China Entertainment 2015: Light and Shadow Artist

"This crush scene—slow motion, voiceover narration, the male and female leads sharing an umbrella in the rain—the plotting is clichéd, and the pacing is a mess. Even for a teen idol drama, the craftsmanship shouldn't be this rough." "My suggestion is..." "First, a wide shot: the girl sits by the window reading, the afternoon sunlight gradually spreading over her like a gentle, quiet moonlight, the camera pushing in slowly." "Second, a close-up: the boy hides behind a pillar stealing glances, his fingers unconsciously tapping against the wall, his breathing rising and falling with the camera's movement, just like a teenager's first heartbeat." "Third, a shot where the girl suddenly turns around, the boy hurriedly dodges out of sight, and the camera pulls back sharply to reveal an empty corridor with only the wind stirring the curtain—a scene brimming with youthful melancholy." "Wouldn't that create a better atmosphere? Don't look at me like that—this is just the rhythm and haziness of Debussy's 1890 piano piece Clair de Lune. Nothing new." ... Transported back to 2015, at the dawn of China's entertainment industry's traffic-star frenzy—a golden age of bad films—Lu Yunzhou unexpectedly finds himself bound to the "Light and Shadow Artist" system, which grants him continuous rewards as long as he works as a director. ... After three seconds of contemplation, Lu Yunzhou makes Decision No. 1: to bring his talent to the Chinese film industry.