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***
In the sunny afternoon of Los Angeles, Wang Yang looked up at the high-rise building styled after the Chicago School of Architecture and gathered his courage before stepping inside.
Just a few days earlier, he had completed all of the post-production editing for "Paranormal Activity," finalizing the film at 98 minutes. He believed the film was truly spectacular; it was sure to send a chill down the spine of anyone who watched it. Indeed, when Jessica and Joshua visited his home to watch the freshly edited film, they both turned pale with fear, even though they already knew the storyline.
Life had been harsh for Wang Yang as well, since he lived in the apartment where the film was shot. He became paranoid, often waking up in the middle of the night at the slightest sound of the wind, startled into alertness. Perhaps this was the aftermath of making a horror film.
After finishing the editing, Wang Yang promptly proceeded to the next task: distribution of the film. To get a movie into theaters, one had to deal with distributors and theater chains, which would then schedule screenings at their venues. And it was the distributors that Wang Yang was aiming to contact.
In California, America, there are countless film companies, the most famous being the historical Big Eight of Hollywood, including MGM, Paramount, Columbia, Warner Brothers, Universal, United Artists, 20th Century Fox, and Disney. However, due to the Paramount case, which resulted in a legal decision that film companies couldn't own theaters, and the end of the studio system era, the influence of the Big Eight was no longer what it once was.
Either becoming part of a media conglomerate, like Paramount being acquired by Viacom, or struggling to survive while maintaining their independence but always on the brink of massive deficits, like MGM. Yet, they still remained the juggernauts of the Hollywood film industry, the creators of blockbuster films.
Among them, some subsidiaries that handled independent films not produced in-house existed, such as Fox Spotlight, the distribution arm of 20th Century Fox, which had distributed more than a dozen independent films, gaining significant success.
However, the films represented by Fox Spotlight involved costs in the millions or more and were all shot on film. No feature film shot on handheld DV had ever been released globally, especially since the DV technology had only been around for a few months.
Although Wang Yang knew that major companies like Fox might not be interested in his film, he still made phone calls to try his luck, thinking it could lead to at least one opportunity. Why not?
But on the phone, the film purchasing manager at Fox Spotlight laughed and refused as soon as he heard the film was shot on a consumer-grade DV. He even thought Wang Yang's call was a prank. "Shooting a movie on handheld DV? Really?" He knew about DV and its recording quality. Could that even be shown on a big screen? Who would want to watch it? Maybe it was just some kid who got ahold of a DV and randomly shot footage, thinking it was a movie?
More importantly, Fox Spotlight didn't need to take such a risk or be the butt of a joke—they were doing quite well financially with their current business approach.
This was an expected outcome for Wang Yang, and he didn't persist as there was no point. These big companies were used to large productions; a $10,000 budget was a joke to them. How could a movie be made with that? They weren't lacking in vision; after all, the idea of a DV film was unprecedented, a radical innovation. Humanity thrives not just on foresight but on the courage of those who dare to try new things.
Thus, having reached out to all the major companies and coming up empty-handed, Wang Yang began contacting smaller and medium-sized companies, some of which produced low-budget films themselves or mainly focused on distribution, like New Line or Dimension.
They too were incredulous and some even thought Wang Yang was pulling a prank. However, unlike giants like Fox Spotlight, they didn't reject him outright over the phone. Perhaps with a mindset of "might as well see what it's about," they scheduled a meeting with him.
Over the next few days, Wang Yang, carrying a DVD of "Paranormal Activity," visited several companies such as New Line and Dimension, only to find surprisingly consistent responses. As soon as the movie started and they observed the poor picture quality and severely shaky footage, they shook their heads and said, "There's no need to continue watching."
This time, Wang Yang persisted, but no matter how hard he tried to market it, explaining that the shaky footage was a stylistic choice of DV films, part of the pseudo-documentary approach, they just smiled politely and said "NO." Their reasons for refusal were essentially the same as Fox Spotlight's—they did not believe in the potential of DV films, deeming it a joke and something the audience would not accept.
Thinking back, at the dawn of sound films, most companies were worried they would not be accepted by audiences, and there were even those who stubbornly believed in the continuity of silent films. As such, their disregard for DV films was hardly surprising.
Thus, Wang Yang's persistence ultimately proved fruitless. When someone declines, what can you do?
But today was different. Today, Wang Yang approached "Artisan Entertainment" filled with confidence and hope, as well as determination, for it was this very company that would later distribute "The Blair Witch," a DV film that achieved astounding success. If anyone had the courage to take a chance on a DV film, it was them.
Artisan Entertainment, a small company specializing in the distribution of independent films, didn't have its own office building; its headquarters was located on the twelfth floor of this commercial high-rise.
Wang Yang wore a well-fitting black leather jacket and carried a briefcase containing a movie script and DVDs as he arrived at the entrance of Artisan Entertainment. He looked at the Artisan logo hung above, took a deep breath, and walked in.
"Hello, welcome to Artisan!" greeted a receptionist with a welcoming smile. She was a black woman in her twenties. Although it was a professional smile, it was quite pleasant to the eye.
Wang Yang glanced at her name tag, learning her name was Nicole Vivor, and smiled back, "Hello Miss Vivor, I am Wang Yang. I've scheduled a meeting with Mr. Thomas, the manager of your company's acquisition department."
"Please wait a moment," Nicole nodded, clicked her mouse, checked something on the computer, then looked up smiling, "Oh, found it. Yes, the meeting is scheduled for 3:00 PM, and it's now 2:42 PM, so please wait for a little while."
Wang Yang nodded with a smile, "Alright." He took a seat across from the reception on a row of chairs, lightly touched his briefcase, and looked around feeling somewhat nervous, inadvertently letting out a sigh.
At that moment, receptionist Nicole Vivor, looking curious, initiated a conversation, "Mr. Wang, you have a meeting with Mr. Thomas concerning the distribution of a film. Are you the producer of the movie?" Wang Yang nodded, "Yes, you could say that. I am both the producer and the director." Nicole smiled in disbelief, "Oh, you look so young, that's really surprising."
Wang Yang shrugged and joked, "That's why I am called Yang (Young)." Nicole laughed, and Wang Yang seized the opportunity to ask her, "By the way, do people often come to your company to pitch their own movies like I am?"
Nicole Vivor shook her head without hesitation, "No, not many; there aren't that many independent films, and there are so many movie companies. Only occasionally does someone come here." She didn't know that Wang Yang's film was shot on DV and laughed again, saying, "Actually, we are more proactive, looking for good films at various film festivals, like at this year's Sundance Film Festival, our company also bought several films."
Wang Yang silently nodded. Sundance Film Festival is arguably the most prestigious independent film festival globally, aimed at encouraging low-budget, independently made films and offering new directors a chance to showcase their talent. Every year in late January, Sundance is held in a Utah city, when numerous independent filmmakers with dreams of finding their benefactor head to Utah with their films; likewise, big and small movie companies go there to scout for potential gems.
There are many other film festivals like this one, such as the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Screamfest Horror Film Festival specifically for horror movies, and others.
These film festivals were Wang Yang's last hope. If he couldn't distribute his film in theaters, on video, or even on cable TV, he would then turn to these film festivals. However, influential ones like Sundance and Santa Barbara are held in January, meaning he'd have to wait until next year to participate.
As he thought about this, the time reached three o'clock. Receptionist Nicole Vivor picked up the phone, dialed a number, and asked, "Mr. Thomas, there's a Mr. Wang here to see you about a film distribution deal. Uh-huh, alright." She smiled at Wang Yang, stood up, and said, "Mr. Wang, please follow me."
"Alright." Wang Yang stood up, took his briefcase, and followed her into the offices of Artisan Entertainment. The office wasn't too crowded but looked very busy; everyone was engrossed in their work, either hurrying back and forth or talking on the phone. He faintly heard someone saying, "Hey, we need ads for the 8 PM slot, yes, why on earth would it be that expensive..."
Nicole Vivor led him to a private office door, knocked, and upon hearing "Come in" from inside, she opened the door, smiled and announced, "Mr. Thomas, Mr. Wang is here." Then she returned to the reception.
Stephen Thomas, a middle-aged Caucasian in his forties with a slightly balding forehead, dressed in a gray suit and a black tie, was sitting behind his desk writing something. He looked up, put down his pen, smiled, stood, and came forward with a handshake, "Mr. Wang, hello."
"Mr. Thomas, hello," Wang Yang smiled and shook his hand politely, "I'm very pleased you've given me this opportunity."
"Hehe, not at all, it's my job. Please, have a seat." Thomas smiled, gestured to the chair in front of his desk, sat back down, and looking at the seated Wang Yang, asked, "Mr. Wang, you look very young. If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"
Wang Yang smiled; he knew Thomas was inviting him to introduce himself or directly hand over a resume, but he had intentionally not brought one because previously at another movie company, after seeing his resume and learning that he had been expelled from University of Southern California, they hadn't even looked at his film before dismissing him.
Without a resume, he could keep his past more hidden. Wang Yang answered with a smile, "Well, I was born in 1980, so I guess I'm still quite young."
Thomas couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise, then let out a "wow" with a laugh, looking Wang Yang up and down, "That is really young, a 18-year-old director? Wow! You should be in college right now."
College? Here we go... Wang Yang immediately became alert, laughed off, shrugged, and dodged the topic, "You know, some people just follow a different path. Besides, I think the quality of a movie depends on the movie itself, not the director's age."
"Yes, you're right." Thomas laughed, and to Wang Yang's relief, he finally got to the point, "So let's see your movie script. I hope this isn't just silliness." He rolled his eyes, shrugged and added, "I mean no offense, but a DV film, an 18-year-old director... I've never encountered such a situation before."
"It's nothing, I understand," Wang Yang took out a revised script from his briefcase, containing the complete final content of the film, and handed it over to Thomas across from him, saying, "Please have a look."
Thomas took the script, leaned back in his chair, flipped through it for a while, and nodded, saying, "The story of the movie is simple, but this is a proper script, it doesn't seem like a parody." He stood up, gave Wang Yang a meaningful look, and headed toward the office door, saying, "Well, let's go to the screening room to watch your movie." Upon reaching the large outer office, he shouted to the busy company employees, "Hey, Sam, come with me to watch a movie."
A white man in his thirties responded. He put down what he was working on, came over, and smiled as he shook hands with Wang Yang, saying, "I'm Sam Paul."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Paul," Wang Yang responded with a smile.
As Thomas led them to the screening room, he laughed and introduced him on the way, "Sam is our best marketer here. He has a keen eye, and several of the company's profitable films are his doing. Oh, this guy is almost taking my job." Sam laughed, "Come on, Stephen!" Wang Yang smiled but said nothing.
In the screening room, Wang Yang took out a DVD that contained the movie and handed it to Sam. Sam inserted the DVD into the player, and the three of them sat down to watch the small screen in front of them.
Thomas pressed play on the remote, and a black screen lit up on the small screen, followed immediately by a flash revealing Zachary filming himself. He grinned at the camera and playfully said, "Hello everyone, I'm Kevin! Here's our new home!" Then, he walked around the apartment with his camcorder, filming places like the kitchen and bedroom, laughing as he introduced them, while the camera turned and swayed violently. Along with the rough picture quality, the swaying made many areas on the screen blur together, making it hard to see clearly.
"Wow, this..." Thomas pressed pause, looked at Wang Yang, and asked doubtfully, "Mr. Wang, are you sure this isn't a lifestyle short but a movie?"
Artisan Entertainment, after seeing this opening segment, had also called a halt and then just said "NO." Wang Yang suddenly felt nervous and rushed out his prepared speech, saying, "Of course, I call it 'first-person movie,' also known as 'mockumentary,' where 'the entire movie is filmed by the main character himself,' simulating the documentary form." He earnestly added, "Trust me, Mr. Thomas, this is a movie, please keep watching."
"OK." Thomas seemed thoughtful as he nodded and pressed play to continue.
On the screen, Kevin toured his home again and then turned the camera on himself, laughing, "Haha, got a new DV, feels great!" Just then, a faint sound of a door opening could be heard. He perked up and excitedly said, "Wow, my girlfriend Miranda is back!" Saying that, he rushed out with his DV, the camera shaking intensely again and the scenes changing rapidly, causing dizziness.
Then the camera pointed downward, and Kevin was heard saying, "Honey, welcome home. Look at this... what is it!?"
The screen shook, revealing Rachel playing the role of Mel. She held a bag, looking very surprised at the camera, and said blankly, "What, you really bought a DV? Oh my god! How could you do this, it's over our budget!"
At that moment, Sam, with one arm crossed and his hand resting on his chin, turned to Wang Yang and smiled, "The leading lady is quite pretty."
"I think so too," Wang Yang laughed, looking at Rachel on the screen, feeling a bit nostalgic. After Rachel returned to Toronto, he had only called her to tell her he had finished editing the film and mailed the DVD, and had asked about her mother. Wanting to save on the phone bill, he had hung up after a short talk; and without internet at home, he hadn't been online on MSN for a long time.
As the movie progressed, Thomas and Sam gradually stopped their side conversations and started watching seriously. But midway through, as Kevin and Mel tracked a ghostly figure at night, the camera shook violently again, and with the psychological horror building tension, Thomas became increasingly dizzy, his chest tight, his scalp tingling, and a strong urge to vomit surged through him, forcing him to stop the movie.
"Oh, my god... oh..." Thomas couldn't help but retch a few times, and Sam next to him was also struggling with the urge to vomit. After a while, Thomas recovered and shook his head with an apologetic smile, saying, "Oh, I apologize, that was very rude."
Wang Yang wasn't sure how to respond, so he just smiled and said, "It's nothing, nothing, it's just a normal human reaction."
"Mr. Wang, your movie... how do I put it," Thomas frowned, pondering his words which made Wang Yang nervous. Thomas said, "It's quite surprising, eye-opening, but also hard to get used to." He chuckled self-deprecatingly and continued, "I have never seen a film style like this." Sam nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, it's a crazy style."
Of course, they hadn't seen it before; the hand-held DV camcorder had only been on the market for a few months, and the history of DV movies was still blank.
Eye-opening, yet hard to get used to? Wang Yang couldn't quite grasp their meaning, and since the film was only halfway through, with the scarier parts still to come, he said, "Mr. Thomas, perhaps we can keep watching? The later part is even more exciting."
"No, no, no. If we continue, I might not be able to handle it." Thomas laughed and shook his head, saying, "That's enough, with what I've seen, I already know what kind of film this is." He paused, then said, "Mr. Wang, your movie is definitely a movie, and there are many scary parts, but..."
As soon as Wang Yang heard "but," he knew bad news was coming. Sure enough, Thomas spread his hands and said, "This movie is too innovative. Although it's based on your concept of a pseudo-documentary, the blurry and rough image quality and the often violently shaking camera... I'm not sure if these are suitable for the big screen."
Sam also smiled and shook his head, his face expressing uncertainty. "I don't know. I can't judge the market prospects of this movie either. I've never seen anything like it before, so I can't analyze it." He paused, then added, "Personally, I am quite interested in this movie, but I can't speak for the market. You know, many movies I personally like end up not making their money back. Personal taste is one thing, the market is another."
Wang Yang's heart sank. Although Artisan Company had been the most supportive so far, he couldn't feel happy because it seemed Artisan Company was likely to decline. He looked at Thomas and Sam and suggested, "I know the market is always unpredictable. Maybe we could start with a limited release, in just a handful of cinemas, no, a dozen or so, to test market reactions?"
As long as it got released, using the promotional tactics of "The Blair Witch," he was confident that he could turn a limited release into a wide release, from a dozen theaters to thousands!
Thomas hesitated for a moment, spoke quietly with Sam, exchanged opinions, and finally nodded, looking at Wang Yang as if about to say something.
Wang Yang's heart leapt, his hands clenched, his palms sweating.
"Mr. Wang," Thomas looked at him and slowly said, "The market is our primary concern. Although your film has low production costs, and the promotional budget can also be kept as low as possible, we can't afford any losses; more importantly, we can't afford to damage our company's reputation. We're a small company, and much of our market relies on hardcore fans who definitely wouldn't want to see us release a bad movie—it would anger them, and they might abandon us."
Wang Yang silently nodded, his heart aching, but he couldn't say anything.
"What I mean is not that your movie is bad, just that releasing a DV movie is a big risk, and we can't decide lightly." Thomas stood up, saying, "Let's do this, Mr. Wang, we'll discuss the feasibility internally. If we have any distribution plans, we'll contact you, okay?" With that, he extended his hand.
Wang Yang could only stand, shake his hand, and nod. "Alright, I look forward to your good news."
Leaving Artisan Entertainment, Wang Yang walked the streets in dejection, the honking of the cars amplifying his irritation. He looked up at the clear blue sky, took a deep breath, and gritted his teeth. Even Artisan, which had distributed "The Blair Witch," had now rejected him. Although they hadn't flatly refused, he knew the chances were slim, for Thomas had not even watched the film through, and their intention was clear—they didn't want to disappoint the fans or take the risk.
How many film companies were left? Wang Yang sighed. Although he had always known seeking distribution would be fraught with difficulties, facing them still inevitably brought some depression. But he shook his fist, "You can kill me, but you can't defeat me!"
If this company didn't work out, there would be another; even if all the film companies rejected him, there were companies specializing in DVD distribution; even if he couldn't break into the DVD market, there was still cable TV on-demand... As long as he kept going, there would always be opportunities.
He swept all the gloom out of his heart, but felt an urge to talk to a friend, so he pulled out his phone and called Jessica. As soon as the call connected, he laughed, "Hi, Jessica, I failed again. Artisan told me to go home and wait for news, but from their demeanor, I don't think they'll contact me."
"Oh, God..." Jessica couldn't help but sigh, her voice filled with disappointment and worry, but she quickly comforted Wang Yang warmly, "Yang, it's okay. Trust me, this is just the beginning; you're just starting out."
Wang Yang laughed, "Yeah, I'm good, don't worry about me, Jessica, thank you." He then playfully added, "You wouldn't believe it, but the manager at Artisan almost threw up watching my movie, haha! Is my film really that bad?"
"Haha! No, not at all bad," Jessica laughed too, her delightful laughter brightening Wang Yang's spirits. She continued, "Where are you now? How about we have dinner together? I'm planning to go to the cinema tonight."
"Thanks, but no," Wang Yang declined Jessica's invitation with a laugh, continuing on toward a nearby bus stop, explaining, "Jessica, I got a night job at McDonald's, so I'm in a rush to get there now, sorry I can't join you."
Jessica went silent for a moment on the other end, then said, "Okay, Yang, but don't overwork yourself." She added, "By the way, uh... you know, my birthday is in a couple of days, we're having a small party at my place that evening. Yang, can you come?"
Oh right, Jessica's birthday was on the 28th, coming up soon... Wang Yang didn't hesitate, replying, "Of course. Your birthday party, wow, I'd be delighted to come. I'll just take time off then." He paused, then laughed, "Just the gift might be really modest, haha!"
"Hah, never mind about the gift." Hearing his agreement, Jessica laughed happily. She added, "My agent, Mrs. Miranda, will also be there. Yang, she knows many famous directors and high-level people in film companies. I'll introduce you to her; hopefully, she can help you..."
"Thank you, Jessica." Wang Yang laughed, "Now I have even more reason to look forward to it." Although he didn't hold high hopes for Mrs. Miranda, it was still another opportunity, right? Plus, Jessica's kindness made him feel warm inside.
After talking a bit more, Wang Yang arrived at the bus stop and hung up, took a deep breath, boarded a bus, and headed to the McDonald's where he worked part-time.