Toronto, Canada.
This year's Toronto International Film Festival began on September 11 and is expected to run for 11 days, closing on September 21.
Unlike the three major European film festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival is a typical non-competitive festival focused solely on screenings. However, perhaps because of this, even in its 22nd year, the festival's influence remains limited, even falling behind the Sundance Film Festival, which has risen in prominence in recent years.
Today is the third day of the Toronto Film Festival. Just as the overwhelmingly positive reviews of Titanic's premiere yesterday exploded across major global media outlets, New World Pictures, a subsidiary of Daenerys Entertainment, is about to host the premiere of another significant film.
Paranormal Activity.
One of the key signs that Daenerys Entertainment Group is no longer holding back is that its three major labels—Daenerys Pictures, New World Pictures, and Highgate Pictures—no longer accommodate each other's schedules. They can now plan their own projects independently, even competing with one another.
At a festival-designated theater in downtown Toronto.
It's Saturday afternoon.
Compared to the grand spectacle of Titanic's premiere in Venice yesterday, even though Paranormal Activity is also highly anticipated by the New World Pictures team, its premiere is much smaller in scale.
Fortunately, thanks to Daenerys Entertainment's influence, many celebrities and media outlets have come to show their support, so a red carpet event is still in place.
However, it's significantly simplified. The entrance time is only half an hour, and there's no strict separation between media and fan zones.
It's not until around 6 p.m. that the main cast of Paranormal Activity appears on the red carpet. Danny Morris, the president of New World Pictures, personally leads the group to support the newcomers, finally sparking some enthusiasm among the media on both sides.
After some interaction, Danny Morris escorts Justin Lin, Amy Adams, and others into the theater, while other media and fans with tickets begin to enter.
Among them are two strikingly beautiful Slavic girls.
These are Galina and Eva Banshikova, sisters.
Simon had spent a night here during the festival's opening two days ago, and the Banshikova sisters and their mother, Natalia, had been brought over in advance. Simon had to leave urgently yesterday, but after some coaxing from Galina, he agreed to let them stay and play for a week.
There aren't many places to visit in Toronto, but since the film festival is happening, they decided to join in the excitement.
Natalia isn't one for crowds and rarely goes out, so only the two sisters came.
As for the premiere tickets for Paranormal Activity, while they aren't easy to come by, for the women around Simon, such small perks are readily available.
Inside the theater, the two girls find their seats, and two female attendants from the Westeros family sit on either side, deterring any would-be suitors.
Seeing the disappointed looks on some men's faces, Galina can't help but smirk proudly.
Beside her, Eva, who hasn't grown much and remains petite, glances at her sister and asks, "Sister, you didn't keep that scout's business card, did you?"
Galina, still curiously looking around, tilts her chin up and shakes her head. "I threw it away."
Eva nods in satisfaction.
Galina then adds with a hint of regret, "It would be so cool if we could be stars too. But Simon doesn't seem to agree."
Eva glances at her sister. If stardom were solely based on looks, Galina would have no problem. Unfortunately, looks alone aren't enough, and her sister, much like their mother, doesn't seem to have much else to offer.
Of course, given the power their man wields in Hollywood, if he really wanted to make them stars, even with just their looks, it wouldn't be an issue.
Clearly, he has no such plans.
Eva can even understand the reasoning behind it.
Many powerful people enjoy dating celebrities, even going so far as to elevate their partners to stardom to satisfy their egos. But Simon isn't like that. Or, more accurately, the man's position is so high that he doesn't need celebrities to embellish his image. The idea of powerful figures gaining a sense of achievement by dating stars is laughable to him.
If he wanted, he could easily create a slew of stars.
Since it doesn't matter to him, whether the women around him are stars or not is irrelevant. In fact, with his collector's mindset, he might even prefer to keep them out of the public eye.
Their mother and the two of them are likely in this category.
Knowing this, Eva wouldn't do anything to upset him and would do her best to prevent her sister from doing so either.
As the lights dim in the theater, Eva focuses on the screen.
After the New World Pictures logo, the film begins. However, compared to other films, the visuals on the screen are noticeably rough.
Eva isn't bothered, but Galina can't help but complain, "What is this?"
Eva doesn't bother explaining.
If her sister had paid even a little attention, she would know the general premise of the film.
The first iRec feature film.
Since it's shot with a non-professional handheld digital camera, it's no surprise that the visuals are rough.
In the theater, even though some audience members had been briefed in advance, the initial reaction to the less-than-TV-quality visuals is similar to Galina's complaint. This makes the film's creators, seated at the front, nervous.
If the audience doesn't accept the film, their hard work over the past six months would have been for nothing.
Justin Lin, the director, is relatively calm because he's already signed a three-picture deal with Daenerys Entertainment and can feel the company's support.
The film's lead actors, however, are less at ease. Even though they've also signed with agencies, if this film fails to make a splash, they'll have to start from the bottom and work their way up.
Thinking of this, Amy Adams, the female lead, instinctively grabs the hand of Jessica Chastain beside her.
The two girls, similar in age, share comparable backgrounds, life experiences, and even looks that aren't particularly striking. Naturally, they became close friends during filming. At one point, they even privately speculated whether Simon Westeros had chosen them because he was interested in them.
If that were the case, even if it meant sharing him—as rumors from a few years ago suggested was his preference—they would have been more than willing.
Unfortunately, even during their most recent encounter at the opening party, the lofty young tycoon showed no such interest.
This means they'll have to rely on their own abilities to climb the ladder.
This film, seemingly an experimental project with a budget so low it's almost negligible compared to other Hollywood productions, is actually a crucial stepping stone for them.
Because Daenerys Entertainment is taking this project very seriously, and rumors suggest that Simon Westeros himself provided the concept.
If it succeeds, they'll become overnight sensations.
Fortunately, the initial restlessness in the theater doesn't escalate and soon quiets down.
On the screen, as the male and female leads converse, the film's background is revealed.
The story follows a young couple who have just moved in together. After experiencing paranormal activity in their apartment, the boyfriend buys an iRec digital camera and modifies it to record continuously, hoping to capture the supernatural events.
The modification of the iRec camera highlights the film's attention to detail.
Of course, this is also to preempt any future criticism that the camera used in the film isn't the official iRec model.
In reality, the "friend" who helps modify the camera is actually a professional engineer from Tingkebell. However, if anyone still manages to nitpick this detail in the future, Daenerys Entertainment will accept it.
Simon specifically instructed these details to avoid the pitfalls that befell The Blair Witch Project.
In the original timeline, The Blair Witch Project achieved success through deceptive marketing. If the film had been released by a major studio instead of a small independent company, it's likely someone would have sued. Given the litigious nature of Western societies, this is entirely plausible.
Moreover, even though The Blair Witch Project wasn't entangled in lawsuits, it still managed to both establish and ruin the found-footage genre.
Because, if you disregard the deceptive marketing, The Blair Witch Project is genuinely a bad film.
In contrast, Paranormal Activity is a truly excellent found-footage film. To firmly establish the genre through this project, Simon paid close attention to every detail.
In the theater.
The film doesn't disappoint Simon's expectations.
After the initial restlessness, the audience quickly becomes engrossed in the story through the leads' interactions.
Compared to the rough cut's 130-minute runtime, the final version, as per Simon's request, is exactly 100 minutes. The first 20 minutes serve as the setup, 10 minutes shorter than the rough cut, coincidentally matching Titanic's opening.
Twenty minutes is an appropriate length for an introduction.
It's enough to establish the story's background without losing the audience's patience before the main plot begins.
On the screen, the real paranormal activity starts at the 21-minute mark.
The first night, of course, doesn't feature anything too bizarre, but the tension created by the static shots from unique angles already grips the audience.
From there, the story escalates.
From doors opening and closing on their own, to the female lead sleepwalking, to the couple's makeshift ghost-detecting powder being scattered by an unseen force, the audience's tension continues to build.
Until the climax.
When the male lead discovers his girlfriend sleepwalking again, he chases after her but never returns. Instead, the female lead, with an eerie expression, seemingly floats back into the bedroom, holding a bloody knife. After wandering the room, she suddenly turns to the camera and lunges forward.
Crash—
The screen goes black, and the film ends abruptly.
"Ah!"
In the theater, after over an hour of tension, someone finally screams at the female lead's final move.
Sitting in the center of the theater with the best view, Galina Banshikova clutches her sister's arm and pats her chest. "So scary, so scary! Oh, there's text… 'The police found Micah's body the next day, but Katie remains missing to this day.' What does this mean? Is this based on a true story?"
Eva wants to roll her eyes at her sister.
However, the text at the end of the film, while not exactly a masterstroke, does serve as a nice touch. It provides a sense of closure after the intense climax, addressing the abrupt ending and offering a bit more context. Since the film ends at its most terrifying moment, the text helps smooth over the otherwise jarring conclusion.
As a found-footage film, with the male lead dead and the female lead missing, there's no way to film a traditional epilogue. Thus, the text is a fitting addition.
After the text, the credits roll.
They're brief.
Soon, the lights come on, and after a moment of silence, the theater erupts in applause.
Today's audience, whether media, critics, or regular moviegoers, are seasoned film enthusiasts. Even if they initially found the film rough, by the end, they can clearly judge its quality.
In short, no one can deny that this is an outstanding experimental film.
Danny Morris once again takes the stage with the main cast for a Q&A session.
The first question from a reporter is particularly pointed: "Mr. Lin, how did you come up with the idea to use an iRec to make this film?"
Despite having directed a few films, Justin Lin still feels like a newcomer. Nervous and unsure how to answer, he hesitates.
The concept, including the use of the iRec, came directly from a Hollywood mogul.
However, that person isn't credited in the film and explicitly instructed not to be mentioned. Lin is at a loss.
He could easily fabricate an answer for the reporter.
But given the mogul's involvement, Lin instinctively knows better than to improvise.
Fortunately, Danny Morris is on stage.
The president of New World Pictures understands his boss's intentions. Simon is striving to maintain a low profile, minimizing his public exposure. This extends not only to this project but also to Titanic's stunning theme song, for which Simon declined credit and forbade any mention of his involvement.
Seeing Lin falter, Danny Morris smoothly takes over, delivering a polished response: "Since the iRec's launch, many filmmakers have experimented with it. Daenerys Entertainment has always encouraged innovation, and the concept for Paranormal Activity was so compelling that we couldn't pass it up."
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