The Best Director

Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The chairman’s office at the A-Pix company headquarters: Wang Yang sat behind his desk, passing an A4 paper with the company’s new name and logo to the professional white female designer, Lisa Gro, who after taking a glance, seemed a bit puzzled. She was A-Pix’s full-time graphic designer, responsible for designing the company’s movie covers, promotional posters, as well as overseeing the design and maintenance of the company’s official website.

Sitting in the chair in front of her desk, Lisa looked at the drawing in her hands and asked with some uncertainty, “Uh, Mr. Wang, excuse me, are these two penguins? And in the middle, is that a crown?”

Wang Yang froze, feeling a bit like he might faint. Could his drawing really be so abstract that moths and butterflies could be mistaken for penguins? “No!” He laughed, shaking his head in self-mockery, “Not penguins, not a crown. On the left is a moth, on the right a butterfly, both are side profiles; and in the middle is a flame.”

Oh! I’m so sorry.” Lisa Gro laughed a bit awkwardly, afraid that she might anger her young boss and, in an attempt to make light of the situation, joked, “Perhaps I should wear my glasses for nearsightedness.”

No problem, I’ve always been an abstract artist,” Wang Yang replied with a shrug and a gentle voice that relaxed Lisa. He continued explaining his concept, “Lisa, I want it to have that effect, where the moth and butterfly are chasing the flame, revealing their own beauty. Do you understand?”

Lisa first nodded, saying, “I get it.” Then she shook her head slightly and asked, “But what I don’t get is, what does it mean? I mean, why moths and butterflies?” After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke directly, “Mr. Wang, you know, moths often represent death, like in ‘Silence of the Lambs.’ Might this have a negative impact on the company?”

Wang Yang leaned back in his chair and chuckled. Indeed, moths often symbolize death, but they are not just about death. He explained with a smile, “Lisa, in ‘Silence of the Lambs,’ the moth doesn’t represent death; it’s about rebirth. Did you know? In fact, everyone longs for transformation, to show off themselves, to chase their own soul. But most people tend to avoid their inner self, they cannot break out of their cocoon, living within it.”

The moth, it’s about transformation; a moth flying into the flame is about redemption of self.” Wang Yang took a deep breath and smiled, “I am a moth, therefore I cherish the moth. Let’s keep the company logo this way, no problem.”

Lisa, still somewhat confused, but conscious that it was her boss’s decision, answered with a nod, “Okay, I understand.” She then looked at the company name on the paper and added “Flames-Films” underneath the drawing of the flame with a pencil, asking, “Mr. Wang, is it okay to place the company name here?”

OK, that’s good,” Wang Yang approved after checking.

Flames signified flame, brilliance, and passion. Of course, here it primarily meant flame, which represents dreams, pursuit of light, and film in his viewpoint. He hoped the movies produced by the company would be like a flame, illuminating the fans’ hearts, igniting their dreams, and enabling them to break out of their cocoons to fully reveal their beauty.

Consequently, A-Pix officially re-registered its name and trademark, renaming itself Flames-Films; the logo, designed by Wang Yang and drawn by Lisa Gro, featured a light yellow moth on the left, a colorfully patterned butterfly on the right, and between them, a cartoonish yellow and red flame, with the company’s name beneath it. The overall colors of the logo were soft and comfortable, with a cartoonish style, vibrant and youthful.

Above the company’s main entrance, the “A-Pix” sign was taken down. The company had already ordered a new plastic sign with the updated name and logo, ready to be mounted upon arrival.

In the new week, at the first management meeting of the new company, all department heads and above attended from Flames-Films—though to say it was intimidating, it was honestly less than ten people.

Naturally, Wang Yang was present, sitting at the head of the conference table. He was dressed in a black suit with a gray shirt underneath, no tie. Mark Strong sat beside Wang Yang, also in a black suit with a silver tie and black-rimmed glasses, looking alert and spirited. He was no longer Wang Yang’s agent, but now the CEO of Flames-Films.

Due to his impressive performance during the acquisition of A-Pix and the resignation of the former CEO Chris Lynch, Wang Yang gave him the opportunity by asking, “If you were the CEO of the company, how would you develop it?” Mark Strong had then convinced him.

We need to gradually expand the company’s influence. In terms of investments, we should stick to low budgets, but don’t expect another ‘Paranormal Activity,’ anything below ten million counts as low budget… Moreover, the survival space for pure production companies is getting smaller and smaller, we need to establish our own promotional channels to avoid being controlled by media conglomerates… Now, movie profits are not just from the box office. We have to pay attention to the development of related products, which might lead to unexpected gains…”

As Mark Strong spoke, he grew more and more excited, yet his words remained cohesive, presenting a well-founded set of development plans, including how to purchase and invest in low-budget movies and how to develop additional sources of revenue, impressing Wang Yang with his professionalism.

Wang Yang knew the successful model of Lionsgate was very similar to Mark Strong’s plan, but what made Lionsgate so formidable was that they always could find a “Paranormal Activity.”

Of course,” said Mark Strong with a shrug, “To do these things requires a lot of money, either you inject it, or we pray to God to give us a ‘Paranormal Activity’.”

Wang Yang responded to him, “There’s no more ‘Paranormal Activity’, but there is a ‘High School Musical’.” He extended his hand and smiled, “I make movies, you manage the company well.” Mark Strong shook his hand excitedly and said, “Yes, BOSS.”

And just like that, Mark Strong became the CEO of Flame Film Company, with a three-month probation period, a monthly salary of twenty thousand dollars, the highest in the entire company; after the probation period, they would sign an official contract and enjoy the company’s benefits, etc.

At this moment, inside the conference room, Mark Strong was announcing the company’s next development direction and work focus that he and Wang Yang had discussed, all of which revolved around paving the way for “High School Musical.”

Simon Willis, the manager of the distribution department, listened attentively to the tasks that Mark Strong was assigning him, “We need to establish a campus promotion system. During the promotional phase of ‘High School Musical’, I want its posters to be seen in every college, high school, and even elementary school across North America, including cooperation with school authorities to hold some promotional events, this is the work we must accomplish; additionally, we also need to establish a campus screening system, with campus cinemas as our key targets for the movie’s first round of release.”

Because the “High School Musical” that Wang Yang was going to produce was not a TV movie, it would not be broadcast on television in the future, but was targeted for the big screen. So, how to attract the first batch of audiences into the theaters and create an impact? That would depend on promotion. Just as “Paranormal Activity” was able to create its miracle also through successful viral marketing; for “High School Musical” to succeed, promotion naturally was of utmost importance.

After discussions, Wang Yang and Mark Strong initially set up a “campus blitz viral marketing” strategy, plastering posters full of youthful vitality in all possible places in various schools, catching students’ attention and sparking their interest, especially since the school cinemas would be showing the film. After the initial rounds of screenings in several hundred campus cinemas sparked a response from the student population, a new round of promotions would begin, leading to a widespread release in city cinemas.

If “High School Musical” achieved great success, it would naturally lead to the production of numerous related products such as DVDs, original soundtrack CDs, and even novels, clothing, toys, etc. But these things couldn’t be rushed; their plan was, following the success of “High School Musical”, part of the merchandise would be created in partnership with other companies, or they would sell the rights of those types of products outright, like clothing and toys; another part would be produced by themselves, like original soundtrack CDs, acquiring a record company when the timing was right.

However, all these plans were contingent upon the success of “High School Musical”; if “High School Musical” failed, the first consideration would be how to save Flame Film Company.

I understand,” said Simon Willis, a middle-aged Caucasian, nodding after hearing Mark Strong’s speech. “Once the meeting is over, I’ll draft a plan.”

OK, I look forward to seeing your plan,” Mark Strong said, turning to Wang Yang with a “I’ve said my piece” expression.

Wang Yang glanced over the employees on both sides of the conference table, noticing that they all looked his way, he took out a printed script but didn’t let them see it, to prevent any leaks, since he barely managed to remember these people’s names. He shook the script and said, “I believe everyone knows, the company will soon be producing a new movie, tentatively titled ‘High School Musical’ (High-School-Musical), a campus musical film, which I will direct.”

The employees all nodded without any surprise, they had already heard about it; only Sandy Pikes, the thirty-something Caucasian man who was manager of both the production and acquisition departments, flashed a look of concern and hesitated to speak. Noticing this, Wang Yang paused and asked with a smile, “Sandy, is there something you’d like to say?” Sandy Pikes furrowed his brows and said, “Mr. Wang, I just wanted to mention that the market for musicals is quite small, shouldn’t we be more cautious?”

Call me Yang, please, everyone just calls me Yang,” Wang Yang rolled his eyes as he spoke off-topic. He had gotten a bit fed up in the past few days with everyone calling him “Mr. Wang,” making him feel like he had aged several years every time he looked in the mirror.

The employees all laughed, and Mark Strong shrugged and spread his hands with a laugh, “OK, Mr. Young.” Wang Yang also smiled before turning back to Sandy Pikes to answer the earlier question, “Sandy, I have considered the issue with the musical market. But in the end, I decided to shoot it, why? Because a good work can break market norms, some movies influence the market, while some movies are influenced by the market.”

He laughed confidently, “I believe ‘High School Musical’ will be a movie that can influence the market; it’s all up to us.”

Alright,” Sandy Pikes nodded silently, not trying to persuade any further, knowing he couldn’t sway his young boss. No wonder, at 18, having created the “Paranormal Activity” miracle and owning tens of millions in assets, he naturally was filled with confidence about everything. Sandy could only sigh helplessly in his heart, hoping the young boss really knew what he was doing!

Wang Yang did not pursue the topic further. He had never intended for everyone to agree with his decision to shoot “High School Musical.” Just like now, he didn’t need Sandy Pikes to understand; he only needed everyone to do their jobs well. He needed Sandy Pikes to help him set up the cast, and that was all.

The investment for ‘High School Musical’ is roughly around 5 million,” Wang Yang said to his staff. He then took out a notebook that listed the filming requirements and had his office secretary, Fiona Hasen, hand it to Sandy Pikes. The notebook included information about the scenes, props, and extras needed for the movie. He said to Sandy, “The movie will be shot on 35MM film, and the entire script will come to about 200 minutes of content. Make a budget for me.”

Sandy Pikes took the notebook, nodding, “All right.

The so-called 5 million was just a marker set for the investment level; 5 million was considered a low-budget production, and they definitely wouldn’t be hiring any high-profile actors. However, this was not a strict budget; sometimes it was permissible to increase the budget to 6 million, or save money by decreasing it to 4 million.

Furthermore, we need to find choreographers and music arrangers, as this is a musical,” Wang Yang said, tapping the script with a hint of excitement. “But assembling the crew will come later. First, we’ll proceed with casting for the movie.”

Mark Strong took over the conversation with a smile. “So, the promotion for ‘High School Musical’ is about to begin.” He looked at Simon Willis, the distribution manager, “Simon, I asked you to get in touch with a media outlet for an exclusive interview yesterday. How’s that going?”

“I’ve already arranged it with the entertainment section of the ‘Los Angeles Times,”‘ Simon Willis glanced at Wang Yang with an amused smile. “As soon as they heard ‘Miraculous Yang’s company, Miraculous Yang’s second movie,’ you know, they were all ‘wow’ and couldn’t wait to do the interview! I’ve scheduled it for this afternoon at our company. Is that okay?”

No problem,” Wang Yang replied with a nod and a smile. “I’ll be right here.

After the meeting ended, Wang Yang returned to his private office to continue writing the storyboard script for “High School Musical” on his computer. He had been busy with the company acquisition for over a week, and after the acquisition, he had to discuss the development strategy with Mark Strong. He hadn’t had much time to design storyboards, so the script was less than half finished.

Wang Yang now understood why Steven Spielberg never attended any financial meetings at DreamWorks, why he had said, “I hope any meeting I’m in can end within two minutes.” The reason was simple. Spielberg preferred being a director rather than a businessman. Wang Yang exhaled deeply as he leaned back in his chair – he was tired, both physically and mentally, after just over a week. Apart from the initial novelty, the work had become tedious. Negotiating and meeting in suits every day was sometimes more exhausting than handing out flyers on the street.

Fortunately, Wang Yang had taken care of all the company matters that required his attention, and he could leave the rest to Mark Strong. He could finally do what he loved and wanted to do most.

GO, GO, GO!” Wang Yang encouraged himself, revitalized. He looked at the screen and began typing on the keyboard.

In “High School Musical,” the lead character, Troy, arrives at the auditions for the musical, hiding behind a janitor cart with the female lead, Gabriela, both fearing being discovered by others as interested in auditioning. When the auditions ended, only the audition supervisor, Ms. Darbus, and the girl responsible for the piano accompaniment, Kelsi Nielsen, remained on stage. Watching Ms. Darbus about to leave, Gabriela finally mustered the courage to jump out, declaring that she was there to audition, while Troy hid to one side.

In the original TV movie, when Ms. Darbus tells Gabriela that the auditions are over and that she didn’t have a partner, Troy immediately jumps out and declares he is the partner.

In this segment, there was never a shot devoted to Troy hiding, no expression of his inner struggle, and then suddenly, he jumps out, making the scene feel abrupt. Therefore, Wang Yang added a set of shots focusing on Troy hiding behind the wall, capturing his expression when he heard Ms. Darbus’ words, showing that he mustered the courage to come forward after an internal struggle and change.

Wang Yang spent the morning writing the storyboard script, heading to the restaurant on the second floor for lunch, and then continuing his work in his office afterward.

By the afternoon, Kim Silvey, the reporter from the “Los Angeles Times,” had arrived at the headquarters of Flame Film Company. Naturally, Wang Yang had to receive her, took her on a tour of the company, and snapped some photos. However, she was unable to get the photo she wanted of the company’s nameplate at the main entrance because the manufacturer hadn’t delivered it yet, so she settled for some photos of the busy office instead.

The interview was primarily about “High School Musical,” and introducing Wang Yang’s new company was only secondary. So, in the reception room, after asking Wang Yang a few questions like “How does it feel to be the boss?”, she vigorously inquired about the second film he planned to shoot, “High School Musical.”

Can you give us a hint about what the movie is about?” Kim Silvey sat on the couch with a black camera hanging around her neck, holding a ballpoint pen in one hand and a small notebook in the other, asking Wang Yang.

Wang Yang sat on the other side of the leather sofa and replied to her, “I can only say that it’s an inspirational story about how young people dare to face themselves and find true happiness.” Of course, he didn’t give away any specifics, as that would pique people’s curiosity and expectations, as well as serve as effective pre-release publicity.

Kim Silvey naturally understood this and did not press further. She swiftly jotted down notes and asked, “Why did you decide to make a high school musical? What suddenly prompted you to film this genre?”

There’s nothing surprising about me making a school-themed film, is there? I am still young.” Wang Yang smiled and answered, “The reason is quite simple; I wanted to and felt it suited me, so I followed my instincts.”

You know, many people thought you would continue to make horror films. Aren’t you worried that ‘High School Musical’ won’t be well received?” Kim Silvey looked at Wang Yang earnestly and added, “Can you share your expectations for this film?”

“I’m not worried. ‘Paranormal Activity’ isn’t all of me; ‘High School Musical’ is a completely new and different challenge for me. It’s the first time I’m shooting a film with celluloid. I’ll show everyone a different side of myself. Wang Yang paused, confidently added, “Of course, I have high expectations for this film. I believe it will be well-liked; I have that confidence.” He knew that only by showing strong confidence could he further attract people’s attention.

Next, Wang Yang continued to answer many of Kim Silvey’s questions, including those about his personal life, “You’ve become the youngest multimillionaire, why do you still live in a small apartment?” “Do you have a girlfriend?” “I heard you were very popular in high school, is that true? Could this ‘High School Musical’ be a reflection of your own high school experience?”

These gossip questions gave Wang Yang a headache; he truly worried that tomorrow’s feature interview in the ‘Los Angeles Times’ would devote two- thirds to such gossip, leaving only one-third for ‘High School Musical.’

That evening, after taking a hot bath, Wang Yang returned to his computer to relax for a while and logged onto his MSN. He dragged through his online contacts list, saw Rachel online, and couldn’t help but smile. He clicked and sent her a message, “Hi, Rachel.” After ‘Paranormal Activity’ promotional activities ended, Rachel had returned to Toronto, but they kept in touch online every other day, occasionally calling each other.

Hi, Yang,” Rachel quickly typed back.

Rachel, I think you’ll be coming to Los Angeles in a few days because casting for ‘High School Musical’ is about to start!” After finishing the script, he had discussed the film details with Rachel and mentioned her suitability for the role of Sharpay Evans, the female lead.

Call me,” Rachel typed. Wang Yang’s fingers rapidly tapped the keyboard, “Why don’t you call me?” Rachel instantly replied, “Oh, shouldn’t the youngest multimillionaire be the one paying for the call?” Wang Yang laughed out loud, typed an “OK” and sent it, then picked up his phone to call. When she answered, he said with a laugh, “Hi, Ms. Stingy.”

Hi, Mr. Moneybags,” Rachel’s cheerful laugh came through the phone. She asked, “Yang, have you found investors?” She wasn’t yet aware that Wang Yang had acquired A-Pix Studios, thinking he had just found some investors.

In a mysterious tone, Wang Yang said, “No, I told you, I’m investing myself. In fact, I’ve just bought a film company.” Rachel exclaimed in surprise, “Oh my God! Really?!” Wang Yang laughed heartily, enjoying his friend’s amazement. He had kept the acquisition a secret just to surprise his friends, “Yes, you can now call me ‘Mr. Boss.\'”

“OK, Mr. Boss, tell me, what’s going on?” Rachel asked, laughing.

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