The Best Director

Discussing the filming plan with Neill Blomkamp was a major part of the work, but they already had discussions and a consensus well before that. Aside from certain special effects shots that required the use of equipment, “District 9” would be entirely shot using shoulder-mounted and handheld cameras. The camera work would not be kept very stable, naturally, except for some pseudo-documentary news shots and surveillance camera footage.

As for the color and tone of the film, it would be both dark and textured; dark to create a sense of oppression for the audience, and textured for realism.

Another job was rounding out the last few key positions of the crew such as the sound recordist and lighting technicians; also the stunt teams for the explosions and car chases. He and visual effects supervisor Richard Kidd (“The Matrix”, “Transformers” 1&2, “Spider-Man 3”, etc.) completed this aspect of team building. When everything was ready, and September had arrived, “District 9” could officially start production at any time.

In that month, “High School Musical 3” grossed $100 million in North America. As the final installment of the trilogy, coupled with excellent promotion, the viewing sentiment among fans was more enthusiastic than for the second film. It was expected to ultimately gross over $130 million in North America, and there was no reason why it wouldn’t reach this milestone overseas as well.

The successful conclusion of the “High School Musical” series once again brought in huge profits for Empire Pictures, allowing Wang Yang to focus on “District 9” without any financial worries.

However, before the shooting could begin, he had to take a trip to New York. Apart from personally handling some procedures related to a sentence that had already ended, he wanted to check out the newly established I&B Department at Blue Sky Studios and Image Engine. He was also accompanying producer Alexis Hanson, responsible for business affairs, to negotiate with several companies, like sponsoring some of the realistic and expensive props in “District 9”- His task was to explain to the manufacturers how the shooting would proceed and how it would leave an impression on the viewers, so they should sponsor!

Despite having a lot of money himself and his company also being financially solid, he was not the type of person to skimp on movie effects to save costs. But if he could save five or ten million dollars on this one expensive prop, why not do it? Then he could spend these five or ten million dollars on special effects to make the movie better, pleasing the manufacturers and creating a win-win situation.

Regardless, he would never deliberately focus the camera on logos, but often there was no need to do so. The IBM laptop just sat there quietly as part of the setting, merely suggesting that both MNU and the protagonist used IBM computers.

After lengthy negotiations and several days of discussions, various companies including IBM agreed to the sponsorship, which meant saving five million dollars on the cost for “District 9” and adding that same amount to the special effects budget.

The morning sun was especially warm, and the air was crisp in autumn. Manhattan was bustling as usual despite the incessant honking on the streets. Watching the smiling faces of young students returning to campus and the spirited workforce, everyone’s mood was uplifted in this fine weather; autumn really is the best season in New York.

Dressed in a light grey coat, Wang Yang stepped out of the hotel where he was staying and onto the street. Eating a pastry, he walked towards the newsstand. He planned to roam around New York for the day before catching the evening flight back to Los Angeles. He had been working almost every day for over two months and was feeling a bit tired; everyone needs rest and relaxation.

Approaching the newsstand, he smiled at the owner and said, “Hi, sir, a copy of The New York Times, please!”

“OK, young man, here’s your newspaper.” The white-haired white owner drew a newspaper and handed it over to him with a smile, “The weather is really nice today!” Wang Yang took the newspaper and paid, feeling good about the ease of his trip to New York and the pleasant weather, he smiled and said, “Yes, summer in San Francisco, autumn in New York, winter in Los Angeles, my favorites.”

At that moment, a blonde girl buying a newspaper beside him chimed in with a smile, “Then what about spring? Which city?” Wang Yang smiled and shrugged, replying, “Which spring isn’t likable?” The white owner and the blonde girl both laughed out loud, and she nodded with a smile, “That’s true, spring is always so lovely.”

Wang Yang smiled at them and turned around with the newspaper, facing south, he could see the downtown area and the tallest building in New York, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Suddenly, he furrowed his brows in confusion, a plane flying at low altitude?

A huge muffled boom faintly traveled from afar! Everyone on the street was startled and stopped in their tracks, what happened? Wang Yang stood stunned, staring at the North Tower of the World Trade Center engulfed in thick smoke, that plane had just crashed straight into it… The white owner, the blonde girl, and everyone else looked up in shock at the scene, their faces in disbelief. In a few seconds, as people regained their senses, they all exclaimed “Oh, my God!”

“Damn it, how did it catch fire!?” A black man exclaimed in surprise, “What was that loud noise? Was it hit by a missile? Or a bomb?” Wang Yang frowned deeply and shook his head, “No, I saw a plane, a plane crashed into it!” The people around him gasped in shock, the blonde girl covered her mouth, her face filled with concern, “How could such an accident happen? It’s terrifying, can those people up there get out?”

Some people on the street continued to go to work, while others stood still watching, or took out their cell phones to make calls, and some took pictures with digital cameras, amid the chattering voices: “Such an accident is too terrible.” “It’s so sad, a lot of people are going to die…”

Looking at the towering skyscraper far away with flames leaping at the top and black smoke billowing, Wang Yang felt very sad and regretful, and also a bit puzzled, was this really an accident? The plane just now had been flying very steadily… Maybe this was a terrorist attack, the World Trade Center’s underground parking lot had been bombed by terrorists with a car bomb in ’93, the explosion caused a few deaths… But it would be better if it were just a terrible accident!

As he walked back towards the hotel, intending to check the television reports, he took out his cell phone and dialed a number, quickly connecting, he said, “Jessica, a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center.”

In Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, there were no scenes for her in today’s filming schedule for “Sweetheart”, so even though it was nearly nine o’clock, Jessica was still at home in her casual clothes, trimming her beloved flowers in the backyard. Hearing Wang Yang’s heavy voice on the phone, her brows furrowed in confusion, “What? A plane crashed into a building? Why would that happen? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I just wanted to tell you that I’m fine.” Wang Yang quickly reassured her, if the accident had happened two days earlier, perhaps he would have been in trouble, as that day he and Alexis Hanson had gone to the World Trade Center for a meeting. While walking, he looked toward the building and said, “I don’t know what happened either, are you at home? Check what the TV news says.”

“Mm!” Jessica replied, and hurried back into the living room, turning on the TV to CNN. The channel was covering the news, and as she listened to the anchor possibly suggesting “This may be a terrorist attack,” and saw the building emitting thick smoke on screen, her heart sank, and she said anxiously, “Yang, get away from the area around the World Trade Center! Do you hear me? Oh, no!…” She stared at the screen with wide eyes, shuddering, “Someone just jumped from up there, God… another one, God…”

Wang Yang couldn’t help but sigh, were lives, people who could laugh and cry, just dying like this? He comforted her, “Jessie, I’m on my way back to the hotel now, far from the World Trade Center, don’t worry.” Jessica’s voice was still filled with worry and anxiety, “Yang, leave Manhattan now, the news says it’s likely a suicide hijacking terrorist attack, it’s too dangerous there!” Wang Yang nodded, “Yeah, I will.”

They chatted for a bit more, and were about to return to the hotel entrance when suddenly a huge boom resounded through the skies above Manhattan. They saw a fiery red mushroom cloud billowing from the other building of the World Trade Center, the South Tower. Everyone on the street reflexively shrank back, their faces a mixture of shock and fear.

“Oh, my God!” Jessica felt her heart clench as she had just witnessed a plane crash into the South Tower of the World Trade Center at high speed on the screen… She exclaimed urgently, “This is a terrorist attack, a terrorist attack! Yang, get away quickly! Hello? Are you okay?” Listening to the sound of the dial tone beep, she took a deep breath, re-dialed, and muttered, “Please, please…” In a female dormitory at Harvard University in Boston, Natalie and her roommates watched the tablet’s screen with furrowed brows. She tried calling her parents’ cell phones again—no connection; she called home in Long Island —no connection; she bit her lip and dialed Wang Yang who was in New York- still no connection! She nearly lost her composure as she banged the phone, cursing, “Paralyzed, all paralyzed!”

In Toronto, Rachel listened to the congestion tone on the phone, recalling his blog post “I’m in New York!” She closed her eyes and silently prayed. In Los Angeles, Joshua, Zachary, Michael Pitt… No matter who they tried calling in New York, be it Wang Yang, Tom-Willing, or other friends, every phone in the New York area and surrounding regions was unreachable.

Wang Yang felt both helpless and frantic as he hung up the phone; he couldn’t get through to Los Angeles or San Francisco either, and he darted toward the hotel. Inside the hotel lobby, there was chaos; guests were either hurriedly coming and going or crowding around the front desk, where the clerk said, “Sorry! Everyone, I think the communication is down; we can’t get through at all.”

“Son of a bitch terrorists!” a black man shouted, unable to contain his anger as he punched the counter. A white youth sighed, “Who knows how many people are going to die, it’s the start of the workday!” Another blonde, white man unwillingly said, “Maybe these were just two unrelated coincidental accidents? If this was a terrorist attack, how could…”

The crowd around the front desk was abuzz with speculation. Wang Yang frowned as he watched the big television screen showing smoke and flames engulfing the top of the Twin Towers. Suddenly, a person leaped out and fell down, eliciting a pained “Oh” from everyone filled with sorrow and sympathy. Wang Yang pressed his forehead, scarcely bearing the sight; this was real people dying, not just special effects in a movie… He shook his head; the call earlier must have left Jessica worried; fortunately, mom and dad didn’t know he was in New York, and they didn’t really use the internet…

“The internet!” Wang Yang suddenly shouted and charged toward the elevator, intending to go back to his room to get online.

“How can it not go through!” Jessica furrowed her brows tightly, looking at the chaotic images on the screen, hearing the host saying, “We hope pedestrians on the street will be careful of falling debris from the plane, which can reach at least six blocks away.” She felt increasingly frightened and didn’t dare to think of the worst. If something had happened to him… She screamed defiantly, “Stop, it won’t be!” On the other side, Danny hung his head and curled up into a ball.

At that moment, the cell phone next to the landline on the coffee table suddenly rang. Jessica’s eyes lit up. She grabbed it instantly, pressing answer without even looking, “Hello!” However, the voice that came through was not Wang Yang’s, but a very somber female voice: “It’s me, Natalie. Do you know what’s happening with Yang? He’s not on a plane or at the World Trade Center, is he?” “No, of course not! Don’t talk nonsense.” Jessica spoke hurriedly, sighing, “He was just on the street, about to go back to the hotel. Our call got cut off during the second plane crash, but he’s okay… I’m hanging up, maybe he’s trying to call right now.” Natalie responded with a hum and said, “It’s no use, the phone system has collapsed. I’m going to check online.” Jessica nodded helplessly, “Okay, I will too, bye.”

As soon as he returned to his room, Wang Yang hurriedly opened his laptop, logged into all his instant messaging software like ICQ, MSN, and quickly updated his blog with a new post, “I’m in New York, I’m all right. This incident is a national tragedy, God bless all the innocent and kind people.” After quickly finishing the update, he took a deep breath. Stubbornly, he picked up his phone and attempted to call again, to no avail.

He took his laptop to the balcony, looking towards the burning World Trade Center to the south. The weather was still so clear and crisp in the autumn, but in just over half an hour, New York City, the entire country, had been plunged into panic. The notification sounds from ICQ, MSN kept ringing non-stop, but as he looked at the Twin Towers, he became a bit absent-minded, because just now, five or six people had jumped, falling from over 400 meters high…

“Shit,” Wang Yang cursed solemnly. Why wasn’t there a Superman in this world? To catch those people in mid-air, or to have intercepted the entire plane beforehand! But there were many heroes in this world, firefighters, paramedics… He watched the latest news on the America Online website, “A firefighter based on the ground floor of the World Trade Center was hit by a jumper and, despite attempts at resuscitation, unfortunately passed away.”

He sighed, opening the instant messaging software’s messages while refreshing the website, only to be met immediately with “Unable to Find Server.” Even the internet was congested.

He first opened Jessica’s ICQ window, where it was already filled with messages like “Are you there?”, “Yang, speak to me!” and “Please, say something!” Wang Yang felt a warmth in his heart and quickly typed a response: “Jessica, I’m fine, I’m currently in the hotel.”

Seeing the text in the chat window, Jessica closed her eyes with a smile and whispered softly, “Thank God! Thank God!” She took a long breath, feeling her body relax. He’s alright! She glanced at the TV screen in front of her and typed, “Yang, I’m so scared. Seeing those people jump… It’s so terrifying… But I’m relieved you’re fine.”

In Boston, upon seeing his reply, Natalie couldn’t help but clench her fists and laugh. Her parents, Yang, and her friends were all safe. Misfortune hadn’t befallen her! Yet, those currently suffering from the disaster… Natalie shook her head, wishing she could ask God why there had to be such pain and sadness. Couldn’t all people and animals just be happy all the time?

“My friend, I’m fine, I’m currently in the hotel.”… Wang Yang copied and pasted the reply to Natalie, Rachel, and a whole bunch of friends, including Mark Slant and others. He then went back to Jessica’s window and sent, “Don’t be afraid, get in touch with my mom and dad, tell them I’m alright. I’m about to take a train back to Los Angeles, I’ll be by your side very soon.”

The news reported that the Federal Aviation Administration had now designated places like New York and Washington as no-fly zones. If deemed a terrorist attack, it was believed that surrounding airports and flights would be closed soon; even if there were flights, he didn’t want to take a plane now.

Jessica frowned, although she wished she could see him by her side in the next moment, but… She typed, “Don’t, don’t move yet! Trains, planes, who knows if there will be more terrorist attacks? Yang, promise me!”

“Okay, I won’t move. But I have to leave Manhattan first, I think the area I’m in will be evacuated. So, Jessica, let’s stop here, I’ll contact you later!” After sending this message, Wang Yang copied a message, “I have to leave Manhattan now, goodbye,” and sent it to his friends. He looked one last time at the World Trade Center enveloped in black smoke, closed his laptop, and went back inside his room to quickly pack up his important belongings. Then, he shouldered his luggage bag and hurried out.

When he boarded the 10:17 a.m. train for New Jersey at the Pennsylvania Station, Wang Yang silently found a seat and sat down. According to the ticket collector, this was the last train for the day, and thereafter the transportation tunnels between New York and New Jersey would be closed. Downtown Manhattan had already paralyzed because the South Tower of the World Trade Center had collapsed, it was uncertain how many floors had been destroyed; but what was known was that many lives had been lost because of it.

The atmosphere on the train was somber. Through the station’s televisions, everyone had learned some of the latest news and was discussing fervently, “I heard the whole South Tower collapsed!” “The entire tower… How is that possible?” “Didn’t you see the news? The Pentagon also collapsed; there’s no telling how many planes have been hijacked…”

A sense of terror enveloped the entire train, along with the outside world. (To be continued… )