The Best Director

Chapter 127: Add another zero

Throughout May, Wang Yang had been writing the script and storyboards for “District 9.” To design scenes for the third part, “The Extinction of Humanity’s Compassion,” he immersed himself in the study of violent aesthetics. However, he realized such techniques were mostly suited to battle scenes, while the extinction of compassion required no beauty—only blood, disgust, and unendurable horror that sent shivers down the spine.

He let his mind wander into the devilish depths and researched various forms of torture, atrocities committed by Nazi Germans and the Japanese during World War . He discovered how truly disgusting and inhumane humans could be, and for the first time, he understood the emotion behind wanting to “exterminate mankind.” But aside from conceptualizing scenes of Wikus slaughtering human troops, he also had to depict the brutal human research on aliens.

As MNU scientists began to dissect Wikus, he fought back, taking a doctor hostage in an attempt to escape. The incoming MNU security guards didn’t care about the doctor’s life—they were willing to let Wikus kill. Only when Wikus wildly unleashed fire with an alien weapon did they give way, allowing him to flee the room, only to discover he was in a vast laboratory—the secret heart of MNU headquarters.

Inside the lab, adult aliens, children, and fetuses were being vivisected, flayed, and eviscerated, enduring injections of drugs that made life unbearable; they were ground up by special machines just for a DNA extraction experiment…

Such scenes were crucial—not merely for shock value, but to gradually build up a sense of oppression and anger in the audience’s hearts. As they saw the lab’s suffering aliens through Wikus’s eyes, heard their screams, and locked gazes with the clear, bewildered eyes of a young alien… From that moment on, the audience’s perspective would change.

Wang Yang had no idea how he had gotten through this period, his heart filled with suffocation, irritability, and rage, often waking suddenly in the night and keeping Jessica beside him awake as well, feeling on the verge of madness. The result of being so engrossed was a script filled with scenes of dehumanization and Wikus’s frenzied carnage against MNU troops.

He knew with these scenes, “District 9” would certainly not receive one of those “G” -containing ratings from the MPAA—It was definitely going to be R- rated, and possibly even NC-17. That would be a problem.

During this time, he didn’t spend all his time on the script. Sometimes he returned to the University of Southern California for lectures, watched the Lakers play at the Staples Center with Jessica, or spent weekends at Santa Monica beach to avoid going insane.

He also hired an art teacher for private lessons, systematically relearning sketching. His drawings were too “abstract,” which was fine for realist movies, but not for science fiction. The storyboard contained many imagined scenes and complex “big moments” that needed to be clearly communicated to set designers, art directors, and the entire special effects team. Abstract art would not suffice.

Hence, many directors are highly skilled in drawing, like James Cameron or Tim Burton, who have the ability to hold their own art exhibitions.

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Wang Yang’s ultimate goal was to one day hold his own exhibition in a New York gallery—and not the kind featuring “beetles = bees.” As for the alien designs in “District 9,” he had already provided Blue Sky Studios with concept imagery and criteria: “cool,” “ugly,” “expressive eyes,” “human-like but unmistakably alien.” He reminded the designers they could integrate features of all insect and crustacean species into their designs.

ugly,

Even though Blue Sky Studios was an animation company and the animals in “Ice Age” had a cute style, it didn’t mean they were limited to that approach. To create a 2D image for this alien race, Blue Sky dispatched over a dozen character designers to collaborate and even invited an entomologist to assist, aiming to create an alien that was both cool and unprecedentedly ugly.

Shrek,

It was already June, and with summer vacation approaching, the bustling summer movie season had begun. “The Mummy 2,” “Shrek,” “Pearl Harbor”… Movie fans in theaters were laughing and shouting, media critics busily praised or condemned, and the weekly box office charts were locked in fierce competition. But all this had nothing to do with Wang Yang. It had been a while since the newspapers mentioned “Magical Yang,” but on August 3rd, “High School Musical 3” would premiere, officially concluding the trilogy’s story.

The afternoons in Los Angeles were scorching hot. Wang Yang, wearing a white T-shirt with a spaceship printed on it and a pair of jeans, walked down the streets of Beverly Hills. There weren’t many people around, and after a short walk, he arrived at a bright coffee shop. He had arranged to meet Robert Downey Jr., who had been released from prison on parole a few days ago, right here.

Upon entering the coffee shop, Wang Yang immediately spotted Downey in a blue shirt sitting there. He greeted him with a laugh, calling out, “Hey, buddy! Downey responded with a hearty laugh, stood up, and walked over with open arms, saying with a smile, “Buddy!” Under the gaze of a customer and a waiter, the two embraced firmly and patted each other’s backs.

Buddy, do you think you haven’t worn enough blue yet?” Wang Yang joked as he sized up Downey from head to toe. It felt to him like a scene from a Hong Kong gangster film, where two “good brothers” from prison reunite after their release; it was also reminiscent of “The Shawshank Redemption,” where Tim Robbins sees Morgan Freeman… Downey glanced at his shirt, shrugged, and said, “It’s a reminder to myself. But it looks good, doesn’t it?”

Wang Yang nodded with a smile and said, “Well, it’s pretty nice to see you out here.” He gave Downey a playful punch on the shoulder and walked towards an inside coffee table, laughing as he said, “I always knew some birds just can’t be caged.” Downey chuckled and casually remarked, “Now my record stands at 18 months.”

The two sat down at a quiet corner coffee table and caught up for a while. Wang Yang, sipping his coffee and looking at Downey across the table, said, “Routine procedure, show me your acting chops!” The purpose of this meeting was not only to catch up but also to audition for the lead role in “District 9.” He laughed, “I need to know you haven’t gotten rusty.” Between his three stints in prison, Downey had still managed to star in some low-budget independent films or as a supporting actor in mid-budget films, but he hadn’t acted in almost two years now.

Rusty?” Downey incredulously pointed at his own chest, then wagged his finger and said, “Who am I? I’m Robert Downey Jr., a born performer. Young director, let’s begin!”

Since “District 9” involved a significant amount of special effects, its production cycle was bound to be long. By rough estimate, its initial release was scheduled for the end of the summer season in 2002 or possibly during the Christmas season, which was more than a year away. And its pseudo-documentary style, combined with a series of viral marketing campaigns, relied on the prerequisite of absolute secrecy about the story content. Before walking into the theater, audiences would likely only know the backstory—that aliens have arrived—and nothing about the transformations.

Therefore, to be on the safe side before signing a contract, Downey wouldn’t see the specific script, but auditions never required more than a temporary performance anyway, not to mention for a long-established “Oscar Best Actor Nominee,” it was just a formality to test his demeanor.

Now you have to kill something, they are all lives, but you don’t care, it’s a trivial matter in your eyes, urn…” Wang Yang took another sip of his coffee, continuing to speak to a focused Downey, “It’s also something to boast about. Your friend is recording you with a camera capturing your ‘heroic’ act, so you look at the lens, showing everyone how you are killing them.”

Downey nodded, thought quietly for a moment, then suddenly laughed out loud with a mocking expression and performed, “Make sure to film it well! Oh, look at these poor little lives, today is their lucky day. I’m going to kill them very gently, very softly, ensuring there’s no pain…”

Lighten it up a bit more,” Wang Yang observed Downey’s performance closely and stated his request, “Don’t be so Robert, don’t be so cool! You know this character is witty and cultured, a loyal man who loves his wife and home, more ordinary, more foolish. You’re killing them as a professional accolade, you will receive accolades from others, your father-in-law, your boss, your wife, your friends…”

In Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” the protagonist Gregor is a kind, honest, family-loving, and responsible little man. After his father went bankrupt and his mother became bedridden, with his sister still needing to attend school, the entire family relied on him. He worked diligently and desperately, out of breath, all for the sake of paying off his father’s debts and providing a good life for his family. Even after transforming into a beetle, Gregor still worried daily about his father’s debts and tried to keep his family happy; he was an uncommonly good man.

Wikus, too, was such a small figure, only his pressure came not from money, but from career achievements. His father-in-law was the CEO of MNU, and relative to his high-level administrator status in District 9, one could say his wife “married below her status” to him. Wikus always wanted to make something of himself, to get promoted, to lift his head high in front of his boss and father-in-law, and make his wife proud of him.

He was a good man as well, but the better side of his nature—kindness, family love, sense of responsibility—was all reserved for those humans he considered admirable; whereas the darker side of his humanity was entirely directed at the aliens he deemed filthy and trash. But when he began to transform, just like Gregor was abandoned by his own family, Wikus too was ruthlessly abandoned by his wife, his family, and the entire human society.

So, he struggled in loneliness, still considering himself human, and still harboring human selfishness and weakness… But in the end, he cast aside the selfishness and weakness of humanity and showed the best of human nature to the alien Christopher Johnson, killing off “who he once was (the human military)” completely.

This was a “psychological transformation” that followed after Wikus’s physical transformation, but before that, he was still a small figure. Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal seemed a little too unruly, though a character is shaped by an actor’s personal understanding, and Wikus was no different. However, one important aspect is that the man’s evil, unlike the bald colonel’s pure racial hatred “desiring to kill all aliens,” he too despised aliens, but it was more out of a sense of entitlement and desire for career advancement.

Of course, Robert hadn’t seen the script yet, so Wang Yang directly asked him how he would act, to see if he could bring out that kind of effect and temperament. If he could, then there would be no problem.

OK, I got it,” Robert paused, fermented his emotions for a while, his eyes slightly squinting with glee, and laughed excitedly, “Look at these lives, if you want to kill them, you just press this button like I do.” He mimicked the hand motion, not looking at the lives at all, smiling at the camera, “and whoosh, they’ll all be dead! Hehe, my baby always says I look so cool like this.”

Wang Yang couldn’t help but nod, truly a “born performer,” Robert grasped the exciting essentials too quickly. Without seeing the script and without long-time immersion and character shaping, he already did very well. He smiled and snapped his fingers, “CUT! Not bad. Robert, the next part is important.”

It was Wikus’s pain after the transformation. Wang Yang pondered for a moment, then slowly said, “Buddy, for some reason, you have been abandoned by the entire world. Everyone you know, and those you don’t, all despise you; some even want to kill you.” He thought of his own dream of turning into a giant beetle and said through clenched teeth, “Including your father-in-law aiming a gun at you, your friends, your loving wife don’t believe you… You’re in pain, you want to come back, you want to come back!”

Robert silently drank his coffee, reflecting on his own experience with drug abuse. Abandoned by the whole world? Loved ones no longer believing in him? He remembered Sara’s sobbing voice ten years ago, “Let’s break up, Robert, you’re not the kind of man I can fit into… I thought I could change you, but the fact is I can’t, and I’ve had enough.” He recollected his ex-wife Deborah saying five years ago, “I’ve had enough, Robert! Let’s get a divorce, Indy will stay with me…”

Why wouldn’t they believe I could change!” Robert looked perplexedly pained, his eyes filled with helplessness, loneliness, and anxiety. He tugged at his hair and said, “I can change, don’t give up on me. Why don’t they believe me, why…”

Watching him perform alone for a while, Wang Yang suddenly laughed and shouted, “CUT! Very good, very good! Routine procedure complete.” There was no doubt about Robert’s acting skills. He was able to portray the characteristics of Wikus; it was just a matter of being more handsome, but he could create a Wikus of his own. The only concern was regarding the issue of drug abuse, but during his time on Rek Island, he had chosen to trust Robert, believing that the old man could stay away from drugs from then on.

So, I got this pathetic role? I can’t stand this,” Donnie said with a smile as he wiped his eyes, then frowned and asked, “What’s his name? It’s not Robert, is it?”

Wang Yang shrugged without answering, pulled a pen and a small notebook out of his pocket, wrote down a string of numbers on the paper, and slid it over for Donnie to see, saying seriously, “Your compensation, what do you think?” While taking it to look, Donnie joked, “Magic Yang, this isn’t proper, maybe you should negotiate my fee with my agent.” He glanced at the numbers and said, “A 2 and six zeros, that’s two million.”

He let out an “Oh” and nodded with a smile, “That’s very generous, I have no problems; I think my agent would agree too.”

This was a lead role in a movie with an investment of over a billion, and two million in compensation seemed low; but now, not to mention blockbusters, even low budget films wanted to abandon him, who dared to hire someone who could be back in jail at any moment to act in their movie?

OK, and…” Wang Yang continued, writing another number in the notebook with a grave tone, “Donnie, I believe you can kick the drug habit, but I also have to consider the company, the crew, and myself, so if we sign the contract, there will be a clause.” Donnie already knew what he was talking about and gave a carefree laugh, “I completely understand.” Wang Yang pushed the notebook towards him and said, “If you touch drugs again and get thrown back into Rek Island prison, causing delays in filming and tarnishing the reputation of ‘District 9 / you will have to compensate with this amount.”

The paper read ten million, and as soon as Donnie saw it, he shook his head with a laugh, “No, this number won’t do. Add another zero!” He reached for Wang Yang’s pen and circled another zero behind ten million, “One billion.”

Robert, you don’t have to do this…” Wang Yang, looking at the man opposite him, bursting with energy, could feel his resolve. Donnie spread his hands with a smile, “What? Buddy, don’t change my mind, it’s a much bigger threat to ‘old Robert’!” Wang Yang immediately burst into laughter, “I wasn’t planning on changing it. Let’s make it one billion! Robert, I hope you won’t lose it, or I’ll die laughing.”

Kid, you won’t get it. Besides, one billion? Ha, where would I get that kind of money? I’d have to file for bankruptcy then.” Donnie also burst into laughter. After a while, he looked around and suggested, “It’s too stuffy here; young director, let’s switch to a bar for a couple of drinks. Hmm, it’s only the afternoon… the bar gets exciting at night.”

Wang Yang declined with a smile, “No, I can’t drink anything but beer, or I’ll go crazy.” He shook his head in a self-deprecating manner and then said, “Besides, I have plans tonight, going to watch the Lakers game with Jessica. On hearing this, Donnie simply shrugged.

The NBA had now reached the finals stage, Lakers vs. Philadelphia y6ers. And his beloved Warriors Team didn’t even make the playoffs this season, let alone their bottom-rung regular season performance in the Western Conference… Thankfully, this year USC returned to the NCAA Elite Eight, although they lost to the eventual champions Duke University by ten points; but USC beat UCLA, who also lost to Duke, in the Sweet Sixteen, by twelve points! So USC won by two points.

The two then chatted for a while longer, paid the bill, and left the coffee shop to go home. On the street, watching Donnie who had walked a few steps away, Wang Yang called out with a warning, “Buddy, drive safe, don’t fucking get drunk again!” Donnie stopped in his tracks, turned around with a smile, and suddenly said, “Magic Yang, if I were gay, I’d definitely fall for you.”

Bullshit!” Wang Yang couldn’t help but laugh and swear, flipping him off and yelling, “Why do some people just want to be cursed?! Piss off, old man!”