Chapter 11: Misunderstanding

After leaving Griffin Supermarket, Simon didn't immediately return to the motel, but wandered through the streets of Santa Monica, scouting locations for his first planned film.

Simon intended to make "Run Lola Run" as his first film.

Although the original "Run Lola Run" was not shot in Los Angeles, Simon didn't have the capital to be choosy at the moment. Since he was in Santa Monica, he decided to set the location for his remake there.

Choosing "Run Lola Run" was also a well-considered decision.

After all, he was only 18 years old in this body.

Normally, any sensible Hollywood film company would not risk millions of dollars on a teenager under 20, and Simon did not have the capital to independently finance a commercial film.

Thus, he had to demonstrate sufficient ability to at least dispel Hollywood's reservations about his age.

This could simply be achieved by proving himself through his work.

Although there had been some complications with WMA, the expected earnings from the screenplay for "The Butterfly Effect" could already be foreseen. This was Simon's first capital, and he needed to make good use of it to knock on Hollywood's doors.

Of course, the sale price of a screenplay, no matter how high, wouldn't be enough to fund many options. So, Simon was limited to producing a very low-budget film. Moreover, the film must show enough value, either through box office success or awards.

In terms of box office, there were many low-cost, high-grossing films Simon could recall, such as "The Blair Witch Project" and "Paranormal Activity."

However, the success of these films was mostly due to luck and well-timed marketing, and not so much the quality of the films themselves.

An obvious piece of evidence is that, after these films succeeded, their directors did not make a significant impact in Hollywood.

Thus, if Simon were to choose these films, there was a 99% chance it would be fruitless. Even with a 1% chance of some benefit, Simon's capabilities in filmmaking would not be recognized by Hollywood.

As for awards, they undoubtedly rely even more on one's background.

Also, the money earned from selling a screenplay alone was not enough to produce a film that could win awards at major festivals.

After careful consideration, "Run Lola Run," an alternative and avant-garde experimental film, seemed the most appropriate choice for Simon.

"Run Lola Run" also had a very low production cost, remembered to be about 350,000 German Marks, roughly equivalent to $180,000 years later.

Now, by cutting some corners, Simon thought he could manage with $100,000.

Despite being a low-budget production, "Run Lola Run" held enough artistic and commercial value to win several awards and even sparked a trend among German youth.

But to Simon, these weren't the most important aspects.

What he valued most was that "Run Lola Run" perfectly showcased the creative and directorial capabilities of its creators.

After its 1998 release, "Run Lola Run" became a classic case study at film schools around the world due to its dazzling techniques in editing, scoring, color, montage, and camera work. It deeply influenced many well-known directors.

Doug Liman, director of the classic spy thriller series "The Bourne Identity," openly admitted that the unique filming style of "The Bourne Identity" was inspired by "Run Lola Run." He even specifically invited Franke Potente, the lead actress from "Run Lola Run," to play the lead female role in his films.

Therefore, choosing "Run Lola Run" meant that even in the worst-case scenario—where the film did poorly in both awards and box office—Simon would still gain a chance to show his filmmaking skills to major Hollywood studios.

Hollywood is extremely conservative, yet it also greatly admires genius and miracles.

As long as one can prove their capabilities and bring profits to the film studios, few care whether the person is an angel or a devil. Age is naturally even less of an issue.

On Hudson Avenue in the northern part of downtown Santa Monica.

As Simon passed this intersection, he instantly noticed the castle-like dark gray building across the street—a club. Los Angeles buildings generally favor light colors like white, which can seem monotonous and dull.

Thus, the strikingly different dark gray building quickly caught Simon's attention, and he immediately decided to include it as one of the fast-moving street scenes in "Run Lola Run."

Without a camera, Simon had to use the most primitive method—drawing—to record this location.

Standing at the curb with a handmade hardcover notebook, Simon first noted the basic street information. After re-examining the street scene before him, he began to rapidly sketch it out in the form of storyboards.

Minutes later, as he was focused on his work, Simon suddenly felt someone tap his shoulder.

Turning around, he found two girls standing behind him whom he hadn't noticed arriving.

One of them was Courtney Cox, and the other, a pretty blonde, was unfamiliar to Simon.

At that moment, Courtney was looking at him warily, silent as if waiting for Simon to explain himself.

Simon looked around and realized he was standing in front of a five-story apartment building—Courtney and the blonde probably lived there.

Feeling Courtney's gaze, Simon immediately understood.

Alright.

Mistaken for a stalker.

With a wry smile, Simon closed his notebook and explained, "Court, if I say it's a coincidence, would you believe me?"

"I wouldn't," Courtney immediately shook her head but then asked, "So, what are you doing here?"

"I told you this afternoon, I'm preparing for my own movie," Simon replied, handing over his notebook.

Courtney skeptically took the thick, hand-bound notebook and casually flipped through it. The blonde also leaned over out of curiosity.

The notebook was already filled with dozens of pages of storyboard sketches based on various street scenes. Although the sketches were very basic, both Courtney and the blonde could easily appreciate Simon's solid drawing skills, and most sketches were detailed with professional notes on lighting and camera positions.

After flipping through several pages, Courtney quickly became intrigued by the sketches of a short-haired girl running, feeling somewhat embarrassed to look at Simon again. The blonde, however, showed no such restraint, quietly admiring before looking up at Simon and asking, "You're really good at drawing, but is the girl in the sketches supposed to be Court?"

Simon paused, considering Courtney's current short hairstyle, before he understood why she might ask that.

To be honest, when Simon sketched Lola's look, he hadn't thought of any particular person, and he felt indifferent about Franke Potente, the original actress who played Lola.

Perhaps, since coming to Los Angeles, Courtney was the only girl Simon knew whose image somewhat fit Lola's setting, so he subconsciously based his sketches on her, leading to the current misunderstanding.

In reality, the sketches were quite rough, and without a strong implication, it would be difficult for anyone to make that connection. But with Courtney right there and the recent misunderstanding, it was not surprising that the blonde would ask such a question.

Looking at Courtney, who was silently flipping through the sketches, and considering the two girls' assumption, Simon didn't refute the small misunderstanding and simply nodded, admitting, "Yeah, I even invited Court to be my lead actress this afternoon, but she didn't believe me."

"Heh, if Court doesn't want to, maybe I could do it instead. You could change all the girls in the sketches to look like me," the blonde joked, extending her hand to Simon. "Hi, I'm Kristie Swanson."

Simon shook her hand, introducing himself, "Simon Westeros."

Hearing his name, Kristie's expression turned to recognition: "Oh, you're the one Court has been talking about lately..."

Before she could finish, Courtney playfully jabbed Kristie in the ribs, causing her to stop talking. Then, Courtney handed the notebook back to Simon, saying, "Alright, you pass."

"So," Simon gestured behind him, "can I stay here to finish that drawing?"

Kristie immediately laughed.

Courtney, her cheeks tinted with red, rolled her eyes at Simon: "Whatever, it's a public place."

Simon felt his question was a bit silly and smiled, reopening his notebook to the last page.

Taking another look at the dark gray building across the street, Simon picked up his pen to continue sketching, noticing the two girls hadn't left yet, he casually asked, "Are you guys heading out for dinner?"