Abstract Art Award Winner

In the eyes of many people who know Zhou Le, he is a natural-born entrepreneur who is suited to make a living in the internet industry.

Take Yu Hewei, for example.

Because I used to frequently read things Zhou Le posted online, now every time I use my phone, all I see is data about Zhou Le.

"Will this work? I see a lot of people online are already using this meme."

"Why not? Other people are playing it, but it's a different experience when you play it yourself. How about giving it a try?"

"Then let me try?"

"Okay, I'll go borrow a machine right away."

The one thing that's never lacking in a film crew is people. Whether it's staff or extras, it's basically just a matter of saying a word.

Secondly, they have no shortage of bed partners. Anyone who can be considered a big shot is basically a piece of cake. They can't arrange big roles, but they can arrange minor roles in any crew.

Anyway, I've already taken care of things for you after sleeping with you and arranged for you to get into the film crew. Whether you can make it to the top depends entirely on your own abilities.

The third thing that is not lacking is machinery.

Whether it's for official use by the production team or for personal use in their rooms, there are plenty of these.

Especially those in the photography crew.

I randomly asked someone, and they enthusiastically said that the items were in the hotel and I could go back to get them anytime if I needed them.

"Thank you for your hard work, please let me borrow it for a moment."

"It's alright, all of this can be resolved."

About ten minutes later, the photographer returned on his electric scooter.

Zhou Le took it and saw that it was a Sony phone.

"Teacher Zhou, do you think this is enough? This is an a7M4. If you feel it's not enough, I'll go borrow some from others. They have better ones."

Zhou Le waved his hand, took the camera, opened it to check the parameters, and then tried it out. The focusing speed was acceptable, and it also supported 4K and had a microphone interface.

The external lens is sufficient.

"That's enough, that's fine. I'll only use it for a little while, just to take a short video for Teacher Yu."

Upon hearing this, the photographer immediately seized the opportunity: "Sure, but will you need post-processing? I can help if you do."

But Zhou Le thought this was also his opportunity. Post-production wasn't too difficult for him, as long as it wasn't too complicated with special effects. Overall, it was just about recording life, and Zhou Le could add some camera movements himself.

"It's okay, I'll do it."

When the cameraman heard that Zhou Le had taken responsibility, he stopped talking about it.

But after a while, he brought over three more lamps.

"I think it will come in handy. Even though it's daytime, it's still better to add some light at certain angles."

"thanks, thanks."

Zhou Le felt that the cameraman was indeed very perceptive.

After that, Zhou Le found some music and showed Yu Hewei the original version of the parody video.

"Oh, I've almost forgotten about that. It happened many years ago."

"It's pretty simple, just relax and shake it, film for about a minute, and give the parody section some new material."

"I'm fine with it, but why don't you teach me? I'm a little rusty from not jumping for so long."

"Okay."

Then Zhou Le gave the camera to Zhou Ye first.

Yu Hewei suddenly said, "How about we film the shots you taught me? Let's collaborate and I can ride on your popularity. We can also put your name on the credits."

“That’s a good idea. We can do a joint release. You don’t post much anyway, so I can help you promote it and get you some more followers. But my followers are mostly poor guys who might not be able to afford much. They can only support me.”

"It's okay, I don't care about these things. I'm already happy to gain more followers. Maybe if I gain more followers on Douyin, I can get a higher price when I participate in other commercial activities."

"That's fine, but can Ono film it?"

"No problem. I like to shoot vlogs when I have free time, and sometimes I shoot dance videos. I'm also fine with camera movements."

As he spoke, Zhou Le began to teach her step by step, basically telling her to relax as much as possible.

Yu Hewei quickly found his rhythm and started swaying along. At that moment, Zhou Le left the frame, leaving only Yu Hewei in the shot.

After they finished taking the photos, they looked at them again.

"Is this okay?"

"That's great. Usually, the first take is the most relaxing, but you become more and more restrained as you go on, and then it looks and feels different."

"That's true, I did it in one take when I was filming that dance scene."

"Then I'll cut it out for you later and post it on Douyin."

"Okay, let's go out for dinner tonight. I'll treat you and invite the cameraman too. Let's get some professional advice."

Upon hearing this, the cameraman quickly waved his hand and said, "It's alright, it's alright. The teachers can go eat. I don't really have any professional skills."

"Haha, it's okay, come on. We've all had a long day, so let's just have a simple dinner tonight. It won't take long. Now that Teacher Yu wants to develop in this direction, he should really listen to more opinions. After all, I can only handle simple things, but I can't handle anything a little more complicated."

If Yu Hewei wanted to invite the cameraman along when they ate, Zhou Le wouldn't mind chiming in. If Yu Hewei didn't bring it up, Zhou Le was thinking of either giving him a red envelope or a small gift later.

In short, a camera is a photographer's lifeline. If someone is willing to lend it out, it's definitely not something you can just take for free; that would be too much of a rip-off. They still have scenes to shoot during the day, and when they were filming the short video, they weren't wearing makeup or costumes, and the background they were using wasn't part of the final cut, so it didn't affect their work.

Although you can edit on your phone, it's only a minute long and not complicated. You can just adjust the lighting, add some simple animations, and insert some background music.

But he still didn't do these things during breaks from filming.

After all, in a film crew like this, you have to have the right attitude towards filming. When you're off set, you can either drink some water, rest, chat, or look at the script.

He spends all his free time glued to his phone; no one would be happy to see that.

After filming wrapped up for the day, Yu Hewei took Zhou Le, Zhou Ye, and the cameraman out for dinner. During the meal, they also chatted with the cameraman about many issues related to filming.

"By the way, Brother Le, do you use a computer for editing? If so, I have one."

"It's okay. I usually bring my laptop when I go out, and I have editing software on it. I've done this kind of thing before, but I've been using it less lately and I've become rusty."

"Brother Le is really all-around amazing. It seems like there's nothing you can't do except give birth."

"Having a baby? I think having a baby is fine too. It's just an abortion. With Le'er's financial resources, having an abortion is a piece of cake, isn't it?"

"Please don't! I haven't had enough of being a man yet. I'd rather not have a baby. Brother, please don't repay kindness with enmity."

"Haha, I thought you wanted to be one," Yu Hewei said with a laugh. Then he looked at the cameraman and said, "But you're right, he really can do everything. When I was young, I wanted to be like him and try everything, but I didn't have a mentor and I was too lazy to do it myself, so I'm just an actor now."

But you're still young. If you have the opportunity, you can try more things. Of course, you can't give up your main job, but you can develop the others into hobbies or side jobs.

"Thank you, Teacher Yu."

"It's alright. We've all been through this, and I'm getting on in years, so I might be a bit long-winded."

"No, no, I think you're absolutely right. Young people should take risks and try new things, just like Teacher Zhou."

"Me? I'm just really bored. When I'm working, I always want to rest, but once I'm resting, I want to find something to do. I'm quite willing to try photography, shooting portraits and videos, etc. It feels pretty good."

"But do you have any previous film or video work? Even short films or photos are fine."

"some."

The photographer was waiting for this sentence. Although filming with the crew was not bad, and each time he was away from the company, it would be at least four or five months, sometimes seven or eight months, or even a year. Moreover, the company would provide subsidies for business trips.

But as I said before, even if you can earn 20,000 or 30,000 a month, you're still just working for someone else.

If you can work independently, it's better to do so. Even if you can't work independently, you can find a job with a higher salary.

Finally, he took out his phone and showed them some of his previous works.

There are stunning landscapes, portraits, and short, humorous videos.

While watching the videos, he was a little embarrassed: "These were videos I filmed with the help of my friends. I wrote the script, and after filming, I did post-production and dubbing."

"Well, yours is pretty good. The stuff you make is all very good, and the jokes you shoot are quite interesting. But since you're a photographer on set, you probably don't have much time to manage your own account, right?"

"Yes, I did make some videos before, but due to my main job, I stopped updating them later. Sometimes I would post one every two or three months, and sometimes it would take half a year to post one. As for the fans, I only had about 10,000 or 20,000, and now they are probably all dead fans."

After listening, Zhou Le thought for a moment and said, "It's really impressive that you've managed to get over 20,000 followers with just four or five videos. The content you've created is also quite interesting. But I just want to ask you one thing: can you guarantee a consistent output of content?"

"Yes, I can. Although I haven't had time to film, I've still written quite a few scripts during this period, probably thirty or forty in total."

"That's quite a lot. Brother, let me ask you, do you have any ideas about starting your own self-media? Like making short videos like those."

"I do have this idea, but I've heard that doing self-media requires cooperating with MCN agencies, but I don't know which of the current ones is better."

Many popular bloggers get ripped off after collaborating with those agencies, so I'm hesitant to work with them. But if I do it myself, I'm afraid I won't succeed and might lose my current job. If my video production doesn't take off, I might as well stay here for now; at least the production team provides food and lodging, and I can save some money.

"Your idea is indeed very good, but I do have a company like that here. If you're willing to come, I can sign you. The contract and everything will be transparent, and there won't be any unfair terms."

There will be a termination fee, but mine won't be high. You'll also get the support and traffic you're entitled to. Unlike other companies, they won't leave you to fend for yourself after you sign with them.

If I have time, I can also appear on your show, and other artists can also make cameo appearances. This is a perk for you, and I won't charge you extra for it.

However, the support is divided into several levels. The penalty for breach of contract is lower for the weaker ones and higher for the better ones. But ours is entirely voluntary. If you are willing to come, you can sign a contract to work full-time. In addition, if you feel that the account is not doing well or not making money, I can also arrange for you to work as a photographer in my other film and television companies.

I happen to have some experience producing short dramas, and I'm always hiring. If you'd like to continue making movies and TV series, I can help you with introductions. The salary definitely won't be lower than your current one; at most, it'll be the same.

The photographer immediately understood that the money for the celebrity appearance would definitely be included in the support package, and it was impossible for him to get it for free. But how many social media influencers could actually afford to hire celebrities these days?
Unless you reach the top.

"I'm willing, Brother Le, but I've already signed a contract for this film."

"It's okay, we'll just wait until this movie is finished filming. We'll think about it some more, since it's related to our future career development. If it works out, we'll go for it; if not, we might have other opportunities to work together in the future."

Zhou Le just said it casually, and also wanted to find some people for the company. After all, they're internet celebrities; if they have potential, they should be hired. If they succeed, they can make money for the company.

"I'll have them send you the contract and stuff later, and you can think about it some more."

After the meal, Zhou Le had recruited someone, and he felt that the other party would most likely not refuse.

After all, there's no need for it. Given the opportunity to start a business, who would want to work for someone else?

After dinner, they returned to the hotel, and Zhou Ye secretly slipped into Zhou Le's room and stayed there all night.

He didn't get up until around 5 a.m. the next day and quietly returned to his room.

After changing my clothes and washing up, I pretended to be nonchalant and ate breakfast with everyone.

While having breakfast, Zhou Le made a pointed compliment, saying, "Xiao Ye, to be honest, I really admire your acting skills."

Zhou Ye looked up at Zhou Le, wanting to laugh but not daring to, feeling a little shy.

"That's all thanks to Brother Le's excellent teaching." (End of Chapter)