Chapter 26: A New Method of Sample Collection

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"The script for the sketch? Did you write it yourself?"

Zhang Yiyang's face revealed a shocked expression.

Just because he knew the welcome party was short of language-based acts, he had spent a few days randomly writing one? Are you Scholar Star descended to earth?

This thing isn't something that can be written in just three or five days!

Comedy is arguably the hardest of all artistic forms, and sketches are the most concentrated form of all comedy. Thus, those classic sketches are the works of the top comedy artists who rack their brains.

So many professional comedians think for a year, and they might not be able to produce a widely circulated piece for the Spring Festival Gala, yet you wrote one in just a few days?

That's a bit too exaggerated!

Although Lu Zhixing had previously shown talent in original songwriting, songs and sketches are fields apart, and Zhang Yiyang subconsciously felt that this script might not be very reliable.

But he still took it and read it seriously because the language-based acts at the Game Design Academy were desperately in need of help, and he couldn't afford to be picky.

Even if the script wasn't written very well, what of it? As long as there was a decent framework, they could get other students to brainstorm and constantly add various gags and punchlines, gradually making improvements.

However, the more Zhang Yiyang read, the more shocked his expression became.

He looked up at Lu Zhixing: "Did you really write this??"

Lu Zhixing nodded: "Yes."

Zhang Yiyang was utterly astonished and read through the script several times more, especially when he mentally embellished some of the punchlines in his mind.

He then found that the script's completion was too high!

The punchlines were densely packed, the structure was tight, and there was a sense of absurdity and contrast from beginning to end.

"Undercover Trainee", as the name implies, is a story about an ordinary person going undercover in a trainee talent show to expose its dark secrets.

There are three key characters: the undercover agent, as well as the trainees who finished first and second. In addition, many extras are needed to play other trainees on stage.

The sketch is divided into three units: the first unit is "Undercover Observations", the second unit is "Espionage Intrigue", and the third unit is "The Truth Emerges." These units are strung together using the trainees' "public performances."

The rough plot is:

Two entertainment companies are in fierce competition, with Company A's popular variety show "Cosmic Trainee" broadcasting and grabbing a lot of attention. Therefore, Company B pretends to send a group of trainees to participate in this talent show, but in reality, it's to dig up dirt on the program for exposure and to strike at their competitor.

Company A realizes this and immediately eliminates all suspected Company B undercover agents, but one slips through the net. This slip-up is just an ordinary employee from Company B, who doesn't understand anything about talent shows and was brought in to make up the numbers.

Because he has an average Joe's face and no particular talents, everyone thought he would be eliminated soon, so Company A completely overlooked him.

This undercover, clueless about the ins and outs of talent shows, causes lots of laughs soon after entering the program—when talking to other trainees, each of them gives a long self-introduction, and regardless of how easy a song or dance, they must pant, showing a high sensitivity to terms like fans and twice-cooked pork. Observing all this from a regular person's perspective creates a humorous contrast.

After the first public performance, the plot moves to the second unit "Espionage Intrigue". The undercover bumbles through the first performance without being eliminated, so he begins sending out the program's dark secrets to the outside world, and they get exposed successfully. Consequently, an internal investigation for the undercover begins within the trainees.

The undercover thought he would surely be caught, but didn't expect that the first and second place trainees tasked with the probe lacked intelligence—comparable to Sleeping Dragon and Young Phoenix, they always mistakenly suspect others, allowing the undercover to escape unscathed and make it to the second public performance.

After the second performance's interlude, the story enters the third unit "The Truth Emerges". As more and more contestants get eliminated, the undercover's identity becomes clearer, but to everyone's surprise, due to his indifferent attitude on stage, he wins over all the audience's love and begins to receive a surge of votes.

As a result, the first and second place contestants who had been skeptical of him become completely confused. After bafflingly deducing that they themselves must be the undercovers, they both confess, bringing the show "Cosmic Trainee" to a cold halt.

In the end, the undercover, inexplicably sought after by fans and capital, debuts as the first-place winner, putting a comedic full stop to this farce.

...

Lu Zhixing asked, "Senior, is this script okay?"

Zhang Yiyang was excited: "Okay! It's more than okay! Just thinking about it is so much fun. With so many punchlines and setups, if we rehearse well, the live effect will definitely be explosive!

"But... it's quite aggressive. No matter, I will plead and use every trick I have to get the instructors to approve this script!"

Sketch comedy is an art of satire. To make people roar with laughter and leave some classic scenes, satire is essential.

But satire often becomes the main reason why sketches face restrictions. Many evening show organizers opt for less funny sketches precisely to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Zhang Yiyang looked at Lu Zhixing, not expecting that beneath his gentle appearance, his junior had such a strong bite.

Lu Zhixing silently sighed in his heart. What could he do? After all, wasn't he playing the role of the "Campus Superstar who loathes evil"? Without a bit of aggression, he couldn't play the part well.

"Is there a chance that this script won't pass the academy's review?"

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Zhang Yiyang pondered for a moment, "This, I can't guarantee. All I can say is that there might be a little risk, but Yan Wei and I will definitely do our best and try to persuade the faculty adviser."

"Of course, if we're looking for a surefire way, there's one fail-safe method, which is to present two linguistic programs this time.

"'Undercover Trainee' goes first, mainly following a satirical route, making the audience laugh till their sides split. Later, we can present another piece with a happy beginning but a sad end, or a relatively serious sketch that ideally carries some educational meaning. We'll twist the atmosphere back, to balance things out, so that nobody can pick any flaws."

"But you don't have to worry about this. We'll figure out the script that's just to make up the numbers. You've already been a huge help, junior. Just keep yourself in good condition and wait to perform on stage on the night of the event."

Lu Zhixing paused briefly and said, "In that case, I've also prepared a relatively serious script. It's not exactly a sketch, nor is it a play; I can't quite describe what it is, but it can be performed at the welcome party."

While saying this, he looked up at the projection above his head, "Especially with these projection equipment, it should have quite impressive stage effects."

Zhang Yiyang's mouth fell open slightly, temporarily at a loss for words.

Must have hacked the system, right? Definitely must have hacked it, right?

An ordinary freshman, and he has managed to create a song and two sketch scripts in such a short period of time?

Are you even human?

No, it's not that Lu Zhixing hacked the system, it's me who did! Heaven knew how tough it was for Yan Wei and me to handle this welcome party, so it sent a cheat our way to help us out!

Zhang Yiyang was beaming with joy. Is this what it feels like to cling to a big thigh? Is this what winning without lifting a finger feels like?

Winning without effort feels good for a moment, winning without effort all the time feels forever good!

"However, although the script is written, it still needs some post-production work. In a couple of days, I'll bring the materials over, and then we can rehearse together," Lu Zhixing added.

Zhang Yiyang, of course, nodded like a pecking chicken, "No problem, junior. Whatever you say goes for the rehearsal!

"By the way, about the cast for 'Undercover Trainee', do you have any thoughts, junior? We currently have two linguistic programs, a crosstalk and a sketch, but it seems they don't quite match the main characters in this script.

"Should we start selecting new people from the freshmen, or should we seek help from the upperclassmen?"

Lu Zhixing explained, "Actually, the three characters in this script are based on real people. They're my three roommates."

"Huh?" Feeling suddenly cued in, Liu Bo, who had been largely unnoticed until then, looked up with a confused expression on his face.

Lu Zhixing nodded, "Yes, the undercover role in this script was tailor-made for you. As for the two less brilliant top picks in the audition, they were written based on Lv Yixiao and Zhao Haoyan."

Zhang Yiyang was thrilled, "That's great! This script is all yours, your dormitory will handle it!"

Liu Bo felt a bit awkward, "Hey, Lu, don't joke, I've never done a sketch before..."

Lu Zhixing patted his shoulder, "No worries. Do you think the others have? When we rehearse, I'll give you comprehensive guidance.

"Let's settle on this for now. Take the script back with you and get Lv Yixiao and Zhao Haoyan mentally prepared.

"Just use that argument about 'priority mating rights' to convince them."

Liu Bo froze in place, "But..."

"But what?" Lu Zhixing cut him off, "Aren't you filled with the thought of becoming famous across the school? I guarantee that after you perform this sketch, you'll not only become famous throughout the school but will also become a sensation online.

"That's final."

Lu Zhixing didn't give Liu Bo more time to hesitate and turned to leave.

...

This visit to the Science Hall to check the venue suddenly gave Lu Zhixing a brand-new idea.

Purchasing materials directly from the Points Mall was indeed too expensive. So what if he used his classmates for motion capture, drawing materials directly from them?

Wouldn't that significantly reduce the points spent?

Take 'The You in My Eyes', for example, the main characters of this game aren't many, just about three or four people. Having the classmates rehearse these roles, combined with the projection equipment of the Science Hall, could not only bring this program to the welcome party but also allow for the recapture of real actions to turn them into a game.

Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?

With that in mind, Lu Zhixing isolated himself once again.

He started creating scenes in line with the game's plot, mainly leveraging the 'home' template he'd obtained before, along with some miscellaneous real-world materials, to create most of the game's scenes.

These scenes could be used directly as materials for the stage projections, combined with the powerful features of projectors and holography, to provide the audience with an unparalleled visual feast!