The Best Director

After spending a sweet and happy New Year’s holiday in New York, Wang Yang and Jessica returned to Los Angeles, and he began to immerse himself in the post-production work for “The Pursuit of Happyness.”

The role of the film editor eventually went to Margaret Goodspeed. Wang Yang had a meeting with her, and she had grasped what he wanted in terms of the themes the script intended to express, the touching parts of the story, and the pacing and style of the film, all while adding her unique insights. Additionally, since they had previously worked together and were familiar with each other’s temperaments, there were no concerns about working together, so Wang Yang hired her.

How to edit this movie? After their discussion, Margaret understood what Wang Yang meant, and she strongly agreed with him. That is, to tell the story in a single timeline structure, with the exception of a montage where Chris Gardner recalls how he became the exclusive salesman of the medical scanners in the San Francisco Bay Area while chasing after the hippie couple. The entire film unfolds from Chris Gardner’s point of view, driven by the forward movement of time.

If one were to divide the film by Chris Gardner’s living situations, it would go from living in an apartment, to a motel, to being homeless, and finally to achieving success at the end of the movie. The original “The Pursuit of Happyness” has about 30 minutes dedicated to the homelessness section, which is hasty compared to the real Chris Gardner and his son’s year on the streets and his inner transformation. Wang Yang didn’t know what the original footage looked like, but he made some detailed modifications and additional shoots based on the real story and inner journey of Chris Gardner, such as the scene where Chris bathes his son in the church room and little Chris says, “Dad, do you know? You’re a good dad.”

At that time, Chris was lost and wanted to give up, but when he heard his son’s words, he cried with his back turned. He had to pick himself up again, continue to pursue happiness, and give himself and little Chris a better life.

During the filming of these scenes, Will Smith’s emotions completely erupted, and there was no need to act—he had reached the most ideal state of the Method actor, which is to become the character. After Terry Smith said that line, Will’s eyes turned red in an instant, he silently wept with his back turned, and then uncontrollably broke into sobs, trying to suppress his cries while his shoulders shook. The script originally ended here, but to Wang Yang’s surprise, at that moment Terry actually patted Will’s shoulder and comforted him, “Dad, don’t cry, I know you’re struggling, but I’ll be sensible.”

This set of scenes was incredibly moving, no less than the one where Chris silently cries in desperation in the bathroom. In the editing, Wang Yang arranged this part right after little Chris loses his Captain America figure. His comfort solidifies Chris Gardner’s resolve in his confusion and frustration, and the mutual love and warmth between father and son reach the climax of the film there.

At the same time, in the part about the homeless community, he added some scenes and shots focusing on a major inner change in Chris Gardner regarding dignity and the pursuit of dreams. The reason he could get off relief and become an official stockbroker was that he never let go of his dignity. Despite being poor and living rough enough to sleep in a subway station restroom and fight for a bed in a shelter, he never lost his dignity. That is what distinguished him from the lost, numb homeless.

Margaret, there’s also a section herewith an inner monologue style voice- over montage,” he said.

In the editing room, Margaret, wearing black-rimmed glasses, sat in front of the editing computer with the mouse in hand. On the computer screen, amidst the hustle and bustle in front of a commercial building in Oakland, Will Smith smiled as he gazed at the red Ferrari sports car. Wang Yang stood to the side with the script, glancing at the computer screen and reading the voice-over from the script, “I still remember that moment, everyone seemed so incredibly happy. Why can’t I also be beaming with happiness?”

Okay, we’ll need a few shots of smiling faces then,” Margaret replied. She began to search through the pile of footage for this set of scenes, lining up shots of white-collar workers and passersby entering and exiting the building with smiles.

and “This part is called ‘Being an Idiot

There are many such voice-over montages in “The Pursuit of Happyness”, all pure subjective sounds, including Chris Gardner’s voice-overs or inner monologues, such as “This part of my life…this part here? It’s called ‘Riding the Bus\'”, and “This part is called ‘Being an Idiot\'”, and so on. This technique not only rapidly fills in the completeness of the story, like when Chris says “I met my father for the first time when I was 28”, but it also highlights the character’s inner world and personality, making his image more three- dimensional and substantial, which is crucial for the protagonist in a biographical film.

Watching the footage play on the screen, with the white-collar workers and passersby walking around smiling in slow motion, Wang Yang frowned and had Margaret play it several times before saying, “Don’t you think it’s a bit too slow?”

Slow motion is achieved during filming by setting the camera to shoot at a higher frame rate than the standard 24 frames per second, say 48 frames per second. When the film is played at the normal speed of 24 frames per second, anything higher results in slow motion; the opposite being fast motion. The scene in “The Matrix” where Keanu Reeves dodges bullets, known as “bullet time,” was shot at an extreme slow motion of 12,000 frames per second. The few clips on the computer, of course, were not that many, just 96 frames per second.

Hmm, perhaps. It needs to match the speed of the voice-over and the music, Margaret remarked, clicking her mouse and adjusting the frame rate to 72 per second before asking, “How about now?” Wang Yang watched it once, thought about Will Smith’s speaking speed and the atmosphere of this series of shots, and said, “Reduce a few frames for those first two smiling white-collars, and add a few frames back to the part where Chris looks up and smiles, let’s try that.”

Margaret nodded and made the adjustments on the editing software; adjusting the frame duration of shots was not a point of contention between her and Wang Yang. Spotting a passerby on the screen, she suddenly remembered something and laughed, “Young director, isn’t that girl your girlfriend?”

Yes,” Wang Yang smiled and shrugged his shoulders as Jessica quickly walked by on the screen with a sweet smile, next to Will Smith, who was smiling and looking up. Wang Yang joked, “Trust me, adding a few frames is not for her.” While operating, Margaret laughed, “Of course, or maybe you could cast her in a role? That age of the hippie girl, I think it’s quite suitable.”

Hippie girl? Wang Yang pictured the calm freckled girl in his mind; the character was played very well by Annie, especially when Will Smith turned to leave after entrusting her, and she looked down at the scanner with a glance that clearly meant she was going to steal it. Remembering how he had said “Very good” then, and Annie’s delighted face, he couldn’t help but smile. Now, the girl playing the hippie girl would be perfect!

After spending a whole day in the editing room, it wasn’t until the evening that Wang Yang finished his work for the day and drove home. Waiting for him at home was Jessica’s smiling face and the dinner she had prepared. Sitting at the dining table, seeing her smile, listening to her pleasant voice, and tasting the delicious food, Wang Yang felt all fatigue wash away; this was probably the warmth of home.

Yang, I was out shopping with Eileen today, and she told me some news, Jessica’s voice was filled with disbelief as she looked at him with wide eyes, “Guess what it is?” Wang Yang bit into a pie, furrowed his brow pretending to think, then laughed and said, “Hmm… Can’t guess, what, is she pregnant? Oh my God, Zachary is going to be a dad!”

Zachary, after countless efforts and rejections, and using all kinds of tricks plus some “guidance” from Wang Yang, managed to miraculously win over Eileen Iris before the start of “High School Musical 2″, and the two of them got together.

No, she isn’t pregnant,” Jessica laughed as she rolled her eyes, then said mysteriously, “But…” She paused, adding with surprise, “They’ve been planning their wedding recently!” Wang Yang’s eyes widened in shock, and he almost choked on his pie, struggling to hold it in and swallowing uncomfortably before coughing and hastily asking, “Really? Are you kidding me? Getting married so soon? What date?!” Jessica shook her head gently, still smiling, “They haven’t set a date yet, they are just planning for now; maybe in a few years?”

What… Wang Yang closed his eyes briefly, oddly relieved, and then burst into laughter, finding it amusing as he said, “Jessica, you scared me to death, I thought they were going to get married in a week or a month from now, come on!” A few years from now? Planning this early for what? And does it even make a difference?

But they already have plans,” Jessica said softly, looking across at Wang Yang with a tinge of envy and longing in her eyes, her lips pouting slightly as if to say, “Yet we don’t have any plans!” Wang Yang furrowed his brow in response. Marriage plans? To talk about that now seemed too premature… He glanced at Jessica, shrugged, and indulged her by suggesting, “Should we make a plan too? Get married in five years?”

Seeing that he wasn’t excited and knowing his plan was just to appease her, Jessica’s spirits immediately dampened, and she sulked, brusquely saying, “No, forget it, no plans!”

Wang Yang frowned and set down his pie, looking at her seriously, “Jessica, I just think having a plan or not isn’t important. I’m a man of action. If we suddenly feel like getting married one day, we’ll just rush to the chapel; it doesn’t need much planning.” He spread his hands and looked around, his voice warm as he chuckled, “And besides, we’re great now, home, our own little world, sweet… I feel like we’re already married.”

Hmm… sorry, I’m fine,” Jessica forced a smile, sighed inwardly, feeling that everything was so perfect now and she didn’t want to lose it. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like if she did. She just liked having a plan; it gave her a greater sense of security.

Jessica…” Wang Yang could clearly sense that she was still unhappy, but was at a loss for words, tentatively suggesting, “Shall we make a plan anyway?” Jessica shook her head and smiled, “No, I’m really fine.” Saying this, she lowered her head and took a bite of her pie. Wang Yang gave a resigned smile and continued to placate her, “I think we’ll definitely get married before Zachary and Eileen. Those who like to plan always end up changing their plans, for all sorts of reasons…”

Wang Yang spent a long time trying to cheer her up, but in the end, he couldn’t get her to fully agree. Still, they managed to move past the topic, and the dinner table was lively with laughter once more. After dinner, Jessica began to clear the dishes and clean the kitchen, and Wang Yang, who intended to help, received an unexpected call from Jon-Phil Timber.

Hi, Jon? What’s up?” Wang Yang sat down on the wicker sofa in the living room, brushed aside a pillow, leaned against the couch, and greeted him with a smile on the phone, “You haven’t called me for a long time; there must be something.”

Jon-Phil Timber’s voice came through, chuckling, “Yang, it’s about the ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ bonus. The funds should hit your account in a few days. Want to come to Lionsgate to see the exact box office numbers?”

‘Paranormal Activity 2’ had been in theaters in North America for two months, ultimately earning close to 35 million dollars at the box office. Adding future international screenings and DVD sales, it was enough to recoup costs and make a modest profit. However, Wang Yang’s 20% post-tax share of the box office was not substantial.

Just email the data file to my inbox,” said Wang Yang nonchalantly. He wasn’t worried that Lionsgate would hide the box office figures; Lionsgate’s reputation was always solid. Besides, they had never withheld a cent from the massive earnings of ‘Paranormal Activity 1,’ so why worry about the small dividends from ‘Paranormal Activity 2’? He explained further, “I’m swamped with the post-production editing of ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ every day; moreover, I trust you all.”

Wow, it sounds like another blockbuster is on the way! Yang, when can we collaborate again?” Jon Fildheimer brought up the subject once more. Right after Flame Films announced the project for ‘The Pursuit of Happyness,’ he had reached out to Wang Yang at the earliest opportunity to discuss a potential collaboration, but Wang Yang ultimately turned him down. Immediately after, he heard Wang Yang say, “Jon, there’s no chance at the moment, uh, are you guys thinking about making ‘Paranormal Activity 3’?”

Jon sighed resignedly and said self-deprecatingly, “You know, the sequel wasn’t exactly a success. We botched it, squandering the popularity we’d built with the previous installment, so…” He chuckled briefly and added, “However, if you’re willing to direct ‘Paranormal Activity 3,’ we’d be more than happy to invest.”

Forget it, my schedule is full for this year,” Wang Yang laughed, offering consolation, “Jon, I’m sure you’ll quickly find the next ‘Paranormal Activity.’ That’s one of Lionsgate’s strengths, isn’t it?” Jon on the other end laughed and agreed with a “Yes,” before saying, “The Sundance Film Festival is coming up in a few days. We’re planning to try our luck there, see if we can find another ‘Paranormal Activity.’ Are you guys going?”

The Sundance Film Festival? Wang Yang was momentarily taken aback before he realized, looking at the date, that this year’s Sundance Film Festival was indeed about to begin! It was a significant event for independent cinema, held annually on January 18th in Park City, Utah, lasting 11 days. During this time, countless independent filmmakers would bring their works in hope of catching the eye of film companies, and numerous film companies would descend on Park City in search of potential hits. In the days when ‘Paranormal Activity’ was seeking distribution, these film festivals had been his last resort.

Hmm, of course, we’re going to join the fun,” Wang Yang mused, considering his company’s finances—they could probably afford to buy one or two independent films. He smiled and said, “Maybe we’ll find some treasures.

Jon Fildheimer laughed heartily, half-serious, half-joking, “Just don’t let me know which film it is, because I’ll definitely fight you for it.”