234: Chapter 234 Director Liu Kai

The director was a chubby man in his thirties with a round face and short stubble. He wore a black photography vest with pockets all over the front and back.

He was squatting next to the monitor, gesturing to a young cameraman, "This lighting isn't right, it's too harsh. Look at these shadows... shift the softbox a bit more to the left... yes, yes, yes, that's the angle, don't move, don't move..."

Chen Fan stood to the side watching for a moment, remaining silent.

After the chubby director finished instructing the cameraman, he stood up to walk back. Turning his head, he noticed a strange young man standing nearby.

He sized Chen Fan up—over 1.8 meters tall, dressed simply but in something with high quality.

His features were handsome, and he stood there unhumbled and unarrogant, calm and collected.

The chubby director muttered to himself: "Didn't the client say there would only be Nick Cheung and two girls? Who is this guy? Did the client add someone at the last minute?"

However, the shooting plan had long been finalized; the script, costumes, and storyboards were all set. If someone were added, the producer should have notified him in advance.

Besides, this man looked more photogenic than many actors, and his temperament wasn't that of an ordinary person; he didn't look like an extra pulled in to fill numbers.

Thinking of this, he frowned at Chen Fan, his tone somewhat impatient: "What are you doing here? Don't you know filming is going on? Unauthorized personnel aren't allowed in. Who let you in?"

Before Chen Fan could open his mouth, Wang Jing walked over quickly.

"Director Liu, this is our boss, President Chen." Wang Jing stood between the two, her tone not heavy but very clear.

The chubby director froze, the impatience on his face instantly solidifying.

He had just been wondering if this person was a student recruited from some school, but in the blink of an eye, he was told this was the client—and the biggest client at that.

"Pr... President Chen?" The chubby director's expression changed rapidly, from surprise to embarrassment to enthusiasm, the entire process taking less than two seconds.

A fawning smile immediately appeared on his face, and he reached out his hand, his tone far more polite than before: "Oh my, hello President Chen, hello! My apologies, my apologies. I am Liu Kai, the director for this advertisement. I didn't know it was you just now, please forgive my offense, don't take it to heart."

Chen Fan didn't make things difficult for him, reaching out to shake his hand with a flat tone: "It's fine, Director Liu. You go about your business; I'm just looking around."

It was no wonder he had such an attitude. When the company arranged for him to shoot this advertisement, he was very willing.

First, the client provided a very generous budget, much higher than similar advertisements on the market.

Not to mention that the actor for this shoot included Nick Cheung—that was a Hong Kong Film Award Best Actor.

He was just an ordinary commercial director, usually shooting food, beverages, and household items.

At most, he had worked with a few fourth or fifth-tier minor celebrities. When had he ever imagined he could shoot an advertisement for Nick Cheung?

This was simply a pie falling from the sky, and a gilded one at that.

Now, the client's boss had come to the scene in person, so he had to perform well.

If he shot this well and satisfied this young President Chen, there might be more cooperation opportunities in the future.

Where else could he find such a generous and reliable client?

"President Chen, please sit, please sit." Liu Kai quickly pulled over a director's chair and eagerly handed it to Chen Fan: "Watch from here, the view is best; you can see the entire studio."

Chen Fan didn't stand on ceremony and sat down.

Liu Kai stood to the side, rubbing his hands together, and asked cautiously: "President Chen, uh... do you have any instructions for today's shoot?"

"No, just shoot according to your ideas." Chen Fan leaned back in the chair, his tone casual: "I'm just here to watch."

"Right, right, right, then I won't stand on ceremony." Liu Kai nodded, turned back to the monitor, took a deep breath, and his voice was much louder than before: "Come, come, come, everyone to your positions! Adjust the lighting again, and actors, get down here as soon as your makeup is done—"

Watching Liu Kai like this, a glimmer of amusement flashed in Chen Fan's eyes.

This guy was truly a talent.

Although Chen Fan didn't like sycophancy, that was only when directed at himself.

He wasn't very repulsed by this Liu Kai in front of him bowing and scraping, changing his face faster than turning a book page.

This industry is just like that; how can you survive without some tact? Being able to bend and stretch is a skill in itself.

Chen Fan leaned back in the chair, crossed his legs, and fixed his gaze on the monitor, waiting to see what this "talent" could produce next.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, footsteps came from the stairs.

Nick Cheung walked down from the second floor, followed by his assistant.

Chen Fan looked up and saw that Nick Cheung was dressed in Western-style fantasy armor, very similar to his image in the game.

The armor had a dark gray metallic texture, with dark gold patterns engraved on the breastplate and shoulder armor. He wore a black high-necked base layer underneath, making him look sharp and tough, and his presence immediately stood out.

As soon as Liu Kai saw Nick Cheung come down, he quickly stood up from the monitor and trotted over to greet him, his face full of eager smiles, his waist bending a few degrees unconsciously.

"Teacher Nick Cheung, you're here, please, please." Liu Kai rubbed his hands: "Your look today is so cool. Come, come, come, take a look at the camera positions here first, and we can adjust anything that isn't right at any time."

Nick Cheung smiled politely and waved his hand: "Director Liu, no need for the trouble. I'm ready, we can shoot directly."

Liu Kai froze for a moment, then nodded repeatedly, turned, and shouted to the staff: "Come, come, come, everyone to your positions! Teacher Nick Cheung is ready, let's shoot the first set!"

The studio immediately became busy.

Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and fixed his gaze on the monitor.

"Alright, take one, action!" Liu Kai shouted.

Nick Cheung faced the camera, holding a large sword with both hands, smiled, and began to recite the advertising script:

"Hello everyone, I am Nick Cheung. archangels sword, this is a brand new version you have never played before. Just experience it for three minutes, and you will fall in love with this game."

His Mandarin was much more standard than usual; although it still carried a bit of a Hong Kong accent, his enunciation was clear and his speaking pace was steady.

"Cut!" Liu Kai shouted, turned to look at Nick Cheung, gave a thumbs-up, his face full of excitement: "Teacher Nick Cheung, that was great! Passed in one take!"

Chen Fan frowned. No. This feeling was wrong.

Although Nick Cheung's lines were very fluent, they lacked that addictive, magical flavor from his previous life.

The effect he wanted was "Zhajiahui," not "Nick Cheung."

"Director Liu," Chen Fan looked at Liu Kai, who was on the side, "Can I make a suggestion?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Kai, with a smile on his face, quickly leaned over, bending his waist: "President Chen, what are your instructions?"

Chen Fan glanced at him, then looked at Nick Cheung standing in the shooting area, and said: "Brother Hui's take just now was very good, but I want a more down-to-earth version. The Mandarin doesn't need to be too standard; just use your usual accent. The more natural, the better."

Liu Kai froze for a moment, blinked, and seemed not to fully understand Chen Fan's meaning.

In his understanding, advertising lines should be recited clearly, standardly, and with infectious energy; how could one deliberately make an artist recite them poorly?

"President Chen, you mean..." Liu Kai asked tentatively, his tone carrying obvious uncertainty.

"I mean, let Brother Hui say it in the way he is most comfortable with," Chen Fan said, "Don't deliberately correct his pronunciation; just do it like he speaks normally. It doesn't matter if the Hong Kong accent is heavy; the heavier, the better."