The Best Director

Under a clear blue sky, a verdant valley with rolling hills is ready and waiting, with film equipment having been transported up the slopes and the scene set. But, this isn’t the signal to start filming. Dressed in the uniform of an independent sergeant, Wang Yang stands behind the huge camera, bending over and squinting with one eye through the electronic viewfinder of the imaging system, designing the shot in the direction of the performance area and then saying to Wally Strant and others nearby, “This focal length won’t work, we can’t use a shallow depth of field.”

A shallow depth of field is a common filming technique. Depth of field refers to the range of object distances along the axis of the imaging device that can achieve a clear image in front of the camera lens or other imaging equipment. The longer the focal length, the shallower the depth of field; the shorter the focal length, the deeper the depth of field. In simple terms, shallow depth of field means the focused subject is clear and the background is blurred, which can better highlight the subject and make the image softer and more beautiful.

This is a scene where characters such as Mal, Zoe, and Tornado exit a mountain cave military camp and stand in a row, looking up at the sky to view images of planets and territories surrendering in defeat. If 35mm film were being used, shallow depth of field would undoubtedly be the choice, focusing on the dumbstruck faces of Mal and others, slowly zooming from a wide to medium shot then to a close-up, and combining it with a wailing soundtrack to create an atmosphere of bleak confusion.

However, now with 65mm, it seems that the same approach cannot be replicated. Hearing the director’s words, cinematographer Wally Strant, visual effects supervisor of the image engine special effects team, Sean Walsh, producer and first assistant director Joss Whedon, and others all frowned. IMAX film has too many troubles! But nobody shows the slightest impatience. Looking around at the entire crew, whether it’s the behind-the-scenes staff talking or working, or the actors rehearsing their movements or reading the script…

There are a multitude of problems that arise daily on set, some belonging to one department, some to another, and all to the director. If the director isn’t impatient, when would it be their turn? A charismatic young director has this advantage; he can bring energy and momentum to everyone on the team. Just like the 27-year-old Steven Spielberg during “Jaws,” and now. Drew Petrota often finds this amusing; his father Bell Petrota helped make “Jaws” a success; today, he is working for a young genius who is most likely going to become an icon of the era.

Wally Strant, who suggested using IMAX film for some scenes of “Firefly” and is the chief cinematographer, naturally needs to share the burden with the director. Seeing Wang Yang step aside, he bends down to look through the electronic viewfinder and is immediately at a loss for words. These past two days, every time he looks through the viewfinder, he gets this feeling—the image is too dark! It’s nearly impossible to see what is happening in the performance area clearly, and because the 65mm film camera has a different set of compositional markers, it’s even more disorienting for those accustomed to 35mm.

“Let’s raise the lighting level of the aperture first.” Wally Strant had no choice but to request again, helplessly saying, “I can’t see.”

“If we used a shallow depth of field, those picture details would definitely be a mess,” Wang Yang reiterated his judgment and observation, sweeping his gaze across Joss Whedon, Sean Walsh, and others, making hand gestures to explain why, “I think when it’s projected, it might make most of the screen’s focus go out of whack, and that won’t do. The audience would feel very confused, very uncomfortable—in that case, we might as well use Super8.”

Assistant Harry George pressed a few buttons on the photography system, lifting the aperture lighting level from T16 to T32, allowing Wally Strant to barely make out the image, though it was still very dark. He really didn’t understand how Wang Yang could see clearly at T16, quickly adapting to those compositional marks, unaffected. Maybe that’s just directorial talent. He couldn’t help but mutter softly, “Oh, it’s so murky, is it because I’m not wearing my glasses?”

Wang Yang was somewhat surprised, “I can see though.” Although it was a bit dark; looking closely, one could see clearly, combined with experience and judgment, the situation was plain to see; now that the lights had been turned up to T32, how could it not be clear? He bent over in surprise, “It couldn’t have suddenly broken, could it?”

“It couldn’t have, could it!?” Everyone’s hearts instantly tightened, and Harry George cried out like a slaughtered pig, “There’s been no collision, right?”

“No no no! It’s not broken, it’s just that Yang’s eyes are too good,” Wally Strant quickly interjected, worried about frightening someone. Everyone sighed with relief, wary of the little princess! If it suddenly broke down, who here would fix it without sending it back to IMAX? There are only three in the world! Also startled by the false alarm, Wang Yang spread his hands in annoyance, “Oh my goodness… maybe you’re just too old, Harry, bump it up to T800!” Everyone burst into light laughter, and Wally said with a chuckle, “It’s fine now, it’s fine now.”

After quieting down and staring wide-eyed for a while, Wally Strant carefully observed the electronic viewfinder and gradually noticed the focus issue.

There is a unique frosted glass in the electronic viewfinder that marks the area of clear focus in the image, where characters like Mal are supposed to stand for the shot, approximately one third from the bottom of the screen and mainly concentrated in the center. This is a focus area designed in accordance with most IMAX projection systems in theaters, because in an IMAX theater, most of the audience sits a quarter of the way up from the bottom of the screen, and the most comfortable position for their eyes is slightly below the middle, right where the clear focus area is.

Since 65mm film captures much greater detail and range in its images, using shallow depth of field, especially in wide and mid shots, would result in a large blur with only a small area in sharp focus. The out-of-focus parts would stand out more than the in-focus areas, not only losing the essence of shallow depth of field but also appearing very strange and uncomfortable. Wally Strant understood that this was the focal length issue Wang Yang had mentioned.

Then how about using deep depth of field? Capturing the entire scene clearly? But that brings a new problem – where should the audience look? How do you draw their attention to the intended focus area to create the desired atmosphere? The depth of field directly affects the impact of the entire scene.

Indeed, the storyboards that Wang Yang provided to the cinematography team, including Wally Strant, had already taken this into account. The camera angles were meticulously designed to naturally guide the viewers’ gaze to follow the characters’ movements, focusing where the image was sharp, and subtly receiving the director’s intended techniques and messages. This meant avoiding placing many focal points on the edges of the frame or too high, and ensuring the action within the frame did not move too quickly to maintain the audience’s attention.

It was also crucial to consider the scope of the photography, the number of details in the scene, and to thoughtfully design the focus area and the action. Only in this way would the audience naturally know, “What should I look at in this scene?” and be fully engaged and affected.

So neither shallow depth of field nor deep depth of field with focus everywhere was suitable. Unfortunately, apart from being too dark, the electronic viewfinder’s guide marks were another format, which also caused significant confusion for directors and cinematographers who were not accustomed to it.

Wang Yang seemed unfazed, quickly adapting to it; yet old-timer Wally Strant struggled with it considerably, having to adjust the lighting system’s aperture to the T32 level before he could finally see the problem clearly. After observing for a while, he agreed, “Yes, shallow depth of field can be quite frightening, um… it seems we can only test the focal length and aperture one by one to see the effect…” The goal was to find the perfect level of depth of field blurriness, one that highlights the area in sharp focus without making the overall image look unattractive.

“Let’s try 80MM focal length first for wide shots, I think 80MM would be good,” Wang Yang suggested, peering through his separate viewfinder and combining the earlier electronic viewfinder observations to make his judgment.

Wally Strant adjusted the focal length on the MSM-9802, observed for a few seconds, and smiled in relief, “It does look much better, very close to a normal view! … But I’m not sure, it’s too dark.” He stepped aside for reference, and Sean Walsh came up to look. It was just darkness and he hedged, “It should be um… what’s with those marks?” Joss Whedon took a glance and couldn’t help frowning, the composition marks were just not right, he said, “Er, I’m not used to it, maybe it’s okay…” …

Because of the darkness and the confusing guide marks, everyone was unable to reach any conclusions. But the brightness couldn’t be increased further, as the camera’s lighting system was using T16-T32, and raising it further would affect the outcome. Fortunately, the decision-makers had good eyesight, and it was up to the director to step in.

“You’re really being too sensitive…” Wang Yang shook his head, bent over the viewfinder. The T32 brightness made it clearer for him to see, and he was certain! This was the right focal length! Despite not having seen it on an IMAX screen, he was almost sure the 80MM was the ideal focal length! The close-up shots could have a relatively shallower depth of field, he added, “Try 110MM, and reduce the aperture again.”

The view before him changed instantly, a few trees on the left edge of the frame became an eyesore, distracting attention! But the extra-large format of 65mm film was exhilarating, seemingly able to capture the entire world; the desolate and vast background atmosphere could be conveyed to the extreme! It was awesome! If only it were feasible, he would really like to shoot the entire movie with the MSM-9802. While enjoying the composition, Wang Yang nonchalantly asked a redundant question, “Shaun, those trees on the left can be removed in post with CGI, right?”

Having the set design team go up and chop them down wasn’t feasible, besides legal issues, they didn’t want to damage the environment at will; and this filming location in Serenity Valley had been chosen after much consideration, with nearby terrains unsuitable, so they had to rely on CGI technology, erasing a few trees was a piece of cake. Sean Walsh answered without hesitation, “Sure, no problem.”

“OK, then erase those trees on the left; and then wait a while, wait for that cloud over there to drift over, moving into the top right of the focus area, I want it,” Wang Yang got up from the camera, pointed to the deep blue sky, and then to the mountaintop, describing the shot he had just framed, “Have the set team come over, I want another smoking crater on the mountaintop, now, quickly! Don’t miss the cloud!” He excitedly clapped his hands and turned back, “Wally, use 80MM and 110MM for the focal lengths.”

Taking the megaphone handed to him by an assistant, Wang Yang strode towards the mountaintop and shouted, “Get ready! Everyone, get ready!”

The atmosphere immediately tensed up, with assistants rushing off to Gordon Chin and others busy setting up in the distance; Wally Strant replied with an “OK”, then adjusted the camera with a frown—it was still too dark and chaotic, seemingly different from the electronic viewfinder Wang Yang had used. On the other side, Robert Downey Jr. and a few other lead actors came over upon hearing the director’s shout; Jessica, too, left her sketchbook detailed with BABY room compositions and ran smilingly over to get ready to observe.

Just like every day on the set, performance, script lines, set designing, photography… The omnipotent magic director once again solved a difficult issue, nipping the poor IMAX projection quality in the bud; however, a new problem promptly arrived, seemingly even more troublesome than the temper tantrum thrown by little princess MSM-9802.

“Action,” commanded the first assistant director Joss Whedon as he signaled the start, and with that, the MSM-9802 camera perched stably on the verdant hillside was fired up by Wally Strant. The lens faced a taller hillside in the distance and the 3-minute film reel began spinning, the entire photographic crew set the system in motion; meanwhile, a nearby digital cinematography camera, HDC-F950, was capturing the 35mm framespace aimed at the actors.

Images shot on IMAX film couldn’t be immediately replayed on location; digital cameras, on the other hand, allowed for nearly instant playback, thus the crew no longer had to worry about missing any miscues in the background—a common issue with the poor quality of videotapes used for set playback in the past, where details were hard to distinguish. Digital images could be viewed on large color HD monitors with impeccable clarity, revealing even the undesired aspects of the scene distinctly, like the one when Wang Yang scared Jessica by saying, “How come there is an extra person behind you?”

The primary purpose of the HDC-F950, regardless of its light and picture quality, was to allow the director to observe and check the actors’ performances and positions to make direct adjustments and give guidance. Naturally, that also meant that a reel of 65mm film had just gone to waste.

“No good, NG…” With a roll of film wasted, everyone crowded around the 26-inch monitor, the floor strewn with power cables stretching towards the distant power cart. On the screen displayed the hillside scene, where a dusty and uniformed little Robert Downey Jr., flanked by Wang Yang on one side and Gina Torres on the other, with a few background actors behind them, took several steps forward, staring blankly into the distant sky. Wang Yang, holding a remote control, played back the scene again with dissatisfaction, frowning, “No, no! The guy on the left, your acting is too poor.”

That guy on the left, he started walking too hurriedly and then abruptly slowed down to keep pace with the others; his acting was utterly expressionless, not even a hint of surprise… What was the casting director thinking? Where on earth did they find such an unprofessional actor?

“I thought it was good!” Jessica said hastily. He looked so handsome, and the expression of being stunned by the news of defeat and surrender was so heart-wrenching. Wasn’t that feeling of wanting to help him out enough? She looked around at Ellen Page, Michael Pitt, and others for support. It seemed not many agreed with her, as Ellen Page raised an eyebrow, “Well, his rhythm of body movement is a bit stiff…” Michael Pitt’s voice was heavy, “Maybe that’s a personal acting style.”

Heath Ledger wasn’t one to join in the crowd, but this time, for some unfathomable reason, he didn’t feel quite as aloof and out of place; he stroked his chin and offered his opinion, “Yang, could it be that you’re not immersed enough in your role? Your gaze is lacking.” Joss Whedon and Daniel Wu, among others, were embarrassed to further criticize their great director. Little Robert Downey Jr. couldn’t help but revel in the director’s predicament, “Director, you just haven’t found the key to unlock your acting talent.”

“Robert, maybe I can’t act, but I can hit you,” Wang Yang warned, his tone filled with helplessness. So his acting was still as terrible as ever—was even a cameo too much to handle? Why was that? He didn’t feel the sentiment that comes from “only being in the middle of a mountain,” recognizing the truth in what Heath Ledger said about “not being in character.” The pacing and swaying of the limbs were secondary; the expressions were the primary issue. Reflecting on these points, Wang Yang conversely reprimanded Downey, “Robert, your expression just now wasn’t enough.”

“I knew you wouldn’t let me off,” Robert Downey Jr. shrugged, and Wang Yang sternly added, “I’m serious.” Downey and everyone else suddenly became earnest, “OK.” They played back the scene again and paused the footage at a medium shot of the three, Wang Yang pointed out, “Look, your expression right now is completely vacant with a touch of surprise, that’s good. But what about the layered changes I asked for earlier?” He pressed the remote control, and the image on the screen zoomed into a close-up, clearly showing no significant change.

Wang Yang looked at the contemplative Robert Downey Jr. and instructed, “You know this is a slow motion shot. Don’t be afraid the camera won’t capture your micro-expressions. I need that instant when Mal realizes that the surrender is real, the moment when you are about to cry but suppress it instead!” He patted Downey’s shoulder, continuing, “Don’t forget, Mal is a guy with a tough exterior and a soft heart. He is sentient by nature. Got it?”

Downey didn’t have any objections this time and nodded, “Got it, but I need some time to get into the emotion.” Wang Yang replied with a smile, “So do I.” He was an inexperienced actor, bothered by the mass of people in front, even Greta Garbo would have been annoyed! Ignoring the crowd, he picked up the microphone and announced, “Clear the set, clear the set! All nonessential personnel, stay away from the performance area! Don’t hang around; you’re giving me too much pressure! Jessica, you can stay…”

“Hehe!” Those who were just there for the spectacle, like Ellen Page, laughed and walked away to the cast trailers; Jessica encouraged Wang Yang in a private conversation. Heath Ledger shook his head with a smile; the marvelous Yang could stand on stage unfazed before thousands in an audience or billions in front of a television, yet he felt “pressure” in front of the camera facing a dozen or so people, struggling to immerse himself in the role—wasn’t that interesting? In reality, a director understands the story and the inner workings of every character the best, but to act it out is quite another matter.

“Action.” The cleared set was quickly back to reshooting the scene, and at Joss Whedon’s command, everyone got into motion, and little princess MSM-9802 also resumed her task. Jessica, standing behind the camera, watched the performance area tensely; casual appearances on regular film might be taken lightly, but the pressure of IMAX film weighed on her, too. She couldn’t help stroking the two wedding rings on her left ring finger, “Yang, good luck!”

It was a scene without dialogue. Wang Yang emerged from the “cave” hurriedly with Downey and others; as soon as they saw the spectacle in the sky, the whole world seemed to slow down. He told himself to ignore the crew far ahead, his gaze fixed on the azure sky, imagining the scene after special effects, as if he saw spaceships and warplanes flying by, followed by the sky darkening and various images appearing across it like television screens, blanketting the entire sky.

Every frame of the footage showed a different planet, a different place, all conveying the same message—the Independents had surrendered! There were demoralized cowboy soldiers, Star Alliance officers standing tall and proud, and civilians on the bustling streets at the heart of the Star Alliance cheering and leaping for joy—the war was over!

“From now on, we officially take control of this planet, those who surrender shall not be killed! You may switch allegiance to the Star Alliance, and we will arrange jobs and positions for you.”, “The Star Alliance is not your enemy, we will bring you a better life.”, “I accept…”, “I accept…”…

All of a sudden, the sky faintly resonated with voices—some clear, some blurred—coming in waves, the surrender of the Independence officers, from various locations. All talk of independence, fighting to the death, and chasing dreams had vanished into nothingness, all cast aside like worn-out shoes. Wang Yang felt as if he had brushed against Tornado for a moment, that desolate, bewildered sentiment, the anger and incomprehension at seeing one’s passions shattered and being betrayed and abandoned… He could hardly stop himself from shaking all over, unsure of his own expression.

Such was the fate of the Independents! How ridiculous, how idiotic! No acting required, in that instant, Robert Downey Jr. only felt something strike his eyes, so many people had given their lives, so many families had lost loved ones, all for this surrender! His mouth twitched involuntarily, almost like he was about to cry, pressing his lips tightly together, his eyes gazing up at the sky unblinkingly, his expression growing more and more wooden.

“Wow…” Joss Whedon, who was paying attention to the live performance, silently admired. Downey’s emotional investment erupted like a volcano, and even more explosive was the trembling of the multipurpose adhesive next to him; it seemed he had found that key, hadn’t he?

Summer entered a new week, June 18-24, with movies like “Furious Cars” continuing their battle in the theaters, and this week three new films set out on their journey. Disney’s $110 million action-adventure comedy “Around the Earth in 80 Days”, starring Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan, and others; 20th Century Fox’s $20 million cost of the new outing for the slacker gang, “Dodgeball” starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and others; and considered the champion’s successor, two years after “Catch Me If You Can”, the new work from super-director Steven Spielberg, “The Terminal”.

This latest $60 million comedy-drama film from DreamWorks sparkled with stars such as Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, and others; releasing it during the summer season did not seem to aim for the Oscars, but everyone believed it would be another light-hearted comedy cinema bomb, with numerous movie fans jokingly shouting, “Let Spielberg teach the youngsters how to make light-hearted comedies.”

The news about “Firefly” had spread among the youth, and according to the official website, the crew had completed their location filming in Alberta, Canada. They would next leave the land of the maple leaf to head to Texas, to shoot some desert scenes. The official website also did not forget to release a batch of new stills, exciting fans who had been following “Firefly” throughout its journey, with this time the most attractive photo being the appearance of MSM-9802 and Wang Yang’s cameo.

Wang Yang was really getting into the game! On one of the stills released, Wang Yang on the left, and Robert Downey Jr. in the middle, were seen staring up at the sky as if they had spotted something terrifying. As fans collected the images, they also learned about the mysterious person who would cause a “major turning point in the acting career” of the amazing Yang—it turned out to be Captain Mal’s subordinate from wartime! Unless the whole film was about the war between the Star Alliance and the Independents, they couldn’t imagine what kind of twist it would be.

“Ahahaha, wahahaha…” Natalie burst into uncontrollable laughter as she browsed the website and saw this news, looking at his dumbstruck expression. The more she laughed, the funnier she found it: “Hahaha, ahaha… How many NGs did he have this time? You’re killing me…” Even with a natural performance like in “MIT-21-TEAM”, he had almost ten NGs. Natalie grabbed her phone and called, barely holding back her laughter, she asked, “Hey Yang, it’s me, saw your still, how many NGs?” The phone transmitted Wang Yang’s laughter: “One time, yeah!”

Natalie immediately shouted in surprise, “What!! Just once? Did you just wake up? Or did you think I was Jessica? Please, I don’t believe it.”

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PS: Dropped out of the top 50 in the monthly ticket rankings, woah, I’m seeking monthly tickets! I really need everyone’s support, thank you! After the revision, 7000 words for monthly tickets! (