The veteran artists sitting in the second row were also deep in discussion. Their focus was, as usual, on technique.
"I watched some footage of General Fang Zhao. This leader has unique speech patterns. Others might miss them, but we can spot them right away."
When most folks spoke, they put an emphasis on certain words—sometimes just one, sometimes several. They also paused to highlight certain points. Fang Zhao didn't speak extensively in the footage of the conference attended by many leaders, but he had his own style of speech, which included emphases and pauses. The veteran artists considered this Fang Zhao's signature style.
The first six candidates had tried to imitate that style in their performances. They had clearly studied the archive footage carefully, but they weren't quite there. They couldn't replicate Fang Zhao's speech pattern completely. Their deliveries were close approximations at best.