novelraw Chapter 40 Advertising Shooting and Tape Markings
Chapter 40 Advertising Shooting and Tape Markings
The next morning, it was just getting light in Beijing.
The air was cool, and there weren't many cars on Chang'an Avenue. A bread truck was parked in front of the VIP building.
Zheng Hui got into the car. Besides the driver, there was a director wearing a baseball cap and two camera assistants carrying equipment.
"Hello Mr. Zheng, I'm the director of this project, surnamed Zhang." The director turned around, his eyes were a little dark, it seemed he hadn't slept all night.
"Hello, Director Zhang," Zheng Hui greeted him.
The car headed south, straight for the Temple of Heaven.
When we arrived at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the sun had not yet risen, and the eastern sky was tinged with the pale light of dawn.
There were already quite a few elderly people doing their morning exercises in the park; some were bumping into trees, and others were cracking whips.
The crew worked quickly and efficiently, setting up equipment in the open space in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests.
Director Zhang pointed to the outline of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests: "The background is this Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, representing China and tradition. You, in a moment, will be facing away from the camera, slightly to the side, holding one of our Very Cola bottles."
"The light will come from the east, outlining your silhouette and the silhouette of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests. At this point, all we need is one action—open the can."
Director Zhang made a pulling ring gesture: "Then you tilt your head back and take a sip, your Adam's apple moves, and you're all set."
Zheng Hui looked at the aluminum can with his own picture printed on it in his hand and said with a smile, "Understood."
Director Zhang stared at the monitor: "All departments, get ready! Lights on! Power on!"
The first ray of sunlight pierced through the treetops, striking the golden roof of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and reflecting a dazzling light.
"Action!"
Zheng Hui's fingers gripped the pull ring.
"laugh--"
That was the sound of bubbles being released, and in the stillness of the early morning, the sound was exceptionally clear.
Zheng Hui tilted his head back and made a gesture as if he were drinking.
"Stop!" Director Zhang shouted, "Great! This profile shot is amazing, it's a Chinese symbol! Let's take another take, change to a close-up, and get that moment when the pull ring pops open."
After filming the Temple of Heaven segment, the sun was already high in the sky. More and more tourists started to appear, and a few sharp-eyed people recognized Zheng Hui, pointing and whispering about him from the outside. The crew quickly packed up their equipment and moved to the Huairou Film and Television Base.
……
In a photography studio in Huairou, dozens of young dancers were warming up, wearing baggy pants and headscarves—the trendiest hip-hop look of 98.
The instrumental version of "Joyful Worship" was playing from the stereo.
"Mr. Zheng, this scene is all about getting hyped."
Director Zhang, holding a megaphone, shouted: "This is a joyful occasion, and you're in charge. As soon as the music starts, you lead everyone in dancing. The movements don't need to be too synchronized; it should have a free and spontaneous feel."
Zheng Hui nodded and walked into the middle of the crowd.
"Music!"
The music suddenly blared, and Zheng Hui swayed his body to the beat.
"Those who have forgotten their names, please follow me. Now, let us worship happiness..."
He sang while making gestures towards the camera.
The young people behind him joined in the cheering, laughing, and waving their Coke cans.
A crane camera flew overhead, capturing every smiling face.
Zheng Hui was very relaxed; this song was meant to create a lively atmosphere. He weaved through the crowd, high-fiving this person and bumping shoulders with that person.
"Cut!" Director Zhang shouted, "Great job! Ten-minute break, then we'll get ready for close-up shots!"
The special shooting area is in another corner of the studio.
There is a transparent table here, with several high-intensity spotlights on it.
A high-speed camera is mounted on a track.
The prop master took out a specially made glass and filled it with cola.
The light shone on the glass, and the dark brown liquid shone with an amber-like luster.
Countless tiny bubbles rose from the bottom of the cup, bursting on the surface of the liquid and splashing up tiny water droplets.
The high-speed camera started up and recorded this moment, which was difficult to see with the naked eye.
Next is a close-up of the bottle.
A can sprayed with water mist indicates that a chilled bottle of Very Cola has been taken out; the can is covered with fine water droplets.
The water droplets gathered together and slid down the red aluminum sheet, leaving a glistening watermark.
Finally, there is a close-up of Zheng Hui.
He held the jar, tilted his head back, and his Adam's apple bobbed.
He put down the jar, breathed on the camera, and showed an expression of extreme satisfaction.
The filming continued into the afternoon.
All the indoor scenes were filmed. The large crew then rushed back to the Temple of Heaven.
This time it wasn't the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, but a wide open square surrounding it.
Dozens of extras have arrived, dressed in all sorts of costumes, including students, workers, and white-collar workers, representing all walks of life.
Director Zhang stood on the elevator, shouting through a megaphone: "This is the last shot, and the climax of the whole film! Everyone, listen to my command!"
"Everyone, gather around to the center, make sure Mr. Zheng Hui is in the center! Raise your Cokes above your heads!"
Zheng Hui stood in the very center of the crowd, surrounded by countless arms.
"Mr. Zheng, the camera will shoot from above, then zoom in on your face. You need to look at the camera and shout out that slogan."
"clear."
"3, 2, 1, Action!"
Turn the music up to maximum.
Happiness is contagious, so please be generous! Come on!
The crowd held up their Coke cans and raised them to the sky. The crane camera passed through the gaps in the crowd and stopped steadily half a meter in front of Zheng Hui.
Zheng Hui held up his bottle of Very Cola and shouted loudly at the camera:
"Very Coke, worship happiness!"
"Click!"
Director Zhang suddenly clenched his fist on the elevator: "Wrap up! That's a wrap!"
Cheers erupted in the square.
Zheng Hui breathed a sigh of relief and handed the can of cola, which had been warmed in his palm, to Lin Dashan.
……
By the time we got back to the VIP building, it was completely dark.
Zheng Hui had just entered the room and hadn't even had time to take off his shoes when his phone, which was on the table, rang.
The caller ID showed a Guangzhou number, belonging to President Wang.
Zheng Hui answered the phone, holding it between his ear and shoulder, and said while untying his shoelaces, "Hello, President."
"Little Zheng, are you still in Beijing?" President Wang's voice sounded excited.
"Just finished filming GG and got back to the hotel, I'm exhausted."
"Being tired is good; it means the market is good," President Wang said with a smile. "I have some good news to share with you, to cheer you up."
Zheng Hui kicked his shoes aside, stepped barefoot onto the carpet, and walked into the living room to make tea: "Is it about the repayment?"
"Amazing, how do you know everything?"
President Wang flipped through the ledger beside him: "The first payment from Guangdong Xinhua Bookstore and Guangdong Audio-Visual Chain Store has just been deposited into the company's account."
This is the settlement price we agreed on, three yuan and fifty cents per box. A total of 320,000 boxes were sold, so you have 1.12 million.
"What about the other million boxes?" Zheng Hui asked, referring to the million boxes that President Wang had previously ordered.
"Of those one million boxes, half a million have already been taken away."
"So fast?"
"Yes, it mainly targets Xinhua bookstores and audio-visual chain stores outside the province."
Sales growth within the province has begun to slow. After all, we've been aggressively targeting the Guangdong market for almost a month, and most of the students who wanted to buy have already done so, making the market saturated.
"However, orders from outside the province, especially from East and North China, have suddenly surged in the last two days."
"This must be related to your live broadcast on CCTV last night."
President Wang analyzed, "Once CCTV broadcasts it, the whole country will know about you. Those distributors from other provinces have a keen sense of smell; seeing that you're about to become popular, they're all frantically restocking."
"I estimate that the remaining 500,000 boxes of inventory will only last for another month or so. We need to urge the factory to run the machines at full capacity for the additional 2 million boxes we ordered earlier, so that we don't run out of stock."
Zheng Hui said, "President, I'm in Beijing now and will probably stay for a few more days. Please take care of the production."
"Don't worry, I have people keeping an eye on things at the factory every day. By the way, I'll have the finance department transfer this payment to your company's account first thing tomorrow morning."
"Thanks, President."