The Best Director

Hey, Mary, you think just spreading your arms is going to stop me?” Wang Yang dribbled the basketball, looking at Jessica in front of him, dressed in a Lakers jersey and shorts, and suddenly sped up as he laughed, “Watch how I get past you!” Jessica, with her arms spread wide, quickly moved to block him, effectively cutting off his path as she crisply laughed, “Come on, let me see what you’ve got!”

The green plastic basketball court had only one hoop, surrounded by lush green grass, with plenty of plants in the backyard, including a small flower bed full of various beautiful flowers, and a large, lush parasol tree that had been transplanted there. This was their new home, not a palatial mansion like the Smiths’, but a two-story pastoral-style main house that was neither too small nor too large; the backyard had nothing more than the basketball court and a small swimming pool, but they found it to be quite sufficient.

As early as the end of August, after they decided to move in together, they started looking for a suitable ready-made house, as buying land and building from scratch would take too long. With the recommendation of a real estate agent, Wang Yang, amidst his busy editing schedule, took time out to select a house with Jessica. A little over a month later, they purchased this home for six million dollars, becoming residents of Beverly Hills.

Beverly Hills was picturesque, with a beautiful environment, complete with shopping, dining, and entertainment facilities, and it was conveniently close to Hollywood, making it an excellent place to live, even though it lacked a beach. Wang Yang planned to buy a plot of land in Santa Monica or Malibu in the future to design and build a house for use as a holiday villa.

They had been living in their new home for over half a month now. Cohabitation allowed them to get to know each other better, especially the ordinary, day-to-day aspects of life. Every habit and attitude was exposed to the other, which could either promote feelings or lead one to feel disgust and tiredness. Fortunately, their life philosophies were in harmony, with no annoying or intolerable habits to speak of. Since moving in together, they both found they seemed unable to live without the other. Waking up every morning to the first sight of each other’s faces was truly a wonderful thing.

And every evening, whenever they had the time, they would play basketball. The continuous “thump, thump” of the bouncing ball and the constant friction between their sneakers and the ground echoed as Wang Yang dribbled and lunged forward with a laugh, “Don’t you know my skills? Uh…!” Jessica, breathing slightly heavily, chuckled and teased, “Yang, get lost!” Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Wang Yang abruptly pulled back and stepped away, aimed for the basket, and made a graceful arc with the ball which went in with a swish, scoring without touching the rim.

Jessica, looking back at the bouncing ball on the ground, propped her hands on her waist and pretended to be angry, “You always disrupt my focus! That doesn’t count!” Wang Yang walked over to pick up the ball, laughing, “Would Reggie Miller say, ‘Michael, you’re always talking trash, that doesn’t count’? Jessie, whether you accept it or not, the score is now 10:3, one more basket and 1 win!” Jessica, refusing to admit defeat, bit her lip and laughed, “Yang, never underestimate the heart of a champion!”

Oh yes! But that saying is based on having evenly matched skills. If not, just like this season’s Warriors Team can’t beat the Lakers, you can’t beat me,” Wang Yang dribbled the ball back to the top of the arc, beyond the three-point line. He tugged at the collar of his Warriors jersey and laughed, “Didn’t you know? I could have made the high school team. I even had a nickname, ‘God’s Left Hand’; they all said I was Chris Mullin.”

Jessica rolled her eyes in amusement and stepped up to defend him, saying, “So what, I won’t lose!” Wang Yang made a between-the-legs dribble and chuckled, “Then show me!” Suddenly, Jessica lunged forward, roughly snatching the ball and quickly laid it up, scoring with a swish. She turned to the stunned Wang Yang with a smile, “10:4!” Wang Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead, helplessly saying, “Hey, beauty, that was a foul!”

Oh, was it?” Jessica casually dribbled back, her smile sweet as she said, “Yang, this isn’t the NBA, this is a boyfriend-girlfriend game, and I set the rules. I say that wasn’t a foul.” Wang Yang nodded in sudden understanding, “Alright then, you little cheater with the heart of a champion! OK, I won’t hold back either!” With that, he made a playful lunge at her. Jessica tightly hugged the ball to her chest, evading his attempts to steal it, and laughingly shouted, “Get off me! Jerk…”

After some playful roughhousing, Jessica eventually won the game 11:10 through her crafty means. The two headed over to the wooden table and chairs in the garden, where Jessica opened a bottle of Gatorade and handed it to Wang Yang with a smile. He took a few sips, wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel, and checked the time on his phone, saying, “Jessica, let’s start getting ready, the guests are about to arrive.” Jessica set down her drink and nodded, “Yeah.”

Their guests were Christopher and Emma Thomas, and in a few days, on October 27th, “Memento” would be released with 521 theaters showing it its opening week. In a phone call a few days prior, Emma Thomas had mentioned that Nolan was interested in shooting a new film, so Wang Yang decided to invite the Nolans over. On one hand, he wanted to foster the friendship, and on the other, he intended to discuss Nolan’s new project in detail.

Although it was a dinner party, Wang Yang had conveyed over the phone that “formal attire was not required.” Thus, both he and Jessica were dressed in casual, yet decent clothes. Emma Thomas arrived in casual attire as well, while Nolan, on the contrary, was in formal wear, or perhaps his “casual dress” was just like this, a black suit and trousers with a white shirt, minus the tie.

In all the times that Wang Yang had met Nolan, he was always dressed like this, with his hair parted to the side too; not once had it been different. He really wondered if Nolan’s wardrobe was filled entirely with sets of suits and shirts, with only slight variations in color.

The living room of the new house was extremely spacious, and Jessica had arranged it to be simple and elegant, yet also warm and comfortable. In this regard, Wang Yang had to admit defeat, which was not surprising considering she spent her days poring over magazines about home decor, cooking, and parenting. Dinner hadn’t started yet, and seated on the light brown fabric sofa, Wang Yang was chatting with the Nolans while Jessica was personally preparing a sumptuous dinner in the kitchen.

So, Chris, what’s your new project about?” Wang Yang asked the Nolan beside him, “Still the one we discussed last time? The biopic of Howard Hughes?”

Nolan nodded, handed over a thick script he had prepared to Wang Yang, and said in a calm voice, “Howard Hughes was a legend with much charisma, and his story is fascinating. The initial draft of this script is co-written by my brother Jonathan Nolan and me, primarily based on two books, ‘Howard Hughes: The Secret Life’ and ‘The Aviator: Power, Money, and Madness.’ My plan is to make it into two parts, one covering Howard’s early life, adapted from ‘The Secret Life’; the latter part of his life adapted from ‘The Aviator.’

Sitting next to Nolan, Emma Thomas interjected, “Yang, I have already contacted the authors, Mr. Charles Higham and Mr. Michael Drosnin, the movie adaptation rights for both books are still with them.” She smiled and said, “If someone wants to make a movie, they would be very happy to sell the rights.”

Hmm, that’s good news,” Wang Yang said and began to intently flip through the script, which was still a first draft and mostly the story of Hughes’s early life. He didn’t remember this movie, but he did recall another film adapted from ‘Howard Hughes: The Secret Life’ called ‘The Aviator,’ and according to that bit of information, when Nolan wanted to shoot, he couldn’t pull together the investment, the script wasn’t ready, and ‘The Aviator’ was already announced, which caused Nolan to miss the opportunity to adapt it.

If Nolan successfully directed this Howard Hughes biopic, what kind of film would it be? Wang Yang furrowed his brows; from an audience’s perspective, he was very eager to see this film; from the business angle of the company, this wasn’t an independent film with a budget of few millions, but potentially tens of millions. Could it recoup its investment? Looking at the script in his hands, he suddenly smiled. What’s there to consider? Money came from movies and should be returned to movies. Besides, he believed in Nolan’s talent and ability, and that the biopic would be a fine work. As long as the marketing was right, the box office and peripheral sales should recover the costs.

Chris,” Wang Yang looked up at Nolan with a smile and asked, “I’m very interested in investing. If we proceed with the first part, how much production budget would be needed?” Just then, Jessica entered the living room with a cheerful greeting, intending to ask them to the dining room, but upon seeing their conversation at what seemed a critical moment, she quietly sat down next to Wang Yang without speaking.

Upon hearing Wang Yang’s question, both Emma Thomas and Nolan were stunned; how had it come to this so quickly? Before leaving, they had discussed and considered that Wang Yang would raise his doubts about the script, need to think it over, and Emma Thomas had even prepared a set persuasive talking points. Nonetheless, they thought Flame Film would wait for the release of “Memento” to decide based on its performance. Therefore, this visit was intended only to make their interest known, without expecting this prompt investment inquiry from the young director.

This…” Emma Thomas wore an incredulous smile of surprise, somewhat at a loss for words; Nolan felt his heart skip a beat, thumping rapidly. He thought for a moment, calmed himself, and said coolly, “50 million.”

Inwardly, Emma Thomas gasped, “Oh my God.” She stealthily punched her husband in the small of his back. Acquiring funds required finesse and flattery! You may want 50 million, but you have to start by asking for 30 million and gradually work your way up; if you are willing to be a bit shameless, you could even wait until filming has started and then claim, “We’re running out of money,” demanding additional investment. By then, the investors would be in too deep to back out and would typically rope in other companies to co-invest, which increases the likelihood of success. Of course, such tactics would ruin a producer’s reputation unless the film later became a blockbuster, in which case the investors would cheerfully overlook it.

50 million? Wang Yang quickly reflected on the company’s finances. The global box office of “The Pursuit of Happyness” capped at the figure of 385 million, and after taxes, the company netted over 14.0 million in funds; the North American box office for “High School Musical 2” barely broke too million, finishing at 101 million. The overseas box office, as expected, was higher than North America, bringing in 120 million, totaling 221 million US dollars. This added over 83.51 million to the company’s account after taxes.

These figures didn’t even account for the revenue from the two films’ merchandising, which was too varied for him to recall the specifics at the moment, but even just from box office revenue, the company had 223.5 million. He withdrew 20 million for personal use, sponsoring Robert Zemeckis’s training academy with 5 million, investing 6 million in purchasing and furnishing a house, as well as covering living expenses and personal taxes, among other things. In any event, the Flame Company now had at least 200 million in available funds.

Enough to produce and release “Mr. Hughes.” Thinking this, Wang Yang nodded, smiling at Nolan, “Chris, Flame Film will invest 65 million. If it’s not enough, we’ll add more.” Jessica couldn’t help but glance at him; a production cost of 65 million? His own largest production had only cost 32 million.

The Nolans were stunned again, watching Wang Yang deep in thought, they had assumed he thought 50 million was too much, but now he was saying 65 million? Emma Thomas blinked, her mind filled with only one thought: “His boldness truly lives up to his reputation!” Even Nolan lost his composure for a moment, overcome with joy and surprise, he blurted out, “Yang, is this for real?”

Of course. Emma, will you be the producer? And Chris, you have complete freedom, to choose any actors, to direct and edit the film… everything will be according to your wishes,” Wang Yang said, observing the Nolans’ astonished expressions, he spread his hands and laughed, “Please, what’s the matter? Chris, I know your abilities and talent, go for it! I believe Flame will get a great movie out of this.”

Emma Thomas looked at her husband joyfully. Nolan took several deep and leisurely breaths, his gentlemanly composure seeming to return. He looked at Wang Yang, his voice steady yet forceful, “Thank you!”

Hey, dinner is ready,” Jessica said at just the right moment. Wang Yang stood up, taking her hand, and smiled at the Nolans, “Let’s continue during dinner, but I think we’ll be captivated by the food, my girlfriend’s cooking skills are incredible.” Jessica smiled, whispering, “Yang is the real chef; his Chinese food is amazing. He should be in charge of dinner.”

The Nolans stood up, smiling, and followed them towards the dining room. Nolan watched Wang Yang, who was all smiles and talks on the way, still somewhat disbelieving. Just like that? An investment of 65 million? For his movie? His eyes narrowed slightly, thinking, Magical Yang, this fellow ten years his junior… Thank you!

To add promotional value to “Memento,” Flame Film announced this new project at the first opportunity, confirming the production of a biographical film about Howard Hughes with an investment of over 60 million. The director and screenwriter would be Christopher Nolan, and the film, tentatively titled “Mr. Hughes,” was scheduled for release in 2002.

The film industry, movie fans, and media were all once again left agape with surprise. If the director had been Wang Yang, no one would have been surprised, and at most people would have said, “Oh, that was quick, the magical Yang has released another one.” But the director is Christopher Nolan —who is he? The director of “Memento”? That movie hadn’t even been released yet! And Flame Film was already rushing to give Nolan 60 million dollars? Was this an intermittent madness by the magical Yang, or was this purely a publicity stunt?

Would the “Mr. Hughes” project simply sink like a stone, indefinitely postponed after the screening of “Memento”? Both the movie company and the media leaned toward this belief, and although the majority of movie fans felt the same way, if this were truly a publicity stunt, they inevitably fell for it, becoming even more curious about the soon-to-be-released “Memento”.

It

As early as Flame Film bought “Memento” for 8 million dollars at the Sundance Film Festival, the marketing plan had already begun. The advertising budget was a mere 5 million dollars; aside from some poster placements, it mainly relied on viral marketing on the internet, with buzz terms like “high IQ. movie, “a new kind of suspense logic film,” and “only smart people will understand,” all propagated by individuals who had “seen the movie at the Sundance Film Festival” and “participated in the secret screenings arranged by Flame Film” — who were, of course, employees of Flame Film.

The official website for “Memento” also featured a variety of puzzle games and logic quizzes, with the tagline “Train your mind, prepare for the challenge of this movie!”

The word “challenge” was the core of the official publicity. Audiences who enjoy suspense and logic movies like to use their brains, and everyone thinks they are smart—especially this audience—with strong competitive and curious spirits. Just get them interested with a “let’s see if you’re as good as you think” attitude, and they would flock to the cinemas to take on “Memento”. Then, the entire marketing plan would be successful.

On October 27, “Memento” hit 521 theaters in North America, and a new game was also launched on the official website, listing the sequence numbers and content of each black and white and colored scene from “Memento”, allowing fans to freely combine and sort them, creating their own version of the true story and discussing it with other fans. The moment of truth for the publicity effectiveness arrived; over the weekend of October 27-29, “Memento” raked in a box office of 6.872 million dollars, ranking fourth for the weekend’s box office chart. Both the movies that came before and after it were showing in more than two thousand or three thousand theaters.

This dark horse performance, while not miraculous, amazed and filled many movie companies with regret. They had all assumed that 5 million dollars was the limit for “Memento”, but here it was, making nearly 7 million dollars in one weekend! Even more astounding was that suspense movie fans went crazy for this dizzyingly complex film; to figure it out, they even watched it multiple times, and “Memento” scored an impressive 8.6 on IMDb!

The Los Angeles Times’ film critic called it “a very complex, thought-provoking movie, undoubtedly a masterpiece.” Yahoo Entertainment reported with the headline “Magical Yang strikes gold!” and said, “This independent film, which no one cared about at Sundance, caught Flame Film’s eye. Don’t tell me it wasn’t magical Yang’s idea—it’s his vision that’s magical, and we have reason to believe ‘Mr. Hughes’ is not just a publicity stunt.”

After battling for six days, “Memento” had brought in 9.84.7 million dollars at the box office, with the date reaching November 1, Halloween.

Taking advantage of the holiday, Wang Yang and Jessica threw a costume party at home, inviting a host of friends to join in the fun, including Michael Pitt, Harry George, Zachary, Rachel… and the Nolans were among the invitees. When a zombified Wang Yang saw Nolan dressed in a suit, trousers, and a white shirt, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter, “Chris, what are you supposed to be!?” Nolan just smiled faintly and said, “Christopher Nolan.”