Chapter 86 of Volume 1: The Different Kinds of Fame

  "Do you want to take on a play that never gives up?" Cami said with deep meaning. "The screenwriter is now a heavenly person."

  "But isn't the actor chosen by the director?" Lin Xiao also said with a smile, "Since he and I will eventually become rivals, it's better to meet early on."

  Cami smiled and said "You deliberately went to provoke them, didn't you? Let the heavens know that those who gave up are now at this point."

  Lin Xiao smiled ambiguously and didn't answer.

  "Okay, I'll arrange a time for you. But to be honest, don't have too high of hopes." Cami thought for a moment and said "This is your official debut, with your current popularity, there will be many film offers and advertisements looking for you, but I hope you pay attention to one thing."

  Her tone turned serious. "Overnight fame, this is not a myth, it has happened to many people. From now on, each of your works will enter an 'observation period'."

  "What's the observation period?" Lin Xiao asked, puzzled. He had never been famous before, and now no matter how he said it, even if it was just a flash in the pan, this period of time was still unprecedented, and had even surpassed many second-tier celebrities' scandals.

  "It seems I need to give you a good refresher. Cami turned around, saying seriously, 'Once you gain some fame, your life will be vastly different from before. Every single thing I'm telling you now, you must pay attention to.'"

  "Success is easy, but maintaining it is difficult. Your current fame can rival that of some declining second-tier celebrities, but that's all. You must remember that audiences have only one characteristic: they like novelty and dislike familiarity. If you don't take advantage of this momentum to solidify your fame, you will enter a period of stagnation where even a carp will be unable to turn things around."

  "This is related to the observation period I mentioned earlier. Now, many crews and advertisers are focusing on you. They're watching you, seeing if you're worth filming their plays. If you make a wrong move, everything will be lost." Cami looked at him worriedly and finally asked, "Now tell me, what's your plan, where do you want to go?"

  Lin Xiao thought for a moment and solemnly said "Of course it's the Heavenly Emperor Star!"

  "Great, every newcomer has this dream." Cami sighed and said "Then you have to listen to me, the following points, you absolutely can't do."

  "Firstly, no more idol dramas!"

  Before Lin could nod, Cami continued seriously, "Idol dramas have a nickname, 'Training Center for Novices'. I've seen your edited clips, your acting skills are definitely passable, the only thing lacking is a chance to make a name for yourself. Idol dramas are actually a very awkward existence for TV stations, their ratings can't compare to romance dramas or crime dramas. As for awards, they're also inferior to legal dramas and others. But TV stations just can't give up on them."

  Lin Xiao laughed and said, "Because I let it go, there's no way to deal with the countless newcomers that pop up every year, right?"

  She looked at him with a hint of praise, "Not bad, every year there are thousands of newcomers. Idol dramas can only compete for some third-rate awards like 'Campus TV Arts Awards' and 'Youth Choice Awards'. They will also give artists a 'crown' that is just a vase. Since you have this ability and ambition, and don't need to practice your acting skills, idol dramas are poison for you. Absolutely! Firmly refuse! No matter how high the price."

  Lin Xiao nodded, Cami was indeed the former agent of Oscar-winning actress, and she understood these inside stories much better than him.

  He couldn't help but sigh, thinking that making a movie was just a matter of crossing back in time. As an industry insider, he deeply understood that even with a script and a concept, fleshing it out was extremely difficult, not to mention breaking it down into shots and dialogue - this was fundamentally not something one person could handle alone.

  Unless the person is a god, or has memorized the script of a certain play and engraved it in his mind, otherwise, going back to shoot a small production and then selling it big is simply unrealistic.

  People have their own expertise, so when they are reborn, they still choose the path that is most familiar to them.

  "Second, it's the issue of advertisements." Cami continued, "Now there are already several brands that want to give you a commercial, but they're all ordinary ads, no endorsement. I picked a few out. However, you need to remember that if there are any endorsement ads, you must discuss them with me."

  "The exclusivity of endorsement advertising is very serious. A top brand's endorsement, at least three years to start. Ordinary advertisements only sell you a portrait right once, but endorsements also require you to endorse them in various occasions. If there are too many endorsements, it will make everyone dissatisfied. So real superstars are very picky about endorsements, they may only have two or three endorsement ads on their body, but the price is worth ten endorsement ads from others."

  Lin Xiao thought for a moment and said, "So you're saying that the more advertisements a star endorses, the lower their actual value is?"

  "It's like that." Cami said with satisfaction. "In order to maintain your current value, I'd like to create a refined plan for you, only accepting high-quality projects and rejecting everything else."

  Lin Xiao jokingly said "Cami sister, aren't you afraid I'll be poor?"

  He gave him a white eye "At least for these few months, your income is comparable to that of second-tier artists."

  Lin Xiao has a hard time expressing himself. Although the systematic training is meticulous and prolonged, the effect is surprisingly good. He's worth every penny, no matter how much money you pay him.

  "One last thing, you absolutely must not consider things like records for now." Cami said this time with an unusual seriousness "San Qi, don't wait until one field develops to the extreme before crossing over, it will end very badly. This is a major taboo in the entertainment industry. Once you choose a field, your path is almost set."

  "For example, think of the Happy Family Singers, they are the leaders in music TV dramas, original soundtracks and CD sales have repeatedly broken records. However, the Grammys and American Music Awards completely ignore them. Another example is Madonna, even though she has made classic films like "Evita", but still can't get recognition from the film industry. Just like Zhao Qingya, she is indeed the most successful domestic triple threat star, but none of her works have reached the top level. Her movies can't compare to Ge You, TV dramas can't compare to Chen Daoming, and her records can't compare to Wang Fei or Zhang Huimei."

  Lin Xiao nodded, he also knew that many singers and movie stars who cross over into other fields are just "making a quick buck", once they've made enough, they go back to what they originally did. Even big stars like Andy Lau and Zhang Guorong excel more in their original field than in any other one.

  "Otherwise, I'll remind you when necessary. By the way, congratulations on doing extremely well in the past half year, especially in the fashion circle, which has even laid a solid foundation for your future endorsement, clothing and makeup products. Don't underestimate this aspect, as it will be one of your biggest expenses once you have a large following. You've achieved what many people can't achieve in years, and as long as you maintain your current reputation, becoming a second-tier celebrity is just a matter of time."

  "Hehe, I guess I'm a formal actor now too." He joked.

  Cami also laughed, "Your price has changed from a package deal to a per-episode fee, which is already the treatment of a formal actor. However, I hope that after several months, Shaolin Soccer will be able to double your worth."

  After finishing speaking, Cami roughly set a goal for him, "Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention". The atmosphere became lively, Lin Xiao continued to rest with his eyes closed, and Cami also started the car.

  As soon as he returned to his dormitory, Li Hao, He Lanyun and Zhao Wei's congratulatory calls came one after another. He chatted with each of them for a while before starting to rest.

  He slept soundly for eight hours, and when he woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

  Just after breakfast, Cami's phone call came "Come to the company to pick up your script. Shaolin Soccer, just sent over."

  Lin Xiao laughed and said "Still so cautious."

  "This can't be helped." Cami sighed and said, "You're not the main character, you have almost no lines. To prevent newcomers from stealing the show with their scripts, it's reasonable that he sent these over."

  "I'm on my way, I'll be right there."

  After picking up the script at the company, his phone rang again. This time he picked it up and saw that it was actually Qin Xin calling him.

  "Where is it?"

  Lin Xiao laughed and said "Company."

  "Really concise." The other person also smiled "Yesterday's press conference, I watched it. It's really enviable, so many cameras are facing you."

  "When you're blinded by flashlights and can't open your eyes, that's when you'll know how vicious these cameras are." Lin Xiao made a joke and asked "How have you been lately?"

  The two of them chatted like old friends, neither of them broke the ice.

  "It's not good." Qin sighed "Being locked at home and can't go out..."

  Then she began to talk endlessly about her grievances, Lin Xiao smiled and listened intently, unexpectedly, just ten minutes later, Qin Xin's voice suddenly stopped.

  "Who are you calling?" a middle-aged man's voice came vaguely from the phone.

  Qin Xin hung up the phone without saying a word, Lin Xiao couldn't help but furrow his brow.

  The feeling of annoyance in his heart couldn't be shaken off, he had originally wanted to go back to the dormitory directly, but now he simply went back to the company.

  "How about never giving up?" he asked Cami.

  "No news, I just sent in the application this morning." Cami rearranged the documents without lifting her head. "At least we won't get a result until tonight, so be patient and wait."

  He couldn't find anything to do, so he returned to his dormitory in a huff and started studying the script of Shaolin Soccer.

  His play is scheduled to be filmed in Zhuhai two and a half months later. The last scene. However, there is still a final dress rehearsal ten days before that. This requires all actors to be present.

  To say, a movie, the supporting roles can be completed in about a month. The trouble is the leading role's part and post-production. He carefully reviewed it once and found that there was no difference from the previous life, so he put it aside.

  In the following days, he went to Li Hao and He Lanyun's film set every day, and went to the gym to taste the script of Shaolin Soccer.

  Ten days later, a call came in, Shaolin Football's fixed makeup will be unveiled today!