thefictionvixens Chapter 2: He'll handle how to make the program himself.
Chapter 2: He'll handle how to make the program himself.
Shen Yan took the document and returned to her workstation.
The computer screen was still displaying the background data for "Tonight We Talk".
The comments section is even worse than the number of views.
"Is this another attempt to gain sympathy?"
"Are talk shows now only allowed to air if the interviewee cries?"
"I can recite all the questions the host asked."
"The only good thing about this show is that it's suitable for watching before bed; it can put you to sleep in three minutes."
Shen Yan flipped through a few more pages.
There weren't any particularly harsh criticisms.
That's the worst part.
The audience didn't even bother to criticize.
He closed the background app and then opened Lu Jingran's show, "Sisters' Afternoon Tea".
The program opens with a sunny garden, white tablecloths, and exquisite desserts.
The three female celebrities sat together, laughing and clinking glasses.
The first topic is:
Can pure friendship really exist between girls?
The live chat was very lively.
"The sisters are so beautiful."
"This set design is so comfortable."
"The three of them actually know each other?"
"Hilarious, it feels like eavesdropping on female celebrities chatting."
Shen Yan was dragged back.
Ten minutes to talk about friendship.
Twenty minutes to discuss views on love.
Thirty minutes to talk about female celebrities being misunderstood.
Forty minutes, the three of them played games together and shared some harmless gossip.
This show isn't bad, at least it's not unpleasant.
Its approach is clear: the visuals must be beautiful, the topics must be relevant, the celebrities must have a relationship that can be edited into a short video, and the brand exposure must be natural.
Lu Jingran didn't create anything new, but he did deliver the qualified products the platform wanted.
Shen Yan closed the page and opened the search box.
Enter:
Bai Lulu only knows how to smile.
A whole list popped up as a result.
Bai Lulu's new drama flops, her acting skills are questioned again.
[A compilation of Bai Lulu's loud laughter on variety shows, criticized by netizens as being too noisy]
Is Bai Lulu only suitable as a mood-maker?
[Fans defend her: She's just cheerful, not brainless]
Shen Yan clicked on the latest video.
The title is jarring.
[A compilation of Bai Lulu's five-minute silly smiles; after watching, you'll finally understand why she's not getting any acting roles.]
In the video, Bai Lulu is seen laughing in different programs.
She laughed when the guest told a joke.
The host called on her, and she smiled.
She laughs when others fall down.
The editor was very good at picking and piecing together all the clips, as if to prove that she couldn't do anything but laugh.
The comments section is even worse.
"She's so noisy."
"Just a variety show atmosphere group."
"His acting hasn't improved, but his laughter has gotten louder and louder."
"Does she think she's cute like this?"
Shen Yan finished reading it without expression.
If he were an ordinary viewer, he might also be swayed by this editing.
But he has done too many shows.
The "flaws" of celebrities on camera are often just magnified by the wrong programs.
A person who laughs a lot will seem empty in an awkward interview; and will seem noisy in a talk show.
However, if placed in a program that requires probing, easing tensions, and using jokes to break down others' defenses, that kind of laughter will no longer be just an expression to fill the awkward silence, but will become the knife that makes her most memorable to the audience.
Shen Yan continued scrolling down.
Soon, he found an unremarkable old video.
That was a small program that Bai Lulu participated in in her early years.
The image quality wasn't very clear, and the lighting was also quite ordinary.
Back then, she wasn't as famous as she is now. She sat on the very edge of the guest area and received very little screen time.
The host is asking a female guest about her relationship.
The other person kept smiling and avoiding the view, saying "I don't mind," but their hands kept looking at the photos on the table.
Just as the atmosphere was about to cool down, Bai Lulu suddenly smiled and said:
"Sis, you just said you didn't mind, but you've already looked at that photo three times."
The female guest was stunned.
The host then chimed in, instantly enlivening the atmosphere.
Shen Yan read this passage twice.
On the third time, he finally confirmed one thing.
Bai Lulu isn't brainless.
She just hasn't had a suitable opportunity yet.
Her laughter shouldn't be crammed into a sofa interview to fill in the blanks.
It should be placed on a table where some people lie, some cover up, and some test.
She smiled and eased the tension.
Then hand the knife over.
Shen Yan opened Bai Lulu's artist profile.
Bai Lulu, 26 years old, actress, regular guest on variety shows.
[Recent public opinion: New drama receives poor reviews, acting is ridiculed; variety show clips have high viewership, but negative reviews are increasing.]
[Frequently used tags: cheerful, quick to catch jokes, great at creating atmosphere, noisy.]
[Team goal: To shed the simplistic image of "just grinning like an idiot."]
Shen Yan looked at the last line and tapped his finger lightly twice on the table.
Don't try to convince her to "be herself".
She'd heard that kind of talk too many times, and it was no use.
Tell her:
Her smile can turn into an attack.
He reopened the document.
The title on the first page is not "Celebrity Detective".
But:
[Bai Lulu's audition plan]
In the first line, he did not write the program's positioning.
It also didn't mention any platform advantages.
He only wrote one sentence.
Bai Lulu's biggest problem right now isn't that she can't speak well, but that all the shows only assign her the role of "warming up the atmosphere."
After writing this sentence, Shen Yan paused for a moment.
The predecessor used to write proposals and liked to use fancy words.
Celebrities reveal their true feelings.
Women's growth.
In-depth dialogue.
Emotional value.
Every word is correct, and every word is useless.
The artist's team receives more than a dozen of these invitations every day.
Too much sweet talk just sounds like spam.
So this time, he didn't write any fancy words.
He continued tapping.
When her laughter only serves to fill awkward silences, the audience will find it noisy.
However, if her laughter can advance information, probe her opponent, and force out weaknesses, it becomes her weapon.
Shen Yan extracted that old video from his early years and inserted it into the proposal.
Below the video, he wrote:
This wasn't a coincidence; it's a habit she's always had. Previous programs hadn't amplified it.
Then comes the setting.
Long table.
ID card.
Evidence bag.
A glass of red wine that has been touched.
A contract with half of it burned off.
Shen Yan wrote a few words on the blank page.
[Scene: Long table deduction.]
When Bai Lulu was suspected, she didn't rush to defend herself, but instead smiled and asked the female guest opposite her:
"Sis, you just said you'd be in the dressing room at 9:30."
"But the call record I found shows 9:27."
She was still smiling.
But this time, the laughter wasn't an empty shot; it was an attack.
At this point, Shen Yan leaned back.
The few lines of text on the computer screen were silent.
But he already had a picture in his mind.
Bai Lulu sat at the long table with the lights dimmed.
Others doubted her.
The camera is waiting to see her panic.
She still smiled, just like always, as if she was trying to catch up on the joke, as if she was trying to get away with it.
The next second, she pushed the call log to the center of the table.
The person on the other end remained silent.
The comments will pause briefly.
Then start brushing:
Was she waiting for this?
This image is more effective than a hundred "We will show a different side of Bai Lulu".
Shen Yan continued writing the slice titles.
Bai Lulu smiled and smiled, until the other person fell silent.
[Who said she only knows how to smile foolishly? She's trying to get information out of her.]
[Bai Lulu's first highlight: Dismantling the timeline with jokes.]
These titles are not sophisticated.
But it can spread.
Variety shows are not academic papers.
Viewers won't read your 3,000-word statement before clicking in.
They only need a second to decide whether something is interesting or not.
After finishing writing, Shen Yan exported the file and sent it to artist coordinator Tang Wan.
Tang Wan quickly replied with a question mark.
Do you really want to find Bai Lulu first?
Shen Yan replied:
【right.】
Tang Wan paused for two minutes.
She's been getting a lot of flak lately, so Chen Man is being very cautious.
Shen Yan replied:
So she'll watch it.
Half a minute later, Tang Wan sent a message:
I'll pass it to you, but don't get your hopes up too high.
Shen Yan looked at that sentence and smiled.
He did not reply.
If this show wants to survive, it can't start with the platform.
It starts with a celebrity who needs a comeback.
If Bai Lulu is willing to try, Shen Yan will be able to get the first ticket to the competition.
Only after going to find Shen Teng did the show gain some viewership.
Only after the sample footage is edited will he have the confidence to approach truly high-profile celebrities like Yang Mi Xue.
At the same time.
In the makeup room of a photography studio in the west of the city.
Bai Lulu has just finished a magazine photoshoot.
My makeup was still on, and my hair hurt a little from being pinched by the stylist.
She sat in front of the mirror, holding a cold Americano.
The phone screen is lit up.
The video above is the one that was maliciously edited.
[A compilation of Bai Lulu's five-minute silly smiles; after watching, you'll finally understand why she's not getting any acting roles.]
She was laughing so hard in the video that she was doubled over.
One comment after another floated by.
"She's so noisy."
"What else can you do besides laugh?"
"His acting hasn't improved, but he's becoming more and more unrestrained on variety shows."
"Can even those in the 'atmosphere group' of the Chinese entertainment industry become stars now?"
Bai Lulu looked at it for a while, then turned her phone face down on the table.
The dressing room was quiet for a few seconds.
Agent Chen Man sat next to her, flipping through a tablet.
She didn't say "Don't look anymore," nor did she say "Don't take it to heart."
That kind of talk is useless.
This isn't the first time Bai Lulu has been criticized, nor is it her first time being a celebrity.
But this time is different.
People used to say she loved to laugh because they liked her infectious smile.
The variety show director said she had a quick reaction.
Fans say she's like a little sun.
But I don't know when it started, these words all changed their meaning.
The little sun turned into noise.
A quick reaction can make you stand out.
A talent for variety shows makes one unsuitable for acting.
Chen Man pushed the tablet in front of her.
"The production team won't be pushing you for the next two weeks."
Bai Lulu glanced down.
The characters in the new drama are generating little buzz.
Variety show clips are getting high viewership, but the proportion of negative comments is rising.
Two business deals that were originally under discussion have been put on hold.
A platform's slow-paced variety show changed her from the first choice to a backup option.
Bai Lulu smiled after reading it.
"So now I'm even losing my place in the atmosphere-building team?"
Chen Man frowned.
"Don't joke about this."
Bai Lulu's lips slowly lowered.
Chen Man looked at her.
"You can't do those purely talk-about variety shows anymore."
"They'll just make you laugh, make you catch their jokes, and make you help others liven up the atmosphere."
"It turns out to be the same thing after cutting it out."
Bai Lulu leaned back in her chair.
"Then what should I answer?"
Chen Man did not answer immediately.
That's the most troublesome part.
What Bai Lulu fears most now is not that no one is discussing her, but that the audience has already formed a fixed impression of her.
Going on regular interviews to explain herself, or having fans control the comments, will only make people think she's in a hurry to clear her name.
Chen Man's phone rang.
She glanced down.
It was a message from Tang Wan, the talent coordinator at Xinghe Video.
[Sister Man, I have a small proposal you can take a look at. It's not a regular interview.]
A file followed by it.
[Bai Lulu's Test Recording Segment Design]
Chen Man originally wanted to wait until she got back to the car to look at it.
But the words "not a regular interview" made her pause.
She clicked on it.
The document is short.
No fancy empty words.
The first page only has a few paragraphs.
Bai Lulu's biggest problem right now isn't that she can't speak well, but that all the shows only assign her the role of "warming up the atmosphere."
When her laughter only serves to fill awkward silences, the audience will find it noisy.
However, if her laughter can advance information, probe her opponent, and force out weaknesses, it becomes her weapon.
Chen Man's fingers stopped.
Bai Lulu noticed her expression.
"What's wrong?"
Chen Man didn't answer and continued reading.
Do not delete her old tags.
[Change the scene, turn the old label into a knife.]
Bai Lulu, who was leaning back in her chair, slowly sat up a little straighter after hearing this.
Chen Man continued scrolling down.
The second page presents a specific scenario.
[Scene: Long table deduction.]
When Bai Lulu was suspected, she didn't rush to defend herself, but instead smiled and asked the female guest opposite her:
"Sis, you just said you'd be in the dressing room at 9:30."
"But the call record I found shows 9:27."
She was still smiling.
But this time, the laughter wasn't an empty shot; it was an attack.
The dressing room fell silent.
Bai Lulu stared at those lines of text, remaining silent for a moment.
Suddenly, a picture appeared in her mind.
It's not about sitting on the sofa chatting with others.
It's not about catching up on jokes and saving the day in a slow-paced variety show.
Instead, it was a long table with the lights dimmed.
Others doubted her.
She was forced into the center of everyone's gaze.
She was still smiling.
But that time, it wasn't to make others feel comfortable.
It's to make sure the other side can't catch it.
Chen Man turned to the third page.
Those are several preset slice titles.
Bai Lulu smiled and smiled, until the other person fell silent.
[Who said she only knows how to smile foolishly? She's trying to get information out of her.]
[Bai Lulu's first highlight: Dismantling the timeline with jokes.]
There is also a short section of old material analysis next to it.
It was Bai Lulu's early TV show.
She smiled and reminded the female guest, "You've already looked at that photo three times."
Shen Yan wrote a line below.
This wasn't a coincidence; it's a habit she's always had. Previous programs hadn't amplified it.
Bai Lulu stared at the line of text, and after a while, said softly:
"Did this person watch my show this early on?"
Chen Man clicked on the end of the file.
Sender's signature:
Shen Yan, from the Variety Show Department of Xinghe Video.
There's one more sentence after that.
[If Ms. Bai Lulu is willing, I don't need her to agree to the recording first.]
[I only need twenty minutes to explain in person how this show can transform its old labels into new selling points.]
Bai Lulu asked:
Who is Shen Yan?
Chen Man is already investigating.
A few seconds later, her expression became somewhat subtle.
"Planner for the variety show department of Galaxy Video."
"Is that impressive?"
"Not really."
Chen Man paused.
"The last show was a huge flop."
Bai Lulu looked at her.
Normally, Chen Man would most likely have deleted this invitation.
Although her schedule isn't as good as before, it's not to the point where she can just take on any experimental program.
Moreover, the other party was just a low-level planner.
But this thing is different.
It didn't say "Teacher Lulu is very charismatic," nor did it say "We want to show the real you."
They've heard these words far too often.
Shen Yan was very impolite.
He directly pointed out her problem and then provided a scenario that could turn the problem into a highlight.
Bai Lulu looked at the pages and lightly rubbed her fingertip against the edge of the tablet.
"Laughter is not an empty shot, but an attack."
She read the sentence aloud.
After reading it aloud, I laughed at myself first.
This wasn't a business smile.
It's not the kind of laugh you get when you're catching a joke in a variety show.
It's a bit like seeing a stranger and suddenly hearing what she's been hiding for a long time.
Chen Man looked at her.
"Want to see me?"
Bai Lulu did not answer immediately.
She was still wearing exquisite makeup in the mirror.
Her eyeliner was beautiful, her lips were bright, and her hair was styled into the perfect curve for a magazine shoot.
But then she suddenly remembered the comments in that malicious video.
"All she does is giggle."
This wasn't the first time she'd seen that sentence.
But this was the first time someone had told her that it wasn't a useless spot, but could be turned into a knife.
Bai Lulu returned the tablet to Chen Man.
"Twenty minutes."
Chen Man nodded.
"I'll go both ways."
She lowered her head and typed.
[Tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM, Lulu will have 20 minutes.]
You'd better actually have something.
After sending the message, Bai Lulu picked up her phone again and opened the maliciously edited video.
She was still smiling in the video.
The comments section was still filled with insults.
Bai Lulu looked at it for a few seconds, then turned off the screen.
She looked up at herself in the mirror.
"Sister Man."
"Um?"
"If this show can actually be recorded."
She paused for a moment.
"I want to sit opposite Yang Mi Xue."
Chen Man was taken aback.
"You're quite imaginative."
Bai Lulu smiled.
"Didn't he say that?"
"Laughter can be a form of offense."
On the other side, the Galaxy Video building.
A new message popped up in the lower right corner of Shen Yan's computer.
Sender:
Tang Wan.
Chen Man replied.
[Tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM, Lulu will have 20 minutes.]
She's reminding you not to try to fool her with sweet talk.
Shen Yan looked at the line of text and smiled.
twenty minutes.
enough.
He closed the webpage and reopened the document.
Outside the window, the giant GG screen opposite the Galaxy Video building was showing Bai Lulu's endorsement.
She stood in a brightly lit room, smiling sweetly.
Looking at that smiling face, Shen Yan could already picture it in his mind.
Beside the dimly lit long table, Bai Lulu held the suspect's ID card, smiling as she looked up.
"Sis, you lied just now."
Shen Yan reopened the blank document.
This time, he did not write an "interview".
He typed four words.
Celebrity Detective
As the last word was written, the bottom right corner of the computer screen suddenly flashed.
A line of gray-white text appeared.
The Behind-the-Scenes Reputation System is now available.
Current Project: Celebrity Detective
[Stage Goal: Complete one effective broadcast]
[Passing Criteria: 1 million views, 18% completion rate, 1% interaction rate, 100 sponsorship offer]
[Additional Revenue Streams: Label Reversal, Audience Fan Creations, and Discussions on Program Mechanics]
Shen Yan stared at those lines of text for a few seconds.
There is no new player gift pack.
There is no ready-made solution.
There were no instructions or prompts telling him what to do.
Shen Yan chuckled.
Good.
He'll handle how to make the show himself.