The Best Director

Chapter 31: Young Movie?

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Yang, I can learn!” Jessica hastily interrupted Wang Yang before he could say “I need someone who can dance, but you can’t,” as she had already made up her mind to be part of Yang’s next film no matter what.

Jessica remembered pleading with her father to let her attend performing arts school after they had moved to Los Angeles. At that time, her father’s business was just starting, and the family’s financial situation was not as good as it is now, but in order to provide her and Joshua with what he considered the best growing environment, they lived in the smallest house in a wealthy neighborhood. Her father was busy all day long, and her mother held several part-time jobs, working exhaustingly every day, just to afford the tuition for her and Joshua’s expensive private Catholic school.

But she and Joshua had no friends in the community or at school; those haughty rich kids simply looked down on them and wouldn’t play with them. She felt very lonely at that time and missed her joyful days in San Francisco. She thought about her promise with Yang, but to become an actress she needed to attend performing arts school. So, against her parents’ wishes, she took the bold step of asking her father to transfer her to a different school. Her dad was a stubborn man, scolding her for being “willful” and disregarding her request; it took a lot of fighting and crying before her dad finally softened and agreed to the transfer.

Wasn’t it the thought of making movies with Yang that had made her so willful” back then? She wanted to be an outstanding actress, that was her pursuit; she wanted to star in Yang’s movies, and that too had been her aspiration since childhood.

She had watched how Yang made his first movie and how he succeeded step by step. She was even one of the first to know about ‘Paranormal Activity’, yet she always felt like a bystander, watching from the sidelines without getting involved; but this time, she wouldn’t allow herself to miss out again. No matter what, she was determined to take part in Yang’s movie! Even if it meant playing a background role without any lines.

As these thoughts rapidly flashed through her mind, Jessica’s face showed determination as she said earnestly, “Whatever dance I need to learn, I can master it.”

“Jessica, don’t worry,” Wang Yang soothed her, sensing her nervousness, and explained, “Not being able to dance now is not a problem, we are not going into any international competition. When it comes time to shoot, we’ll just have a dance instructor give you guys a few lessons.”

“Oh, God,” Jessica breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately broke into a happy smile, her eyes sparkling, “It’s such a relief to hear you say that!” She had been ready to contact a dance teacher immediately to learn the dances needed for the campus musical film. But now she still planned to do so, and after this, she would sign up for dance classes. Yang was making a musical, which meant he liked to dance, and what if one day Yang invited her to dance? Plus, dancing is fun! She then asked, “By the way, Yang, why have you suddenly decided to make a campus musical film?”

Wang Yang went to the kitchen, pouring warm water into a cup, and spoke with a smile to his phone, “it’s not sudden. I started thinking about it when I was in Chicago, and finalized the plan these past few days.”

Upon hearing “Chicago,” an impulse surged in Jessica’s heart, and she wanted to ask Wang Yang, “Does Rachel know?”

I just feel ‘the time is right’. Releasing a campus musical now is the correct timing, and it might even spark a full-scale revival of musicals, haha!” Wang Yang laughed heartily, took the water cup, and walked back to the computer, half-jokingly saying, “Besides, campus films suit you, don’t they? I’ve had enough of those damn producers and directors, why won’t they even give you a role as a waitress? No waitress aura? Oh, please!”

Jessica responded with a beaming smile, feeling sweet inside. She twirled her hair and laughed, “Yang, what kind of role do you think would suit me, then?” “Hmm, I’m not sure yet, but I can assure you, the role will definitely have lines,” Wang Yang said with a chuckle, but then, his tone became serious as he added, “Seriously, Jessica, I mean it. I’ll invite you to audition for the lead actress in this film.” Jessica was stunned for a moment, exclaiming, “oh, my God!” Wang Yang gave a small laugh and continued, “You certainly have the looks for the lead actress, but I can’t make that decision right now, you know. There are many factors to consider when choosing a lead actress.”

“I know, Yang, I do…” Jessica nodded fervently, her cheeks burning with excitement, “Oh God, this is so exciting!” She had a chance to be the lead actress in Yang’s film; what could make her happier than that? “When we grow up, I’ll be the director, you’ll be the lead actress, and then…” Could it be that their promise was about to come true?

Wang Yang smiled and said, “Jessica, then you must practice your acting skills diligently.” He pondered the acting exercises Jessica had tried before her audition for “Paranormal Activity,” and shared his suggestion, “Acting can sometimes be natural, and other times it must deviate from reality. In real life, you may be sad and show no expression, but on camera, you need to convey your sorrow, let everyone see… happiness, anger, sadness, expressing these emotions is important. Changes in expression are crucial, having a sense of layers, not just one single expression will do…”

Although “High School Musical” doesn’t seem to have high demands for acting skills, now that it was being adapted for the big screen, there was no room for even the slightest error, and his attitude towards casting was always absolutely rational. If Jessica couldn’t meet his standards, he wouldn’t show any favoritism, it’s either a yes or a no. He seriously said, “Jessica, I don’t want to give the lead role to anyone else, you know?”

Listening to him, Jessica took a deep breath and nodded, “Yang, I will work hard on practicing my acting, I will.”

After a little more conversation, the call ended, and Jessica said she was going to practice her acting in front of a mirror. Meanwhile, Wang Yang sat at his computer desk, staring at the screen, his fingers tapping on the keyboard as he began to write the screenplay for “High School Musical.”

The story of “High School Musical” is actually quite simple in its narrative structure. The male lead, Troy Bolton, is the captain of the East High School basketball team known as the Wildcats, raised under the tutelage of his father who is the team’s coach, and who had once led the Wildcats to a league championship in his youth; the female lead, Gabriella Montez, is a science genius, earning countless awards in academic competitions, the typical “nerd” type.

At a New Year’s holiday party, Troy and Gabriella were reluctantly pushed onto a small stage to sing a duet, only to discover a new passion for song and dance. After the party ended, they each returned to their cities, but one day, Gabriella suddenly transferred to East High School, and the reunion with Troy was naturally a happy one. When the school started casting for a musical, Troy and Gabriella, knowing their own love for song and dance, auditioned and passed the first round; but with the basketball finals and academic competition approaching, friends and family tried to stop them from participating in the musical, attempting to steer them back to their “normal tracks.”

Under their interference, Troy and Gabriella developed misunderstandings and gave up on the second round auditions, both ending up unhappy. Consequently, their friends reflected and realized they should encourage them to follow their dreams and came clean to Troy and Gabriella about their previous sabotage. With their misunderstandings resolved, Troy and Gabriella were happy again and began preparing earnestly for the second round audition. However, siblings Sharpay and Ryan Evans caused trouble once again; they had always been the leads in East High School’s musicals, and fearing they would be replaced by Troy and Gabriella, they persuaded Mrs. Darbus, the teacher in charge of the musical auditions, to change the second round audition time to coincide with the basketball finals and academic competition.

But with the help of their friends, unexpected events occurred during the basketball game and academic competition, and Troy and Gabriella ultimately participated in the second round of auditions, and were chosen as the leads of the musical. Later on, Troy won the basketball championship, and Gabriella won the academic competition, rounding off a perfect ending. This is the story of “High School Musical,” simple yet inspirational.

This screenplay was written for the actors, and the parts involving song and dance just need to be outlined, without detailed choreography, which couldn’t be articulated on paper anyways; such tasks are best left to the dance director. However, while writing this screenplay, Wang Yang added some content compared to the original— he thought that in the latter part of the movie, the friends’ change of heart came too abruptly; a short sequence including their discussion and self-reflection was needed.

All of these additions comprised material for the movie; they would be filmed and then, during the post-production editing stage, selections would be made.

It took two days for Wang Yang to finalize the first draft of the screenplay. The overall framework of the story didn’t change, but he made some alterations to how the story was told and the details it included, aiming to make the film’s pacing more natural and suited for the big screen.

Next, Wang Yang began to write the shot-by-shot screenplay for “High School Musical,” detailing how to transform the content of the screenplay into sequences of cinematic images, and how those images would be filmed, and so on.

Television movies and theatrical films employ many different techniques, largely due to budget constraints, but also because the viewing experience on a small screen differs significantly from that on the big screen. Wang Yang had to redesign most of the shots for “High School Musical,” not considering the cost, but aiming for the best effects.

For example, at the beginning of “High School Musical,” outside the holiday resort during the New Year’s vacation, Troy and Gabriela admired the brilliant fireworks meant to celebrate the New Year. The original version portrayed this with a frontal shot of the protagonists looking up, followed by a cut to a separate shot of the sky filled with dazzling but obviously fake computer-generated fireworks. A few seconds later, the shot cut back to the protagonists and the crowd behind them.

It was an unmistakable set-like feel; they must have been shooting this scene indoors, and even if it were outdoors, there would be no fireworks in the sky. They were unwilling to spend the money to refine the post-production effects —this is typical of TV movies.

However, in Wang Yang’s storyboard for “High School Musical,” this scene was planned to be shot by starting with the protagonists raising their heads to watch the fireworks, the camera then ascending for an overhead shot, switching to a long shot from a low angle, capturing Troy, Gabriela, the crowd, the resort, the sky, and the fireworks all in one frame, conveying a sense of romance fitting for a big screen movie.

Wang Yang took his time writing this storyboard; he considered the consistency of style and aimed to give the shots a youthful campus vibe, almost reassembling the entire movie. It was a task that required a great deal of thought and effort. He was not in a hurry, and there was no need to be, as long as everything was ready by the time filming officially began. There was still so much to do in the pre-production phase of making a film.

“Hey, Hebrew, it’s me, Yang,” Wang Yang said, lounging on the wicker sofa in his apartment, calling Hebrew Karl, the lawyer from the “Honesty” Law Firm. Days ago, when Wang Yang had asked Hebrew Karl for tax advice, he hired him as his legal advisor, with the benefit of year-round free legal consultation, responsibility for contractual affairs, and discounted legal representation in court cases. In return, Wang Yang agreed to pay Hebrew Karl ten thousand US Dollars every month.

The fee was quite reasonable, but Hebrew Karl had more clients than just him. Lawyers in this country command high salaries and are highly respected. Upon hearing Hebrew’s greeting, Wang Yang went straight to the point, “I’m planning to shoot a new movie with an investment of about 5 million. I’m wondering if I should set up a production company?”

“5 million? Oh, certainly, if there are multiple investors in the film, you need a company; even if you are the film’s only investor, you still need a company,” Hebrew Karl paused, then analyzed for Wang Yang: “First of all, making a 5- million dollar film is not something you can manage alone. Without a company to oversee the work, the finances would be a mess.”

Wang Yang silently nodded. He had considered this very issue, which is why he was prepared to set up a company. Making a DV film and a film reel movie are very different. “Paranormal Activity” had a budget of ten thousand, with just two actors and a total of three crew members; it was possible without a company. For something like “High School Musical,” with a multi-million dollar budget, signing more than a dozen actors and assembling a crew of hundreds, including cinematographers, lighting technicians, makeup artists, set designers, etc…. not having a company would be a joke.

Unless he worked with a production company and let them handle all the work, but why not just start his own company? He didn’t come from a business school, and he didn’t want to or need to manage day-to-day company operations. He just needed to be the chairman and hire someone like Jon Feltheimer to run the company.

Hebrew continued, “I’m not a finance expert, so I can’t offer you much advice on those matters. But the second point, our California government does offer some incentives for small film companies. If you register in California and shoot here, some of the movie tax will be refunded to you in the end. In fact, other places have similar policies, and the tax refund may not be a lot but it’s better than nothing.”

“Hmm,” Wang Yang thought for a moment, then said, “Hebrew, I got it. So tell me, what’s the procedure for setting up a production company?”

Hebrew laughed, “No, Yang, I don’t suggest you set up the company yourself; even if you do, it would only be a shell company initially. You’d need to find an office, hire new staff, and there would be a lot of annoying tasks to handle, right?” He continued with his recommendation, “Actually, you could acquire an existing production company. You know, Los Angeles is never short of film companies on the brink of bankruptcy waiting for an injection of funds. Companies spring up and close down every day. But most of the time, these companies collapse because they invested in a film that flopped, leading to heavy losses; sometimes even without any investment, just running out of capital to keep going. The internal operations of these companies are not problematic. You just find a debt-free company, inject funds into it, and it will be much easier than starting a new one.”

Wang Yang placed his phone down, crossed his arms, and furrowed his brow in thought. Hebrew Karl’s suggestion was worth considering – indeed, acquiring a financially stable independent film company was less of a hassle than starting a new one from scratch, plus a company with a production track record could compensate for his inexperience in the field and enable him to start filming “High School Musical” more swiftly.

After some contemplation, Wang Yang picked up his phone again and called Jon Feltheimer, saying, “Hey, Jon.”

“Hey, Yang, what’s up?” Jon’s voice came through, quite leisurely, as if he wasn’t busy. Wang Yang said with a smile, “I’m thinking about shooting another movie.” Jon let out an “oh,” as if frowning, “The campus musical you mentioned last time? Yang, I’m sorry, but our company has just finalized the plan for ‘Paranormal Activity 2’, and as you know, after the $5 million you took from us, we just don’t have spare capital to invest…” He was now well enough positioned to vie for the company’s CEO, so there was no need to make another uncertain investment; everything could wait until he became the CEO.

Wang Yang understood Jon’s mindset, and he had never planned to collaborate with these companies. He aimed to maximize profits, needing only to share the distribution with a distribution company, which was more important because, while he was still studying at the University of Southern California, he had worked part-time on a film set, doing odd jobs like hauling and lifting, and witnessed a “director and producer brawl on set” that still gave him the creeps when he thought about it.

In fact, when James Cameron was younger and working on his debut, “Piranha II: The Spawning,” he had clashed bitterly with the production company, which went so far as to exclude him from the post-production editing phase. Frustrated, James Cameron decided from then on to be both producer and director for his films.

Wang Yang thought to himself that if any producer tried to interfere with him, he might just throw a punch. He shifted in his seat and said to Jon, “I know, I’m not asking for investments, I’ll finance my movie myself.” Jon responded with surprise, “Wow! All by yourself?” Wang Yang nodded and laughed, “Yes, all by myself. I don’t want to wrestle with any producer. That’s why I want my own production company — I’m planning to directly acquire a financially healthy one. Do you have any good recommendations?”

“Oh! You’re not kidding, right?” Jon was taken aback, not knowing the exact investment needed for Wang Yang’s campus musical, but Wang Yang had mentioned to him before that it would be “maybe several million dollars.” It seemed to Jon that the young man was blinded by his success. Film and digital video were not comparable, let alone the long-silent genre of musicals. But here the young man was, ready to throw several million dollars into the venture. Was he being too blindly confident? Jon asked with a furrowed brow, “Yang, are you serious? Are you really going to do this?”

Wang Yang answered decisively, “Jon, I’m serious. I need a good, small production company that’s up for sale. You know, no debts, not because of internal operational problems, just because they can no longer hold on, a failed investment has left the chairman disheartened, and he wants to sell.” He chuckled, “And I want to buy.”

As the manager of distribution at Lionsgate, Jon was naturally familiar with industry competitors. He knew which film companies were being established or going out of business, which had plans for shooting or releasing new films-he was aware of such details. Naturally, he also had an inkling of which film companies were facing financial difficulties and which were on sale, ah not secrets but merely industry information.

“Let me think, oh, I can’t come up with any off the top of my head, my memory’s getting worse,” Jon mused and then laughed self-deprecatingly, “Here’s what we’ll do, Yang, after I get off work, I’ll go home and look for you, then send the information to you tomorrow.”

“OK, then I’ll wait for your information.” After pressing the end call button, Wang Yang stood up, stretching out his arms excitedly throwing a few combination punches, thinking: He’s going to buy an independent production company? Wow, like Armstrong’s moon landing, this was one small step for a man, but one giant leap for the film industry… Amazing, truly crazy! Alright then, what to name this company? “Young Films”? Uh, why does that sound like it could be a rice shop, and then there’s also that Wang’s Restaurant in the family…

Wang Yang walked over to his computer, lost in thought, and continued to work on the unfinished storyboard script for “High School Musical.”

PS: Everyone, throw in your recommendation tickets, let’s smash our way onto the weekly recommendation list on the homepage-the gap isn’t that big. Let’s work together and smash it! Thank you, everyone!

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