The Best Director

Chapter 45: Performative or Experiential?

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Thank you to the brothers who voted with their monthly tickets; wow, I’m still begging for monthly tickets, begging for them! Don’t hide your monthly tickets, smash them!

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“Cut!” Wang Yang frowned tightly and shouted, “Jessica, can you give me something more than just a smile, come on! Let’s do it again!”

At the rooftop garden of East High, standing here one can see the distant Wasatch Mountain Range, the endless mountains paired with the azure sky created an extremely beautiful scene. This place is “Troy Bolton’s” secret base, and the scene being shot was him bringing the female lead “Gabriella” here, then the two of them talked and shared their innermost thoughts. In the movie, this segment was very romantic and aesthetic.

However, the shooting atmosphere wasn’t nearly as good. The entire crew was squeezed into this location, including the filming and set staff, ruining the scenery, to say the least. But was this an excuse for Jessica’s poor performance?

Jessica and Tom Welling sat in their chairs, performing this shot, but they couldn’t finish even two lines before they heard another “Cut!”

The crew paused again and Valery Furst shifted the camera to his other shoulder. Looking at Jessica in front of him, Wang Yang spread his hands as he walked up, saying somewhat helplessly, “Exactly the same as before! I want more than just a smile, Jessica. Give me a feeling of warmth and heartbeats! Got it?”

“Yang, I’m really sorry.” Hearing Wang Yang’s admonition, Jessica furrowed her brows and suddenly felt more anxious. She had already tried several acting methods, but whether it was a slight smile or a toothy grin, neither could pass the shot.

Wang Yang suppressed his dissatisfaction and gave her an encouraging smile, saying, “It’s okay, just do better this time.” With that, he clapped his hands to the rest of the crew and retreated back behind the camera, saying, “Let’s take it again.”

Valery Furst readjusted the camera, the lighting technician held up the diffuser to set up the lights, and the sound engineer lifted the long boom microphone towards Jessica and Tom Welling’s side; the script supervisor held up the clapperboard and loudly announced, “Rooftop garden scene, shot five, take twenty-two, action!”

Yes, this shot had been taken twenty-one times already, and still needed to be redone. In this scene, the other shots went smoothly, but in this particular shot, where the protagonists sat in the chairs talking, Tom Welling s performance was okay, but Jessica seemed out of sorts. No matter how Wang Yang directed her, analyzed the scene, or even demanded how she should act, she just couldn’t perform well.

It had been more than half a month since the start of “High School Musical,” and they had shot a big part of the non-musical scenes, nearing completion. The shooting over this half a month went smoothly, even faster than the planned schedule because the main cast’s performances were not too bad; secondly, a complete storyboard script was prepared well in advance, avoiding the situation where they had to figure out “what to shoot next?” Moreover, Valery Furst was very enthusiastic—he helped Wang Yang correct many improperly designed shots and also solved many photography challenges. Wang Yang naturally gained a lot of very valuable experience. He learned a lot from Valery Furst, like mastering shots, when to speed up, when to slow down, and so on; he also gained much practical directing experience, which couldn’t be understood just from reading books—such as how to direct actor blocking, how to express his own requirements, and how to handle the various tasks of the whole crew, maintaining the crew’s operations. He had to personally handle everything, and his progress was rapid; he also understood the difficulties of being a producer and director.

This was different from “Paranormal Activity,” where every day at home he worked with a DV, laughing and talking with Rachel and Zachary; now the crew had dozens of staff members, and even more if you included the actors. It seemed like he needed to be involved in everyone’s work in the crew: if the set designer said the classroom used for filming was a bit old and needed repainting, then it was repainted; the filming crew asked him what shots they were doing the next day to prepare in advance; actors like Tom Welling asked him questions about the script; even the set staff asked him if they should buy three burgers for Harry…

These were all manageable, within the normal scope of work, but some things were quite troublesome.

The set designer and the props master argued, the set designer complained that the props master had not completed the task while the props master claimed he had never been aware of any “task”; the art director and the costume designer almost came to blows, both insisted that their own costume design embodied “youthful sunshine,” Wang Yang had to mediate, choose, and placate; then there was a grip who drank too much in a bar one night, got into an argument, and ended up at the police station, Wang Yang was so angry he cursed “FUCK,” but still had to hold back his anger and deal with it, then kicked that guy out of the crew.

Although that guy is just a minor staff member, if this thing gets exposed by the media, “High School Musical” will suffer significant damage to its image. The consequent chain reaction might even bring to light Vare Fitzgerald s history with adult films, ruining all the promotional efforts thus far.

These messy issues cropped up almost daily, truly enough to exhaust someone completely. Despite Wang Yang’s youth and vitality, despite his passion for every aspect of film production, these past days had sometimes left him feeling very weary.

Wang Yang now understood why his photography teacher used to say that directors were “kegs of gunpowder” and “terrorists.” They warned never to provoke them, or you would surely get an earful. He thought, if a producer suddenly appeared now, fussing around and saying, “Buddy, don’t shoot it that way!” or “We’re out of budget!” he would definitely lose his temper and give the producer a piece of his mind.

Fortunately, as Christmas was approaching at the end of the month, East High had already started their holiday vacation, which made the filming work much easier. Wang Yang didn’t have to deal with the “enthusiastic” harassment from the girls every day, saving him a lot of energy.

In the filming process, guiding the actors on how to perform naturally took up most of Wang Yang’s attention—this was the director’s job. The main cast of “High School Musical” was inexperienced; their acting naive, like Tom Willing, who always seemed too reserved, his face expressionless. Only when Wang Yang reminded him that it was time to smile, would he smile. The most relieving was Rachel, who performed exceptionally well. Her scenes usually passed in one take; if not, it was because others messed up. She saved Wang Yang quite a bit of film.

As for Jessica’s performance, it could be said to be pretty bad, even worse than Tom Willing’s. The problem wasn’t her positioning, sense of the camera, or lines; in those aspects, she did better than the others. But her facial expressions often had significant issues. Wang Yang had to slowly walk her through the scene and repeat takes multiple times before she could meet the requirements. It could be said that she was the main reason for the slow progress in filming; otherwise, it could have been faster.

Yet in this particular scene, she had done 21 takes without a pass. The female lead “Gabriela” needed to have that tender, affectionate feeling; however, Jessica was just smiling and delivering her lines, nowhere near the desired effect. This was an old problem of hers-not that she wasn’t serious enough. On the contrary, she tried very hard, but she just gave off the impression that “she was acting,” not emotionally involved, detached from the story, making her efforts seem fruitless.

“Singing with you feels just like that…” Jessica looked at Tom Willing, smiled, and said, her voice very unnatural because she was so nervous inside, afraid of hearing that premature “Cut” once again.

But it still came.

“Cut! Cut! Cut!” As Jessica’s performance deteriorated, Wang Yang couldn’t help but shout three times in a row. The pressure built up over the days suddenly got to him, but he quickly recovered, covered his forehead with a sigh, and shook his head, “Let’s all take a break for a moment.”

Following his words, Vare Fitzgerald set the camera down from his shoulder, and Harry George carefully took it over, mounting it back on the tripod. The lighting technician Steve Taylor also set down the diffuser he was holding. Tom Willing rose from his chair, quietly said to Jessica, “Relax a little,” and then walked away to gaze at the mountain scenery in the distance.

Jessica sat in her chair, furrowing her brows, her fists clenched, and silently sighed, “I really look like an idiot!” She was afraid of reshooting, especially when the problem lay with her. She had tried very hard, experimented with all kinds of acting methods, but still to no avail.

For more than half a month now, Jessica had faced this situation nearly every day, shooting over and over, listening to Wang Yang’s instructions. The more patient Wang Yang was, the more anxious she became; now, after a continuous 22 failed takes, setting a personal record, she felt almost out of breath.

After 22 consecutive failed takes—a new record since filming began—Wang Yang felt helpless too. He had explained all the elements of this shot to Jessica to the best of his ability, sharing every thought he had. If this were a regular TV movie, Jessica’s performance would have been acceptable; if she were put onscreen, the audience might only notice her looks and not ponder whether her acting was compelling. But for him, this wasn’t acceptable; movies demanded seriousness. If everything were approached with a “good enough” attitude, the result would certainly be a bad film.

His movie’s female lead couldn’t just be a pretty vase; he needed an outstanding actress, a “Gabriela”!

“Jessica,” Wang Yang walked over, frowning as he sat down on the bench, looking at Jessica sitting beside him and asked with perplexity, “What’s wrong? You were doing well before, what’s going on now?”

Jessica glanced at him and apologized, “Yang, I’m sorry, I…” She hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth and shaking her head slightly, “Yang, I don’t know what to do.”

“Invest your emotions!” Wang Yang said without hesitation. In fact, whether now or in the future, this was Jessica’s biggest weakness in performing. In all the movies she had made, no matter the role, her charm had always been the same, like a beautiful but lifeless vase. There were also several terrible comedies where her acting was extremely exaggerated, it could be said that she was simply not cut out for slapstick comedy through physical language; she didn’t have the knack for it.

But compared to other reasons, the lack of emotional investment was her biggest issue. Wang Yang organized his thoughts and then continued, “Think about the content of this scene in the script. You need to really feel ‘Gabriela’s’ current mood.” He shrugged and analyzed, “She’s thrilled, a bit shy, a bit excited; her words are pouring out from her heart, somewhat like a confession, you understand?”

Jessica nodded silently, waiting for Wang Yang to finish. Then, she suddenly said directly, “I understand all that, but I can’t act it out.”

“You can do it!” Wang Yang said with certainty, patting the back of her hand encouragingly, “Come on, don’t tell yourself you can’t, I know you can. You did well during the audition, didn’t you?” Jessica looked at him, her expression one of wanting to say something yet stopping herself, then said softly, “Yang, I can’t.”

Hearing her constant insistence that she couldn’t do it, Wang Yang started to get a bit angry. He spread his hands and said, “What’s going on with you? You’re telling me now that you can’t do it, that you can’t act!? Please, Jessica, do you really want me to act out this shot for you?!” His voice was somewhat loud, drawing the attention of others, but they quickly looked away and some moved off.

Jessica’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Wang Yang realized his tone was too harsh and took her hand, sincerely apologizing, “I’m sorry. Jessica, I’m just a bit angry, not because you aren’t acting well, but because you lack confidence.” He squeezed Jessica’s hand and said with a smile, “You must never lose confidence, you hear? Have confidence!”

“I’m the one who should say sorry, I’m not professional enough.” Jessica gave him a slight smile, indicating she didn’t blame him. She glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention to them and then leaned closer to Wang Yang’s ear and whispered, “Yang, I know I need to invest my emotions, but when I’m acting, looking into Tom’s eyes…” She looked at Wang Yang’s face, no longer hiding her thoughts, “They’re light green, not your black. There’s a voice in my head reminding me ‘he is Tom’… Yang, during the audition, I was looking at you, and that’s how I was able to act.”

Was that it? Wang Yang suddenly felt both amused and touched, and wanted to kiss her. He knew this sweet girl could sometimes be very proud and concerned about her image, yet now she was expressing her thoughts openly and without reservation—isn’t that a sign of her trust in him? After a moment of thought, he tried to untie the knot in her heart, “Jessica, this is acting, don’t think too much about all that messy stuff! When I shout ‘Action’, you become Gabriela; when I shout ‘Cut’, you’re back to being Jessica… No.” He suddenly asked, “Are you a representational actor or a method actor?”

Jessica shook her head, “I haven’t thought about that.” She pondered her own method of acting and said, “When I’m acting, I think about how the character should be, then I tell myself that I am her, and I try to bring her to life.”

That meant she was a method actor. Wang Yang appraised her, thinking of her future movies, it was clear that her method acting hadn’t worked out. He suggested, “If you can’t get rid of that voice in your head, maybe representational acting is more suitable for you. The character’s psychology has nothing to do with you, you’re just imitating! Jessica, don’t feel any burden about it; it’s not only method acting that’s truly acting, truly craft—you should know that.”

Jessica nodded thoughtfully. Yang’s words made sense. On one hand, she wanted to immerse herself in the character, and on the other, she remained very lucid, which caused a great psychological burden. Should she act like a representational actor?

Wang Yang patted her shoulder and said with a smile, “Also, when you’re acting, you don’t have to really look into Tom’s eyes. Your gaze can pass over his shoulder, looking far into the distance, and act towards the mountain scenery. That’ll be a lot better.” He shrugged and chuckled, “Anyway, in front of the camera, your gaze seems the same.”

Seeing Varee-Fister approaching, Wang Yang stood up. Varee looked at him and Jessica and said, “Yang, I have an idea. How about you sit in the chair and act with Jessica?” Jessica and Wang Yang both looked surprised, and Wang Yang laughed, “What, me?” Varee nodded, smiling, “After all, we only need her close-up shots now, and it won’t show who she’s talking to.”

The idea wasn’t bad. They could add Tom’s part later in the editing process. Wang Yang, looking puzzled, asked, “But why me?” Varee-Fister spread his hands and smiled, “Everyone knows.” Wang Yang looked at Jessica and laughed, “Oh, so everyone knows now, huh?” Though they hadn’t deliberately hidden their relationship, they hadn’t broadcasted it either.

Looking at Jessica, who was smiling with her lips closed and blushing, Wang Yang couldn’t help but roll his eyes—her current expression was perfect! He nodded and said, “Alright, let’s run the lines first to see how it goes.” He sat down on the chair and smiled, “Let’s start, Gabriela.”

Acting opposite Wang Yang brought a great sense of novelty to Jessica, her face brimming with enthusiasm as she started performing with a laugh, saying her lines, “Remember when we were in kindergarten, once we made a new friend, we could become chatty in just ten seconds, because there was no need to hide who we were…” Her eyes sparkled, and her voice playfully giggled, “Singing with you feels just like that…”

Wang Yang replied with a smile, “Well, I never thought about singing, really, not until you came along.” Jessica let herself feel Gabriela’s emotions, blushing and looking down shyly, then looking up with a laugh, she asked, “Do you really want to go for the second round of auditions?” Wang Yang shrugged casually, “Hey, call me the audition freak.”

Jessica sweetly smiled, “Yang, you’re so cool.” She remembered how girls surrounded Yang, how he played with Danny like a child, and how incredibly serious and focused he was when making a movie. She couldn’t help but speak the next line from her heart, “But you’re not cool because you’re the man of the moment. Thank you for bringing me to your secret base.” She thought of the good times in elementary school and now, her face full of happiness and warmth, she said, “It’s like being back in kindergarten.”

“Wow, perfect performance…” Wang Yang murmured. Hearing this, Jessica immediately beamed with delight. Seeing Valery give a thumbs-up with a smile, Wang Yang shook his head and said with a laugh, “OK, no helping it, let’s go with this. But Jessica, you have to say ‘Troy,’ not ‘Yang.'” He clapped his hands vigorously, exclaiming, “Everyone, to your places!”

Soon, everything was ready again. Wang Yang didn’t stand behind the camera; he continued to sit in his chair as the script supervisor called out, “Twenty- third take, Action!” Jessica then repeated the emotion of just before, performing naturally as she looked at Wang Yang beside her.

When she finished, Wang Yang eagerly yelled, “Cut, perfect!” Valery-Faist said with a smile, “We’ve got it.” Jessica’s whole body relaxed, Wang Yang let out a sigh too—the scenes for this setting were finally all shot. He stood up with a smile and said, “That’s a wrap, everyone pack up!”

Everyone cheered instantly, starting to pack up the filming equipment. Wang Yang directed for a while and then walked back to Jessica, who was standing behind, saying with a laugh, “Jessica, we’ve figured it out this time, but it can’t always be like this; you need to overcome this challenge.” Jessica nodded, “Yang, I will work hard to learn method acting.” Wang Yang said ‘good,’ and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Let’s not talk about this for now. How about we go to a restaurant for dinner and then see a movie afterwards?” Jessica’s eyes lit up, and she asked with surprise, “Really?”

“Of course!” Wang Yang said with a nod. Ever since they took a day off a long time ago, he and Jessica hadn’t gone on a date again. He wasn’t a rookie; he knew that love, like growing flowers, needed watering and sunshine to prevent wilting. Especially recently with the pressure they both faced at work, it was time to let it out.

Jessica smiled with anticipation, “So, which movie should we watch?” Wang Yang hugged her with a laugh, “You decide.”

After dining at a Western restaurant, the two went to the cinema to watch the recently released “Electronic Love Letter,” enjoying a sweet date.

After the date, they returned to a hotel near East High School where the entire crew was staying. Wang Yang took a shower, not yet ready to sleep. He sat at the desk, looking over a shot list and filming plan. The remaining non-musical shots of “High School Musical” could probably be completed in two more days; these were exterior school scenes, like Troy Bolton’s and Gabriela’s houses, which the crew had already rented and prepared for filming.

Next would be the filming of the musical scenes. There were several settings for the musical scenes, such as the school corridors, gym, cafeteria, and auditorium. Wang Yang planned to first finish the East High School cafeteria and corridor shots. By then, it would also be Christmas, when everyone would be taking holidays, and then continue with the gym and auditorium parts after the break.

A dance director had already arrived in Salt Lake City, ready to work at any time; but the current issue was that the songs for “High School Musical” still hadn’t been chosen!