I am the only one who practices magic: I practice magic in the city

Chapter 563 If ​​I don't call you Auntie, what should I call you? Grandma? (4200)

When Fang Yu and Yu Dan arrived at the Youguo Games Visual Data Acquisition Center, Director Chen was holding a closed folding fan, explaining the scene to Yang Mi in a melodious, aria-like tone.

"OK, good, Mimi, there's a problem with this part. Your expression is too sad. You can't act her like Lin Daiyu."

"Yao Ji was the youngest daughter of the Heavenly Emperor. She died before marriage and was transformed into a kind of herb that becomes clouds in the morning and rain in the evening."

"It's true that the core of Yao Ji's story, as I analyzed it with you before, is the word 'love,' but now we're portraying Yao Ji before she died."

"You should think about what Yao Ji would be like at this time."

Director Chen paused, then looked up slightly, seemingly gazing into the distance.

"Yao Ji... is not a woman of the mortal world, nor a goddess. She is the youngest daughter of the Heavenly Emperor, the unnamed breeze between heaven and earth, the fragrance of grass before a mountain rain, and the lingering light beneath the clouds at dusk."

“She is noble, not arrogant, but if she knows that she is the daughter of heaven, then all things in the world are her children.”

"She is innocent, but not the innocent innocence of an ordinary girl. It is a kind of wildness that has not been polished by the world. Like the moss that has just sprouted in the forest before the rain, you will slip if you get close, but you can't bear to step on it."

"But what she is most important is her wildness. Before she transformed into the Ganoderma lucidum, she was someone who would run outside the Jade Terrace. When she saw a mountain, she would want to climb over it; when she saw a cloud, she would want to ride it and fly down."

Director Chen suddenly pointed his fan at Yang Mi, startling her.

Director Chen's eyes shone brightly: "You can't portray her as a tragic character; she didn't even know what tragedy was back then."

"In the moment before her death, Yao Ji's divinity was not yet tamed, and her passions had not yet erupted. All things yielded a sliver of light for her. If you move, the mountains should stand in awe; if you smile, the rain should fall."

"Yao Ji is not bitter; she has not yet had time to suffer. She is like a green sprout that suddenly emerges before the grass and trees have named themselves, before the spring mountains have awakened."

“She is the youngest daughter of the Heavenly Emperor, not a weak branch within the palace walls. She has light, backbone, and courage. Everything she sees is new and exciting, and she goes wherever she goes with the same certainty as when she was born.”

"You need to portray a feeling that she doesn't belong here, but this place is reluctant to let her go."

"You are a lingzhi plant that has not yet had a chance to bloom, a drop of water in a mountain stream before the rain, about to fall."

"Your death is not a tragedy, but a broken branch beyond the will of heaven, a fleeting glimpse after which heaven and earth had no time to regret their mistake."

"You need to make the audience...and the players feel that it was only after you left that spring rain, Ganoderma lucidum, and the regret of the Heavenly Emperor's dream being unable to continue were born in later generations."

"So when you laugh, be like an unnamed mountain or river; when you stop, be like the sun before its shadow has set."

"Your very existence is a draft of a love poem that heaven and earth cannot remember."

Director Chen, holding a closed folding fan, paced back and forth, immersed in his own verses.

"Now, do you understand how to act?"

Director Chen stopped, leaned forward, and stared intently at Yang Mi in front of him.

"Director, I didn't understand."

Da Mimi's mouth was half open. After a few seconds, she spread her hands and opened her two innocent big eyes, blinking them.

"Just tell me directly how to adjust it."

Director Chen slapped his forehead and said irritably, "Act as Guo Xiang!"

After that, he turned around and left.

After taking only a couple of steps, Director Chen stopped again, turned around, and said, "When you come in, stop for a moment. Stand still, don't look around, just look in one direction, as if you're looking at something very far away."

"Then purse your lips, don't actually smile, look like you're about to laugh but are holding it back."

"Walk a little slower, don't lift your feet up, as if you're walking on clouds."

"Raise your head, but don't raise your whole face. Raise your eyes first, and then your head follows."

"Don't let your hands hang down, and don't put them in front of you. Putting them in front of you makes you look old. When you take a few steps, gently put your hands behind your back, like a little girl with a joyful heart."

"After you finish saying this last line, don't turn around immediately. Count to three in your mind. After one, two, three, then turn around. When you turn, lift the waist of your skirt with your left hand, and let the hem of your skirt flutter."

Da Mimi suddenly realized: "I understand, Director, I understand now."

Everyone else in the room had an expression that said they wanted to laugh but didn't dare.

Yu Dan watched from the side and noticed that after Director Chen's guidance, Yang Mi's performance had indeed improved a lot.

Compared with previous data, Liu Feifei's acting skills have improved significantly, and she is noticeably more expressive in many details.

Although Director Chen is shrouded in mystery, it seems he is not entirely without merit; his aesthetic sense is indeed on point. However, he appears to be a bit too narcissistic, bordering on obsessive.

He really liked to use small things to express destiny, reincarnation, and concepts, using small things to illustrate great principles and discussing destiny in trivial matters.

They also often use a subtle action, such as bowing their head, stamping their foot, turning around, or smiling, to convey philosophical themes such as existence, disillusionment, fate, and time.

This approach isn't entirely wrong, but it needs more open-endedness. It shouldn't directly explore grand themes in the film, and it certainly shouldn't be a big-budget production.

Director Chen, however, insisted on directly confronting you.

Let me tell you, look, this great director is about to explore the concept of fate.

And he just loves big events.

However, the trivial matters he envisioned could not bear such a weighty proposition, and his talent and knowledge were insufficient to produce sufficiently profound thoughts.

His love for grand scenes has led to frequent budget overruns in his films. While not as outrageous as Wong Kar-wai's films, he is certainly one of the most extravagant directors in the industry.

It was alright during the period of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes and Consort Yu," as that film was adapted from a novel and had Lu Wei overseeing the production. Although Director Chen was the director, his creative freedom was limited.

However, in the later stages, after he held the only Palme d'Or in the country and became a pillar of aesthetic discourse within the system, he completely relinquished his power on set.

They can change it however they want, and the plot often sacrifices logic and rationality in order to carry their 'philosophical propositions'.

This made the plot of his later films very unbelievable, and the audience felt a strong sense of incongruity.

If the audience feels out of place, it's difficult for them to become immersed.

It's difficult to immerse oneself, and therefore difficult to empathize.

This led to the widely ridiculed "steamed bun bloodbath."

“President Yu, it’s not that I think Director Chen is bad, but Director Chen’s style and efficiency…” Wei Ao stood to the side, hesitant to speak.

Few of those who lived through the "Steamed Bun Bloodbath" generation are fans of Director Chen.

Yu Dan smiled and glanced at Fang Yu, who was standing in the distance with several AI engineers from Yuzi Technology, discussing technical issues in front of an instrument.

When Fang Yu first suggested that he find Director Chen, his first reaction was to object.

But now it seems we really made the right choice.

Director Chen's flaws are completely irrelevant to the Taihuang Mountain and Sea Realm. He likes big scenes?
simple.

Whatever grand scene you want, as long as you can describe it clearly, AI can create it for you.

Do they like to rewrite scripts and spout philosophical nonsense?

no problem.

Because this game has no script at all.

What Director Chen is filming now is nothing more than the "memories" of these "digital human" NPCs.

But it is precisely because of his "obsession with meaning rather than efficiency" that he is well-suited for "digital human construction".

In the world of AI, a character's "memory" is not determined by acting skills, but is composed of "data behavior fragments".

Director Chen imbued the characters with those awkward pauses, ambiguous gazes, and gestures brimming with emotion yet for which the reasons are unclear. These elements, in a data dimension, precisely construct "fuzzy behaviors that AI can learn from."

This ambiguous, emotional, and almost over-interpretive way of being makes the NPCs more like "people" and more like "uncertain selves".

This approach may seem complicated in terms of game development philosophy, but for NPCs, their "personality" is composed of these fragments.

NPCs will carry these "memories" and "personalities" and develop their own stories in the Taihuang world, giving players quests.

Of course, these filmed clips, besides serving as the memories of NPCs, are also part of the game content.

However, only one-tenth of it is shown to players as cutscenes.

The rest are things that players discover about the NPCs' past experiences only after triggering certain tasks or key moments during the game, like clearing away the fog.

This fragmented approach to constructing NPC memories is perfect for Director Chen.

In this respect, even the Imperial Advisor Zhang had to give way.

Just as I was about to say a few words, I saw Director Chen's wife, Tian Hong, with a thin young man following behind her. He looked flustered and seemed to be an intern.

Upon seeing Tian Hong, Yu Dan frowned and sighed.

When will this old woman ever stop?

"President Yu, it's great to finally see you on set today! You haven't been here for days!" Tian Hong smiled broadly; though past her prime, she still looked quite alluring.

Of course, as one of the leading ladies in Zhou Yu's period dramas, and also the wife of Director Chen, she could certainly buy Wangshu Tears.

Director Chen's wife was once known as the most beautiful woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and she is now in her late forties, almost fifty.

She hadn't actually had any cosmetic procedures done before, and since she's a typical beauty with only superficial features, her condition declined sharply after she turned thirty, making her look much older than other actresses her age.

But now, her face is certainly not as good as it was in her prime, and she has also gained weight, but her skin has returned to the state of someone in their thirties, making her look much younger.

"Sister Hong." Yu Dan nodded politely and shook hands with Tian Hong. "The game is about to be released for public testing. I've been too busy lately and have neglected you."

Tian Hong smiled and smoothed her hair: "Actually, Lao Chen didn't want to take on the game director role before. You know, he's too proud and stubborn."

"But Xiangkong, oh, that's my second son, is a fan of your game. He begged me for a long time to persuade his father, and only then did Old Chen agree to take on this project."

"The kid was overjoyed and even gave me and his dad two lessons, explaining the world-building of your game... or what was it called again? The setting guide? I'm afraid I'll get it wrong, but I got really into it."

Tian Hong covered her mouth and laughed: "I'm almost getting addicted to games because of him."

After saying that, Tian Hong pulled her son from behind.

"Come on, Xiangkong, say hello to Uncle Yu. Mr. Yu, this is my son, Chen Xiangkong."

Upon hearing this, Yu Dan unconsciously glanced at the phone Tian Hong was holding in her hand.

iPhone 7 Plus.

This game can only be played on the Rice Mix platform; your phone can't play it at all. How did you get addicted to games?

Are you addicted to Candy Crush?
Chen Xiangkong, appearing somewhat introverted, stepped forward and said, "Hello, Uncle Yu."

Yu Dan glanced at Chen Xiangkong, who was tall and thin with a somewhat reserved demeanor, and who looked like both Tian Hong and Director Chen.

To put it bluntly, they all have protruding mouths.

But it's alright, at least his eyebrows, eyes and face shape are like Tian Hong's, unlike his brother, who seems to have inherited none of Tian Hong's genes.

Upon hearing Chen Xiangkong call him "uncle," Yu Dan waved his hand, "Just call me brother. Xiangkong isn't even twenty yet, is he? What year was he born?"

"Born in 46, now 16."

Chen Xiangkong pursed his lips, looking slightly nervous.

"16? We make games, but at this age, you should play fewer games. It's bad for your eyesight and it also affects your studies."

"So although the country hasn't made any requirements yet, our game still has a built-in age restriction. You have to be 18 to play. Xiang Kong is still young, probably in high school, right? When is the college entrance exam?"

Before Yu Dan could speak, a slightly magnetic voice came from the side. Tian Hong turned her head and saw a tall boy in a white shirt walking over lazily.

This boy is at least 1.9 meters tall. His sleeves are rolled up to his forearms, revealing his sculpted muscles. His well-tailored white shirt doesn't look tight, but his broad shoulders still fill out the size of the shirt, creating a beautiful inverted triangle shape.

She has such a great figure! Even better than Hu Bing!
Hu Bing was the man with the best physique she knew, but unfortunately he didn't like women much.

Tian Hong's gaze was immediately drawn to the young man the moment she saw him.

She doesn't consider herself a woman who values ​​looks, and she's always worked with directors since her debut. But when she saw this young man, she still felt a sense of regret, like "I was born before you were born."

Which newly debuted heartthrob is this? Does he also have a character in this game?
Thinking of this, Tian Hong couldn't help but frown slightly.

Are all young people these days so unruly? Do you even have the right to speak here?
Although you have a good appearance and might make a name for yourself in this era where popularity reigns supreme, there are many male actors with good looks. Yan Kuan and Qiao Zhenyu are also very good-looking, but have they become famous?
Just as Tian Hong was about to speak with a sullen face, she heard Yu Dan beside her say, "Oh, Sister Hong, let me introduce you. This is Fang Yu, the investor of our Youguo Games and the founder of Youzi Technology."

Fang Yu!?
Even though Tian Hong had been welcoming and seeing off Director Chen for so many years and had long since stopped showing her true feelings, she was still clearly surprised when she heard Yu Dan's words.

Is this Fang Yu, the founder of Youzi Technology?

The most sought-after yet unusually low-profile young nobleman in the circle recently, whose appearance is so rare that few people have even seen him.
Having been through many battles, Tian Hong quickly regained her composure and put on a delighted smile: "Hello, Mr. Fang, I am Tian Hong, Director Chen's wife, and this is my son, Xiang Kong."

"Hello Aunt Tian, ​​I'm not much older than Xiang Kong, just call me Xiao Fang," Fang Yu said cheerfully, patting Chen Xiang Kong on the shoulder.

With each slap, Chen Xiangkong trembled, becoming increasingly flustered.

Upon hearing Fang Yu's address, Tian Hong almost lost her composure.

Auntie? You're calling me auntie?
Nonsense, she's almost fifty, what else should I call her but auntie? Grandma?

(End of this chapter)