Chinese entertainment started with male models

Chapter 441 The Evil Cultivator Who Has Used All His Means

Since the emergence of "The Birth of an Actor" a couple of years ago, domestic performance competition variety shows have also ushered in a spring.

Shows like "I Am an Actor" and "The Birth of an Actor" have already expanded this variety show landscape.

One of the key reasons why acting-themed shows were able to become hits so quickly was their groundbreaking subject matter and unique presentation style, which brought unprecedented drama to the audience through "re-dramatization".

However, as time goes on, the problem of homogenization in such programs has become increasingly apparent.

For example, in terms of the composition of the cast, there are basically these types of character models: newcomers who graduated from professional schools, actors who have transitioned from idols, middle-aged people who have been silent for many years, and seniors who have lowered their status. Their respective storylines are also gradually becoming formulaic.

The performance segments are mostly dramatic and emotionally intense, using the actors' performances of extreme joy and sorrow to create an audiovisual impact.

In addition to the rigidity of the format, the repetition of the shows, and the outdated narrative, there have even been problems such as hyping up topics and over-exploiting celebrities.

The above-mentioned problems are basically all present in "Actors, Please Take Your Seats".

However, one of the ways this show overtook others was by bringing the "director," the god of the production team, to the forefront.

When Guo Jingming appears in the mentor lineup, it means that the production team is also trying to capitalize on viewership!

This guy has been controversial ever since he became a director.

His directorial works, including the "Tiny Times" tetralogy and "L.O.R.D.: Legend of Ravaging Dynasties," have all received failing grades, generating a great deal of discussion.

It feels like the production team invited him just to cause trouble.

Of course, there are other experts on this show as well.

In the first episode of the show, guest performer Li Chengru angrily criticized so-called "bestselling literature and youth literature" after Guo Junchen and Dong Li finished performing "Cry Me a Sad River".

His series of phrases like "feeling like sitting on pins and needles, feeling like having thorns in one's back, feeling like having a fishbone stuck in one's throat" became popular quotes on the show, generating a lot of buzz.

Clearly, one of the "tasks" this person has on the show is to go against Guo Jingming.

These two are considered to be two extremes. While acknowledging professionalism and industry tradition, Li Chengru is somewhat rigid.

Guo Xiaosi, on the other hand, could defeat a master with his mediocre skills, and his ability to carve flowers on excrement was outrageous.

As for the other three mentors, Li Chengru was their mouth double.

After all, you can't just personally get into a flame war with Guo Jingming, can you?
Bai Liang had only briefly learned this information before participating in the program, but Li Shaohong seemed to have succumbed to it later on.
However, Guo Jingming said he wasn't afraid at all, and challenged them to come at him if they dared!
If he can't win an argument, he can still cry, right?
Currently, almost all the trending topics on this show are related to him.

If directors were categorized like celebrities, Guo Jingming would definitely be among the most popular.

Bai Liang: What a coincidence, buddy, I'm also a top influencer, a really high-profile one.

However, he wouldn't try to resonate with Guo Jingming, because their methods of generating traffic are quite different.

Bai Liang mainly does tough jobs, while Guo Xiaosi often does some really outrageous or shocking things.
After roughly understanding the "doctor-patient relationship" and "love-hate relationship" of the program, the next step is to allocate film and television scripts and rehearse.

After the host, Sha Yi, took the stage to introduce how the competition would proceed and who would be eliminated, it was time for the show to end.

Bai Liang and the other three each found a director to accompany them to the dressing room to rehearse their new teammates.

This show looks like a competition program, but it is essentially a variety show.

Since Bai Liang and his team came here to promote the drama, how can they do so most effectively on such a program?

Without a doubt, they should perform a scene from "The Longest Day in Chang'an"!
This production naturally follows Bai Liang's lead. Whichever director he's in, that director's team is responsible for selecting people to act out segments of "The Longest Day in Chang'an".

Bai Liang himself will definitely play Zhang Xiaojing.

This task wasn't difficult for him either, since, in a sense, he was the one who came up with the "standard answer".

"Director Guo, who's going to act with me?"

That "Director Guo" really made Guo Xiaosi feel good!
Although many people call him that now, Bai Liang's way of calling him is obviously different from others!

He couldn't help but look up at the sky at a 45-degree angle.
There was no other way; standing next to Bai Liang like this, he couldn't see Bai Liang's face unless he did it this way.

"You choose."

"Huh? I choose?" Bai Liang asked, slightly surprised. "Isn't that a bad idea?"

"I'm in charge!" Guo Xiaosi said with great "dominance".

He seems to have a "domineering CEO" vibe.

Bai Liang laughed: No, am I showing off my manliness here?
He didn't understand and was greatly shocked, but he reluctantly showed respect—just don't get within half a meter of him.

Bai Liang had previously watched a talent show called "China's Good Man". The show was actually quite a flop, but the judges were very interesting.

Liu Xiaoqing, Xiao Yaxuan, and Guo Xiaosi.

I wonder which genius put these three people as judges in a talent show that's all men.

When these three people get together, it's not a talent show, it's practically a "concubine selection".

Honestly, they shouldn't have accepted the appearance fees from the production team; they should have paid the production team instead.

According to online information, these three people also happen to have different tastes: Liu Xiaoqing likes rugged and stylish men, Xiao Yaxuan likes handsome and well-behaved men, and Guo Xiaosi likes tall and gentle men.
The first rule of sisterhood: You can't like the same man.

So you can imagine how harmonious their relationship was!
It's likely that Guo Jingming, who was relentlessly criticized by "old hands" in the film and television industry on the show "Actors, Please Take Your Seats," might miss those two "sisters" he used to get along with so well.

At this moment, the actors in Guo Jingming's group were already waiting in the dressing room, each with a different expression, but overall they were in a rather excited state.

They have just watched the scene from "The Longest Day in Chang'an" that they are going to perform, and they have also received the script.

We know that besides Bai Liang as Zhang Xiaojing, we also need two male actors and one female actor.

At this moment, the atmosphere between them was actually a little strange.

Who wouldn't want to act in this scene with Bai Liang!

Regardless of how well they perform, their popularity and exposure will definitely be maximized.

The actors who come to this show aren't really here to compete; they're mainly here for exposure and to get to know more people.

The male actors are doing alright right now, since there are two spots available, but for the female actors, the competition for that one spot is much fiercer.

Fortunately, this thing was handpicked by Guo Jingming, otherwise they might have started a fight with each other first.

After Guo Xiaosi and Bai Liang arrived at the lounge and greeted everyone, Guo Xiaosi smiled and looked up at Bai Liang, "Should we have them introduce themselves so you can choose the people?"

"No need, I know them all. But I'll just choose one actress. You can choose the two actors, Director Guo, since I definitely don't know them as well as you do."

"Okay!"

Guo Xiaosi was even happier after hearing this, feeling that Bai Liang was showing him respect!

No wonder she's his "muse"—she's definitely different from those other flashy, pretentious women in the film and television industry!
He really lacks this kind of respect in the industry.

Others: Emmm, respect? He didn't even use the polite form of address!
After making the decisions to select one actress and one actor, the atmosphere in the dressing room changed completely.

Guo Xiaosi was surrounded by male actors, while Bai Liang was surrounded by female actors.

Both of them seemed quite happy.

However, when Guo Xiaosi looked at the "oddballs" in his group, he couldn't help but compare them to Bai Liang. He felt they were completely inferior!

However, before Bai Liang arrived, he actually quite liked them.
"Teacher Bai, who do you want to choose?"

"That scene demands a lot of emotional expression, I want to give it a try!"

"Brother Xiaobai, we met on 'Grade One', do you remember me?"

"Could you please sign my autograph? Please!"

"."

Full of anticipation, some volunteered, others tried to get close, but Bai Liang managed to catch the one who wanted an autograph.

"Golden Mirror!"

Jin Jing, who had just been making a fuss by shouting for autographs amidst the chaos, looked completely bewildered, her somewhat comical face showing a hint of existential doubt.

"Ah~ Teacher Bai, it's me!"

"Can you play the role?"

"Ah I?"

Honestly, among these girls, Jin Jing is probably the only one who's just there for the fun and to create a good show.

She's the kind of artist with a relatively narrow range of acting roles, and she's also a fairly typical variety show personality.

He mainly makes a fuss on various TV shows, creating all sorts of entertainment effects.

She just had that kind of "gene" activated, and she even screamed twice in an exaggerated manner, like a star-struck girl.

However, her acting experience to date consists of only one short drama.

Even in that short drama, he only played a supporting role.

Moreover, her appearance is quite comical. It can be said that in the entertainment industry, she has absolutely nothing to do with the attribute of being a beauty.

It feels like Bai Liang couldn't choose her no matter who he was picking. The "female lead" Ding Tong'er in that scene from "The Longest Day in Chang'an" is definitely not a role she could play well now.

Not to mention, their rehearsal time this time was much shorter than before, less than a day.

So this must be a joke, right?
At this moment, the other girls nearby obviously thought the same thing, believing that Bai Liang was joking, and one of them immediately started teasing Jin Jing.

"If you were given the chance to act alongside your dream guy..."

Jin Jing reacted quickly, immediately catching the joke, and reached out to unbutton her coat, saying, "Stop talking, I'll take it off! I'll take it off!"

Even Bai Liang couldn't hold back his laughter, which was shaking uncontrollably.

The other girls were even more excited, and the commotion made Guo Xiaosi, who was seriously discussing the "casting" next to them, turn his head to look.

You seem to be having a great time chatting.

However, two minutes later, the girls were dumbfounded.

Because Bai Liang wasn't joking; he really chose the Golden Mirror.

"Me? I'm going to play a courtesan who elopes with her lover, a scholar?" Jin Jing's mouth dropped open in disbelief, and then she couldn't help but exclaim in an exaggerated tone, "I've never received such recognition in my entire life!"

“You don’t look like you had a miserable childhood or suffered a lot,” Bai Liang said, tilting his head.

"Brother, you don't know, even though I'm miserable, I eat a lot~"

After confirming once again that Bai Liang was really not joking, Jin Jing immediately said to her friends, "My crush probably doesn't think highly of me; I feel like he's just pitying me."

What an amazing girl!
This little gadget seems like it could thrive anywhere!
However, once the participants were actually chosen and everyone went to the rehearsal room together, Jin Jing stopped saying things like "I can't do it."

"I'll try my best to perform well, so as not to drag everyone down and to be a supporting role for you all. But if you burst out laughing, don't blame me, you'll have to hold it in!"

Ding Tong'er is a minor supporting character in "The Longest Day in Chang'an" and is even quite insignificant in the original novel.

However, in the series, the director and screenwriter added more scenes for this character, allowing him to unleash a powerful move despite having limited screen time.

Ding Tong'er's background is simple yet tragic, summarized in a single sentence: at the age of 17, she was taken to Chang'an by her betrothed and sold into a brothel as a prostitute.

She appeared with her body covered in bruises, because the day before, she had plotted to elope with her lover, the scholar Qin Lang, but they were both caught by Old Ge and imprisoned in the dungeon.

If Zhang Xiaojing hadn't come looking for them, Tong'er and Qin Lang would probably have been tortured to death by Old Ge.

Therefore, this is a story of a weak woman struggling to survive in the cracks of the lower class of society, yearning to break free from constraints and oppression.

When Zhang Xiaojing appeared in the dungeon, she saw a glimmer of hope, and her subsequent performance was simply dazzling.
During the filming of this scene, Bai Liang was almost overshadowed by the actress playing the role.

Jin Jing: Is it too late for me to run now?
How's the rehearsal going?

"Sister Ni Ni!"

"Sister~"

"."

Ni Ni waved to the others, then looked at Bai Liang, who was leisurely lounging in a chair like a king, and her smile vanished. "You're so carefree, we're all exhausted."

"Is this tiring?"

Do you know what our group is performing?

"I didn't ask. What is it?"

"In 'Joy of Life,' they cast me as Haitang Duoduo. Do I look like a country girl?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Liang didn't immediately laugh; instead, he paused for a moment, "The other two groups wouldn't be like that either?"

"Hey! You guessed it! They're both your shows, 'The Story of Ming Lan' and 'Ming Dynasty'."

Bai Liang:
This production team really did choose the format that generates the most viewers.

All four dramas selected in this episode are starring Bai Liang.

It's unclear how well the other actors performed, but the viewership and traffic for this episode will definitely be staggering.

Tencent has really mastered the art of creating hype.

Moreover, the symbolism is quite good.

"Joy of Life", "The Story of Ming Lan" and "Ming Dynasty" are all hit dramas starring Bai Liang in the past two years, including two of them that became drama kings!

Viewers are quite familiar with these shows, and some TV stations still rebroadcast them from time to time.

With Bai Liang himself also getting involved, it's as if "The Longest Day in Chang'an" is now sitting at the same table as these hit dramas.

Bai Liang: It looks pretty good~
He looked at Ni Ni and said, "Why don't you go to rehearse? Don't act much worse than Xin Zhilei, or you'll get ridiculed."

“We’re not on the same track,” Ni Ni said, waving her hand.

Then, he gloated as he told Bai Liang about the "torture" that Xizi had suffered at Chen Kaige's hands.

She was just strolling around when she finally arrived at Bai Liang's place. Before that, she had already visited Xi Zi and Zhou Yiwei.

All I can say is that Old Chen's methods were "extremely cruel".

It felt like they were scolding Brother Xizi like he was their son.

Bai Liang: That's not the case. You haven't seen how Chen Kaige treats his son. Xizi is "not guilty of such a crime".

After chatting for a while, Ni Ni finally noticed the casting situation for Bai Liang's side.

"She plays Ding Tong'er?"

"Ang~"

"This casting doesn't seem quite right," Ni Ni said tactfully.

However, Bai Liang shook his head, "This is a variety show."

Variety shows are all about creating entertaining content.

Choosing the Golden Mirror is part of the show's effect; of course, plot twists are also very important.

If Jin Jing, whom everyone is skeptical of, can deliver a great performance, this unexpected turn of events will definitely surprise many people! They'll be utterly astonished.

Ni Ni: ? ? ?
So here's the question: how can this variety show personality act so well?

Guo Jingming was already preparing to "train the actors" at this point, although he wasn't actually very good at training actors.

Directors who are self-taught are prone to having a significant weakness in this area, namely, they often fail to effectively convey the desired effect.

Sometimes, even if you know something in your heart, you just can't say it out loud.

That's why Guo Jingming uses so many technical terms, just so people can't understand him, and that makes it seem profound.

However, Guo Jingming's main focus was on the other two male actors. Clearly, he had no idea how to get Jin Jing to play the role well.

Before long, Jin Jing and Bai Liang were lying there "lying dead" with the script in their arms.

"Giegie~ You chose her, shouldn't you be responsible for her?"

"Okay~"

"Really?! No dowry, no house, nothing at all, I'll marry you right now, and I'll have eight babies in one go! Call my mom right now!"

She's an amazing woman!

Bai Liang was wriggling around like a giant maggot, but he didn't forget to politely say, "Please say hello to the auntie for me~"

"Hey~ Giegie, you can speak Shanghainese too!"

"If you don't understand Shanghainese, how can you have a conversation with your Shanghai mother-in-law? Is your aunt as interesting as you?"

"Interesting souls are one in a million, and not everyone can be as outstanding as me~" After showing off for a while, Jin Jing immediately became timid and cupped her hands in a gesture of respect to the camera: "It's all for the show, please don't be angry with me, I'm a shipper myself!"

"So you do have a survival instinct?"

"of course."

"Which couple do you ship?" Bai Liang suddenly asked.

"Giegie, do you really want me to die?"

After the two performed a short "crosstalk" routine in front of the camera, Bai Liang became a little more serious and asked, "How did it feel? Can you act?"

"This role is really difficult, and I'm not some naturally gifted actor."

Bai Liang, however, did not offer any suggestions to Jin Jing regarding technical methods or character analysis.

Not enough time.

Therefore, since she is not a gifted inner disciple...

Why not become a heretical cultivator who uses every trick in the book!
(End of this chapter)