Abstract Art Award Winner

The sponsorship portfolio of "Five Ha" has always been meticulously planned, although Vipshop was already confirmed as the exclusive title sponsor long ago.

While the production team took care of the guests' outfits and product recommendations, they never missed any opportunity to collaborate with other resources during filming.

In addition, cultural and tourism bureaus and local brands in the cities along the way will take the initiative to extend olive branches, after all, this program has the potential to gain "national exposure".

The new energy vehicle brands that guests use for their daily travels, the sparkling water they casually pick up during breaks, and even the customized toiletries they use at hotels will all be seen by millions of viewers through the camera lens.

This was especially true during the filming of this episode in Hengdian.

In addition to Vipshop's core sponsorship, Hengdian World Studios opened up almost all its resources: not only did it coordinate the use of the core shooting area, but it also brought in a professional ancient costume prop library for guests to experience, and even arranged for senior production assistants to accompany and coordinate the work throughout the process.

It's worth noting that Hengdian, as the leading film and television base in China, usually has to schedule appointments for film crews. The fact that it provides such great convenience to variety shows is not only because it values ​​the popularity of the program, but also because it wants to use the guests' experiences to show the audience "the daily life behind the scenes of film and television".

Although Hengdian is already a household name, continuous exposure is always necessary to maintain its popularity in the cultural tourism industry. After all, new film and television bases are emerging every year, and everyone understands the principle that if you don't move forward, you fall behind.

Another noteworthy point is the production team that Guo Qiling was in.

This team, which focuses on "highly efficient short dramas," has been working in the industry for nearly a year. From initial topic selection and scriptwriting to filming and post-production editing, the entire production process has been honed to the point of being as smooth as a fine gear.

Their current record is: to complete the filming of an 80-episode short drama in one week, then hand it over to the post-production team for rough editing, color grading, and music addition in three days, and finally seamlessly connect it to major short video platforms for distribution.

The entire process, from topic selection to online launch, took no more than half a month.

This "short, quick, and efficient" model is quite competitive in the short drama market.

This time, after completing the usual pre-production process, they also had to cooperate with the "Five Ha" program team to let the guests immerse themselves in the daily work on set.

However, for the actors who spend most of their time on film sets, this is something they are already very familiar with.

Moving props, monitoring lighting, and waiting in line are all part of their job, and they are even more adept at these tasks than the amateur experiences arranged by the production team.

"Guo, this is your turf, how are you planning to arrange things for us temporary workers?" Deng Chao was the first to approach Guo Qiling, smiling and patting him on the shoulder. The others also gathered around, their eyes full of anticipation.

Guo Qiling was already confident. He cleared his throat and said, "Everyone will be working for me. The production team will pay the wages. There are currently vacant positions for stagehands, lighting technicians, assistant directors, makeup artists, sound recordists, and stand-ins. There are six positions available. You can choose one yourself."

The group huddled together and whispered among themselves, but Lu Han counted the heads and said, "Wait a minute, Tour Guide Guo, there are eight of us in total, six positions. What are the remaining two people supposed to do?"

"The remaining two people will be carrying out a hidden mission."

Guo Qiling smiled mysteriously, "Because we are going to Yiwu next, we need to go there in advance to scout out the location and make some preparations. This task needs to be done by reliable people."

Finally, everyone discussed and decided that Huang Bo, as a guest star, would be leaving the team in the next episode, so he was not suitable for carrying out long-term hidden missions; Meng Ziyi is a girl, so she might not be able to keep up with the physical work; Lu Han and Deng Chao are more suitable to be in technical positions such as photography and lighting.

"I think Mr. Huang Bo could become a sound engineer. After all, he's a professional, right?"

Zhou Le suddenly made a suggestion, his tone clearly teasing.

Everyone laughed when they heard this, but Meng Ziyi was completely confused.

He kept asking Chen He, who was standing next to him, "What are you laughing at? What happened to the sound engineer?"

"You might not know this, but Brother Bo also graduated from the Beijing Film Academy, although he studied dubbing in a vocational college," Chen He explained, suppressing a laugh.

Meng Ziyi suddenly realized, but quickly frowned again: "Brother Bo is such a good actor, why did he choose to study dubbing? Shouldn't he have studied acting?"

These kinds of serious questions are often the most hurtful.

Huang Bo shook his head helplessly and deliberately put on a stern face: "Look at what you're saying. Do you think that the reason why the Tsinghua and Peking University admission notices didn't reach Le'er back then was because Le'er didn't like Tsinghua and Peking University? I also wanted to go to the acting class back then, but I couldn't pass the exam, so I could only go to the dubbing class in the end. At least it was a roundabout way to achieve my goal."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Brother Bo, I really didn't know that." Meng Ziyi quickly apologized, then added seriously, "Actually, voice acting is also very good... I know quite a few great voice actors, and the main thing is that this major is relatively easy to get into, so it's quite cost-effective."

Upon hearing this, Huang Bo was so angry that he laughed: "So, in your eyes, dubbing classes have become a 'safety net'? Okay, your honesty is rare in the entertainment industry."

He could tell that Meng Ziyi wasn't being sarcastic on purpose; the girl was just straightforward and said whatever came to mind. This kind of personality is actually quite endearing in variety shows, at least she's genuine and unpretentious.

"That's why I say Sister Meng has high EQ. I can't even come up with the word 'cost-effectiveness' no matter how hard I try," Guo Qiling added from the side.

“That’s right, Sister Meng has the highest EQ in our team.” Deng Chao chimed in.

Meng Ziyi proudly raised her chin: "Of course, I have a very high EQ, but since everyone calls me 'sister,' I have to give some advice. Xiao Le, I think being a stunt double would suit you well. You're good at fighting, why don't you become a stunt double?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Zhou Le raise his eyebrows and quickly waved her hand: "Just kidding, just kidding. Everyone choose first, and I'll do whatever's left. I'm not afraid of hardship."

Zhou Le smiled and nodded: "Sister Meng, your arrangement is really convenient. I was just thinking about it. I used to be a stunt double, so it's actually a good fit for my profession. Back when I was an extra filming action movies, I did a lot of stunt work. I'll take this spot first, and you can choose from the rest."

Finally, the position was finalized: Huang Bo got his wish and became a sound recordist, holding a boom microphone and following the camera with a professional air.

Meng Ziyi chose a makeup artist and followed the crew's makeup artist to do the actresses' makeup, Lu Han carried a camera and became a photography assistant, while Deng Chao stayed by the lights to adjust the angles.

Huang Jingyu, having plenty of energy, volunteered to be a production assistant, running around the most to move props and set up scenery; Chen He wandered over to the director's side and became his assistant, occasionally handing the director a bottle of water or fanning him, which was probably the easiest job for him.

Meanwhile, Guo Qiling, acting as the tour guide, and Tian Yu worked together to investigate the hidden missions in Yiwu.

“Perfect timing. I’m pretty good at scheduling, and it’s fine for filming on set, but if it’s a physically demanding job, my body probably wouldn’t be able to handle it.” Tian Yu patted his back; he had strained his back while filming a period drama and was still not fully recovered.

"Teacher Tian, ​​I'm the tour guide. I'll only be responsible for leading the way. You'll have to figure out the rest of the arrangements yourself." Guo Qiling laughed as he shirked responsibility. The two often bickered on set during the filming of "Joy of Life," and their teamwork remains excellent.

"No problem, I've got it covered," Tian Yu assured him, patting his chest.

However, before officially starting filming, the director of the production team still had to hold a meeting with them according to procedure.

The director is a young man who has just graduated. He was temporarily recruited from the film academy when the crew was preparing for the film last year, and he has only one year of work experience.

In short drama production teams, the director is often the least "present" character.

With a limited budget, amateur actors, borrowed locations, cobbled-together props, and a dedicated team producing the script, it was a miracle that the film was even made; there was no artistic creation to speak of.

Now that he was about to hold a meeting with a group of big names, the director was so nervous that his palms were sweating and his voice was trembling: "Um, everyone, we're filming a period martial arts drama today. The main scene is a fight in an inn. Have you all received your job descriptions and schedules? If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Don't be shy."

"It's alright, Director. We're all your soldiers now. Just tell us what to do, and we'll do it. If we do well, no need to praise us; if we don't, feel free to criticize us." Zhou Le noticed his nervousness and took the initiative to ease the tension.

The director was inwardly groaning. He only found out last night that he was going to host this group of guests, and when he saw Zhou Le's name, he almost dropped the script in his hand.

Zhou Le is his own big boss!

The company invested in several big productions, and their small, run-down crew was just incredibly lucky to be selected.

Now that the big boss is acting as his stand-in, how could he dare to actually give orders?

"Sigh, alright." He gritted his teeth and assigned specific tasks to the group, emphasizing the precautions for wire work, afraid that something might go wrong.

Soon, filming officially began.

Everyone performed their duties diligently. Although it was their first time doing these behind-the-scenes tasks, they were all familiar with the film set and picked things up very quickly. During filming, everyone was serious and didn't dare to be careless in the slightest.

As soon as the director yelled "cut," everyone burst into laughter and chatter. The entire crew was infected by this lively atmosphere, and even the stagehands hummed tunes while moving props.

"Okay, now the stunt double will go on stage," the director shouted into the walkie-talkie.

Zhou Le, dressed in ancient costume, stood in the center of the field. Today, he was playing the role of a swordsman from an inn. He was to complete a set of sword moves before being kicked away by the villain.

"It's okay, just do it normally, don't worry, I'm perfectly healthy."

Zhou Le smiled and said to Guan Yunpeng, the actor who played the villain.

Guan Yunpeng is a regular actor in this short drama crew. He usually plays the crooked-mouthed dragon king. Today, he was so nervous to be acting with such a big star that his palms were sweating.

Zhou Le patted him on the shoulder: "Relax, just treat it like you're filming a movie. The more nervous you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes."

Guan Yunpeng nodded and took a deep breath.

Following the procedure, after Zhou Le finished demonstrating a set of smooth and flowing movements with his longsword, Guan Yunpeng sneered and said, "All flash and no substance."

Then he kicked Zhou Le away.

Zhou Le was already suspended by wires. The moment he was kicked, he fell backward. The wires tightened suddenly, and he flew two meters away, crashing heavily into the tables and chairs behind him with a loud bang.

At this moment, the original cast members all stood up nervously.

That looked like a serious injury; the table was even moved by the impact. If the big boss had actually been injured, they would probably have been fired on the spot.

Guan Yunpeng turned pale and stood there helplessly. But the director, sitting behind the monitor, watched the screen with a furrowed brow: "Okay, continue."

He knew he was nervous, but as the director, he dared not leave his post without permission.

"Actors, come on!" After the director yelled "cut," the actor who was Zhou Le's stand-in immediately came on stage, struck the same pose, and replaced Zhou Le.

Then, with a cry of "Ouch!", he rolled on the ground and cursed Guan Yunpeng a few harsh words. His movements were fluid and graceful, clearly indicating that he had practiced.

After this scene was filmed, everyone gathered around.

"Are you okay?"

"You didn't hit it?"

The director ran over with a walkie-talkie in hand.

Zhou Le waved his hand and patted the dust off his clothes: "It's nothing, this is nothing. It was much tougher when we were filming back then."

After that, they filmed for another hour on set, from sword duels to sneak attacks with hidden weapons, until all the shots were filmed and the finance department paid them their wages according to procedure—300 yuan per person in cash, in an envelope, and stamped with the crew's seal.
Only then did the director muster the courage to invite them to "give lessons" to the short drama actors, following the established procedure.

It was called a class, but it was really just sitting together and talking about our experiences, giving these young actors some advice.

“These are nothing, they’re all too common on set,” Deng Chao began. “To act realistically, you can’t put on airs. Once the camera is on, the actor has to be the character, not think, ‘I’m acting.’ You’re short drama actors now, the pace is fast, the camera is close, so you have to pay even more attention to details. A single glance, a small gesture, can draw the audience into the story…”

Zhou Le continued, "I'd like to add something, especially in action scenes. Safety is always the top priority. The kick I received just now looked fierce, but the angle and force of the wire work were all calculated. Don't try to force it just for the sake of realism. Right now, accumulating experience is the most important thing for you. Even if you're acting in a short drama, you have to take every shot seriously. Opportunities often lie in these details."

Several people took turns to share their performance experiences.

When it came to Chen He's turn, he waved his hands repeatedly: "I won't say anything. I have nothing to teach you. I'm not very good at acting. If you learn from me, you're really doomed."

Everyone looked at Lu Han again, and Lu Han smiled embarrassedly: "I'm even worse. I'm famous for my acting. As for acting skills, just listen to them. I don't have anything to say. I can only say that if you're going to act, just act well. Don't follow my example or Brother He's example. Learn more from Brother Chao and Le'er. They really have something."

Finally, everyone's attention fell on Meng Ziyi, who cleared her throat: "I won't talk about acting skills, but in terms of work attitude, you must be serious, go all out, and don't care about your image. Also, just be yourself, don't learn those roundabout ways, the audience can tell who is sincere and who is fake."

No one disagreed with that statement.

Because everyone can see that Meng Ziyi is truly being herself.

If they had put on any act, the public opinion surrounding The Untamed wouldn't have been able to turn around so quickly.

The day's workday quickly came to an end, and everyone felt a great sense of accomplishment as they clutched their wages.

During dinner that evening, the crew specially added a few hearty dishes, and everyone sat around the round table, chatting casually.

“Besides being actors, most of us here are probably also singers, right?” Chen He suddenly spoke up. “Brother Chao has sung on the Spring Festival Gala and has a solo single; Xiao Lu is a singer and often holds concerts; Le’er has also sung on many big stages, right?”

"Brother, I was on the Spring Festival Gala this year, have you already forgotten?" Zhou Le explained.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot. What about Xiao Meng? Xiao Meng is so pretty, she must sing really well, right?" Chen He immediately changed the subject, pointing the conversation towards Meng Ziyi.

I want to see what other tricks Meng Ziyi can pull.

Since they're Zhou Le's people, mentioning them more often on the show will increase their screen time.

Zhou Le's heart skipped a beat; he had a bad feeling.

He knew Meng Ziyi's singing talent all too well.

"It's alright. Actually, my singing is just so-so, but I personally really enjoy listening to music." Meng Ziyi was quite honest.

"Why don't you sing one? I think if you don't sing well, it might be because the style of music isn't suitable. What kind of songs does Xiao Meng usually like to listen to?" Deng Chao chimed in, and the others joined in the commotion.

“I listen to everything, Chinese and foreign, I’ve even listened to Lu Han’s songs.” With that, Meng Ziyi cleared her throat and began to sing: “The story begins in that first dream, the starry sky shines only because of me…”

When she opened her mouth, everyone at the table was stunned.

This tune is way off track!
The originally gentle melody was sung all the way to the Mariana Trench.

"Do you know what song this is?" Meng Ziyi asked, looking at everyone expectantly after finishing the song.

"No, is this even a song?" Guo Qiling covered his face, his shoulders shaking from trying to suppress his laughter.

Lu Han frowned, racking her brains for a while: "I think I vaguely remember these lyrics, but is this my song? It doesn't sound quite right to me..."

Meng Ziyi nodded matter-of-factly: "Yes, it's that song, 'Medal'."

Lu Han was dumbfounded. This was the first time he had ever heard his hit song sung like this.

Seeing this, Meng Ziyi sang another chorus: "But I will be like Odysseus, heading towards the direction in my heart, even if the gods will block me on the other side..." This time he went even further off track, with almost no words in the tune.

After she finished singing, she asked expectantly, "How was it? Did you hear it? I think there was no problem, just a little bit off-key."

Zhou Le paused for a moment, then took a while to organize his thoughts before saying, "That's so true, Sister Meng. You really don't need to worry about singers demanding royalties for your singing on the show. Just sing with confidence, because no singer will feel like they've been infringed on after listening to you sing."

Meng Ziyi blinked and asked, "Why? Because I sang so badly off-key they didn't dare recognize me? They were afraid others would know I was singing the same song as them?"

Zhou Le suppressed a laugh and explained seriously, "You can't say that. You can only say that you completely subverted the original style, which is equivalent to re-arranging the music. It's an avant-garde and experimental arrangement. From a certain perspective, your musical talent is unique. It's the kind of music that you'll never forget after hearing it once, but you definitely can't imitate it."

"Is that so?" Meng Ziyi's eyes lit up, as if she had discovered a new continent. "Then I really need to think about it when I get back. I'll find a vocal teacher to learn systematically. Maybe I'll have a chance to enter the music industry in the future! I'll release a single then and let you hear my progress."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Le almost spat out the cola in his mouth and quickly wiped his mouth with a tissue: "No, please don't. I think you're doing very well on this path right now. Acting in movies and recording variety shows, the audience likes your straightforward personality. Don't let singing delay your career."

He was catching his breath with his hand on his chest as he said this, clearly quite frightened.

Meng Ziyi didn't think much of it and obediently nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to you. But is my singing really that bad? Shuxin said before that my singing of 'A Little Happiness' was quite good."

Zhou Le sighed inwardly. He never denied Meng Ziyi's looks and personality.

Her face is a natural attraction the moment it's in front of the camera; her straightforward and unpretentious personality makes her especially likable on variety shows.

Just like Zhou Ye.

With that face, even if he plays a villain, the audience will still praise his acting.

But singing was the only thing that really gave him a headache.

He knows many singers and songwriters with strong creative abilities, and he is currently considering creating several catchy and popular songs for his artists to increase their exposure through music release.

But Meng Ziyi was the only one he didn't have that idea at all.

It's hard to say about other people, but as long as Meng Ziyi sings live on stage, no one will doubt that she is using the original audio.

Because the songs she sings are definitely not "good to listen to".

In another variety show, she sang "Winter's Secret" at a pitch that was as high as "Qinghai-Tibet Plateau". Even the original singer's fans left comments saying, "We suggest that Sister Meng open a separate 'new style' track. We admit defeat."

Because of that song, Zhou Chuanxiong specifically thanked Meng Ziyi during his concert, which brought him many more new listeners.

While Zhou Le was saying these things, Guo Qiling was laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight. He nodded vigorously and slapped his thigh repeatedly, saying, "That's so right!" and "That really hit the nail on the head!"

The table shook because the slap was too hard, and the empty wine bottles on it were almost knocked over.

When they returned to the hotel after dinner, Guo Qiling rolled up his trouser legs to show Zhou Le his reddened thighs: "Look, look, they're all bruised! I was so excited when Sister Meng told me she was going to enter the music scene that I couldn't control my strength at all."

Sure enough, there was a red mark on his thigh.

Zhou Le laughed and gave him a push: "You must be bored, why are you taking so many pictures?"

"Can you not push yourself too hard?" Guo Qiling lowered his voice. "Let me tell you, when we were filming before, we went out to sing karaoke, and she sang 'Love for Sale' at the karaoke bar. It gave me a psychological trauma. Now, I get a headache just from hearing the intro to that song. You didn't see it, but when the waiter came in to bring the fruit platter, he froze at the door after hearing it. He probably thought we were fighting inside."

As the two were talking, Meng Ziyi's voice came from behind: "What are you two whispering about? Are you talking badly about me?"

Guo Qiling quickly pulled down his trouser leg and turned around with a grin: "How could that be, Sister Meng? We were praising you for your talent in filming action scenes today. Your swordsmanship in that period drama last time was even more standard than the stunt double's!"

Meng Ziyi's attention was indeed diverted, and she proudly raised her chin: "That's right, I learn things very quickly! It's just that I'm a little less talented at singing, but that's only because I haven't studied it yet."

But as soon as she finished speaking, Meng Ziyi couldn't help but burst out laughing. (End of Chapter)