Chapter 25: Broadcast
Before shooting their music video, they had to allocate the sections each person would sing. Some who were weaker in dance were assigned to parts with less movement.
The performers who did well were distributed to groups with fewer people, while those who were average ended up in shots with about ten people.
A lot of the participants had their own thoughts and would try reasoning with the program team. So much so that just sorting out these parts took up to four hours.
While doing their makeup and delegating tasks, the program staff were constantly communicating through a loudspeaker.
Su Jinli was the center, with a special scene all to himself. The lyrics had already been arranged beforehand, so he was the first to start recording, which was particularly streamlined.
Su Jinli finally began to appreciate being the center.
The space assigned to Su Jinli was a small room, which was used as a set. It was actually surrounded by an empty stage, and there would be some drama.
The room was lemon yellow, with not many items inside. Most elements were of vibrant, contrasting colors.
While Su Jinli was recording, all he needed to do was dance inside and sing the lyrics.
Su Jinli performed very well, cooperating to the fullest extent with whatever the director said. The shoot proceeded smoothly.
The director had Su Jinli repeat the section four times before finally stopping.
Gu Ju was standing nearby, and after watching Su Jinli finish recording, he approached and asked: "Tired?"
"Not tired, this is much easier than regular practice," Su Jinli replied.
"Well, for my first music video, it was shot in one continuous take and we needed 23 attempts to get it right. With four takes, they're just choosing the one where you're in your best form," Gu Ju explained.
Su Jinli nodded, indicating his understanding.
________________________
After Su Jinli finished shooting, the program team called him for an individual interview.
He sat in the small room, waiting for the staff to finish preparing.
Just like the previous interview, they asked about his thoughts on the second round and the theme song selection process.
"I didn't expect that I'd be the center. I thought Wu Yu would be," Su Jinli shyly smiled while answering this question.
"Do you feel happy?"
"Of course, I'm happy! I was excited yesterday, and I thought if I just worked a bit harder, maybe I could start making money for the company."
At this point, the interviewer asked a curious question: "Among the female contestants in 'National Idol,' who fits your ideal mate criteria?"
Su Jinli was taken aback by this question and pondered before responding, "Since I got here, it's been constant practice, eating, sleeping, then more practice. I haven't really had the chance to observe the other contestants closely."
"But didn't you see their performances during the competition?"
"Oh, I was focused on the music. Do you usually search for a wife when you listen to music?"
The interviewer chuckled at Su Jinli's question before moving on to another inquiry. "In your opinion, who's the most capable contestant in 'National Idol'?"
"Wu Yu. He just has this overwhelming presence. Great singer, impressive dancer, and quite attractive."
"If you were stranded on a deserted island, who would you want with you?"
"I guess it would be Chang Siyin. He has the best personality."
"What kind of person do you see yourself as?" the interviewer asked yet again.
"A good person."
"Can you specify a bit?"
"I am... someone who has aspirations and dreams," Su Jinli answered with conviction.
"What are your aspirations and dreams?"
"To earn more money and then invite all my friends for hot pot."
"Why hot pot specifically?"
"I love hot pot. And barbecue!" His eyes lit up as she mentioned food.
"Are these all your aspirations and dreams?"
"No... There's more! I want to try being in love, eat more delicious food, work hard to repay the company, and also... I want to see my brother. I haven't seen him in a long time."
Reviewing his list of questions, the interviewer continued: "What type of girls do you like?"
Su Jinli asked suspiciously, "What would happen if I like them?"
"I mean, what kind of person would you want to be in a relationship with? What type do you like? What are the conditions?"
"Oh my god, how could I possibly have conditions? I would be so grateful if someone liked me."
"So, when do you want to start dating?" The interviewer asked with a smile, finding Su Jinli more and more interesting.
"If possible, I can do it starting tomorrow, but nobody likes me."
"If someone you liked appeared, would you actively pursue them?"
"Like Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen with the umbrella encounter? I guess so… but I haven't met anyone I like yet."
________________________
After their interview ended, the other groups were still filming.
He wandered around, watching and realizing that the people he was close with had all been assigned to different groups.
In particular, Wu Yu and An Zhihan stood out in the middle of their respective groups. These outstanding individuals wouldn't be overshadowed even in a crowd.
When all the filming was complete, all 60 participants gathered together for a group dance. Su Jinli stood in the most conspicuous position, with An Zhihan and Wu Yu flanking him.
During the shoot, the camera mostly centered around them.
Their music video shoot continued until 2 a.m., and the entire process was somewhat chaotic. A music video with 60 people turned out to be quite challenging to control.
After they finished, Su Jinli wiped his sweat in a corner. An Zhihan approached him, mumbling, "I'm so annoyed, I want to have a smoke."
"Aren't we not allowed to smoke?"
"Let's go back to the dorm, I can't take it anymore."
Su Jinli nodded, using his towel to wipe the sweat off An Zhihan, "You performed quite well today."
"Do you have any idea how painful the punch my brother gave me was? Even someone of my stature was shocked backward."
"Well, you should remember that feeling."
"Yes, yes, you're all right. I'm going to smoke."
They didn't want to wait for the elevator with the others. So, they simply took the stairs. Once they reached their room, An Zhihan sat by the window to smoke. Meanwhile, he mentioned to Su Jinli, "I did the calculations, and today is our show's premiere."
"Is the first episode airing today?"
"Yep, that's right."
________________________
On the day of the show's broadcast, the official Weibo account of the production team released a video to generate excitement.
This video contained highlights from the show, featuring Wu Yu's high notes, Su Jinli's fan dance, and Fan Qianting's rap segment. They were all included in this teaser video.
The show also included some interview clips, one of which had Su Jinli talking about his intention to set up a good character design. There were also snippets of his impromptu dance, and these scenes took up quite a bit of screen time.
This time, the Weibo post didn't have An Zhiyan's repost, but it still reached 20,000 reposts.
It was no longer just because of the An brothers but also due to the carefully selected highlights and, of course, Su Jinli and Wu Yu's visually appealing looks.
[Jiu Zui Gege Protects You: The contestants' appearances are quite impressive.]
[Cherry Freedom: That ancient-style handsome man from the previous video is really good-looking. This time, with more footage, it's easy to tell that it's not a surgically modified face. He looks very natural when smiling, and he's still so handsome.]
[Tu Ji Doesn't Eat Grass: The high-note guy sings well. I hope it's not autotuned. I'm kind of looking forward to it.]
[Mumu: Hahaha, his character design has already collapsed, this man is really too adorable. How can I resist becoming a fan?]
[Lotus Seed and Orange Filling: I want information on the ancient-style handsome guy and the high-note guy in 10 minutes!]
At 7 pm that evening, the first episode of "National Idol" aired on time on an entertainment channel of a local TV station.
Initially, the show wasn't highly regarded, so only this one TV station purchased the rights to broadcast it. Since the satellite TV channel already had established reality shows, "National Idol" could only be shown on an entertainment channel.
The premiere episode's viewership rating was steady, without a significant surge. It couldn't beat several satellite channels' fixed variety shows, but it attracted many fans who would promote the show afterward, as well as An Zhiyan's fans.
That night, "National Idol" quickly trended in online searches, dominating several trending terms.
#National Idol An Zhiyan
#An Zhihan AnZhiyan
#Su Jinli's character design
#The most genuine idol
#Xiao brother
Surprisingly, Su Jinli received attention.
In the first promotional video, Su Jinli only had one scene. This scene was quite incidental, intended to be a comedic clip. He was thoroughly a supporting character.
Still, the simple phrase and the 2-second camera shot managed to attract many fans' attention.
People didn't know who Su Jinli was, but they even gave him the nickname "Xiao brother." (Note: 簫 = Xiāo, a type of flute. 吹簫小哥 [Chuī xiāo xiǎo gē] literally means flute-blowing brother. I shortened it because it has explicit connotations ~ I'm sure you get it. Feel free to use Google Translate if you don't lol.)
After the first episode's airing, Su Jinli's scenes had hardly any cuts.
His adorable, dazed expressions during the interview, the accidentally funny remarks that had everyone laughing, his stunning ancient costume appearance, and his melodic singing captivated viewers. His impromptu dance further attracted attention.
He was good-looking, talented, and had a soft, cute personality, which resonated with many people.
There is a domestic website where fans of the ACG subculture congregate, usually referred to as "Station D"
Su Jinli's ancient costume appearance, an ancient-style song accompanied by Tai Chi fan choreography, quickly grabbed everyone's attention.
Overnight, he became Station D's newest ancient costume idol, and a video featuring his ancient-style song alone topped the charts that day.
Soon, fans discovered Su Jinli's Weibo account.
By then, Hou Yong had already verified Su Jinli's Weibo account and posted twice beforehand.
The first post featured a handsome, candid photo of Su Jinli happily eating hotpot. In his makeup-free state, he still had a stunning face, with an especially adorable and charming smile.
The second post showcased a photo taken during practice, accompanied by the caption: "Will you notice me if I keep working hard?"
Under this Weibo post, fans began to gather.
[RockSolid: You've successfully caught my attention!]
[EradicateChunibyo: Investing in Su Jinli is a sure win, isn't it worth a look?]
[ArcanaEpoch: Amazed by your looks, captivated by your talent.]
[YouthfulMola: Young man, are you an angel?]
[NamelessPony: Took a quick look, this company is really broke. No fake fans, I'm the 534th fan.]
________________________
On this day, Su Jinli gained 170,000 fans.
Other contestants also gained fans, but only Su Jinli both trended and experienced such a surge in popularity.
The show's production team seemed to notice Su Jinli's rising popularity. The following day, they released a stand-alone, uncut video of him, from his entrance to his interaction with An Zhihan after taking his seat.
That day, this Weibo post became one of the top trending posts.
Usually, posting a set of attractive male photos could bring anyone online fame overnight, turning an ordinary courier or traffic police officer into an internet celebrity.
With his handsome appearance, pleasant voice, excellent singing talent, cute persona, and impressive dancing skills, Su Jinli was irresistible.
A big Entertainment V [Prominent Influencer] posted a screenshot of An Zhiyan and An Zhihan's bickering and comments, with the caption: "Used to the entertainment industry's portrayal of perfect families, this sibling dynamic feels refreshingly unique."
They also hit the headlines.
The viewership of the "National Idol" video increased exponentially with this surge in popularity.
Originally just one of the shows on a video streaming site, three days after its launch, it appeared in the revolving advertisements on the homepage, a rare occurrence.
An undervalued program suddenly entered the viewers' field of vision. Many got swayed into following "National Idol."
With a sudden surge in data and steadily increasing topic popularity and heat level, "National Idol" welcomed a new set of investors.
With the investment, the production team's confidence and budget increased.
The domino effect? Cameras got installed in everyone's bedrooms!
Su Jinli, An Zhihan, Wu Yu, and Fan Qianting watched awkwardly as the staff entered and installed a camera in the corner facing their beds and near the window.
After the staff left, the four gathered under the camera, only to discover that it could move on its own.
"What do we do if it records us grinding our teeth or snoring while sleeping?" Fan Qianting asked, his voice calm but his tone revealing distress.
"Let's smash it. We have no privacy now," An Zhihan suggested.
"It's not bad. Now you and Wu Yu can't argue in the bedroom," Su Jinli remarked and received a slap on the back of his head from An Zhihan.
Following that, An Zhihan dragged Su Jinli into the hallway: "I'll teach you how to handle interviews and cameras."
________________________
Author's note:
An Zhiyan: Is your sister-in-law's head something you can freely slap?
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter
No comments:
Post a Comment