19 The Quest for a Publisher (1/2)

It was a sunny afternoon in Los Angeles. A tall, steely Chicago-style building loomed in front of Wang Yang. Looking up at it, he braced himself and strode forth.

It'd been a few days since he'd put the finishing touches to Paranormal Activity, including the editing and other post-production work. The entire movie ended up being 98 minutes long. There was no doubt in his mind that he'd made an absolute thriller capable of sending anyone into a cold sweat. His notion was further reinforced by Joshua and Jessica, whom he'd invited to his apartment to view his movie on the day of its completion. Despite knowing the plot well beforehand, their faces had turned pale with fright by the end of the screening.

Wang Yang didn't fare any better either, having to dwell in the nightmare of his own making—the very apartment where the film was shot. As fear crept in, imagination ran wild. Sleep proved to be difficult, for even the slightest murmur of wind would cause him to wake up in cold terror. Perhaps shooting the horror film had taken a toll on his psyche.

After he'd edited the film, Wang Yang advanced impetuously to the next order of business, which was the publication of the movie. Negotiations had to take place between the publisher and the theater chains before a movie could reach the silver screen, as the theater chain would need to arrange for the screenings in its cinemas. Wang Yang's main point of contact in all of this was the publisher.

There were innumerable film companies in America, particularly in California. The most well-known, of course, were the eight ”majors”, which were the biggest companies ever to emerge in Hollywood. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Paramount, Columbia, Warner Brothers, Universal Picture, United Artists, 20th Century Fox, and Disney. However, the industry had changed dramatically. Following the decision of the ”Paramount case” and the enforcement of antitrust laws, which prohibited the ownership of cinemas and theater chains by film companies, the eight majors were but shadows of their former selves, vestiges of the studio era—a time once past but long forgotten.

They'd either become members of the media, such as Paramount, which was acquired by Viacom or remained independent in the cut-throat business of film, where bankruptcy was commonplace, as was the case for MGM. Nevertheless, they were still giants in Hollywood's film industry and the undisputed creators of big blockbusters.

Among those companies, some even had subsidiaries that specialized in publishing independent films that weren't produced by their parent companies or themselves. An example would be 20th Century Fox's publishing company, Searchlight Pictures. The company had already published over ten independent films and profited handsomely from them.

However, all the films endorsed by Searchlight Pictures had budgets ranging from millions to tens of millions of dollars, not to mention they were all shot on traditional film. There hadn't been a movie released anywhere in the world that was shot with a home DV camcorder. After all, it had only been a few months since digital video was introduced.

Though Wang Yang was fairly certain that a big company like Searchlight Pictures wouldn't take his movie seriously, he still picked up the phone and contacted them. It was a shot in the dark, but he took it anyway. What did he have to lose?

He didn't even get to meet them. Upon hearing that his film was shot on a home DV camcorder, the Vice President of Acquisition at Searchlight laughed and turned him down over the phone. The VP even thought that it was a prank call. Was he serious? A film shot on a home DV camcorder? He knew about digital video, as well as its limitations in picture quality. Could he even show it on the big screen? Who'd ever want to watch something like that? What if Wang Yang was just some kid who had bought a DV camcorder, fiddled around with it, and called his home video a movie?

Above all, it was because Searchlight Pictures saw no reason to take a risk on what seemed like a potential disaster. They were making good money with their existing business model and were quite content to maintain the status quo.

Wang Yang expected no less from them. He didn't pursue them any further, for he knew it would do him no good. The big companies were used to big productions. To them, a 10-thousand-dollar movie was but a joke. What kind of movie could someone possibly make with 10 thousand dollars? They scoffed at the idea, and not for the lack of foresight. It was because a DV movie had never been done before. Investing in such an avant-garde and subversive project took guts. And fear was a barrier as profound and old as man itself. It was said that the first person to eat crab did so out of courage, not foresight.

So, without any luck with the major companies, Wang Yang proceeded to contact the medium and small-sized firms. Some of those companies produced their own low-budget movies, while others concentrated on endorsing and publishing other people's work. New Line Cinema and Dimension Films were examples of the latter.

Unfortunately, they were no less skeptical compared to the big firms, who viewed Wang Yang's proposal as a prank. But unlike the big firms like Searchlight Pictures, some didn't outright reject Wang Yang on the phone. Out of curiosity, they'd agreed to meet with Wang Yang face-to-face on the off chance that his movie might turn out to be something really good.

Over the past few days, Wang Yang had been visiting those companies with DVD copies of Paranormal Activity. At first, he went to New Line, Dimension Films, and other similar firms. But their reactions were uncannily unanimous. As soon as the movie played, and the poor picture quality and the shaky camera work became apparent, they shook their heads and said, ”I think we've seen enough.”

Wang Yang had run into a wall. Despite his relentless pitching, his attempts at painting the shaky camera as a charm of the DV format, and his evangelical advocacy of mockumentaries as a story-telling medium, the response was always a polite smile followed by a firm ”no”. Their reasons mirrored those of Searchlight's: they had no faith in DV movies. They thought DV movies were a joke. They didn't think the audience would accept it.

Then again, when movies with sound, known as ”talkies”, were first introduced, most of the companies were worried it might not suit their audience's tastes. There was even a dogmatic belief among some people that silent films would never be replaced. From this perspective, it was hardly surprising that none of the companies were interested in DV movies.

It seemed no matter how hard Wang Yang tried, he was doomed to fail. With everyone doubting his idea, what could he possibly do?

But today, the company that he was about to visit was different. Wang Yang was hopeful, confident, and peppy. Because he knew that the company, called Artisan Entertainment, would later publish a DV film called The Blair Witch Project and shock the world with its sales. If anyone had the guts to take the plunge and eat the crab that was DV movie, they were it.

Artisan Entertainment was a very small organization that specialized in publishing independent films. They didn't have their own office building. Instead, their headquarters were located on the twelfth floor of the commercial building.

Wang Yang was decked out in a black suit that day. Holding a briefcase loaded with scripts and DVD copies of his movie, he stood at the main door of Artisan Entertainment. He glanced at the company's logo, took a deep breath, and walked in.

”Hi, welcome to Artisan Entertainment!” a girl at the front desk greeted with a smile. She was an African American girl in her twenties. While her smile likely came from a place of etiquette and professionalism, it made Wang Yang feel welcomed nonetheless.

From her name tag, Wang Yang could see that her name was Nicole Vanwormer. With a genial smile, he said, ”Hello Ms. Vanwormer, I'm Wang Yang. I'm here for an appointment with the Vice President of Acquisition, Ms. Thomas.”

”All right, please hold on,” said Nicole, nodding her head. After a few clicks on her computer, she looked up at him and said with a friendly smile, ”Oh, here it is. Yes, you have a meeting at 3:00 pm. It's 2:42 pm now. Why don't you have a seat first?”

Wang Yang smiled and nodded. ”Thanks.” He walked to the row of seats opposite the front desk and sat down. Fiddling with his briefcase, he looked around the office, feeling nervous. He couldn't help taking a deep, quiet breath.

Just then, Nicole Vanwormer, the receptionist, looked at him curiously and prompted, ”Mr. Wang, I understand you have an appointment with Mr. Thomas to discuss publishing your film. May I ask if you're the producer?” Wang Yang nodded and said, ”Yes. I guess you can say that. I'm the producer and the director.” Nicole accepted his reply with an astonished smile and said, ”My, you look so young. What a surprise.”

Wang Yang shrugged his shoulders and said smilingly, ”That's why they call me Yang.” Nicole chuckled. Seeing as she was starting to warm up to him, Wang Yang asked, ”By the way, do you get many people like me who come here and pitch their movies?”

Nicole Vanwormer shook her head at once. ”No, I wouldn't say so. We don't get many independent filmmakers here. Besides, with so many film companies out there. It's quite rare to see someone coming here, actually.” Oblivious to the fact that Wang Yang's movie was shot on a DV camcorder, she smiled and said, ”To tell you the truth, we take a proactive approach most of the time and scout around for good movies at film festivals. Just this year, we've acquired a few movies at the Sundance Film Festival.”

Wang Yang nodded pensively, absorbing the information. The Sundance Film Festival was the most acclaimed independent film festival in the world. Its main purpose was to provide a platform for low-budget, independent films and fresh, young directors to showcase their talent. Each year, at the end of January, the Sundance Film Festival would be held at a city in Utah, where hordes of independent filmmakers would bring and present their movies, hoping to catch an investor's eye. On the other hand, film companies, large and small, would flock to the film festival in search of hidden gems.

There were many other film festivals like Sundance, from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, to the Screamfest Horror Film Festival, which was dedicated to horror movies.

Wang Yang regarded film festivals as his last resort. If he couldn't somehow get his movie published through theaters, DVD, or cable television, he would join the ranks of independent filmmakers in the festivals. Unfortunately, the influential ones, such as Sundance Film Festival and Santa Barbara International Film Festival, were all held in January. That meant he'd have to wait until next year if he wanted to attend them.

Before he could finish his thought, it was already 3:00 pm. Nicole Vanwormer, the receptionist, picked up the phone, dialed a number, and asked, ”Mr. Thomas, Mr. Wang is here to see you. He's booked an appointment with you to discuss publishing his film. Yes, okay.” She flashed a smile at Wang Yang, stood up, and said, ”Mr, Wang, please, come with me.”

”All right.” Wang Yang rose promptly. Following behind her with his briefcase clutched firmly in his hand, he finally entered Artisan Entertainment's office. Despite the small number of employees, the office was abuzz with activity. Everybody there seemed to be hard at work, on their way to something important with something in their hands or talking on the phone. Somewhere in the chaos, a voice was saying, ”Hey, we need an advertisement for the 8:00 pm slot. Yes. Oh come on, why is so expensive?”

Nicole Vanwormer brought him to a private office room. She knocked on the door. ”Come in,” said a voice in the room. Then, she eased the door open and said with a smile, ”Mr. Thomas, Mr. Wang is here to see you.” With that, she left them alone and returned to the front desk.

Stephen Thomas was a striking, middle-aged, white male in his forties with a slightly bald patch above his forehead. He wore a grey suit matched with a black tie. He was sitting at his desk, writing when he saw them coming in. He put down his pen, got up from his seat, and approached Wang Yang with a smile. ”Mr. Wang, nice to meet you,” he said, stretching out a hand.

”Mr. Thomas, nice to meet you.” Wang Yang shook his hand with a quick, eager smile and continued politely, ”Thank you for this opportunity. It's an honor.”

”Haha, think nothing of it. It's my job. Please, have a seat.” Smiling, Thomas pulled out a chair in front of his desk before making his way back to his own chair. He looked across the table as Wang Yang seated himself and asked, ”Mr. Wang, you look rather young. Pardon my curiosity, but may I ask how old you are?”

Wang Yang laughed a little. He knew why Thomas had asked him that question. It was an ice breaker, a little nicety to which he was supposed to entertain by introducing himself or handing out a copy of his resume. But experience had taught him to leave his resume at home. Previously, he'd been rejected by another film company, who, upon reading his resume, learned that he'd studied at the University of Southern California. That naturally led them to the fact that he'd been expelled, and subsequently, the reason for his expulsion. He was asked to leave before he even had the chance to present his movie.

Without a resume, he could paint himself in the best light possible, as long as it was within reason. Wang Yang smiled and replied, ”Yes. I was born in 1980. I guess you could say I'm quite young.”

Thomas knitted his eyebrows in a disconcerted manner. Sizing up Wang Yang, he made an ”ah” sound while an engaging smile took over from the skepticism on his face. ”You're very young for a director. An 18-year-old director? Wow. But shouldn't you be in college?” he remarked.

College? Here it comes, here it comes… All of a sudden, Wang Yang's fears loomed up. He forced out a laugh, shrugged his shoulders, and tried to gloss over the subject. ”Surely, you'd know, not everyone chooses the path of education. Besides, to me, the merit of a film lies in the film itself, not the age of its director.”

”Yes. Well said.” Thomas was smiling. Then, much to Wang Yang's relief, he finally got down to business. ”So, why don't you start by showing me your script? I hope for your sake that this isn't a farce.” He rolled his eyes, threw up his hands, and said, ”No offense, it's just that a DV movie and an 18-year-old director… this is a first for me.”

”None taken. I completely understand.” Wang Yang produced a copy of the script from his briefcase. It was a version that had been rewritten to faithfully reflect the movie in its final form. He handed the script across the table to Thomas and said, ”Please, have a look.”

Thomas took the script, leaned back in his chair, and began to read it. As he leafed through it, he nodded his head and said, ”The plot is simple, but the script appears to be properly written and not at all like a prank.” He rose, gave Wang Yang a probing look, and made his way out of the office. ”Okay, let's go to the viewing room and watch that movie of yours.” Upon entering the common office area, he shouted among the busy staff, ”Hey Sam, come with me. We're going to watch a movie.”