The Best Director

The walls of the cinema were plastered with movie posters of the current screenings. Given that it was Halloween, most of the posters were of a gloomy style that instantly made it clear these were spine-chilling horror films.

“Which movie should we watch?” Wang Yang glanced at Jessica, dressed in denim, and then turned his eyes back to the poster wall. Despite the multitude of tasks for the crew, Wang Yang wasn’t so busy that he couldn’t find time to watch a movie in the evening. They hadn’t seen each other or been on a date for a long time, and he would rather lose some sleep to make up the time than neglect his girlfriend who hadn’t seen him for a month and a half and who had come to visit him on set. Plus, he wanted to rest a bit.

So he persuaded Jessica, who was about to return to Los Angeles, to stay for the traditional dinner and a movie date, and then they came to this cinema. But all the blockbusters were waiting for the Christmas season next month, and the most recent releases were all horror movies-there were also some older films. “American Beauty”? Deep and brutal, but clearly not a good choice for a date. They both preferred light-hearted romantic comedies when dating, but there weren’t any; now wasn’t the time for suitable movie-going.

Wang Yang’s eyes landed on a poster featuring an empty office and it read, “DV horror returns, supernatural phenomenon in the office! Do you dare to watch this time?” He turned to Jessica and said with a smile, “How about ‘Paranormal Activity 2’?”

‘Paranormal Activity 2’ had officially been released the week before. Lionsgate had high hopes for the sequel, which, including licensing fees, had a high production cost of ten million dollars—a thousandfold increase in budget compared to ‘Paranormal Activity 1’, and it opened in over 2,500 theaters. Wang Yang didn’t feel anything special about the movie because he hadn’t been involved in any part of the production process. But of course, he still hoped it would be a box office hit: first, he was grateful to Lionsgate and didn’t want them to fail; second, he had a 20% share of the box office revenue.

However, its opening week box office was just over nine million dollars, ranking second for the week. It seemed that recouping the costs wouldn’t be a problem, but the chances of creating another sensation were low. After the craze of “High School Musical,” young people had almost forgotten ‘Paranormal Activity’. When the movie was mentioned, the name “Wang Yang” came to mind; their attention was focused on that, but the director now wasn t Wang Yang? Even though Lionsgate tried hard to promote it, the interest among the youth was still minimal.

Especially when film reviews weren’t positive, the ‘Los Angeles Times’ commented, “After watching ‘Paranormal Activity 2’, you’ll find it so dull. The entire movie was shot in a film style rather than DV, losing the pseudo-documentary’s sense of reality. What is DV style? Just watch ‘Paranormal Activity’ to understand.”

Looking at the eerie poster, Jessica nodded nonchalantly, “A little scare might not be bad.” Wang Yang shrugged, “I was just saying, you know I don’t really like horror movies; and I hate Lionsgate, they wouldn’t let me direct! Not watching.” Jessica showed her teeth in a grin and rolled her eyes at him, “Then what should we watch?” Wang Yang stepped back, crossed his arms and said with a smile, “You decide.”

Jessica scanned the poster wall with interest, then suddenly spotted a poster with Brad Pitt, and remembering Wang Yang saying he liked Brad, she pointed at the poster and asked, “How about this one? ‘Fight Club’.” Wang Yang looked and couldn’t help but praise, “Wow, Brad Pitt, David Fincher, I like it! But I’ve heard this movie is very violent, do you like to watch that?” Jessica pouted her lips and made a fierce face, “I like violent ones!” Wang Yang nodded with a smile, “That’s great!”

The ticket hall itself was empty, Wang Yang didn’t need to queue, and he went straight to the ticket window to buy tickets, “Hello, two tickets for ‘Fight Club, please.”

“OK!” The young cashier took the tickets and glanced at the two of them, his face showing confusion, “You guys look familiar, like…” A black-haired Asian male and a brown-haired mixed-race female wasn’t a common combination. He thought for a moment and then exclaimed in surprise, “Oh, are you Yang and Jessica?”

Wang Yang and Jessica exchanged a glance, both smiling. Wang Yang paid for the tickets, curiously asking the cashier, “Yang and Jessica? Do we really look like them? Many people have said that.” He motioned for Jessica to follow him to the screening room, “Mary, let’s go!” Jessica followed behind him, sweetly saying, “Okay, Danny!” After walking some distance, Wang Yang asked puzzledly, “Why did you call me Danny? Woof woof!” Jessica couldn’t help but laugh, “I didn’t know your other names.” Wang Yang playfully teased her, “I don’t have any; want to come up with one?”

Mary? Danny? The cashier frowned and peeked at their receding figures, suddenly shouting, “You are!” Seeing them disappear around the corner, he withdrew his gaze, muttering to himself, “Definitely them. Yang recently filmed ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ here; I wonder how it’s coming along…” Looking at the big screen ahead, Wang Yang reached into Jessica’s large bucket of popcorn, grabbed a handful, and nibbled on it while quietly asking, “Jessica, has Joshua asked about you?” Knowing that Jessica was about to return to Los Angeles, Joshua called Wang Yang a couple of days ago, hoping to secure a venue for a party. The last party didn’t happen, which was a blow to his pride, and he wanted to turn things around.

The screening room was empty, with no one around them for a great distance, so even speaking softly wouldn’t attract any attention. Jessica glanced at him, confused, and said, “Ask what?” Wang Yang took a sip of Coke and said, “Nothing much, that guy has recently been pursuing a girl who he claims looks a lot like Britney. He wants to show off, throw a party at our place, he’s been planning it for a while now.” Jessica’s brows furrowed in irritation as she said, “Not happening! Another girl, looking like Britney? What is he thinking?

Wang Yang spread his hands, chuckled at her, and said, “Britney does indeed have great appeal, but of course, I’m not among them. There’s a girl named Jessica who’s like the core of the Earth, firmly holding me in her grasp…” Jessica glared at him with a smile and said, “Yang, I hate sweet talk.” She laughed crisply for a moment, then shook her head slightly and added, “Joshua just never gets serious; he’s almost 18, not a kid anymore! He’s not going to college; it’s time he started thinking about his future, he hasn’t landed a single role yet!”

Watching the charming Brad Pitt on screen, Wang Yang laughed and said, “He says Miranda doesn’t give him a chance to audition, you can’t blame him.” He paused, then comfortingly added, “Jessica, everyone finds their own way, you don’t have to worry. Maybe that girl, who looks like Britney, is the driving force behind Joshua’s efforts; you know, boys often work hard for the girls they like, just like me, haha!”

Although she knew he was just soothing her, Jessica still felt a sweet warmth inside. She nodded and said, “Hmm, I hope he grows up a bit this time.” Jessica spent a few days in San Francisco before returning to Los Angeles. During her stay, she even made a cameo in ‘The Pursuit of Happyness, as an extra with no dialogue, just a passerby on the street that you wouldn’t notice unless you were looking.

The film crew was working on shooting every day, nearly finished with all the street scenes, with only a few last shots remaining: Chris Gardner being officially hired by the brokerage firm, walking joyfully through the crowd; Chris holding his son, crying tears of joy… These scenes were reserved for the final days. The focus then shifted to the indoor scenes, including those inside the company, the church, and so on.

However, as the end of November approached, the film crew had to announce a short break, including the Thanksgiving holiday, because Wang Yang needed to go to New York to appear in court for his assault case. Cole Randston seemed to have the strong backing of his paparazzi company, and had even hired a well-known attorney. The hospital’s surveillance footage was clear evidence; Wang Yang had been the first to smash a camera and hit someone. In a typical case, the judge might have ruled immediately, but due to the special circumstances of this case, Wang Yang’s defense attorney Vincent Grant argued that Cole had repeatedly obstructed and provoked Wang Yang on the street before reaching the hospital, delaying the rescue and instigating the fight in the hospital. However, due to a lack of evidence, this was not enough to completely convince the judge and jury. Eventually, the judge postponed the case until March 2000 for a second hearing, allowing the defense time to gather more evidence.

Paparazzi had been waiting at the courthouse doors. Photos of Wang Yang entering and leaving the courthouse, accompanied by Jessica, bodyguards, and lawyers, were taken in large quantities, then featured as news illustrations in various entertainment newspapers. ‘Daily Entertainment’ reported, “What if ‘Magical Yang’ is sentenced to six months in jail? ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ production would be halted, and we wouldn’t see the biopic next year; he would spend six months in prison, and Jessica might grow distant, breaking up just in time for their first anniversary, fulfilling our prediction. However, the young director can take comfort in being free for now.”

Once the trial ended, Wang Yang and Jessica returned to Los Angeles, enjoying a happy Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving was also their anniversary, surpassing the media’s so-called “one-year limit.”

After the holiday, the ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ crew reconvened in San Francisco to shoot the remaining final scenes.