The Best Director

From the moment she signed the contract, at the movie’s preparation stage, Will Smith had been growing his hair and beard, and had also been dieting regularly, shedding more than 20 pounds. Naturally, this was in order to play the character image of Chris Gardner well: thin, weather-beaten, and a downtrodden middle-aged man. After the makeup artist’s work, his hair was slightly graying and his face appeared dark and aged. This new look, a departure from his usual appearance, turned out quite well.

With Wang Yang’s cry of “Action,” Will Smith, carrying a brown canvas bag and holding a medical scanner, walked out of the daycare. At the door, an elderly Chinese man was sweeping the floor. Will said, “Excuse me,” took a few steps, and then saw two English words scrawled on the graffiti wall.

On the street above, two black film cameras were shooting simultaneously, one capturing a medium shot and the other a close-up. The shots would be altered in post-production editing. Wang Yang stood behind the close-up camera, observing the performance through the viewfinder, while the medium shot was controlled by Varese Feste.

Sorry, when can someone clean this up?” Will Smith looked concerned, pointing at the word “Damn” on the wall. The Chinese uncle glanced at him and continued sweeping, replying in Cantonese, “I don’t speak English, can’t talk to you.” Will Smith frowned, tilted his head to listen, then helplessly waved his hand. These parts had been rehearsed and blocked before, so there were no issues. He then pointed at the “Y” in “Happyness” and said seriously, “And this ‘ Y,’ I’ve said it several times. It’s Happiness, not ‘Y’ in Happiness, it’s ‘I’.”

Cut!” Wang Yang shouted, stopping the camera, and tilted his head to look forward. “Will, your acting needs to be more restrained, especially your voice, more steady, yet with a hint of helplessness, and a firmness… This is not just about your son; it’s also what you’re telling yourself. There’s no why in happiness, there’s only me. To pursue happiness is up to oneself, I will attain happiness and so will my son…”

Gordon Chin, who was standing on the outskirts, couldn’t help but be moved. Here was Will, a top Hollywood star, taking directions from a 19-year-old director—a first in this situation, unprecedented worldwide, eligible for a Guinness World Record! While Director Yang had this authority, how many stars in Hollywood, like Will, would truly treat a 19-year-old as their director?

Okay, Yang, I got it,” Will Smith said after listening to Wang Yang, nodding his head. He had no disdain or perfunctory thoughts; choosing this role meant he chose to believe in Wang Yang’s directing capabilities, and he would work hard to deliver the effect the director wanted.

Then let’s go again.” Wang Yang’s eyes moved back to the viewfinder and he signaled to Varese Feste; both started the cameras rolling, and just as the clapper loader was about to call “Second take” and he was ready to cry “Action,” he noticed Terry Smith had somehow made his way beside him.

Terry, wearing overalls and sporting a small afro, stood beside the camera, curiously observing everything: the two large cameras, his father’s performance, Uncle Yang’s explanations, and all the other uncles and aunts around. Was this what making a movie looked like?

Hey, handsome, what are you doing here?” Wang Yang laughed in surprise, having been so busy that he’d forgotten about him. He glanced at Will, then turned off the camera and, taking Terry by the hand, walked into the daycare, “Come on, come with me.” Terry was supposed to sit inside the daycare playing with toys. Although that shot was not to be filmed just yet, it would help Will Smith immerse into his role.

After setting Terry up, Wang Yang returned in front of the camera and began shooting again. He called out, “Action!”

Will Smith walked out of the daycare and quickly got to the last part of this sequence, pointing at the letter “Y” on the wall. Through the window, he glanced at his son, as if suddenly feeling the emotion. He looked at the Chinese uncle, knowing the man wouldn’t understand, but still firmly said, “And this ‘Y’… it’s not ‘Y’ in Happiness, it’s ‘I’!”

I’ve told you, I don’t speak English…” the Chinese uncle said impatiently, waving his hands. Will Smith pressed his lips together, gave his son in the window another look, then turned and walked toward the street corner. He checked his watch on the way as several extras also started moving around.

The close-up camera had completed its task, and Varey-Fister, who was manning the medium shot camera, slowly raised the angle of the camera until it captured the sign above the street. When Wang Yang saw Varey give a thumbs up, he couldn’t help but feel a bit excited and shouted, “Cut! That’s a wrap!”

Instantly, the street erupted in applause, everyone in the crew started clapping with smiles on their faces, Harry-George whistled, and Terry cheered from inside the building, raising his hands high as he hopped out. Will Smith, who was coming back, laughed as he picked up Terry and, looking at Wang Yang, he said with a smile, “Hey, buddy, it feels great to shoot a biopic!” Wang Yang patted the magazine of the camera and nodded with a smile, “I feel great too!

During vacations, life could be very happy every day, with sightseeing, dating, quietly reading books, excitedly watching sports, leisurely and blissful; but once he got to work, once he entered the filmmaking process, Wang Yang felt a sensation of being full of drive, constantly moving forward, completing one shot after another—all the things he loved to do, the things that made him feel indescribably happy.

Next shot!” Wang Yang clapped his hands and called out loudly.

Next, the crew shot several scenes of Chris Gardner and Mrs. Chu conversing at the entrance of the daycare center, as well as scenes of Chris walking with his son on the street. The “outside of the daycare center” sequences were nearly complete, leaving the final scenes of Chris ecstatically running to hug his son after securing a position as a broker for the closing stages of filming.

Because Will Smith couldn’t quite nail the performance during rehearsals, probably because he hadn’t yet fully tapped into that emotional state. Wang Yang wasn’t in a hurry; in fact, he had always wanted to shoot according to the script sequence. This would allow actors to best understand and grasp the psychological transformation of their characters. Of course, in actual shooting, one had to adopt a certain scene-based filming approach. However, the crucial shot of Chris achieving his dream and tearfully hugging his son got special treatment. It would be shot after a series of other scenes to let Will Smith fully experience Chris’s emotional journey, and then he would shoot this significant scene.

As the afternoon arrived, the crew continued with the “inside the daycare center” scene. Varey-Fister directed the camera assistants to set up shots, and looking at Harry-George, who was gasping heavily and sweating profusely as he held the camera, Wang Yang, sitting on the staircase, joked, “Hey, fatty, haven’t you lost weight yet?” Harry-George, with steady hands placed the camera onto the tripod while panting, replied, “I have, I’ve lost 50 pounds!

Glancing at Harry-George’s chubby face and the double chin dripping with grease, Wang Yang, stroking the huge Golden Retriever at his feet—a well- trained dog rented from a specialized pet photography agency, specifically for these shots—said with astonishment, “Wow, it doesn’t show at all. I think you need to lose another 200 pounds.” Varey-Fister joined in on the teasing, “I think he needs to drop 300 pounds.” With an expression that showed he didn’t agree, Harry-George adjusted the camera and quipped, “300 pounds? Buddy, I’d be The Mummy then.”

Everyone chuckled lightly, and as Wang Yang was about to say something, location manager Gil Sedis briskly walked in from outside. Seeing his furrowed brow and helpless expression, Wang Yang knew there must be trouble and stood up to ask, “What’s the matter, Gil?” Surrounded by everyone’s gaze, Gil Sedis shrugged helplessly and said, “The owner of the shop at the corner of the street wants us to lift the blockade.”

Didn’t you negotiate with all the store owners on this street?” Wang Yang asked, his brows furrowing. The set needed to be kept secret so journalists couldn’t sneak in and shoot freely; moreover, they couldn’t have pedestrians interrupting the filming. Hence, for exterior shooting, it’s often necessary to close off streets. The street was currently closed off, which naturally affected the businesses on both sides, but the crew compensated them for losses, which was agreed upon.

Gil Sedis nodded and explained, “Yes, it was all agreed at the beginning, but now he thinks the street has been closed for too long, and his losses are too great.” Wang Yang quickly understood and said, “There shouldn’t be a problem; I’ll go take a look.”

Stepping out of the daycare, Wang Yang followed Gil to the storefront at the street corner. There he saw a middle-aged Chinese uncle looking quite impatient, ranting at a production assistant, “How much longer do you need? I still have to run my business!” Then, he complained in Cantonese, clearly dissatisfied, “What’s the big deal about filming! Blocking the street all day, don’t people need to do business here?”

Hey, director, it’s over to you…” The production assistant, seeing Wang Yang, immediately showed a relieved face and walked away to continue guarding the street entrance.

Uncle, my name is Wang Yang, and I’m the director of this movie,” Wang Yang looked at the older man kindly and reached out his hand, continuing in Mandarin, “Sorry for blocking the street all day, but we’ll be wrapping up soon. I know the compensation might not be enough, but I hope you can understand and support a fellow filmmaker.” The uncle sized up Wang Yang and shook his hand, his tone gradually calming, “I know who you are, and it’s not that I don’t support…”

Wang Yang immediately showed a grateful smile, hugging the uncle’s hand and rushing to speak in not-so-fluent Cantonese, “Then thank you so much! Uncle, let’s have tea when you’re free, thank you so much.” The uncle couldn’t finish his words, seeing Wang Yang’s enthusiastic approach, he smirked and waved his hand, “Alright, alright, closing shop for a day or half isn’t a big deal. Young man, make sure you do a good job with that movie, you hear?”

Ah, I will!” Wang Yang nodded with a smile and pointed towards the nursery, saying, “Uncle, I’m going to go back to shooting, so let’s wrap this up quickly to let you get back to business.” The uncle nodded and walked back into his shop. Gil Sedis gave Wang Yang a thumbs-up, impressed that such a tough nut was cracked in just a few words, he couldn’t help but praise, “Director, you really have a way!” Wang Yang shrugged and smiled: “It’s nothing, this is my hood.

As the two walked back towards the nursery, Gil Sedis asked curiously, “Director, did you use two languages just now? I noticed your accent changed. Walking along, Wang Yang nodded, “Yeah, Chinese, some Cantonese.” Gil Sedis laughed in surprise, “Director, I didn’t realize you were a language genius.” Wang Yang smiled and spread his hands, “You know, I grew up in a restaurant where customers spoke every language.”

Back inside the nursery, all the filming equipment was ready. The kids playing students chuckled among themselves, Terry Smith was among them, and a golden retriever wagged its tail back and forth. When it saw Wang Yang enter, it excitedly circled around him. Wang Yang patted its head and gave the command, “Sit!” The golden retriever obediently sat down, and he couldn’t help but reflect internally, so well-trained, unlike Danny who was so wild.

Yang, I heard some merchants were unhappy about the road closure? Is it resolved?” Will Smith came up to ask, Wang Yang smiled and nodded, “All sorted out.” He clapped his hands and shouted, “Places, everyone, ready for the next shot!” He stepped back behind the camera, watching Valery Fiest make the final adjustments. The room wasn’t very big, so they only needed one camera to shoot the close-ups, which was right at the staircase.

That was the original shooting technique, where all shots inside the nursery were from the same position, with a few mid-range changes, lateral movements, and pan shots. But Wang Yang wanted more variety in the shots and more editing material, so another camera was to be handled by Harry George, shooting from above the stairs.

Harry George had the camera shouldered and stood on the stairs, taking deep breaths, his eyes gleaming, muttering, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh…” Wang Yang stood arms crossed, leaning against the wall by the stairwell, looking up at the chubby man and laughed, “Harry, are you out of strength? Need someone else to take over?” Harry quickly roared, “No! I’m just a bit nervous, buddy, it’s my first time operating the camera, oh man!” His face was a picture of bliss, “I never imagined this day would come.”

Wang Yang chuckled without a word, Valery Fiest looked up and gestured a “we’re good to go” signal. Wang Yang turned to remind Harry, “Don’t get us in the shot, aim higher!” Harry excitedly replied, “Got it! I will capture the best shots!”

Let’s begin!” Wang Yang clapped his hands, all the extras cleared out leaving the kids, the golden retriever, and the few members of the camera crew by the stairs. Wang Yang took the clapboard himself, called out the scene number, and with a “clap” snapped it down, announcing, “Action!”

Will Smith entered from outside, one hand carrying a scanner and the other opening the glass door labeled “Chu Tai Daycare,” setting off the tinkling of the pleasantly melodic chimes that hung there, making a crisp “ring-ring” sound.

The first day of shooting went without hitches, and as time reached past 5 PM, the crew also announced the end of the day’s work. In truth, “The Pursuit of Happyness” had many scenes that needed to be shot at night, but they had done enough for the day; there was no need to rush. Will Smith also needed the time to clear his head and ponder the next day’s shoot.

Since Chinatown is located near the Golden Gate Bridge, beyond which is Oakland, nearly all of the movie’s scenes were shot in these two locales. Hence, the crew lodged at a hotel near Chinatown. However, Wang Yang was not at the hotel but at home, at the Wang’s Restaurant, because he received a call from his mom saying that there was slow-cooked turkey soup at home and he needed to go home for soup. Also joining him was Terry Smith, this little guy was quite attached to Wang Yang, and when he heard Wang Yang was going home, he was overjoyed to join. So, with Will Smith’s permission, Wang Yang took the little guy with him.

In a room plastered with movie posters, Terry Smith’s youthful face was filled with curiosity; he glanced around non-stop, touching this and that. To be able to quietly look over the shooting plan for a while, Wang Yang had allowed Terry to treasure hunt on his own. He sat on the edge of the bed, seriously perusing the thick plan in his hands. After roughly a week’s time to finish shooting the major scene of “Chinatown,” the next setting would be “city streets,” which included smaller scenes like the bus stop, on the bus, and street chases.

While flipping through the schedule, Wang Yang suddenly remembered a background character with a close-up and lines, the hippie girl who had agreed to watch Chris Gardner’s scanner but then stole it… He frowned in thought, then pulled out his phone and found a name in his contacts, “Annie Darren, and dialed, saying with a smile, “Hey! Annie, it’s me, Wang Yang.”

Hello, director,” Annie’s voice came through, along with some traffic noises; she seemed to be on the street. She spoke warmly again, “Is there something you need from me?” Wang Yang, looking at the posters on the wall, chuckled and said, “Can’t I contact you if there’s nothing up? But indeed, there is something. Um, I have a role here with only two lines, ‘Okay’ and ‘Oh, man, I…'” Annie’s breathing grew heavy, then she held her breath. Wang Yang sensed her mood and said gently, “Will you come? It’s in San Francisco.”

I… of course, of course!” Annie’s voice trembled slightly, and then she laughed, taking several quick breaths, “Thank you! Director, thank you for the opportunity! I don’t know what to say, just thank you! Thank you, I’ll take a bus to San Francisco tomorrow, will that be in time?”

It didn’t take a whole day to travel by bus from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and the shots with the hippie girl were at least a week away from being filmed, so naturally, there was enough time. Wang Yang laughed, “Annie, no rush, head out in four days; contact me once you get to San Francisco.”

Thank you, director, thank you…” Annie kept thanking on the other end of the line, with the faint sound of sniffling, “I’m so happy, this is my third role, thank you…”

After ending the call, Wang Yang thought back to Annie, her failed audition, her lost look under the streetlight, her thoughts of suicide, her perseverance, and now she was about to have her third role. Her laughter seemed to echo in his ears, and Wang Yang couldn’t help but grin. This part, surely, must be called happiness.

Hey, Uncle Yang, look what I found!” Terry shouted excitedly.

At those words, Wang Yang looked toward the little guy and saw him holding a wooden picture frame; behind him, the desk’s cluttered cabinet was open. Terry pointed to the blonde girl in the picture in the frame and asked with great interest, “Who is this girl? Is she the one you fought with those four boys over? What’s her name?”

No, it’s not her!” Wang Yang rolled his eyes, standing up resignedly to take the frame from Terry’s hands and toss it back into the cabinet. He then carried Terry over to one side of the wall and pointed to Jessica on the “High School Musical” poster, smiling, “It’s this girl, her name is Jessica. Pretty, isn’t she? Terry looked up for a moment and then said, “I think the blonde is prettier! Girls with that kind of hair color are cool!” He pointed at Rachel in the poster, “Like her!”

Wang Yang exclaimed in astonishment and shook his head, “Brown is cool, black is cool too…”