The Best Director

Chapter 172: Who is Jeff Ma!?

In the elegant and quiet coffee shop, Anderson gazed at the two black-haired Asian men chatting at a nearby table and felt extremely disappointed, not even wanting to waste film on a candid shot. He had finally landed this opportunity, this exclusive stalking of the sensational Wang Yang, and why wasn’t the great director meeting with a girl? Why an Asian man!

Even if that guy was a relative or close friend of the sensational Yang, such photos were almost worthless, selling for only a hundred or two hundred dollars at most, hardly enough to recoup the costs. However, if the person Wang Yang was meeting were a girl other than Jessica, and if there were some displays of affection, that would have been fantastic!

Anderson couldn’t help but smile at that thought, but he still quietly picked up his camera and pressed the shutter, taking a few photos. A hundred bucks was still better than nothing. The competition in the paparazzi industry was just too fierce, with over thirty or forty of his peers constantly hovering around Britney, following her daily. He didn’t join that throng but chose instead to follow Wang Yang, the wondrous director who enjoyed skyrocketing popularity among the youth.

Usually, it was bearable when none of his films were being screened, with fewer than five competitors trailing him consistently; but as soon as one of his movies was released, the number of competitors would surge. With the global explosion of “District 9″ this month, his popularity soared even higher, as did the number of competitors, which had now peaked at 15-20 people. The quantity of the photos increased several times over, and their value plummeted.

On the other hand, because he was cohabiting with the equally popular Jessica, there were nearly ten people encircling their house daily, staking out in the public area in front of their door and even fighting over the garbage from their bins. Just two days earlier, Anderson had gotten into a scuffle over a crumpled piece of paper, which had resulted in two stitches on his chin.

The paper was covered with a variety of messy, bizarre drawings, maybe scribbled casually or perhaps part of the director’s storyboarding; such items were rare, as they usually received shredded papers, hardly ever wads of paper like this one. And what made the paper truly valuable was the hasty scribbles of girls’ names it bore! Amanda, Alva, Caroline, Erica, Jessica, Kate, Matilde…

Who were they?! Apart from Jessica, who were the other girls? Even though they didn’t understand what that piece of paper meant, they felt they were close to a startling secret, one that could literally be worth a fortune.

But instead of what he hoped for, Anderson was left sighing at the sight of this black-haired Asian man. How could he possibly stand out in this industry?

What I miss most isn’t playing 21 at the tables, nor is it making a lot of money.”

By the clean, round table, Kevin Spacey took a leisurely sip from his coffee cup, and a flicker of reminiscence passed through his single-lidded eyes as he looked at Wang Yang across the table and said, “What I miss most is that feeling of striving together, of living as part of a team, with everyone moving forward with determination towards the same goal, filled with loyalty and love for each other. Those truly were wonderful times.”

Wang Yang smiled and nodded, suddenly reminded of his own days shooting “Paranormal Activity.” It was his first time directing, Rachel’s first time as a lead actress, Zachary’s first time as a lead actor; Jessie and Joshua would come help too, sometimes goofing things up, but it was all about determination, joy, and charging ahead… Was that the same feeling Jeff Ma missed?

So you guys never had any conflicts?” he asked with a smile, looking at Kevin Spacey, “No disputes over who got to be the big player or who did the card counting? Like, someone getting dissatisfied and then not following the rules?

He had been in early contact with Ben Mezrich, discussing and finalizing the script content numerous times; but it was only in recent days that he had begun to meet with Jeff Ma. He didn’t want the character “Jeff Ma” to be too influenced by the real person before his personality and image were set, as that might limit “Jeff Ma’s” individual charm on the big screen. This wasn’t a biographical movie like “The Pursuit of Happyness.” It was a drama about the MIT blackjack team.

Now, he felt he was slowly taking control of the story and its characters and could start fleshing out the details.

No no no, none of those issues arose,” Kevin Spacey laughed heartily, his eyes squinting, “We were all selfless, all smart. We knew what was best for us and we’d execute it, like a well-oiled machine. Otherwise, you can’t beat 21.”

He gestured with his right hand, quickly rubbing his thumb and index finger near his ear while speaking, “Card counting is a game that requires exceptional teamwork, just like any team sport.” He shrugged again and said, “In theory, card counting only increases the odds of winning by 3%, but that 3% can make a huge difference. That’s why you need big players; we were very lucky and capitalized on that 3%. But if you want to win, you need a mature, championship team.”

Hmm, loyalty, friendship, teamwork…” Wang Yang nodded in understanding, noticing that the small movement he just made seemed meaningful, so he also rubbed his fingers together and asked, “Is that a gesture? What does it mean?”

Kevin, with a naive smile, rubbed his fingers and said, “Yes, it’s one of the gestures card counters use to signal the big player that it’s time to join the game.” Wang Yang asked in confusion, “Are there many gestures with the same meaning?” Kevin laughed and said, of course, then he demonstrated several gestures one after another—patting the back of his head, pressing his left hand to his neck and twisting as if tired… He explained, “If you use the same signal all day, you’ll be caught quickly.”

He then performed the motion of taking off glasses and laughed, “We also use props, like taking off glasses to wipe them, taking out a handkerchief to wipe sweat… These gestures change, and sometimes what they mean one week might be different the next.” As he watched Wang Yang looking quite moved, Kevin spun his finger around his temple and said with a laugh, “Our heads here are quite useful. Even if there were a hundred gestures, we’d still be clear on them.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Yang couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking that this must be why “Winning 21” felt so awkward, right? The movie always showed the card counter signaling the big player to join the game with just one gesture: clasping hands behind the back, which was a broad and uncool movement. Maybe its purpose was to make it easy for the audience to remember and for ease of filming, but the problem is that it lost a sense of realism and a smart vibe.

The reality was so much cooler. These were the tiny details that the MIT team used to outwit the casinos and detectives, so how come they were never recognized and caught? Apart from their disguises, the variation in their gestures on surveillance was also a crucial factor. However, in “Winning 21, the reason the casino security chief caught them was exactly because he recognized that awkward gesture.

OK, Jeff, I got it. Our art director will design some cool signals and some jargon,” Wang Yang said with a smile, taking a sip from his coffee cup. The mention of jargon made him think of something, and laughing, he said, “Have you ever considered that you speak very quickly? You’ll talk fast in the movie. You know your nickname is ‘Intel Chip’ —for being fast and precise in calculation, intelligent… All of these should be manifested externally, and speech speed and responses are good choices.”

Kevin nodded in agreement, saying, “Of course, I don’t know much about movie-making, but I completely trust Magic Yang, haha!” He squinted his eyes and laughed with his eyebrows inverted, adding, “But actually, I don’t speak that fast.”

So why did you join this blackjack team? What was your mindset at the time? Wang Yang asked another key question. If the protagonist wasn’t under financial pressure from scholarships, why did he join? What was the whole story for? He thought for a moment and added, “What was everyone’s mindset?”

Mindset?” pondered Kevin, frowning as he recalled the situation back then. He spread his hands with a laugh and said, “Interest, I suppose. At first, I joined just because I thought it was fun and also to test my abilities. I heard them say ‘It’s very difficult,’ and then I thought ‘What’s the big deal, I can do it.'”

He continued with a proud look on his face, “Then I started to like the team; later when we began to win money, hundreds of thousands in a single night, that was surely exciting and motivated us to continue. Why not? It was something we were good at; it was just a job.” He laughed happily, continuing, “It changed our lives. We could use our skills to win money, and then use that money to fulfill our wishes.”

Like the PROTRADE I’m running now. You can treat the players like virtual stocks to trade. Their power is the stock price. What could be more fun than that?” Kevin boasted with a laugh, took a sip of coffee, and said excitedly, “Yang, this is my dream job. You know I love the NBA; I watch games every day.” Wang Yang immediately slapped his forehead and sighed, “Oh, it’s a pity Yao Ming couldn’t make it to our Bay Area.”

Kevin also nodded in sympathy, then excitedly said, “According to my data analysis, Yao Ming could definitely make it and perhaps become a superstar. Besides running a sports website, he was now a senior data expert, working as a consultant for NFL teams including the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Francisco 49ers. (In the NBA 2007 draft, he had strongly advised the Trail Blazers, who had the first pick, to go for Kevin Durant, speaking dismissively of Greg Oden. But in the end, the Trail Blazers still chose Oden, who was highly touted and would have been the choice of every team. The result was a bleak finish for the Trail Blazers.)

My analysis agrees,” Wang Yang laughed, having a rough idea in mind. The movie should portray a mentality of treating the game as the main focus. Jeff Ma was motivated by interest and provoked by the team leader, and while the MIT team was indeed after money, it was all about playing with money. If asked “Why?” they would say “Because we can.”

The film had to be cool and not preachy, but still possess a correct mainstream value. So there had to be a premise: no crime at all in the story so that the MIT team could end their career stylishly and the audience would accept it. No matter what the mindset was, in the end, they still needed to say, “Let’s get back to normal life.”

Speaking of mindset, Kevin seemed to have thought of this aspect too, and said, “We always stress that card counting isn’t illegal, it’s just an action that casinos dislike. Casinos are not God, they have no divine right to take money from people; we, in turn, can take their money!”

Wow, that’s a good line!” exclaimed Wang Yang, tapping his temple and smiling, “I’ve noted it down.” Kevin nodded with a smile, earnestly saying, “Although anyone can learn card counting, I sincerely hope that my story doesn’t lead people to drop out and play blackjack. When I agreed to let Ben adapt it into a novel, it was just to tell people that you can beat the casino, you can do anything. But card counting is just one means to fulfill desires. Don’t waste your life.”

Jeff, don’t worry. I’ll make you guys look really cool in the film, and the audience will think it’s something only smart people can accomplish,” Wang Yang smiled, adding, “And smart people won’t choose to drop out to play blackjack.” However, he thought that once the film came out, there were definitely going to be people who would criticize, “Do you know the influence you have on young people? You’re teaching kids to gamble.”

Kevin Spacey then asked a question that had been circling in his mind for a long time. “What ethnicity will the actor be who plays me?” he said. In reality, he had no influence over who would portray him or what the content of the movie would be like. Ben Mezrich’s published book had already made him a “public figure.” Anyone who wanted to film his biography and story didn’t need his consent, and naturally, he had no say in the matter.

Of course, it will be a Chinese actor! Of course!” Wang Yang laughed without a second thought, clenching his fist tightly. “Jeff, an Intel Chip can only be Chinese.” Kevin Spacey instantly broke into a wide, happy smile, excitedly exclaiming, “Cool, that’s really cool! I don’t want to see a Korean or Japanese playing me, that would be ridiculous.”

That won’t happen,” Wang Yang said as he took out a script from his bag beside the chair. Suddenly he noticed a very familiar white man sitting not far away, with a buzz cut, a prominent nose… He was a paparazzo! But it didn’t matter anymore. Wang Yang passed the script to Kevin Spacey, saying with a smile, “Here’s the script, Jeff, I need to provide some more details. Although I’ve read ‘Las Vegas’ many times, could you personally explain to me the card counting stuff?”

He wasn’t worried about Kevin Spacey leaking the script or anything; there was no need for such concern. Besides, before their meeting, Kevin Spacey had readily agreed to serve as a consultant and guide for the production team, and his participation in the real “God of Gamblers” was expected during the promotion stage as well.

Sure,” Kevin Spacey took the script and began to flip through it, spotting not just the story content but also some professional knowledge about card counting among other things. He pointed out a detail that needed to be filled in —the “Blackjack Hall of Fame,” and said, “Here, we actually have a Blackjack Hall of Fame. The first member is our card counting pioneer, the now 60-year- old Stanford Wong.”

Seeing the perplexed look on Wang Yang’s face, he shook his head with a laugh, “No, he’s not Chinese, that’s a stage name. His real name is John Ferguson. He’s a graduate of Stanford, and he felt ‘Wong’ sounded powerful. Stanford was just really interested in Chinese culture, you know his publishing house is called ‘Pi-Yee.’ Other members include Edward Thorp from UCLA, Bill Kaplan from Harvard…”

How come I didn’t know ‘Wong’ was supposed to sound powerful?” After he recited a long list of names, Wang Yang laughed a little, shrugged, and said, “I think ‘Ge’ sounds more imposing.”

Kevin Spacey also laughed heartily, continued to read the script for a while, and then said, “There are many different card counting systems used by card counters. The one you wrote about and the most popular now is High-Low. It’s when 2-6 are counted as +1, 7-9 as 0,10s and face cards as -1. If there’s a +7 count at the table, then it’s time to bet. Personally, I use this system and also the 10-Count at the same time, which is calculating how many tens (including JQK) are left in the deck; normally it’s 4/13, the dealer has the advantage. But if the ratio of tens reaches 1/3, you can play with the dealer…”

To think of using two different counting methods simultaneously? Wang Yang couldn’t help but feel amazed. Cool! No wonder he’s called Intel Chip; no wonder he could cause a qualitative change in the MIT team! As he listened to Kevin Spacey’s explanation, Wang Yang took out a pen and began noting these key points in his notebook—such cool and professional details, why weren’t they seen in ‘Winning 21’?

Night fell, and the watery moonlight enveloped the City of Angels, Beverly Hills still intoxicated with excess or quiet serenity.

After spending nearly a day talking with Kevin Spacey, Wang Yang returned home full of satisfaction. The day’s harvest was incredibly rich. Previously, he had discussed big story structures, scene content, and such with Ben Mezrich, while Kevin Spacey provided the professional details. After their discussion, many lines and details were either filled or slightly changed, becoming more “flavored” or “characteristic.”

He understood that when something is presented as professional and complex, the audience might not understand it, and they will find it even cooler. But there was a fine line to walk, not to leave them completely clueless or half­understanding, but to build an impression and atmosphere in their minds that makes them think, “Wow, definitely, that’s professional!”

Then they still might not understand, and as a result, they might look up the information and become unforgettable to the movie. Of course, some basic principles of card counting needed to be understood by them, so when people like Jeff Ma showed their superb application at the gambling table, the audience would feel their blood boiling with excitement.

Who is Jeff Ma? Who is Jeff Ma?” Wang Yang hummed an unknown tune, as he sat down in the living room couch and opened his laptop. After meeting the real Jeff Ma, he already had a tangible image of this character. Jeff was definitely a competitive, talkative, proud “social” Chinese; there was neither modesty, introversion, nor shyness.

Now he could officially start searching for actors! But in this place lacking opportunities, finding a talented Chinese actor was even harder than seeing a giant panda, at least San Diego had the Stone Lion and White Cloud, just a 3- hour drive from Los Angeles!

Wang Yang leaned on the couch, browsing web pages while recalling Lin Yibin’s ‘Better Luck Tomorrow.’ This million-dollar independent film had already finished shooting and editing, all production completed. Lin Yibin, along with a team of lead actors was attending film festivals everywhere, and the feedback from critics was very positive. FM Company was already arranging for it to be screened on a small scale in Asian communities and campuses.

The male lead in ‘Better Luck Tomorrow’ was played by Parry Shen, a New York Chinese actor who, at the age of 30, still had the typical youthful Asian look, allowing him to portray a college student. But Wang Yang had dismissed him quite early on; firstly, because his acting wasn’t good enough, and secondly, Shen’s small eyes did not match the requirement. Small eyes should not be a typical Asian label; Korean eyes are generally quite small, but not Chinese. At any rate, his own eyes were very big.

Who is Kevin Spacey? Who is Kevin Spacey?” Wang Yang hummed again in Chinese, browsing through the Chinese website on the screen, looking at Hong Kong and Taiwanese American male celebrities one by one. Hong Kong actors seemed to come and go, always the same few faces; those with good looks and acting skills were certainly famous already, so it wasn’t difficult to find information and photos of those young candidates. These two criteria were for the first round of auditions, and if they passed, they would then be formally contacted for an interview to assess their acting and suitability.

Edison Chen? 22 years old, Canadian, grew up in Vancouver… Wang Yang glanced at the image on the screen and shook his head, closing the webpage. Edison Chen had a rebellious look, very suitable for playing gangsters in Hong Kong movies, but not for playing a scholarly and gallant high achiever. He browsed a few more: Shawn Yue? Still looked too much like a rebel; Nicolas Tse? Not mature-looking enough, and seemed a bit short; Louis Koo? His looks and demeanor were fine, but he grew up in Hong Kong, not deeply feeling the local culture, not a good choice.

F4? What’s that? ‘Fantastic Four’?” Wang Yang muttered in confusion, seemingly having heard of it before on some webpage. He clicked to check out the group’s profile, which turned out to mean “Four Flowers.” Vanness Wu? American Chinese, trained in theater in Hollywood, but his eyes were too small; Ken Chu? Quite suitable for the simple and honest demeanor of the real-life Jeff Ma, but this was the big screen; Jerry Yan, Vic Chou? The two guys were rather handsome, with the same level of physique and looks.

Wang Yang laughed heartily and clicked to close the window because none of them spoke English; regardless of their acting skills, it wouldn’t work. He opened another person’s profile at random: Daniel Wu, Daniel Wu, born in 1974, 28 years old. As he looked through several photos and the profile of Daniel Wu, his eyes lit up and he muttered: “Buddy, maybe it’s you?”

Daniel Wu was born and grew up in San Francisco, graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Architecture, and returned to Hong Kong in 1997- No need to worry about accent, cultural differences, market recognition issues. He was tall and robust enough, with a handsome and scholarly appearance, and he also had the right scholarly quality; some photos even had a satisfying hint of wickedness, seeming to fulfill all the right conditions. It read here that he started practicing martial arts since the age of 11…

What kind of kung fu did he study?” Wang Yang saw the line about learning martial arts and boxing from a young age, and suddenly a desire to fight surged within him. He hadn’t sparred with an equal opponent in a long time, which was just as bad as not having sex for three years. He looked left and right at the photos of Daniel Wu, the desire to fight roiling within him, the more he looked, the more he felt this guy was really good.

Wang Yang murmured an acknowledgment, then picked up the cell phone on the coffee table and dialed a number, commanding, “Get CAA to contact Daniel Wu, yes, right now he’s making a career in Hong Kong. Just ask him if he’s interested in auditioning for the lead role in my movie. OK, bye.” After putting down the phone, he continued to browse through other male celebrities, Takeshi Kaneshiro? Mixed Okinawan and Chinese, but he wanted a full Chinese; Leehom Wang, grew up in America, had the right look and temperament, but was a pop star…

After flipping through almost all the well-known eligible male celebrities for quite a while, Wang Yang still hadn’t found another “very suitable” candidate. He sighed and closed all the webpages, hoping that Daniel Wu’s acting performance would also fit! Otherwise, he would have to lower his standards and go fishing. He clenched his fists and swung them a few times, gritting his teeth and humming, “Daniel, I can’t wait to fight you!”

Right then, Danny ran over with his tongue hanging out, panting happily. Wang Yang paused for a moment and then laughed, “Hey, buddy, I was calling for Daniel, not you!” He patted its head, saying softly with a smile, “Your mom won’t be back until late, maybe not at all, she’s having a girls’ night out with Eileen, Roland, and the others. Oh boy, it’s just us left alone together, woo woo…”

He laughed and pushed Danny away forcefully, saying, “Go play by yourself, I still have work to do.” He picked up the script on the table and looked through it, gradually sinking into contemplation about another problem.

Now that there was a promising candidate for the male lead, who should play the other female lead, Detective Beverly Griffin in the movie? This detective was smart, stubborn, never giving up. Although she was played for a fool by Jeff Ma and his team, she was the one who ultimately got the MIT team on the blacklist. It was hard to say who the victor in this cat and mouse game truly was.

A casino isn’t inherently entitled to rake in money; we’re just legally making a score from them. Helping the casino is just supporting a wicked tyrant.” If someone said this to her, she would reply, “I’m not interested in the casino, what interests me is catching people like you.” She had her own charm, not a foolish foil to the MIT team and the others. If her opponent was too weak, the audience wouldn’t be thrilled with how she was played.

In reality, Beverly Griffin was an aged, astute old lady, but she couldn’t be portrayed that way on the big screen; she had to be young. And there were two options: one was a mature woman; the other was a genius female detective of similar age to Jeff Ma and his team, creating a genius vs. genius drama.

Wang Yang touched his chin and quickly analyzed the situation, realizing he had a preference for the second option. However, this elevated the demands for the actress significantly; not only did she need acting skills, but more importantly, she had to have the right charisma and conviction—not everyone could claim the role of a genius female detective on the big screen. So, among the actresses he knew, who would be suitable?

Jessica? He shook his head; her temperament didn’t match, nor was her acting good enough. The same went for Anne Darren, Scarlett Johansson, Michelle Rodriguez… they all lacked that essential quality. But Zoe Deschanel, Anne Hathaway, and then… he blinked, a girl with an evil expression from the filming of “Paranormal Activity” vaguely came to mind.

Rachel… Rachel McAdams, Rachel Anne McAdams…” (To be continued. If you

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