70 Countdown

Outside a particular establishment, a prominent movie poster for "Counting the Seconds" caught the attention of all passers-by. The day's film shoot had concluded inside the building, and a writer's meeting was underway in an improvised conference room.

The meeting room hummed with subdued conversation as Xia Zilan approached the center of the table, placing her phone on speaker mode so that the other writers and Director Ye could participate in the discussion.

The caller ID displayed three bold letters on the screen: TMY.

Xia Zilan felt an overwhelming surge of excitement. She hadn't anticipated reaching out would be this straightforward.

When the voice on the other end confirmed, "Yes, this is TMY," even Director Ye couldn't help but shift his complete attention to the conversation.

It truly was TMY. Contact had been made.

Initially, Xia Zilan hesitated for quite some time before leveraging her connections to acquire TMY's phone number. She had pondered whether she should make the call at all, as she had heard from certain sources that this emerging music producer was not easy to work with. Thus, despite being a highly acclaimed actress, Xia Zilan remained apprehensive.

But now, her anxiety seemed to subside. At the very least, contact had been established, and judging from the tone and demeanour displayed thus far, TMY didn't seem as challenging as the rumours had suggested.

Furthermore, despite TMY's attempt to sound more mature, it was evident that she had the voice of a young girl.

Due to Xia Zilan's momentary confusion upon connecting the call, there was a brief silence on the other end, prompting a reminder, "Hello? Is someone there?"

"Oh, my apologies. I'm here," Xia Zilan quickly responded, realizing her momentary lapse. "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Xia Zilan, an actor and writer representing the 'Counting the Seconds' production team. We have a proposition for collaboration and would like to discuss it with you. Are you interested?"

"Collaboration? With a movie production team?" At that moment, Miaoyi, in her hotel room in the capital, turned and exchanged a glance with Qiuying.

Miaoyi asked curiously, "By the way, how did you find me?"

Huh?

What's happening?

She thought she was supposed to remain anonymous?

Moreover, when did movie production teams start reaching out to her for collaboration?

She didn't believe she had gained enough recognition in the film industry yet.

Granted, she had participated in a TV show, but there were thousands of TV shows every year, originating from various countries. Reality TV shows were even more commonplace, like "Street Dance of China."

TV could be considered the "Entry Level" for an aspiring musician, as it usually operated on a lower budget and required less established artists due to the length of a season, necessitating more songs overall.

Movies, particularly the high-budget ones, were akin to the CEO level. With their substantial budgets, they could afford to hire more renowned artists with an impressive track records, often overlooking newer talents until they had proven their skills.

Miaoyi hadn't anticipated receiving an offer like this so soon.

Thus, Miaoyi naturally followed up on Xia Zilan's words, indicating her willingness to continue the conversation.

And upon receiving a positive response, Xia Zilan's eyes lit up.

Although no negotiations had taken place yet, didn't the other party's question imply that there was room for discussion and interest?

"Well, as a music producer, have you ever ventured into film scoring?" Xia Zilan disregarded Miaoyi's second question and instead responded with one of her own.

"No, I haven't," Miaoyi promptly replied.

Technically, this was true. Currently, she only had one song, "Solo Dance," associated with promoting a show, "Street Dance." Although it fell within the same industry, TV and film were distinct entities. Besides, she was too new to be involved in any massive productions.

For instance, she had just returned from signing with her first legitimate record label today, a significant milestone for any musician. She hadn't even had a chance to return to Shanghai after her signing.

Or even leave the hotel, for that matter...

Moreover, "Film Scoring" was a different process compared to her previous work.

Usually, when releasing a single, the song's owner, either the label or the singer/songwriter themselves, decides when to release it to the general public.

However, when it came to a song tied to a film, the singer-songwriter alone didn't have the final say. The song became part of the film's advertising and a crucial component of the finished project. Creating custom songs for a film required aligning with the director's vision, involving constant meetings, revisions, and recordings until the director was satisfied before any progress could be made.

Otherwise, if a song didn't align with the film, could it truly be considered "Film Scoring?"

Considering all these factors, Miaoyi had never contemplated this format before.

"So, are you planning to invite me to compose for film scoring?" Miaoyi hastened the conversation, posing the main question.

"Yes, precisely. After discussions with the director, investors, and the crew, we have decided to invite you to compose and produce the theme song for us," Xia Zilan replied.

"Oh, I see... Wait a moment, did you just say 'theme song'?" Miaoyi's attention was partially elsewhere when she initially heard Xia Zilan's words. Only after a moment of reflection did she abruptly pause and say, "Isn't it usually an insert song or background music?"

"No, it truly is a theme song," Xia Zilan said, sounding perplexed. "Is there an issue?"

"..." Miaoyi remained silent for a few seconds before responding, "It's not that it's impossible. It's just that I didn't expect it to be a theme song..." Miaoyi raised an eyebrow. "Typically, when filmmakers approach electronic music producers for film scoring, it's mostly for insert songs or background music. I can't recall many movies featuring a 'Theme Song.' Are you sure it will work?"

"I understand." Xia Zilan breathed a sigh of relief that TMY didn't outright reject the idea. "Don't worry. We thoroughly discussed it before reaching this decision. Initially, many people on the crew had doubts. After all, there aren't many films that utilize either a theme song or electronic music, for that matter, at least not with notable success. However, that was before they heard your work. We have every reason to believe that as the producer who created such a unique piece like 'Closer,' you won't disappoint us."

"Is that so?" Miaoyi blinked.

This response genuinely surprised her. It made her feel even more trusted than she trusted herself.

From this perspective, working on film scoring seemed like a promising choice.

Moreover, her electronic music career gradually gained momentum and became more mainstream each day. As an up-and-coming artist, let alone a producer, making songs for films was an eventuality.

Furthermore, it was closely connected to whether Miaoyi could truly establish herself on the DJ stage in the future.

"I think we can collaborate," Miaoyi provided her answer.

"Really?" Xia Zilan exclaimed joyfully. "That's fantastic! When can we find some time to discuss this in person?"

"Let's address that later. Right now, I have one question: What kind of film is your crew working on?"

"It's a romance film," Xia Zilan replied.

"What? A romance film?" Miaoyi expressed her surprise.

"Yes, a romance film."

"..."

"TMY? Hello?"

"..."