The Best Director

“Welcome to the MIT-21-TEAM club.”

In the rather small study room, the camera was set up at the entrance. Wang Yang looked at the monitor and saw Natalie sitting in a chair with a smile, her left hand draped over the back of the chair; the expressionless Nick Cannon, gentle-smiling Alexis, and the cool Karen Mok each took their seats in the back.

“OK, CUT! Next line.”

This was the scene where Jeff Ma was brought to the 21 group by Jay Baruchel. Natalie and others explained the rules of 21 and invited him to join. Jeff Ma didn’t give an answer but just asked about card counting. After everyone demonstrated, he quickly understood and learned. The team laughed heartily as they played with three decks of cards for half a day, winning many chips. Jeff Ma initially showed disdain, but he soon received a lesson.

In several different study rooms, also referred to as “clubs,” there were many scenes, including Jeff Ma joining the group, learning and practicing card counting, as well as techniques for outsmarting the casino, among other things. In Wang Yang’s planned post-editing, some shots, like studying at the table, would be used directly, while others, such as Natalie standing in front of a blackboard, explaining with chalk in hand, were meant to be flashback montages for when Jeff Ma first enters the casino.

Although the set was not large, these shots were quite intricate to film due to the numerous camera angles and the actors having to change their clothes and appearances as the story proceeded through different points in time.

The scene inviting Jeff to join was fortunately completed smoothly, and the team moved on to the scene where Natalie and her friends played cards with Daniel Wu. After the initial game with three decks, the smiling Natalie and company increased the number of decks to eight, simulating a real casino setting. They removed a large stack of cards at the start, making the count on the table and the situation with the aces much harder to predict.

Standing by a gambling table made of several desks pushed together was Jay Baruchel, wearing black-framed glasses. His left hand swiftly moved through the pile of cards, continuously dealing them out. Behind him were the towering camera, the boom mic for recording, and so on; sitting in front was the frowning Daniel Wu and the faintly smiling Natalie, with Alexis and Nick Cannon beside them.

As card after card was played, Jay suddenly introduced a new deck, partially trimmed, into the pile. Daniel Wu showed a look of surprise, exclaiming “Heh!” Natalie tapped the table lightly with a chip, turned her head slightly to look at Daniel Wu, and her smiling demeanor seemed to say, “What’s wrong?”

“CUT!” Wang Yang, standing by the camera, called out. Under everyone’s gaze, he looked at Natalie and said, “Natalie, when did you become so kind? Don’t just smile! Give me something wicked! Not a sneer, but ‘what’s the matter, smart kid?’ Speak with your eyes!” Natalie nodded thoughtfully in agreement, “Alright.”

He then turned to Alexis and Nick, saying, “You too, Alexis, Nick. Nick, your smile can be bigger, like ‘see how tough it is!’ Alexis, your smile should be sympathetic, make it obvious, ‘He’s just like I was, played by Amanda, poor thing.\'” Clapping his hands, he concluded, “Let’s go again! Remember, even if you don’t have lines, don’t forget to give yourself an attitude! Express it with your facial expressions, with your eyes!”

“Okay!” said Alexis and Nick, both nodding. With the reminder from the director about the mindset of the characters, it was much easier for them to perform, as these were not particularly complicated emotions.

“Action!”… “CUT! That was a lot better than before, but still not quite there!” “Daniel, I think you can do better, COME ON!”…

The day’s filming schedule was tight, with some outdoor campus scenes in the morning and returning to the study room in the afternoon. After a full day of intense work, the crew did not continue into the evening; both the actors and staff needed rest, as pushing too hard would only backfire. However, that evening, one event drew significant attention from the media and the public—the announcement of the 75th Academy Awards nominations.

Many movie buffs tuned in on television to watch the nominations, but after the Golden Globe Awards and the various guild awards, this year’s Oscars nominations lacked suspense, with several academy favorites expected to be hot contenders. Now, one of the few intriguing questions was whether the Oscars would once again include a sci-fi movie and its director after 20 years. Could Wang Yang secure his first Best Director nomination and set a new record as the youngest nominee for the award?

With 25 categories in total at this year’s Oscars, one by one, the nominations were fully announced on television, with photos of the nominees displayed on the big screen at the event: Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Documentary…

“The five nominees for Best Actor are Adrien Brody, ‘The Pianist’; Nicolas Cage, ‘Adaptation’; Robert Downey Jr., ‘District 9’; Daniel Day-Lewis, ‘Gangs of New York’; Jack Nicholson, ‘About Schmidt’.”

Jessica, sitting on the sofa, clenched her fist excitedly. After more than 20 awards, her palms were sweaty with nervousness. Hearing the host say “Next is Best Director,” she held her breath and watched as the screen showed Stephen Daldry’s photo: “‘The Hours’; Rob Marshall, ‘Chicago’; Roman Polanski, ‘The Pianist’; Martin Scorsese, ‘Gangs of New York’…”

“And, Wang Yang, ‘District 9’.”

“…” Jessica exhaled deeply, her eyes closed. She didn’t feel like jumping up with joy as she had imagined. She felt very happy and satisfied; her whole body seemed to tremble, yet there was also a sense of tranquil relief. With a smile, she picked up the phone and dialed Wang Yang’s number.

Meanwhile, the TV continued to announce, “The five films nominated for Best Picture are ‘Chicago’, ‘District 9’, ‘The Pianist’, ‘Gangs of New York’, ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’.”

“Wow—!” Jessica finally felt an immense excitement, suddenly jumping up from the couch with both hands raised. The phone slipped from her hand and fell onto the floor. She paused, quickly bending down to pick it up and said, “Yang, hello, hello? Is it broken?” She suddenly remembered she hadn’t finished dialing the number!

As the program came to an end, all 25 Oscar nominations were announced. Miramax Films remained the biggest winner with “Chicago” and “The Hours” securing nominations, while Firebrand Cinema also reaped a bountiful harvest, “Ice Age” was nominated for Best Animated Feature, and “District 9” received seven nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Adaptation, Best Makeup, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound Editing.

Aside from reports like “Roman Polanski, nominated, will be arrested upon entry” and “Nicole Kidman’s Oscar for Best Actress seems likely,” the media was abuzz with highlights such as “Science fiction’s return to the Oscars!” The youngest Best Director nominee, Robert Downey Jr.’s redemption… It seems no one remembers the impossibilities they spoke of two years ago.

Boston’s night sky fluttered with snowflakes, bare trees and dim streetlights all donned a layer of white snow. Students and pedestrians on the MIT campus wore gloves and hats, few admiring this common snowy scene; yet the “MIT-21-TEAM” film crew started work tonight, as some scenes required a snowy night, and the current light snow was perfect for shooting.

“I wonder which star is the home of the prawn people?” Natalie, dressed in a black coat and standing in slightly thick snow with her high black boots, looked up at the sky and asked softly, “Do you think they know they’re in the Oscars and are they happy about it?”

The production team was setting up equipment on the roadside. Valerie Fiest and lighting technician Steve Taylor stood beside a streetlight discussing the upcoming lighting plan; Wang Yang, in charge of directing the scene, stood on the grass next to Natalie, looking at the sky shrouded with dark clouds—where were the stars? He shrugged and said, “Maybe. I wonder on which star Queen Amidala is.”

“Earth,” Natalie said, returning to a subtle upward gaze. She glanced at him and asked, “I don’t think I ever asked you if you’re a Star Wars fan?” Wang Yang also glanced at her, then back at the sky, smiling, “Not a BIG-FAN, but I can name all the characters and chronicles.” At this, Natalie laughed and questioned, “How is that not a BIG-FAN? I can’t even get them straight.”

“Because that’s more research, not infatuation. But it’s great,” Wang Yang squinted slightly, as if starships were zooming across the sky he envisioned, “I love the interstellar world, buddy, our skies are truly enchanting… In fact, I prefer Star Trek’s kind of thing, but not its too clean feel, you know my favorite is a ship, a crew.”

Natalie turned to look at him as he laughed and said, “A charming captain with a bunch of quirky companions, then cruising through the universe, many different planets with their own features and cultures… Next, the spaceship whooshes down, the hatch pops open with a bang, and the crew stands there, casual but cool…”

“Sounds good, but why whoosh whoosh whoosh?” Natalie furrowed her brow, asking, “Shouldn’t it be more like boom boom boom…?” With a serious expression, Wang Yang said, “How about a whoa whoa whoa?” Laughing, Natalie nodded in agreement, “OK, that’s really one magical spaceship!” Wang Yang chuckled, spotting Rachel who had just finished her make-up and was stepping out of the film crew’s van, and waved, calling out, “Rachel! Come over here, Rachel!”

The scene that was about to be filmed involved detective Beverly, following slim clues to MIT for investigation. As she walked on the campus road, she encountered Amanda head-on, but as the two had always sparred from a distance, neither recognized the other and simply passed by.

Rachel wore a white coat and brownish-yellow boots, her soft blonde hair styled by the “hairdresser” into light brown and curly locks. With a small ponytail and bangs framing her face, she laughed and raised her right hand in greeting, then quickly jogged over with her hands in her coat pockets.

Beverly didn’t have many scenes in the grand setting of Boston, and although several days had passed since the start of shooting, tonight was Rachel’s first time participating in the filming. The very first shot was the much-anticipated face-off between her and Natalie. Despite the absence of dialogue, both felt their acting nerves excitedly throbbing, silently fostering a sense of competition.

“Hi,” Rachel greeted them as she approached, a slight smile on her face; Natalie responded with a smile, “Hi.”

Wang Yang sized them up, their height and build were almost identical, fitting his camera’s preset, but the close-up of their eyes as they brushed past each other was the key to this series of shots. He seriously said, “You both know the script, right? At this point, you don’t know who the other is, having never met before. However, Rachel, in actuality, you have seen many disguised Natalies in fuzzy surveillance footage.”

“Mm-hmm, I understand,” Rachel, who was listening intently, nodded. Wang Yang continued, “You are someone with very strong observational skills, so the instant your eyes meet Natalie’s, your inner alarm goes off along with a strong sense of rejection, and some confusion.” Natalie spread her hands with a sense of resignation and said, “I guess I’m just that unlikeable.” Rachel pursed her lips and smiled, “I promise I feel the same way.”

“Exactly,” Wang Yang turned to Natalie and explained, “You feel the same way—very alert and repulsed.” He frowned and slowly turned his face to demonstrate, saying, “Ladies, you’re like natural enemies! Cats and mice, lions and tigers…” Rachel and Natalie softly said in unison, “They’re not.” Wang Yang paused, still smiling, “Oh, thank you for the correction. Wow, I’ve gained another piece of knowledge!”

“Then let me also share a piece of knowledge, don’t anger the director while he is explaining the scene, or else… Ah!!” He roared hoarsely, “Understand?!” Rachel laughed, “Alright, I’ll imagine a lion and tiger fighting.” Natalie shook her head and sighed, “I worry for your future children.”

Wang Yang chuckled, stroking his chin while the falling snowflakes hitting his face felt pleasantly cool. He continued seriously, “It’s a very subtle feeling, one that can’t be clearly conveyed through words, but thank God we have eyes. So please use them, don’t be shy! And remember, speak with your eyes!”

Upon hearing this, both young women nodded, becoming serious and thoughtful, trying to find the feeling he described.

Eyes have always held magical power, and for an actor, the eyes are a crucial point for expressing their craft. But the look in one’s eyes is actually connected to the expressions of the entire face. You can’t draw a clear line between the two, otherwise, just looking at an eyeball wouldn’t convey any emotion. Wang Yang thought whether you could communicate effectively with your eyes depended mainly on whether you could capture the mindset of the character at that moment, become that person, then release the emotions.

“Action!” At the command, the camera began filming, and the film reel inside the magazine rapidly turned, frame by frame, creating images.

White snowflakes fluttered down, the streetlights casting a dim golden glow all around. Rachel and Natalie walked toward each other, and at the instant when their bodies were parallel, both seemed to slow their pace for a moment, turning their heads to glimpse at one another…