Chapter 449: 449: The Order Disrupter

“The brain is the most complex thing in the universe, and it’s right behind the nose,”

Snowflakes still danced in the sky, and people clad in heavy clothing hurried to and fro. Inside the tennis club theater of Park City, it was very warm. The fantasy drama “Sleep Science” was screening to an audience of over a hundred, and among them were Wang Yang and his group. He was looking at the big screen with great interest.

The film was exceptionally beautiful and entertaining. The male protagonist, Stephen, wandered between reality and dreams, unable to distinguish between the two. Not only did his new neighbor, the female protagonist Stephanie, share his name, but her “dreaming talent” was also similar to his. They interacted in this unique way. The movie discussed the subconscious, the brain, love, growth… Wang Yang couldn’t help but praise it to others, “Really intriguing, he is dominated by his subconscious, but who isn’t?”

Who isn’t? The subconscious affects everyone’s everything; it truly is a remarkable thing. Upon hearing this, Annie-Darren silently agreed, then suddenly wondered if her current thoughts were also directed by her subconscious. Now? So now… it seemed like a cycle, and this cyclical thought?

“The cinematography is pretty and cute, but it’s a pity the lighting is a bit off,” said Harry-George, whose attention was mostly on the visual aspects. Annie, however, complimented, “They act so well.” Wang Yang turned to look at her. Annie’s performance in “Flannel Pajamas” was outstanding, and although her emotional investment still seemed lacking, her acting skills were already very mature. Her consistently great camera presence and her calm, gentle aura surpassed that of a supporting role. If she encountered the right role that truly resonated with her, she was bound to excel.

Whether a role suits an actor, especially in terms of temperament, is naturally the most important. Putting aside whether or not there was an interest, Wang Yang knew he could never be Marlon Brando, not even worth thinking about. At most, he could only play “Wang Yang” and whatever role he took on, it would always be the same, with the character’s presence being just okay if it was correct for “Wang Yang” in a film. If it was a character not meant to be “Wang Yang,” the outcome would still be “Wang Yang,” or “1/2 Wang Yang,” or “4/2 Wang Yang,” leading to a golden raspberry.

Annie had this issue in “Flannel Pajamas.” Compared to the eager chef “Nicole” from Montana, in fact, the warm-smiled, ordinary girl-next-door “Stephanie” from “Sleep Science” suited her better. This was “100% Annie.” With her acting ability, she could deliver an outstanding performance, but they had missed each other.

“Yes, they’re both good,” Wang Yang nodded. He should give Annie more advice and care, but this strong girl rarely called to ask him these things, almost never. Of course, the current “Stephanie,” Charlotte Gansb, was performing very well, and the male lead, Gael Garcia Bernal, was even more memorable. Following “Lost Paradise” and “The Motorcycle Diaries,” this was yet another impressive work. Recalling that Bernal was Mexican and also one of the best Latino young male actors currently, Wang Yang nudged Joshua with his elbow, “Brother, what do you think?”

“What?” Joshua was a bit confused at first, but then he understood his meaning. He hummed, “Well, as for that, I also have movie offers… You know I’m a producer now,” he said a few years ago. Wang Yang laughed, “I just wanted to say, with your look, you had a lot of potential for growth.” Joshua chuckled and touched his chin, “I think so too, now I even understand acting! But it’s good this way, I want to achieve something as a producer.”

Joshua’s face was serious, and a hint of aspiration appeared. He was already 23 years old, and come July he would be 24. He hoped to have some achievements and a career, and then propose to Alexis, have a baby as adorable as Keke… Just then, hearing Wang Yang say, “You know I’ll support you,” Harry-George also added, “Me too, Josh, support you!” Annie smiled, “Me too!” Although Ali had returned to work in Los Angeles and could not give immediate support, Joshua clenched his fist with fighting spirit, “Thanks, I’m ready to take action, I want to make a movie!”

“Wow, do you have any plans?” Wang Yang looked at him with surprise. They had discussed this topic before, and Joshua was never in a hurry to take this first step, saying “learn some more,” “wait for the right opportunity.” What had suddenly made him so determined? The girl, definitely the girl, Alexis!

“Uh, guys… I don’t have any ideas yet, but I know I will!” Facing their smiles and feeling their expectations, Joshua was very serious, without a hint of jest. Life is often spent in unremarkable ways—it’s time to do something you want to do! In the years following Yang, he really learned a lot. Coupled with his studies, he was fully capable of handling the responsibilities of a producer on his own; he also had some savings and stock investments, even enough to start a low-budget independent film under one million.

He looked at the images on the big screen, a bit entranced, and said, “These past few days, I’ve thought a lot. Look, Sundance has 120 movies this year! Next year, another 120, with thousands wanting to participate… Why can’t one of next year’s 120 be one that I produced? Suddenly, I realized, it’s possible—I can do it!”

“You will do it.” Wang Yang patted his shoulder heavily, “Let me know if there’s any new development.” Joshua grinned and nodded: “Of course! You’re my mentor.” Wang Yang quickly waved his hands: “No, I’m your sister’s mentor, not yours, don’t get it wrong.” Joshua shrugged as Harry comfortingly hugged him, but Joshua struggled out of the big guy’s affectionate gesture. Annie smiled and turned her gaze back to the screen; she saw some qualities in Joshua, Yang’s qualities, Yang’s influence… He would become a man like Yang.

The group didn’t whisper anymore and quieted down to continue watching “Sleep Science.” Soon after the film ended, a warm round of applause filled the auditorium, sending their adoration to the creators of this lovely romantic movie.

“Mr. Berman, that was a very interesting screening just now, you’ve made a good movie.” After leaving the auditorium and arriving at the theater backstage, Wang Yang talked and laughed as he shook hands with producer Georges Berman, director Michel Gondry, and others, making no secret of his appreciation for “Sleep Science.”

Georges Berman had a face full of surprised and delighted smiles, with his heart suddenly racing with nervousness and anticipation… Before, in the highly successful “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004), he was only one of the planners, but this time he was the lead executive producer! Now that the film received high praise from the magical Yang, what did that mean? Perhaps “Sleep Science” was the miracle in the making! Oh my God! Berman excitedly thanked them: “Thank you, hearing you say that, hehe, it’s fantastic.”

“Haha, a good movie is a good movie, it doesn’t need anyone to say so, it just is,” Wang Yang said to Berman, laughing, and then walked towards Michel Gondry to talk about the subconscious and brain activity. Although Gondry’s Columbia 2011 version of “The Green Hornet” was a mess, the problem started with the script, which was quite serious. Nevertheless, Gondry’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Sleep Science” were both unforgettable works.

“Mr. Wang!…” Georges Berman called out to Wang Yang, his smile barely concealing his nervousness, and he tentatively asked, “What does Flame Films think of it? Do we have a chance to collaborate?”

“Yes, of course.” Wang Yang nodded without hesitation, which almost made Georges Berman’s heart leap to his throat, feeling like he wanted to jump up and shout “YEAH,” as if he had just succeeded in a confession or proposal! However, the words that followed from Wang Yang were like a bucket of cold water dumping over his head: “I like ‘Sleep Science,’ but for specifics, you’ll have to ask our acquisitions team. These matters can’t just be decided by me alone, and I don’t want to get too involved this year, though I’m inclined to have FM start with a small-scale distribution in theaters…”

But Georges Berman kept his smile till the end, because Warner Independent joined in! The day after “Sleep Science” premiered, they found a North American distributor, Warner Independent, which had a successful release of “March of the Penguins” and “Good Night, and Good Luck” last year! And they promised a fall theatrical release on the big screen this year! How much of it was Wang Yang’s doing?

“Wang Yang shows up at the ‘Heaven’s Door’ theater!” “Magical Yang captured at ‘Lucky Number Slevin’ theater!” “Wang Yang goes to ‘The Darwin Awards’ theater!!!” The excitement of Park City continues…

January 13-19 has already passed, and “Glory Road” (Disney/Bruckheimer) took the weekly crown with a premiere box office of $18.93 million, while two other new films, “Red Hat” (Weinstein) and “Last Holiday” (Paramount) placed second and third with $18.22 million and $17.28 million, respectively. The sixth place “500 Days of Summer” collected $12.39 million in its fourth week at the box office (-57%), bringing its North American box office to $220 million; “Brokeback Mountain” expanded to 751 theaters (+200) and added $9.87 million to its box office, making its total a handsome $40.23 million.

Wang Yang really liked “Sleep Science” and would be very happy if it was distributed by FM, provided it was appropriate. However, with 17 films featured in the most attention-grabbing “Premiere” category, Flame Movies couldn’t possibly buy all the commercially viable good films, regardless of how much money they were willing to spend. It simply wasn’t possible, nor was it appropriate—after all, which company would want to leave empty-handed? But first and foremost, it simply wasn’t feasible for Flame Movies to make many promises; it was a fact that, although “Sleep Science” was a good film, it wasn’t suitable for a wide release.

The issue with “Sleep Science” lay in its narrative chaos, flitting between dreams and reality, aptly described as “unbridled imagination,” yet without the suspenseful fun of “Memento.” The film was originally bought by Warner Independent and eventually received a North American box office of $4.67 million and a global box office of $15.01 million.

Negotiations on the rights of the 17 films have successively taken place, and Flame’s two major SSS-grade targets have also made progress. Despite the gathering of companies like Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, MGM, and Miramax Films around “Little Miss Sunshine,” the competition was really just “Fox Searchlight vs. Flame.” The question for the producer Marc Turtletaub was whether to choose the subsidiary of a traditional mainstream film giant or the leading independent film distributor? At the moment, he was more interested in the latter.

Apart from offering a higher price and paying more attention to the film, Flame had another alluring aspect—it was an independent film company! Many independent filmmakers didn’t like to gravitate towards mainstream film companies. Their ideology was to embarrass the big film companies and to elevate independent cinema. Marc Turtletaub was such a person; he wouldn’t work for Paramount, Universal, Sony/Columbia, etc., as a producer. At most, he would cooperate with Warner Independent or FOX Searchlight. The prospect of having an excellent independent film like “Little Miss Sunshine,” distributed by a top independent film distributor like Flame, was truly enticing.

“Only we know how great it will become.” In the bright and elegant café, Wang Yang met with Marc Turtletaub personally, playing the decisive role, considering “Magical Yang’s good word” was a significant gesture of sincerity. At that moment, Turtletaub’s face was smiling, eyes sparkling, alongside a fitted silver-gray suit, he looked as though he was basking in a spring breeze. Wang Yang took a sip of coffee, then continued, “To be honest, Marc, even you don’t know that you’ve produced a treasure, a miracle.”

“Heh, thank you,” said Turtletaub, also lifting his cup, his face beaming with satisfaction. He reflected, “It seems I’m fortunate I never gave up on it.” Wang Yang immediately nodded and said, “Indeed! Focus Features was wrong, terribly wrong. They’ll be very, very regretful they missed out. A few years ago, you should’ve turned to Flame Movies…” He pursed his lips helplessly, then added seriously, “We have many reasons for choosing ‘Little Miss Sunshine,’ but the most important one is that it’s the kind of film that can be a model for independent cinema, like ‘Crash’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain.’ That’s what we long for.”

“Marc, FOX Searchlight won’t value it as much as we do, you know. How many films have they set for this year? I know of six. What if ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ is the seventh? They will just operate with a conservative attitude, ‘Yes, the movie has potential, but we can’t take risks! $5 million for marketing? Too much, $3 million! Let’s start with 7 theaters in the first week and see, if it doesn’t pull in $100,000, then GAME OVER. Its focus is on DVDs… Nonsense—!'”

Listening to his impassioned words, Turtletaub couldn’t help but nod continuously. Magical Yang was absolutely right; FOX Searchlight’s people started off speaking those words in a mild manner. They believed “Little Miss Sunshine” could achieve success akin to “The Constant Gardener,” with a release from July to December; but as soon as Flame got involved, FOX Searchlight changed their tune, saying they’d go all out and adjusted the release schedule to November to May, further tempting him by saying that Flame didn’t have as many resources as the Fox system…

“Do you know how many films are on FF’s distribution list this year?” Wang Yang looked at him directly and answered his own question, “Six, ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ will be the seventh.” Only he knew how close to the edge he was, “Please, just agree!” Jessica had joyfully told him good news in the morning, Keke had started eating her fingers! My god, he missed the firsthand experience! The longing for his wife and daughter suddenly burst forth; only because he had arranged to meet Turtletaub in the afternoon, had he not immediately flown back to Los Angeles. But one way or another, he had to get home tonight.

“Hmm…” Marc Turtletaub took another sip of coffee, raising his cup. In truth, he wanted to settle matters more quickly than anyone else, as he had already waited far too long and wished everything would be decided the day after the premiere! FoxS? FF? There was no need to ponder so much anymore! Turtletaub nodded firmly, “Yes, it’s Flame’s seventh!”

“YES!” Wang Yang shouted excitedly without restraint, his face beaming with a joyful smile as he brought “Little Miss Sunshine” home to watch “Hand-Eating Pretty Girl”, how wonderful! He kissed the wedding ring on his left ring finger and spontaneously bit his fist, laughing, “This is a moment to remember.”

Marc Turtletaub, equally delighted, couldn’t help but wonder in private, could biting one’s fist be Wang Yang’s quirky celebratory habit?

That night, a sensational piece of news spread through the snowy streets of Park City — the biggest blockbuster deal in Sundance Film Festival history was born! Flame Films purchased “Little Miss Sunshine” for a high price! According to both parties, Flame would pay 15 million US dollars to Big Beach Films, Deep River Productions, and other production parties, and also provide a 10% revenue share to acquire worldwide theatrical distribution, DVD distribution, and all other rights to the film.

15 million effortlessly set a new record for the highest deal ever at Sundance!

The previous record-holder was “The Castle of Cagliostro” with Miramax Films as the buyer, for 10 million, a 2.5 million production budget, and box office returns of 1.95 million; second place was “The Constant Gardener” with Paramount Classics as the buyer, for 9 million, a 2.8 million production budget, and box office returns of 22.2/23.56 million; third place was “Memento”, again with Flame Films as the buyer, for 8 million, a 5 million production budget, and box office returns of 55.31/84.11 million; “Death Illusion”, with the buyer Flame Person, for 8 million, a 6 million production budget, and box office returns of 6.8 million, DVD rentals exceptionally strong.

“Heard this was not Wang Yang’s idea?” “He’s returned to Los Angeles.” “Someone saw him meeting with Marc Turtletaub!!” “Oh!” …Media outlets reported one after another, and movie companies shook their heads in resignation. It had happened after all; they understood “Little Miss Sunshine” was that miracle in the making.

However, less than a day later, “Little Miss Sunshine’s” championship record was already at risk, overtaken by Flame Films itself, which snatched up “The Illusionist” from Yari and Bulldog for a staggering 25 million!!!

Purchasing one film with an 8 million production budget wasn’t enough, they even bought one with a 16.5 million production budget…? Jon Phil could only shake his head; even if he had gotten wind of the news earlier, what difference would it make? He believed Flame Films would dare to offer up to 35 million or even more, would Lionsgate dare to follow? What if the film turned out to be “The Castle of Cagliostro”? 25 million, 15 million…turns out those were Flame’s only targets.@@novelbin@@

Wang Yang might not necessarily be crazy, but he was certainly mad, no one ever played the game like this, he was outright disrupting the order of independent film acquisitions! Perhaps he had already disrupted it, when he took out a check for 20 million to acquire “Crash”…

“We’re extremely thrilled to have both ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ and ‘The Illusionist’, they will be key parts of Flame Films’ agenda this year.” Flame Films joyously announced these two pieces of news, revealing that both films were scheduled for release at the end of the year, and Flame Films’ 06 release slate suddenly expanded to eight new titles. (