"Oh, oh, oh, yes, yes!" Director Li wiped his sweat. It was the first time in his life he’d been so shaken by a kid; it was indeed a bit embarrassing.
After a moment to regain composure, he took out the script, "Here’s what’s going to happen, Jason, you’ll be standing in the audience far, far away. Qiqi, you stand right at the center below the stage. Teacher Zhang (playing the male lead’s father), you stand slightly to the left in the crowd. Zexiao, you take your position at the very center of the stage."
He arranged everyone’s positions and had the crew adjust the cameras, so that when the time came, the cameras would directly focus on these points.
"Zexiao, you stand in the middle of the stage. When the piano starts to play behind you, begin singing the theme song. The camera will take care of you, focusing on your face—however, having held so many concerts, this should be a piece of cake for you, right?"
Yu Zexiao nodded. For a singer, especially one with a strong stage presence like Yu Zexiao, one of the main reasons his acting wasn’t too shabby was his command over the camera!
Just imagine, no matter the scene being shot, no matter what frame of him was being captured, he could always present his best side. When the camera was mainly on him, he could dominate the screen in a 70/30 ratio, where he took up 70 percent of the frame, leaving only 30 percent for others. And even when he wasn’t the main focus, he could quickly snatch the camera’s spotlight. This inherent talent for capturing the camera had definitely been honed through years of performing and countless stage performances, a subconscious action of sorts.
After all, playing the lead role made it entirely justified for him to steal the show.
"Then, when you’re about to sing the bridge near the end, slowly walk down from the stage, with the lights following you. You need to look deeply affectionate and full of passion. Make your way down to Qiqi, and by then, the song should be reaching its climactic final part. You must look at Qiqi when you sing the last lyrics, ’I-LOVE-YOU,’ and make it heartfelt! Then go and embrace her with all your might!"
Yu Zexiao rolled his eyes. Alright, every time he acted, when he recited sweet nothings to Jiang Xuanqi, he’d replace her face with Jian Anning’s, only then could he say his lines.
"...And Teacher Zhang, you’re on the side, seeing this moment between son and girlfriend; finally letting go of your dissatisfaction and genuinely blessing your son. The family of three stands together, harmonious and happy."
"Up in the stands, at the farthest spot, Jason, you see this scene too, feeling heartbroken."
After setting the scene thoroughly, everyone nodded. Yu Zexiao suddenly asked, "Do I need to lip-sync, or should I sing live?"
In major arts programs, to mimic stage effects, actors are sometimes required to lip-sync. That’s because if they were to sing for real, they might be too out of breath to deliver their lines later on.
"Singing live would be best," Director Li shook his head, "Not just you, but the pianist needs to actually play the tune as well. The first couple of runs, during rehearsal, were fine..."