the compact shooting method of movies, TV series have more episodes, so the shooting and performance methods are different.

In Zhou Ziheng's own words, it's too simple.

Yes, it's simple.

TV series are not like movies. In pursuit of perfection, a single shot may be shot dozens of times.

As for TV dramas, directors don’t have so many requirements. In one day, Zhou Ziheng only shot a scene three times at most, and this was still a problem with the actors.

There is certainly no problem with simple shooting.

For Zhou Ziheng, the only problem is that after being used to filming movies, he seems unusually nervous when filming TV series, and the movie acting style is a bit too heavy.

But this problem can be solved with just a little adjustment...

As the biggest star in the play, after the project was set up, the director actually suggested changing the script to give Zhou Ziheng more roles.

This proposal was rejected by Zhou Ziheng.

He himself actually has no idea about adding more scenes to himself.

On the contrary, if possible, he even hopes to have fewer roles.

If there are fewer, I can finish shooting earlier and leave to do other things.

Besides, to be honest, this play is about the Eight Immortals, and he already has enough roles to play now.

If it were to be added, the play might as well not be called "Journey to the East" but "The Legend of Lu Dongbin".

The first day's filming lasted until after eight o'clock in the evening. After the filming ended, Zhou Ziheng rejected Wu Zhenyu and others' suggestion to go out for a midnight snack and visit the night market, and returned to the guesthouse alone.

The crew lived in a small county town.

If it were in the future, there might still be places for entertainment a few years later.

Now in the 1990s, there was basically nothing to do at night.

So he was too lazy to go out.

Besides, he has a lot of things to do.

As a nationally renowned creator and the leading actor of the TV series, the producers certainly would not let Zhou Ziheng go.

The composition of the theme song for the play "Journey to the East" fell to Zhou Ziheng.

After returning to his room in the guesthouse, Zhou Ziheng first wrote the promotional song "Magical Jiuzhaigou" that he had promised to the Jiuzhaigou Culture and Tourism Bureau.

This song is definitely not suitable for him to sing.

Chen Xiaoqi will come back in two days, and Zhou Ziheng will go with him to see Rong Zhongerjia. If the other party is willing to join Hengdong, then this song will be sung for him. If not, it will depend on whether Chen Xiaoqi can recommend anyone suitable later.

After finishing writing "Magical Jiuzhaigou", Zhou Ziheng began to think about the songs of "Journey to the East".

He needs to write two songs.

Opening and ending credits.

The opening and ending songs of TV dramas are very important these days.

Especially the opening song, which is an important means to attract audiences.

The opening credits usually condense the wonderful scenes in the film. If it is a martial arts myth, the opening song will naturally be more exciting.

The ending of the film usually focuses on the love story in the drama.

As for the theme song of "Journey to the East", there was nothing much to consider. Zhou Ziheng simply copied the original "Xiao Yao You".

As for the ending song, Zhou Ziheng didn’t know the ending song from his previous life, so he needed to copy a new one.

After thinking for a while, Zhou Ziheng selected two songs that he thought could serve as ending songs.

They are all classic songs.

One is "Too Much", which is definitely a very classic song.

It has been used in many TV series.

The first is the theme song of the mainland ancient costume time-travel TV series "Love Across Time and Space", which was broadcast in May 2002.

It became an instant hit with the popularity of the TV series.

In May of the same year, it was also the theme song of the fantasy drama "New Shushan Swordsman". In October of the same year, it was used as the ending song of the TV series "The Love Story of a Fool".

Then the other song Zhou Ziheng chose was "Lovesickness", which was originally the ending song of the pioneering ghost-animal drama "The Sequel to Journey to the West".

Both songs are very classic, and Zhou Ziheng thinks they can both be used as ending songs.

However, because they are all classics, he was a little hesitant and didn't know which one to choose.

In the end, Zhou Ziheng copied down both songs.

We’ll see when the time comes, no matter which one you use, you can keep the other one for yourself.

Whether it is put in a new album in the future or used as a TV series for your own company, it will be a good choice.

……

The filming of the TV series was proceeding in an orderly manner. After Zhou Ziheng gradually adapted to the filming of the TV series, the filming progress accelerated a lot in the next few days.

On the 23rd, Chen Xiaoqi rushed to Jiuzhaigou.

Zhou Ziheng took a leave of absence and went to pick him up.

Because Zhou Ziheng was busy filming, the two of them didn't delay and went directly to the Jiuzhaigou National Art Troupe where Rong Zhongerjia was.

Here, Zhou Ziheng and Chen Xiaoqi met Rong Zhongerjia.

This future famous singer from the snowy region was born in 1969, only a few years older than Zhou Ziheng.

However, perhaps because of his rough face and the fact that he was wearing Tibetan clothes, he looked much more mature than Zhou Ziheng.

"Mr. Zhou, Mr. Chen, please take a seat."

After all, he is a cultured person. Unlike other Tibetan compatriots, he does not know Chinese and speaks Mandarin very well.

After chatting, Zhou Ziheng realized that this person was not just a singer.

He once went to Beijing to study under the famous composer Wang Fulin, and also learned to compose music himself.

The two of them didn't waste any time and directly asked him if he had any ideas about joining Hengdong Records.

If he joins, Hengdong will help create an album for him.

In recent years, with the rapid development of the domestic economy, discs are no longer distributed only in coastal areas as they were in the early 1990s. Tapes and discs have almost become popular in inland areas as well.

To a certain extent, the inland market has already risen.

Currently, there are not many people occupying the ethnic minority market, except for the Yi people.

If they sign Rong Zhongerjia and make him famous, Hengdong's distribution channel network will be able to quickly open up the inland market.

Therefore, Zhou Ziheng personally still hopes to sign Rong Zhonger Jia.

Moreover, signing him will not be a loss as he can create and run things himself, which can make Hengdong a lot of money.

"Can you tell me specifically what benefits I can expect if I join your company?"

Rong Zhongerjia is actually very smart.

It can be seen that he was actually very tempted, but he was able to hold it back and instead began to ask about his treatment.

"I wrote a song for the Jiuzhaigou Tourism Bureau for tourism promotion. If you join our company, I can sing this song for you.

As for subsequent albums, etc., you will be taken care of by Brother Xiao Qi.

I think you should understand his abilities.”

Zhou Ziheng spoke.

"Of course, I know Brother Xiaoqi's abilities." Rong Zhongerjia said, looking at Chen Xiaoqi.

"I will personally create an album for you and try to make you a singer known by everyone in the Snow District." Chen Xiaoqi promised directly when he saw the other party looking at him.

"Thank you! Then I'll quit my job and come here next month!"

After getting a satisfactory answer, Rong Zhongerjia nodded decisively.

……

Zhou Ziheng doesn't have to worry too much about Rong Zhonger Jia's affairs, Chen Xiaoqi will take care of it.

After handing the matter over to Chen Xiaoqi, Zhou Ziheng returned to the crew to continue filming. Zhou Ziheng plays Lu Dongbin in the play, who is the reincarnation of Donghua Shangxian, one of the eight immortals who have to suffer a "thousand-year love disaster" in their immortal journey.

Lü Dongbin received advice from Guanyin and guided the immortals to practice diligently.

In the process of converting Bai Mudan, emotional entanglements arose between him, Bai Mudan and He Xiangu.

In the end, when facing the common people, he chose righteousness over Bai Mudan.

In fact, from the perspective of future people, this character is actually not likable.

In this drama, Zhou Ziheng’s favorite character is actually the Pangolin.

Unfortunately, his image destined him to not be able to play this role.

Zhou Ziheng has a large number of fans all over the country, including a large number of teenagers and girls.

His image has always been positive.

If he plays a villain, it will inevitably have an impact on his image.

No fan would want their idol to be a bad guy, or the kind that will die in the end.

Therefore, even if Zhou Ziheng wanted to act, Florence Hui would not agree, and the record company behind him, the people who depend on him for a living, and the endorsements would not agree either.

This may also be the disadvantage of people like Zhou Ziheng who are more idol-oriented.

Just like Andy Lau, he doesn't dare to play a villain.

The same is true for others like Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

Although he didn't like the role of Lu Dongbin very much, Zhou Ziheng still conscientiously completed all his ideas about this role.

As the filming time increased, he became more and more adept at interpreting the role.

The most troublesome aspect is probably etiquette.

The ancient dramas of this era were not performed casually like those in later generations.

The costume dramas of this era attach great importance to etiquette.

Walking posture, talking, eating... these all have a set of standard etiquette.

The crew also specially invited teachers specializing in etiquette.

The others were fine as they had been trained in advance.

Zhou Ziheng is in a miserable situation. He has never received any training before and now he can only learn while filming.

In fact, "Journey to the East" was not entirely filmed in Jiuzhaigou.

In addition to Jiuzhaigou, the crew also set up shooting locations in Singapore and Malaysia.

In mid-May, the crew finished filming in Jiuzhaigou and rushed to Singapore for further filming.

Unlike in the mainland, the crew encountered a problem when they arrived in Singapore.

That's because there are too many reporters.

Almost every day, a large number of reporters gather outside the studio.

Some of these reporters are not honest.

They secretly bypassed the security guards and sneaked into the crew to take secret photos.

As for who was secretly photographed, it was naturally Zhou Ziheng.

When I was in Jiuzhaigou, transportation there was inconvenient and the mainland media was not crazy about it.

But it’s different in Singapore.

There are local ones in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and even Japan.

All these reporters gathered here, wanting to take secret photos of Zhou Ziheng whenever they could.

The reporters' actions made Zhou Ziheng afraid to go out, and it was not even convenient for him to have close contact with the actresses in the crew.

However, this trouble only lasted for a dozen days.

In early June, Zhou Ziheng suspended filming.

His scene was not finished.

But he won't be able to come to shoot for a month or two.

In the next period of time, he will begin preparing for the grand performance to welcome Hong Kong's return.

In people’s memory, every major festival or event would be accompanied by a party to bring the atmosphere of national celebration to a climax.

This year, when Hong Kong is about to return to the embrace of the motherland, there will also be an unforgettable party.

For this night, Zhou Ziheng and other stars finished work early and started rehearsing.

……

The night of June 1997, 6 was a day when fireworks and bauhinia flowers complemented each other, and Hong Kong music and the feeling of homecoming blended together.

Some amazing combinations of the "once-in-a-lifetime" series were born this evening.

Zhou Ziheng's "Chinese" was sung on the stage, which directly promoted the song to the whole country again. In the following year, every walkman in the streets and alleys was filled with the song "How many dreams are hidden in five thousand years of wind and rain".

Listed alongside him is Andy Lau.

In the streets and alleys in 1997, the speakers often played "The cold icy rain hits my face" on a loop.

Among the most popular songs so far this year, Andy Lau's "Ice Rain" ranks at the top.

He was also one of the most familiar faces at the party.

Then come the other two known as the “Four Heavenly Kings” – Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok.

In 1997, Leon Lai held 20 concerts at the Hong Kong Coliseum.

Aaron Kwok won the "Most Popular Male Singer" award at Hong Kong TVB's Jade Solid Gold Awards.

Although they are less popular than Zhou Ziheng and Andy Lau, they are also the most popular singers of this era.

At the beginning of the evening party, Zhou Ziheng, Andy Lau, Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok appeared on the stage with their elegant appearance and sang "Fisherman's Song at Dusk" in their gentle voices.

As for why it was Zhou Ziheng and not Jacky Cheung.

The reason was that Jacky Cheung did not attend the party.

He should be one of the few well-known Hong Kong artists who did not attend this historic evening party.

Many people felt sorry that the "Four Heavenly Kings" failed to successfully reunite at the "Dragon's Glory" party, but Zhou Ziheng's joining dispelled the regret of his absence.

While Zhou Ziheng and his four companions were singing "Fisherman's Evening Song", on the other side of the stage were Sammi Cheng, Penny Pang, Priscilla Chan, and Yang Yuying, who were singing "Pearl of the Orient".

This fantastic lineup is just one of tonight's shows and is just a routine part of this evening party.

For example, the evening party also featured the duo of Faye Wong and Sally Yeh, who were both 28 years old at the time.

This year, Faye Wong made a comeback after giving birth and signed a contract with EMI Records for HK$6000 million to release the Mandarin album "Faye Wong".

Become the most popular female singer this year.

As for Sally Yeh, "The world is full of passers-by, the tides rise and fall in a hurry, how many people can see through the love and hate, life and death, and old age?" Her well-known song "Walk Away with Style" was probably the most popular melody in the 1980s and 1990s.

The melody of "Tomorrow Will Be Better" sounded, and Sally Yeh awakened everyone's "sleeping hearts" with her penetrating voice.

Faye Wong spoke ethereally: "Youth does not understand fashion, it blows the hearts of young people."

On the stage were two young women, each about 1.7 meters tall. One wore a light green Chinese-style top, looking elegant and refined; the other wore an innovative white cheongsam, looking confident and chic. The combination of the two once again brought the evening to a climax.

In addition, there is another "godly combination", namely Roman Tam + Jenny Tseng.

The post-90s and millennials may not know much about them, but the background music of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" seems to be engraved in the DNA of childhood.

As soon as the title "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" appeared, the background music immediately started "Ah~~~~".
This is "Tie Xue Dan Xin" sung by Roman Tam and Jenny Tseng.

At the same time, "Hello World" is also the background music limited to martial arts dramas.

The appearance of these two people successfully brought the audience before the party back to the memories of the TV series that was popular all over the country.

It is worth mentioning that the “fairy combination” is not only a combination of various stars, but also a combination of Hong Kong and the mainland, and the protagonist and supporting roles.

When singing "Chinese", Zhou Ziheng, dressed in a flowing white robe, stood tall in the middle of the drum team and sang quite powerfully, "Same blood, same race, we still have dreams for the future, let's explore them together."

Before he came on stage, the drum team, which had been performing on the field for several minutes, was composed of a gong and drum team from Wangshen Village, Linyi County, Shanxi Province, and a flower drum team from Hejin City. They were all farmers. It was their first time to come to Hong Kong and also their first time to participate in a large-scale evening party.

(End of this chapter)