Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 460, Section 458: Setting the Tone

Los Angeles time, December 31, 2002, morning.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Disney Animation Studios building's conference room, bathing the interior in a bright and warm glow, a beautiful contrast to the iconic California blue sky and palm trees outside.

Accompanied by his assistant and a legal counsel, Wang Sheng entered the conference room on time.

Zhu Yongde, general manager of Shanghai Film Group, and his team were already present. Upon seeing Wang Sheng, Zhu Yongde immediately broke into a warm smile and stood up to greet him.

"Director Wang, you've worked hard! You just arrived in Los Angeles yesterday, are you still jet-lagged? The global box office success of 'Night at the Museum' has really brought honor to Chinese filmmakers!" Zhu Yongde's handshake was firm and sincere, his words filled with a sense of pride and closeness.

"Mr. Zhu, you're too kind. It's all thanks to everyone's hard work," Wang Sheng replied with a smile, his demeanor composed.

On the other side of the conference table were representatives from Disney.

Leading the group is Robert Geller, Senior Vice President of International Co-productions and Productions at Walt Disney Studios.

He was around fifty years old, wearing a well-fitting dark blue suit, his hair was neatly styled, and he had a professional and friendly smile on his face, but deep in his eyes was the shrewdness and prudence honed from years of dealing with filmmakers around the world.

Sitting next to him was Sarah Miller, a senior creative director at Touchstone Pictures, a Disney subsidiary.

She was in charge of script development and coordination for this co-production project. She had a capable demeanor, with a thick script and notes spread out in front of her.

In addition, there was the manager from Disney responsible for Asian market strategy, as well as translators and recorders from both sides.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and introductions, the meeting moved directly to its core topic—discussing the first draft of the script for the Sino-US co-production version of "The Pursuit of Happyness" (tentatively titled "The Pursuit of Happyness" by Disney).

In front of Wang Sheng was a script written by the Disney writing team based on the original (American version) story outline and core plot provided by him several months earlier.

The so-called original outline was derived from the classic inspirational movie starring Will Smith that Wang Sheng remembered.

As early as 1998, he "foresaw" the need for local adaptation, turning it into a Chinese-language version of "The Pursuit of Happyness" starring Ge You, which achieved both box office and critical success in China.

Now, he is simply taking advantage of the collaboration with Disney and Disney's active promotion of the Shanghai Disneyland project to return this "future" idea to its original soil and carry out a clever "export-to-domestic" operation.

One fish, two ways; it can be eaten by both fish and seafood.

Robert Geller spoke first, his tone full of Disney-esque optimism and affirmation: "Mr. Wang, Mr. Zhu, first of all, I must say that the story outline is excellent!"
The spirit of a father facing adversity who never gives up for his son and his dreams has a universal appeal that transcends cultures.

Our Disney writing team really liked this core concept and, based on that, made some... well, some polishing to better suit the pacing of Hollywood narratives and the expectations of family audiences.

Sarah Miller took over, beginning to detail the script revisions. She spoke quickly, with the confidence of a professional screenwriter:
“We felt that the predicament faced by the protagonist, Chris Gardner, in the original outline was powerful enough, but we made some adjustments to enhance the dramatic tension and emotional ups and downs.”

She opened the script: "For example, in the section showing his homelessness, we added more details of his interactions with his son, such as spending the night in a subway station toilet, to highlight the warmth of their mutual dependence in despair."

At the same time, we strengthened his symbolic connection to the 'Rubik's Cube'—it was a brilliant touch! We made the Rubik's Cube a recurring motif, a metaphor for his wisdom, patience, and problem-solving abilities.

Wang Sheng listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.

Zhu Yongde nodded frequently, seemingly quite satisfied with Disney's "embellishments".

However, as Sarah Miller's narration deepened, Wang Sheng's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Disney's screenwriting team clearly incorporated many classic Hollywood inspirational movie tropes into their "polishing" process.

For example, they added a more stereotypical, rival intern who was always at odds with the protagonist, added several "lucky" twists during the protagonist's internship where he almost messed things up but managed to get through them, and even changed the way the protagonist got the job at the end to an impromptu, dramatic speech in front of all the executives.

“We believe that this approach will make the protagonist’s victory more exciting and ignite the audience’s emotions more,” Sarah Miller concluded, her tone tinged with pride in her team’s work.

The meeting room fell silent, and all eyes turned to Wang Sheng.

Zhu Yongde also looked at him, his eyes questioning.

Wang Sheng slowly put down his pen, raised his head, and calmly swept his gaze over the Disney representatives before finally landing on Robert Geller's face.

“Mr. Geller, Ms. Miller,” his voice was not loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly, “First of all, thank you for your team’s hard work. The script is very well done, the pacing is excellent, and it meets the standards of a commercial film.”

Praising first and then criticizing is a basic negotiation technique. He then changed the subject:
“However, I think the script may have deviated from the ‘realism’ and ‘power’ we originally wanted to pursue in some key details.” He picked up the script and pointed directly to a specific point: “For example, this rival who is always against the protagonist.”

In reality, in high-intensity internship environments, everyone is mostly exhausted and fierce competition certainly exists, but such symbolic 'villains' weaken the authenticity of the environment.

What we need to portray is that intangible, immense pressure stemming from our own circumstances and the surrounding environment, rather than a specific "bad person."

Sarah Miller tried to explain: "Mr. Wang, this is for..."

Wang Sheng raised his hand, gently but firmly interrupting her: "I understand that this is to create a more explicit dramatic conflict. But the power of this story lies precisely in its 'ordinariness.' An ordinary person, facing a series of seemingly ordinary yet overwhelming setbacks, overcomes them with extraordinary perseverance and wisdom. Too much dramatization would only dilute this power."

He continued, pointing to another point: "And the way the protagonist gets the job. A passionate speech may be entertaining, but it doesn't make sense in reality."

In top-tier financial companies, what determines whether you stay or leave is the comprehensive qualities you demonstrate during a long, tedious, and high-pressure internship—your diligence, your emotional intelligence, your ability to handle mundane tasks, and your unwavering resilience.

Silently persevering, only to be called into the office at the end and receive a calm, "Come on, wear a shirt to work tomorrow too." This restrained emotional outburst is far more powerful and more in line with the character and reality than a speech.

Wang Sheng's tone remained calm throughout, but every word he uttered hit the nail on the head.

He wasn't denying Hollywood's narrative techniques, but rather correcting their potential harm to the core authenticity of the story.

Zhu Yongde listened thoughtfully from the side, gradually understanding Wang Sheng's key point—this was not just an inspirational story, but a true allegory that needed to convince the audience, especially the increasingly sophisticated audience in the Chinese market.

Robert Geller leaned forward slightly, his expression showing even greater interest: "Your Majesty, do you mean we should reduce some of the 'drama' and increase the 'documentary' aspects?"

“That’s one way to understand it,” Wang Sheng nodded. “The success of this film depends on the audience’s ‘empathy’ for the protagonist’s situation.”

Overly dramatic plot twists and stereotypical characters will disrupt this sense of immersion. We need to make the audience believe that this is a story that happens around them, or even that it is their own story or the story of someone they know.

The faint light that persists in dire straits is more touching than a deliberately lit campfire.

He paused, then added, "Especially in the handling of emotions, the Eastern way of being subtle and reserved is sometimes more powerful than the Western way of being direct and expressive."

A father and son are in the bathroom. The father braces the door with his foot, tears silently streaming down his face. The son sleeps trustingly in his father's arms… This silent scene is more powerful than any dialogue.

Sarah Miller fell into thought. As a seasoned creative, she could certainly discern the professionalism in Wang Sheng's opinion.

Her previous revisions were more out of adherence to market conventions, while Wang Sheng was challenging those conventions and pursuing a more sophisticated and adventurous expression of emotion.

“Mr. Wang, I understand your point of view.” Sarah Miller’s attitude became much more serious. “However, we also need to consider the acceptance of the North American audience, who are used to more explicit emotional guidance and a faster pace.”

“It’s a matter of balance,” Wang Sheng responded. “I believe that genuine emotion is a universal language. We can maintain a tight pace, but at key emotional climaxes, we must dare to ‘leave blank spaces,’ trust the actors’ performances, and trust the audience’s ability to empathize.”

The original version of *The Pursuit of Happyness*... well, I mean, the core message of the story itself possesses that cross-cultural power. What we need to do is present it, not over-package it.

A heated discussion ensued in the meeting room. Wang Sheng, with his profound understanding of the original work and keen insight into both Eastern and Western markets, analyzed the details of the script one by one, from the characters' motivations to the plot logic, from the nuances of the dialogue to the intensity of the emotions.

He did not completely negate the Disney team's work, but rather offered precise suggestions for improvement, often pinpointing the problems and providing more convincing alternatives.

Zhu Yongde gradually joined the discussion, adding his perspective from the viewpoint of the Chinese market and supporting Wang Sheng's claims about "authenticity" and "emotional restraint."

As Robert Geller looked at the overly young yet charismatic Chinese director before him, his initial formulaic politeness was gradually replaced by genuine respect.

He realized that Wang Sheng was not only a collaborator who provided creative ideas, but also an artist and businessman with a deep understanding of filmmaking and a persistent pursuit of it.

His success was by no means accidental.

After nearly three hours of in-depth discussion, the direction of the script revision was basically determined: retain the core inspirational framework and main plot points, reduce overly dramatic and stereotypical parts, strengthen the realism of details and the portrayal of the characters' inner world, especially in the father-son emotional storyline, and adopt more of the subtle yet powerful Eastern expression methods suggested by Wang Sheng.

"A truly excellent discussion!" Robert Geller concluded at the end of the meeting, his tone filled with genuine appreciation. "Wang, your insights have given us a deeper understanding of this story."

Sarah, please organize the team to revise the next draft as soon as possible, based on today's discussion. I believe that *The Pursuit of Happyness*, which blends Eastern and Western wisdom, will definitely be a masterpiece that touches people's hearts.

(End of this chapter)