Chapter 4

"True Red, the fifth doll, should be the most important character design in this manga. She has a pair of deep blue almond eyes, spiral golden twin-tails, and wears a deep red Victorian-style outfit. Her demeanor is noble, with a queen-like personality, fond of giving orders, and stands at 61.8 centimeters tall!" Not long after returning, Wang Qian told Hao Yi about the key points of the fifth doll, True Red.

Hao Yi, a master in art, after looking at the sketches Xiao Xiang had drawn before, thought for a moment, and his skillful brush moved on the paper as if it had a soul, quickly sketching out a rough draft. Although the drawing was already quite good, it still had a significant gap from Wang Qian's ideal character design.

"This isn't good enough. You haven't captured True Red's personality, her aloof and queen-like character. Imagine a cold and frosty female executive who hardly communicates with anyone in the company. Even though many of her suggestions are good, they are not understood. When faced with subordinates who provoke her, due to her proud personality, she doesn't bother to persuade them but instead chooses to slap them..." Wang Qian began to describe further.

"Is that so? I think I understand!" Hao Yi nodded.

At Wang Qian's request, Hao Yi made continuous modifications. After two hours, when the seventh sketch was completed, it was already very close to the original True Red from "Rozen Maiden."

Xiao Xiang snatched the sketch, her eyes shining brightly, and said, "Ku ku ku, isn't this my image? From now on, call me Queen True Red!"

Wang Qian rolled his eyes and said, "Only if your height is reduced to 61.8 centimeters."

"61.8 centimeters? Shrink, shrink, shrink..." Xiao Xiang was acting strange again, squatting on the bed and hugging herself, trying hard to "shrink."

After a while, Xiao Xiang squatted on the bed and said, "Onii-chan, is Xiao Xiang already 61.8 centimeters tall?"

"..." Wang Qian and Hao Yi exchanged glances, both thinking that this girl was indeed in the late stages of "chuuni disease."

Next, Wang Qian and Hao Yi continued to discuss the character designs for "Rozen Maiden." The key to the character designs lies in "cuteness." Capturing the "cute points" is essential to creating a perfect character design.

The cute points of the dolls in "Rozen Maiden" are largely due to their height. The various cute points arise from the height difference between humans and the dolls. If it weren't for the height difference, "Rozen Maiden" would just be an ordinary work.

Wang Qian kept promoting his ideas, explaining what "cute points" and "contrast cuteness" are, and the basis for the appearance and personality settings of the different dolls in "Rozen Maiden."

For example, True Red, as a small doll, initially treats the protagonist as a servant rather than a master. The protagonist can't stand True Red's bad temper at first, leading to a personality conflict between them. There's even a scene where the small doll True Red slaps the protagonist, showing her domineering nature.

If this were a regular human, their personality would be terrible. However, a small 61.8-centimeter doll with a delicate appearance but a queen-like domineering personality is full of charm.

It's like an adult being beaten by a tsundere little girl; people wouldn't think the little girl is violent but would find it incredibly cute.

The other dolls, such as the scheming and mischievous Suiseiseki, the kind Aisensekki, the timid and innocent Suigintou, and the antagonist Zuzushii, each have their own cute points.

"So, don't worry! 'Rozen Maiden' is definitely a work full of creativity. Getting it accepted by a magazine is just a small matter. Our journey should be to make it popular worldwide," Wang Qian encouraged Xiao Xiang.

"Alright!" Xiao Xiang said with great enthusiasm, "When I succeed, I will definitely take Nian-gege in!"

"Get lost!" Wang Qian felt his veins almost burst.

"Hao Yi and Xiao Xiang have a really good relationship!" Hao Yi felt like he was being a third wheel.

At first, Hao Yi was indeed attracted by Xiao Xiang's cute appearance and demeanor.

However, as Wang Qian's talent became evident, Hao Yi quickly adjusted his mindset and aimed to befriend Wang Qian.

...

After finalizing Xiao Xiang's manga character design, Wang Qian also focused on the Beijing Film Academy's entrance exam, which would determine his future.

Wang Qian didn't know much about the literature department's second round of exams, only that it involved watching a movie and writing an essay, similar to how students in primary and secondary schools watch movies and write reflections.

Since he didn't have the extensive preparation and training that some students from influential families had, he was a bit confused about the exam questions.

In contrast, Hao Yi was much better prepared and had studied the literature department's exams.

"The specific movie is strictly confidential. Even if you know teachers at the school, they might not be able to tell you the exam questions in advance. However, according to Beijing Film Academy's tradition, the probability of Zhang Yimou or Chen Kaige's movies being used as exam questions is high," Hao Yi explained, "Instead of wasting time watching random movies, it's better to focus on Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige's works."

Wang Qian agreed and chose to watch some of their more artistically rich films like "Farewell My Concubine," "Red Sorghum," "Raise the Red Lantern," and "Not One Less" using Xiao Xiang's VCR.

For students in cinematography or directing, if they had the time, they would repeatedly analyze the films.

"Analyzing films" means watching them frame by frame, rewinding repeatedly, and thoroughly studying each shot. They would record the content, mise-en-scène, camera movement, shot size, editing, sound, visuals, rhythm, performance, camera position, and more, then study them repeatedly to fully understand and interpret the film language.

Many new directors' debut works are often the result of analyzing and thoroughly understanding one or a few classic films, and through imitation, making their films more marketable.

For example, Ning Hao's 2006 hit "Crazy Stone" was openly acknowledged as an imitation of British director Guy Ritchie's "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels." Ning Hao had studied this film repeatedly during his student days and had the idea to imitate its style as early as 2000. Later, he did just that and became an instant success.

This shows that analyzing films is one of the most important tasks for all film professionals, much like how literature enthusiasts study the classics. Choosing a classic work that can benefit you for life and analyzing it thoroughly might quickly lay the foundation for becoming a great director.

The main focus of the literature department is theoretical research or scriptwriting, but if you study film theory in college, analyzing films is also a required course.

For the exam, Wang Qian chose to watch "Farewell My Concubine," "Red Sorghum," "Raise the Red Lantern," and "Not One Less."

After watching one, he would close his eyes to rest or go out for a walk to give his eyes a break. He also jotted down some notes on his viewing, which helped him brainstorm.

Although time was limited, and he couldn't do a full analysis, Wang Qian watched each film at least three times, making the plots as clear as if they were etched in his mind.

After that, Wang Qian began to think about how to write an essay if the exam question was a movie he had watched. If the exam question was a movie he hadn't seen, he considered how to approach it.

For the next two days, Wang Qian was immersed in movies, even thinking about film scenes and essays while sleeping...

...

PS: Seedling seeks support, favorites, and recommendations. The more, the better.