The Best Director

Chapter 47 This is my answer!

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

The scene that Michael Pitt was about to shoot originally belonged to Gabriela’s good friend “Taylor McKessie” in the original. As the story reached its final stage, Troy Bolton and Gabriela needed to attend the second round of auditions for the musical, but at the same time, Troy had to play in a basketball championship, and Gabriela had to participate in an academic competition. In order to let them attend the auditions, Taylor McKessie hacked into the basketball arena’s scoreboard with a computer, causing the game to be interrupted and allowing Troy to make his escape.

Wang Yang always felt that this wasn’t “cool” enough; moreover, there was no mention in the earlier content that Taylor McKessie was a computer whiz. Her sudden transformation into a hacker seemed abrupt. Later, when he met Michael Pitt, Wang Yang suddenly had an idea to add another character to the brainy club, a hacker with a dispirited demeanor. So he redesigned several storyboards to make the story seem more plausible.

In the dimly lit small room, the set designer had already prepared everything, a computer, many bundles of wires and instruments, and some other random clutter. This was the only scene in the entire movie where the lighting was dark, the only “non-sunny” shot, which, combined with Michael Pitt’s dispirited temperament, would seem quite alternative. But in the final grand chorus and dance, Michael Pitt would also participate, and by then, he would need a sunny performance to create a contrast. Wang Yang thought this clash of effects would definitely be interesting.

“Michael, are you ready?” Having finished his instructions to Valery Feist, Wang Yang walked over to Michael Pitt, who was sitting in front of the computer, patted his shoulder, and said with a smile, “Take it easy. I want your dispirited temperament, but you’ve got to deliver a comedic effect, not a scary one, got it?”

Michael Pitt nodded heavily, his breathing unnatural and his voice hoarse, “I’m ready.” His eyes were ringed with dark circles, evidently, he hadn’t slept well the night before, which only served to enhance his dispirited appearance.

“Go for it, buddy.” Wang Yang hit him with another punch before returning behind the camera. Valery Feist, lighting technician Steve Taylor, and others also gave a thumbs up, signaling they were ready. Wang Yang smiled and said to the script supervisor, “Let’s start then.” After the script supervisor called out the scene number and take, Wang Yang shouted, “Action!”

At the sound of that “Action,” Michael Pitt’s heart skipped a beat, feeling as if it had been gripped, his blood heating up. Yet his face remained expressionless as he lazily looked at the screen, his hands typing rapidly on the keyboard and then forcefully pressing the Enter key. A playful smile appeared on his lips as he picked up the phone and said nonchalantly, “Done.”

“Cut! Well played!” Wang Yang couldn’t help but praise aloud, applauding. Michael Pitt had played out all the effects he wanted: dispirited, cool, without a sense of treachery, especially that playful smile, a genuinely brilliant hacker. Valery Feist also said with a smile, “No problem, I got it!”

Michael Pitt sat on the chair with a blank face, gasping for air. He had finished performing; he had done it… Was he now an actor? Suddenly, a scene flashed before Michael’s eyes, recalling when he was 10 years old, proudly telling his parents, “Dad, Mom, I’ve decided, I want to be an actor!” Then, at 16, filled with passion, brimming with hopes for the future, he headed to New York. He and nine roommates squeezed into a tiny apartment; every day, he pedaled through the streets of New York, sweating profusely…

He would never forget the excitement of his first acting class, feeling a bright future ahead; nor could he forget the despair and pain when he was so hungry he had to steal bread; he couldn’t forget the words of Wang Yang in the hostel, “for the dream.” He had been thrilled, had been desperate, and he had persevered, and now, he had finally become a true actor.

I did it… Michael Pitt clenched his fists tightly, trembling uncontrollably. He understood the feeling Yang had described, nervous, excited, joyful, happy… and a little bewildered. Was that it? Had he fulfilled his dream?

“Michael.” Wang Yang walked over, looking at Michael Pitt’s shaking shoulders, gently patted them, and said with a smile, “Buddy, do you taste that feeling?”

Michael Pitt’s eyes reddened, his nose tingling with heat, he nodded, rubbing his nose, “I tasted it. Sorry, this is my first performance, I couldn’t control myself…”

“You did great, just now I thought I was watching Leonardo,” Wang Yang laughed, then added earnestly, “You’re going to be like him, not just a few seconds of screen time, not just one line of dialogue, I know it.”

Hearing these words, Michael Pitt shivered, looked up at Wang Yang with wide eyes, and exclaimed, “Yang, I have the answer! The answer to yesterday’s question!” Wang Yang smiled, “What is it?” Michael Pitt said excitedly, “I did it, I completed my first performance, I’m now an actor; but what I want to do is more than just that, I don’t want just a few seconds of screen time, one line of dialogue; I want to continue, I want to be an outstanding actor, an actor with many scenes and many lines, that’s what I need to do! That’s my answer!”

The room wasn’t big, and everyone heard Michael Pitt’s words. Valery Feist had a look of genuine amiability, while some were unconvinced, showing a bit of mockery.

Wang Yang watched Michael calmly for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter, “Michael, do you know my answer?” He clenched his fist and waved it, “I don’t just want to be a great director, I want to be a fantastic, fantastic, fantastic director! That’s what I want to do, that’s my answer!”

Michael Pitt smiled, “Best Director at the Oscars?” Wang Yang laughed out loud, shrugged, “OK, then Best Director at the Oscars!” He then laughed carelessly, “Maybe even more, who knows.”

The crew in the room all burst into laughter, whistling and cheering— was this young director joking, or just overly confident? Valery Feist couldn’t help but smile at Wang Yang, “Oh Yang, I’m afraid this movie won’t do.” Wang Yang laughed, “I know, as long as it doesn’t get a Razzie Award, that’s fine.” He clapped his hands and walked back behind the camera, saying with a laugh, “Alright, let’s do it again, this time some close-up shots!”

Watching Wang Yang’s retreating back, Michael Pitt whispered, “Yang, you will.”

After a day’s work, only a few shots that weren’t part of the musical sequences remained, requiring just one more day’s worth of work to complete. As night fell, the crew wrapped up their work for the day and returned to the hotel.

In his hotel room, Wang Yang received a call from Sandy Parks. Sandy had already made contact with David Lawrence that day and had obtained a few pieces of music, which were now sent to Wang Yang’s email. After hanging up, Wang Yang opened his laptop, pulled the music files from his inbox, and listened to them. They were quite good, carrying the true essence of youthful campus style.

After listening to them a few more times, Wang Yang picked up his phone and dialed David Lawrence’s number, saying with a smile, “Hello, Mr. Lawrence, yes, it’s Wang Yang here. I’m very interested in your songs, especially ‘Free.’ Is there a chance I could listen to the full version?” Immediately, David Lawrence started humming the song over the phone. Wang Yang nodded in approval; to him, an ordinary listener, the rhythm and melody of these songs were great and catchy, precisely what he was looking for. Wang Yang instantly had an idea and said, “Mr. Lawrence, I would like to invite you to create original music for ‘High School Musical.’ Is that okay?”

“Oh, of course!” David Lawrence was very excited on the other end. He hadn’t had work in a long time and gratefully said, “Mr. Wang, this is a fantastic opportunity, thank you.”

Wang Yang talked with him for a while longer, discussing some matters regarding the song styles, before ending the call. Sandy Parks would take care of officially signing the contract with David Lawrence, and only then would Wang Yang receive the complete pieces of music and have more options for songs.

After taking a shower, Wang Yang headed down to a spacious room on the first floor of the hotel, which the crew had booked as a rehearsal space for dance practice. Starting today, with the arrival of the dance instructor, the lead actors would practice dance here for 2-3 hours every night as the musical scenes drew near.

The dance instructor, Annie Fletcher, was someone Wang Yang had specifically requested and hired at great cost. This 32-year-old woman had been the dance director for ‘Titanic,’ and in the future, she would also handle choreography for ‘Bring It On’ and direct ‘Step Up.’ After signing the contract, she came to Salt Lake City with her team members. She would be responsible for choreographing dance scenes and advising Wang Yang and Valery Fiest for the musical shots.

Now, Annie Fletcher was guiding the lead actors through some basic dance steps. She kept moving around, eyes fixed on Jessica, Rachel, Zachary, Tom Willing, and others, ready to step in and correct their moves whenever she was dissatisfied.

When Wang Yang entered, everyone looked over at him. Wang Yang greeted them with a smile, saying, “Keep it up, everyone, don’t mind me, I’m just here to watch.” With that, he took a seat in a chair by the wall and quietly observed everyone practicing.

But Jessica was somewhat distracted and would occasionally peek at Wang Yang with a smile. As she hopped and danced, suddenly she heard Annie Fletcher shout “Turn!” Jessica quickly turned her attention back to the dance, but in a rush, her feet somehow tangled up, and she tumbled to the ground with a thud.

All activity stopped as everyone looked at her, concernedly asking, “Jessica, are you okay?” Jessica’s face turned red as she covered her forehead and said, “Thanks, everyone, I’m okay…”

“Oh, my goodness!” Wang Yang exclaimed, frowning as he walked over to her. Squatting down, he asked, “Jessica, are you alright?”

Annie Fletcher also inquired, “Are you hurt?” Jessica shook her head awkwardly and said, “Just twisted it a little, it’s nothing.” Annie Fletcher squeezed a spot on Jessica’s ankle and asked, “How does it feel?” Jessica honestly replied, “It hurts a bit.” Annie Fletcher nodded and said, “You take a break on the side for now, everyone else, continue!”

Struggling to hold back his laughter, Wang Yang helped Jessica to a chair on the side. Seeing his shoulders shaking, Jessica rolled her eyes at him, annoyed, “I know, I look like a fool.” Frustrated, she clenched her fist and punched the chair, saying, “It’s always like this; if there’s something on the floor, I’m bound to trip over it. This time I even managed to trip over my own feet! God, why is this happening?”

“Because you’re Jessica.” Wang Yang laughed and comforted her, “It’s fine, I like it this way.” Jessica pouted and looked at him, asking, “You like it when I trip?” Wang Yang wrapped his arm around her shoulder and said with a smile, “Yeah, I like it.” Jessica rolled her eyes again but replied with a touch of sweetness, “Fine then!”

While they were chatting, the others continued dancing. Rachel glanced subconsciously towards Wang Yang’s direction and pursed her lips, suddenly speeding up her steps.

“Rachel, slow down the rhythm!” shouted Annie Fletcher with a frown.

Rachel let out a breath and reluctantly slowed down her dance.