23 So Its Settled (2/2)

Back in his apartment, Wang Yang prepared himself for the next day, when he'd travel to Santa Monica and officially sign the contract. He entered the shower in good spirits and emerged from it feeling radiant. He hummed his way into the living room, noticed the contract on the sofa, picked it up, and gave it a forceful kiss. ”My God, why are you so cute?” he said to it with a smile. Then he flopped on the sofa and was reaching for the remote when, suddenly, his cell phone buzzed.

”I wonder who it is.” Wang Yang picked up his cell phone from the television console, looked at the screen, and froze up for a second. To his surprise, it was Artisan Entertainment's VP of Acquisition, Stephen Thomas! Why did he call? Wang Yang answered the call with furrowed brows. ”Hello, this is Wang Yang speaking.”

”Hi Mr. Wang, I'm Stephen Thomas from Artisan Entertainment.” It was Thomas' voice, as expected.

Last time they had spoken, Artisan Entertainment had told him that they'd discuss his movie internally. Did the phone call mean they've come to a decision? Half-curious and half-anxious, Wang Yang asked, ”Hi, Mr. Thomas. What can I do for you?”

Thomas let out a ringing laugh and said mysteriously, ”You see, Mr. Wang, we've decided to acquire your film.”

The news might not come as a total surprise, but it still stymied Wang Yang. Artisan Entertainment wanted to buy his film! What was going on with them? Whatever made them come around? Had Thomas found a way to cure his vertigo? He shook his head, smiling unconsciously. But it didn't matter anymore. Declining politely, he said, ”Sorry, Mr. Thomas, I've already found a publisher for my movie.”

”What did you say?” Thomas received the turndown with surprise. What did anyone possibly see in the young Chinese man's movie? He was skeptical about Wang Yang's response, but he was duty-bound to inquire further. ”Oh, is it too late for us, then? Mr. Wang, may I ask if you've signed the contract already?” To which Wang Yang replied, ”No, I haven't.”

Upon hearing his answer, Thomas pressed on. ”So, I'm wondering if you'd consider giving Artisan Entertainment a chance? You see, after a lengthy discussion, we think it's worth a shot. We're prepared to offer 200 thousand dollars for the rights to your movie.”

Without hesitation, Wang Yang declined smilingly, ”I don't think it'd be a good idea. I've already made a verbal agreement with another company, and I'm quite happy with the terms. Besides, I'm thankful to them for giving me the opportunity.” He shrugged a quick little shrug and spoke into the microphone, ”Sorry, Mr. Thomas.” He ended the call, but a thought lingered in his mind. What could've compelled Artisan Entertainment to make such a bold wager? Compared to a production cost of 10 thousand dollars, 200 thousand was no small figure.

The truth was simpler than he thought. During his last visit to Artisan Entertainment, Wang Yang had left a DVD copy of his movie, just in case the company needed to refer to it during their internal discussion. At first, the DVD had been left to gather dust on a table, as Stephen Thomas hadn't seen any potential in it. However, the DVD, through happenstance, had found its way into the hands of the VP of Publishing a few days ago. What had begun as a casual viewing had soon turned out to be a delightfully spooky experience. Thoroughly impressed by the movie, the VP had a discussion with Thomas in hopes that the company would acquire it.

Still, Thomas disapproved of the idea. Refusing to give up, the VP brought the DVD to the CEO's office and showed it to the CEO. And just like him, the CEO was utterly spooked and drenched in a cold sweat by the end of the movie. At that moment, the CEO, the very same person who would acquire The Blair Witch Project years later, saw something special in the DV movie and thought it was a gamble worth taking. Right then and there the decision was made—Artisan Entertainment was going to acquire Paranormal Activity.

Unfortunately, they were a little late to the party, as Wang Yang and Lionsgate Films had already finalized their agreement.

Knitting his brows, Thomas upped the ante. ”Mr. Wang, how about 30 thousand?” But Wang Yang refused to budge. Then, through gritted teeth, Thomas made the highest offer that his company would allow him to make. ”How about 50 thousand?” Nevertheless, Wang Yang stood firm on his conviction and said: ”no thanks” with a smile. Slightly desperate and slightly angry at that point, he asked, ”Mr. Wang, could you please tell me, how much did the other company offer?”

”Well, I'm afraid I can't let you know right now. It's confidential business information.” Wang Yang turned Thomas' question off with a smile, and said bluntly, ”Mr. Thomas, my decision is final. Although we've yet to sign the contract, I don't think there'll be any changes.”

The truth was, even if Artisan Entertainment's terms had been more generous than Lionsgate's, Wang Yang would still not have considered working with them. The main reason was because of his gratitude towards Lionsgate Films. The second reason was that he'd foreseen the Blair Witch Project fiasco and had been put off by Artisan Entertainment's ”track record” of breaching contracts. Besides, his clairvoyant mind told him that the company would be acquired by Lionsgate Films anyway, so why should he choose a dusty, winding trail that led to a dead-end, when a clear path to success existed?

”All right, if that's the case, there's nothing I can say. Goodbye, Mr. Wang.” Thomas' words came out strained and salty. Then, there was a click followed by a monotonous beep.

Wang Yang came out of the call with a smile on his face. Little did he expect Artisan Entertainment to come around so abruptly. He furrowed his eyebrows in contemplation. Suddenly, an idea flashed across his mind. Perhaps he could capitalize on Artisan Entertainment's newfound interest in his movie. What if he used it as a lever to expedite Paranormal Activity's release… he stood silent as his mind ventured off into speculation.

The next day, in the acquisition department meeting room at Lionsgate's head office building in Santa Monica.

Decked out in his business attire, Wang Yang took a deep breath as he beheld the two copies of the official contract, which were laid neatly on the table. He let his eyes wander to John Feldmeyer, standing on his left, to Tom Oldenburg, and then to Michael Prosenick. There, the three VP's of Lionsgate stood, smiling benevolently and encouragingly at Wang Yang. He reciprocated their smiles with his, nodded, picked up a fountain pen from the desk, and put his initials on the contract.

”Congratulations, young man!” John, the VP's, and a Caucasian lawyer who'd been hired to notarize the agreement burst into applause. Face full of smiles, they went through their congratulations.

”Thank you!” Wang Yang took their hands in his, expressed his gratitude with a smile, and shook their hands, one gentleman after the other. In a flurry of excitement and adulation, his heart swelled. Finally, the deal was sealed; his movie now had a publisher, and he could proudly proclaim to others, ”I'm not a failure! I'm not going to spend the rest of my life working at McDonald's!” His childhood dream was no longer an impossibility. In fact, now that he was on course to achieving it, it never seemed closer!

After signing the contract, Wang Yang came to John Feldmeyer's office. As the VP of Publishing, John would be managing all matters related to his movie's publication.

”Mr. Feldmeyer, there's something I've been meaning to ask you.” Sitting on a chair across the office desk from John, he looked at him and asked, ”May I know around when Lionsgate is planning to release my movie?”

Throwing his hands in the air, smiling, he said, ”Whoa, son, what's the hurry? You still have your whole life ahead of you.” He chuckled, then said in a more serious tone, ”Please rest assured, your film will be published. But, as you know, it's already the end of May. Summer break is just around the corner, and our release schedule has more or less been fixed. We think it'll be more appropriate to release your movie at, say, the end of the year.”

End of the year? That's almost six months from now! Wang Yang expected no less. He furrowed his brows unconsciously. In reality, releasing the movie six months after signing the contract wasn't all that slow. Other filmmakers would have no qualms about it, but Wang Yang was keener than most. Not to mention, the summer holiday was just around the corner. By the end of the semester, he would no longer be able to keep his expulsion from USC a secret. If he had nothing to show for it by then, he'd definitely get into trouble with his parents.

Besides, he needed money to survive—and fast. The movie had to be released earlier! With his mind made up, Wang Yang shook his head and said, ”Sir, I think we need to get on with the movie's release a little sooner than that. It's not that I want to rush it, it's just that…” He shrugged and said calmly, ”Artisan Entertainment called me yesterday with the intention of buying my movie. They've offered me 50 thousand dollars.”

John seemed a bit stunned by Wang Yang's words. 50 thousand dollars? In truth, the most Lionsgate would ever pay for a buyout was 30 thousand dollars. Putting on a stoical front, he said, ”Oh? Artisan Entertainment? I know them. Have you met them before?”

Wang Yang nodded and said, ”Yes, I met them quite a while ago. After watching my movie, they told me they needed some time to think about it internally. Then, yesterday, they gave me their decision. Of course, I turned them down. But from what I could tell, they're a little sad to see my movie go to someone else.” Smiling sincerely, he added, ”Sir, forgive me if it sounds like I'm bragging, but what I'm trying to say is Artisan Entertainment has wised up. They came to me, hat-in-hand, with 50 thousand dollars, and told me how excited they were about the potential of my movie. They want to be known as 'the company that brought DV movies to the world'!”

At last, John's eyebrows pleated. He nodded slowly as he listened to Wang Yang, evidently convinced.

”Sir, bear in mind that my movie was shot in a week with a budget of 10 thousand dollars.” Reeling him in with a low and urgent tone, he said, ”It seems the people at Artisan Entertainment have set their sights on DV movies. What if they decide to produce one of their own? All they'd need is tens of thousands of dollars, a week's time, no fancy scripts, and, in no time, they'd be able to shoot their movie, bring it to market, and beat us to the punch.”

”Hmm…” John glanced up at Wang Yang but said nothing. If things really did unfold as the young man had described, it'd certainly be a huge threat. But was the young man telling the truth? John, in his mind, was smiling. Incidentally, he had had a very close friend who worked at Artisan Entertainment. While he wasn't one of the higherups, he would at least be able to dig out some information for him.

Wang Yang's gaze stayed firmly on John's, unafraid of what his own countenance might give away. After all, he wasn't lying. As a matter of fact, he'd counted on John to ask around and verify that Artisan Entertainment had indeed offered him 50 thousand dollars to acquire his movie. It didn't matter whether or not Artisan Entertainment revealed intentions to produce a DV movie. As long as John got wind of the news, Lionsgate would surely be on its toes.

”I understand.” By his eyes, John could tell that Wang Yang was hiding nothing. He nodded and said, ”I'll think about it,” to which Wang Yang replied, ”Sure, Mr. Feldmeyer. That's all from me. Goodbye.” No sooner had Wang Yang left the office than John picked up the phone on his table and called up his old friend at Artisan Entertainment. ”Hi, I heard your company is looking to acquire a DV movie? Oh, really? Your CEO liked it a lot? Are there any plans at your end for the time being…”

The chat lasted for a good while. After that, John put down the handset and stared at the ceiling pensively. Wang Yang hadn't been lying. Artisan Entertainment really was bent upon acquiring Paranormal Activity. Stephen Thomas had even been criticized by his company for overlooking the opportunity. Nevertheless, there appeared to be no news of a DV movie in the pipeline, at least not for now… pausing for a moment to digest the information, he picked up a copy of Lionsgate's 1998 movie release schedule and studied it in silence.

Back in Los Angeles, night had nearly fallen. Wang Yang opened the door to his apartment and stepped into his home. Then, a call from John came.

”Yang, we've decided. We'll proceed with the promotional campaign for Paranormal Activity immediately. The test screening is tentatively slated for early August,” John Feldmeyer said smilingly, ”Of course, whether or not it'll lead to an official release depends on the reception and feedback we get during the promotional period.”

Wang Yang jumped up. Holding his fists intensely and thrusting one into the air, he said in silence, ”Yes!”