Huayu 2021: Isn’t he in the technology field?

Chapter 214 A single word can be a game-changer; don't embarrass yourself.
At 8:47, a series of camera shutter sounds suddenly came from downstairs.

Liu Junjie glanced out the window, then turned to face the crowd with a smile.

"Alright, we should go downstairs now."

Everyone knew that the press conference for the start of filming was about to begin, and they all responded in their own voices.

As Zhang Jingyi followed the crowd toward the stairwell, she overheard two script supervisors whispering to each other.

"I just counted, there are six satellite vehicles alone, and I can even see the CCTV logo."

She clicked her tongue inwardly, glancing at Jiang Qing beside her, knowing that all of this was thanks to him.

Although he hasn't had a single work released yet, his popularity has already surpassed that of many so-called top celebrities in the industry.

Moreover, this is Luyang, so it's no exaggeration to say that it's his home turf.

As everyone chatted and laughed, they turned the corner of the stairs and stopped in their tracks when they saw the courtyard.

The lawn in front of the library was temporarily transformed into a press conference venue, with a 30-meter-long backdrop displaying the title of the show, "Lighter and Princess Dress," interwoven with flames and code.

A huge crowd of students thronged outside the cordon. At the front, a boy wearing a baseball cap held up a tablet computer with the words "Jiang Shen is great!" scrolling across the screen.

"This setup is enough to film a Lunar New Year movie."

Zhao Zhiwei nudged Jiang Qing's arm and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Can I stand next to you and get on the trending topics list later?"

"I suggest you hold this up."

Jiang Qing pulled out a name tag with the name "Li Xun" from the props box and handed it to him.

"Guaranteed to make the headlines."

As everyone took their seats amidst cheers, Zhang Jingyi noticed that all the cameras and microphones in the media area were turned towards Jiang Qing.

As soon as the female host in the navy blue suit finished her opening remarks, more than thirty microphones sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

Why would Dr. Jiang accept a role in a campus idol drama?

A reporter from Anhui TV asked the question first.

"I heard you turned down the International Artificial Intelligence Summit?"

Zhang Jingyi raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the boy next to her, wanting to see how he would answer.

Jiang Qing adjusted the microphone stand in front of her and smiled calmly.

"The character Li Xun is similar to me in some ways. For example, his all-nighter is very similar to my state when I was modifying code in my freshman year of college."

He suddenly turned to Zhang Jingyi, raising an eyebrow and smiling slightly.

"However, Zhu Yun probably wouldn't be bringing fried noodles to someone at 3 a.m.

Good-natured laughter rang out, and Zhang Jingyi raised her hands as if holding something in response.

"Plenty of boxed meals, and all you can eat, including hot and sour shredded potatoes."

Jiang Qing turned her face away from her, waving her hands repeatedly as if it were completely unnecessary, which drew a burst of laughter from the audience.

"So, what are your thoughts on kissing scenes?"

A question from a male reporter from an entertainment channel caused a sudden silence in the room, followed by a buzz of discussion, with everyone looking on with expressions of anticipation.

Will the iconic first kiss scene from the original work be recreated?

The male reporter continued to escalate the situation, and the scene erupted in cheers and jeers from onlookers who seemed to enjoy the spectacle.

Zhang Jingyi felt her ear tips suddenly become burning hot, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jiang Qing calmly twirling a pen.

"Directors can use shooting angles to modify the actual shooting effect, and create different visual effects by changing the relative positions of actors, props and sets."

"Simply put, it's about using a camera angle to create a false impression!"

Zhang Jingyi suddenly spoke up to explain, and the audience burst into laughter.

The students outside the cordon took the opportunity to cause a commotion.

"We want to see real relatives!"

A boy in a plaid shirt suddenly emerged from the crowd, holding a megaphone and shouting.

"Jiang Shen! Can I bring my family to class next week?"

Before the security guards could even arrive, this clown had already been dragged back into the crowd by his classmates, causing a burst of laughter from the crowd.

"Can we audit Dr. Jiang's class next week?"

The reporter from China Daily finally managed to get a chance to ask a question.

"Next Friday at 2 PM, Lecture Hall 3, West Wing, Physics and Chemistry Building."

Jiang Qing took out her phone and waved it.

"I just received a notice from the Academic Affairs Office that one hundred temporary seats have been added, on a first-come, first-served basis."

Cheers suddenly erupted on the lawn, and several computer science students immediately opened their "Machine Learning in Action" textbooks to begin their pre-study.

A girl with a bun hairstyle excitedly tugged at her companion's sleeve.

"If I manage to get a front-row seat, I'm definitely going to ask him about generative adversarial networks this time."

"I want to ask about recurrent neural networks."

His companion excitedly echoed.

"Hello Dr. Jiang, I am a reporter from Sohu Entertainment. I would like to ask you about the AI-generated movies you mentioned during your lecture at Tsinghua University."

A man in his forties raised his hand, immediately attracting everyone's attention.

"In your opinion, if we really develop to the point where AI can generate a movie on its own, will the entertainment industry face a major reshuffle, and will many practitioners face the predicament of being eliminated?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the lively atmosphere at the scene suddenly froze.

This is not a good question to answer!

Many people realized something was wrong. Zhang Jingyi glanced at Jiang Qing with a worried look in her eyes.

Sensing the gaze, Jiang Qing turned and gave her a reassuring look.

Immediately, his gaze shifted to the male reporter wearing a "Huasheng Online" work badge.

"This media professional clearly didn't watch my last lecture carefully."

"Uh... Dr. Jiang, I watched the whole thing."

The male reporter quickly offered an explanation.

"It seems like you're not putting in much effort."

Jiang Qing teased him with a smile.

"I made it very clear that by then everyone's efficiency will be higher, and there will be more time to refine the details. The industry will continue, but everyone's way of working will change."

“Dr. Jiang, I…”

"Please allow me to speak first."

Jiang Qing interrupted him, then glanced at all the media present, her expression gradually becoming serious.

Zhang Jingyi noticed that he was holding a microphone in his right hand and rhythmically tapping the table with the pad of his left index finger.

"First of all, let me confirm one thing: what I'm talking about, AI-generated movies, will definitely be realized. If things go as fast as three years, we might see them."

Jiang Qing's opening remarks were a bombshell, causing an uproar among the audience. The media reporters' expressions turned excited, sensing that there might be a major breakthrough today, and they rushed forward with their cameras and microphones.

"Faced with the AI ​​wave, filmmakers need to be creative as the foundation and technology as the wings."

Jiang Qing remained unfazed by the reactions on the scene, and continued speaking in a calm and unhurried manner.

"AI may be able to mass-produce qualified genre films, but what it will never learn is how to point the camera at those corners of the times that are not labeled by the algorithm."

"When technology can generate any image, we need to approach stories with a search more than ever."

His words gradually quieted the room. Zhang Jingyi turned her head to look at the boy next to her, her body gradually relaxing, but her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Before, it was just on a screen, but now Jiang Qing is right beside her, and the feeling is completely different.

"When filmmaking transforms into computation, and creation into accessing databases, behind this technological frenzy, we should perhaps be wary: when AI takes over 80% of low- to mid-level creative work, can the remaining 20% ​​of human creativity still sustain the soul of art?"

Jiang Qing's words caused a moment of silence in the room, and many people looked thoughtful.

"The impact of AI on the film industry is truly astonishing. According to our simulation experiment, it can complete the evaluation of a novel script of 20 to 50 words in 5 minutes, replacing the workload of a screenwriter for 3 days."

"It can also automatically generate portraits, design posters, and even transform from a tool into a creative partner in a short period of time."

"But this efficiency-first logic exposes the biggest paradox of AI+film: the more advanced the technology, the easier it is for the creation to fall into exquisite mediocrity."

"Machine-generated creativity may seem abundant, but it is actually just an arrangement and combination of existing human works."

"When creators rely on AI to provide inspiration quick fixes, profound expressions that require confronting pain, loneliness, and confusion become scarce."

"Every technological revolution in film history has been accompanied by the adherence to and adaptation of the essence of art."

At this point, Jiang Qing paused, her expression becoming serious as she faced the dozens of cameras pointing at her.

"From silence to sound, from black and white to color, technology has always been a means, not an end."

"But when AI movies are all about flashy visuals, audiences may only remember the special effects, not the warmth of the story itself."

"Moreover, it is worth noting that AI may create an illusion of creative equality."

"While lowering the barriers to entry with technology can certainly allow more people to participate in filmmaking, equating everyone being able to make a film with everyone being an artist is tantamount to confusing the essential difference between tools and art."

"One of the key values ​​of art forms such as film lies precisely in the creator's unique observation and reflection on the world, an ability that cannot be acquired through data training."

"Because the soul of a film is never in the database, but in the creator's clumsy interaction with the real world."

"Today, I hope to use your lenses to tell all film and television professionals that AI will never affect real filmmakers, but it will definitely replace many of today's shoddy productions."

That concludes my answer, thank you.

The moment Jiang Qing put down the microphone, the applause that erupted on the lawn startled even the cicadas into silence for a moment.

The boys outside the cordon rolled up their books into megaphone shapes and shouted "Jiang Shen is awesome!" while the girls stood on tiptoe to record videos with their phones, clapping their hands in celebration.

Zhang Jingyi's knuckles turned slightly white as she gripped the script. She could hear her own heartbeat mingling with the clamor of the crowd, like a summer downpour pounding against a windowpane.

Jiang Qing's profile was gilded by the nine o'clock sun, making it impossible for her to look away.

"That clip could be used as the opening sequence for a documentary."

Director Liu Junjie clapped and leaned over, giving Jiang Qing a thumbs up.

"I've already thought of the headlines for the media press releases: 'The most brilliant minds are online, providing answers and pointing the way for the film and television industry.'"

Just as Jiang Qing was about to speak, a female entertainment reporter with a ponytail suddenly jumped up from the front row.

"Dr. Jiang! Can you tell us if our Wuwen Technology's cutting-edge technology will be involved in the upcoming filming?"

"You should be asking me that question."

Liu Junjie interrupted with a smile, propping his elbows on the table like a storyteller in a teahouse.

"I was just discussing this topic with President Jiang yesterday."

Zhang Jingyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around and saw Jiang Qing twirling a pen.

The pen left a silver afterimage between his fingers before suddenly falling to the table with a "clatter".

She instinctively reached out to take it.

"Is there really enough hot and sour shredded potatoes?"

A laughing male voice brushed past her ear, and Zhang Jingyi abruptly withdrew her hand.

She grabbed the mineral water bottle, unscrewed it, and stared at the bottle as if she were studying something rare.

"Props team member Mr. Wang said he ordered twenty boxes today."

Cheers suddenly erupted outside the cordon. It turned out that some students had turned Jiang Qing's speech into a scrolling bullet screen and projected it onto the LED screen of the teaching building, which was probably an abuse of power.

However, at HKUST, this situation would likely not result in punishment; at most, they would just give a few words of reprimand.

Jiang Qing caught a glimpse of a girl from the clothing department wearing a cartoon T-shirt jumping around and pointing it out to her companion, not even noticing a ginkgo leaf stuck to the end of her hair.

Afterwards, Zhang Jingyi, Zhao Zhiwei, and the others took turns answering questions from the media. Everything proceeded smoothly without any further unexpected incidents.

Jiang Qing stopped answering questions, and the media clearly lost interest, seemingly eager to get back and publish her remarks to grab the top spot on the trending topics list.

After the press conference, the crew moved to another location for the opening ceremony.

The location was chosen on the east side of the library. As the stagehands jogged around with their tripods to set up the cameras, Jiang Qing was bending over, studying the wisps of smoke rising from the incense burner.

"All departments are prepared."

The executive director shouted through a megaphone.

"Please have the lead actors come forward to offer incense!"

Jiang Qing's movements as swift as pressing the Enter key made Zhang Jingyi's lips curl into a smile.

"Where did I do something wrong?"

Jiang Qing tilted her head and asked her.

Zhang Jingyi then realized that her hand holding the incense was trembling, and the three sticks of incense were almost blurry.

"No, you saw it wrong."

She immediately denied it outright.

Jiang Qing raised an eyebrow, secretly amused by the girl's stubbornness.

After the simple ceremony, the main cast and crew moved back to the classroom, where Liu Junjie suggested shooting a test shot to get a feel for the scene.

Under the direction of the executive director, the crew quickly cleared the set, and soon all the main actors, including Jiang Qing and Zhang Jingyi, and the extras were in place.

"Get ready, ten seconds to go."

"10, 9...1!"

"Action!"

The moment Liu Junjie's shout fell, Jiang Qing's aura changed drastically.

His eyes, which had been smiling just moments before, now seemed frozen solid. His aloof demeanor as he walked past the podium with one hand in his pocket was exactly like Li Xun, who had stepped out of a book.

Zhang Jingyi calmed herself, took a deep breath, and stepped forward, looking up at the boy in front of her.

When her eyes met his, she suddenly truly understood the same overwhelming, lightning-like tremor that Zhu Yun felt when she first met Li Xun.

She kept reminding herself, "Stay calm, don't embarrass yourself!"

(End of this chapter)