…..

  "...I didn't follow them. I followed myself."

  The words hang in the air as the audience is left in stunned silehe weight of Cobb, pyed by Andrew, fessing reverberating long after the credits roll.

  Some sit motionless, abs the emotional and psychological toll the film has taken on them.

  Regal stole g the people around him every now and then during the whole session - even with his fident demeanor, he couldn't deny the mix of excitement and apprehension coiling in his chest.

  And as the film cluded, Regal also released just how different - this [Following] version of his had been to the inal in his past world.

  Regal had made a lot of ges - so many that calling them 'a lot' almost felt like an uatement.

  In the script he observed, many characters didn't even have a name.

  Like Keanu and Grace - their characters are simply referred to as 'The Young Man' and 'The Blonde' respectively.

  But that was just the beginning of the reworks he did - while some of them were subtle, refiniails - few were drastic, alteriire ses from the ground up.

  In the end, the film was less about remaking [Following] and more about reshaping it - taking its theme cept and threading his own vision into it.

  No doubt, it has been difficult.

  But Regal had given it everything he had.

  Still, what weighed on him the most was the climax - because that was where the biggest shift y.

  The big reveal that Cobb wasn't real and that it had all been in Bill's head.

  The entire character, pyed by Keanu, was an illusion - created by his own fractured mind, a maion of the kind of person he had always wao be in his life.

  However, Regal was surely ied in seeing people's reas to it.

  And now watg it, as the se went by, the sho their faces… was harder to read for him.

  All he could do was wait - wait and see if that shock was a good thing or not.

  ….and as the credits rolled on for a minute, slowly the atmosphere shifted and the cps began.

  Critics stood, exging genuine looks of enthusiasm that said - this was good. Really good.

  Soon it turned into a huge appuse rippling through the theater until it filled the spapletely.

  Puew, guess it worked. Regal let out a sigh of relief while sitting in the fourth row with the audience.

  Immediately, a staff member in the front row sigoward him - time to move onto the events.

  He stood, brushing his palms against his jeans before making his way down the aisle.

  At first, no one really paid him much mind - just a random guy heading toward the stage. But as he reached the front, some of the whispers ged tone.

  A few heads turhen more.

  People started really looking at him - taking in his face, their eyes flickering with reition as they saw the 'director' badge on his chest.

  By the time he stepped onto the ptform, the murmurs had bee a low hum of versation.

  ….

  Soon it was time for Q&A.

  The setup was simple - a long table, three chairs, and microphones lined up ly.

  The moderator, a seasoned film journalist, offered him a polite nod as he took his seat.

  Stephen Sr. was already there, being the tre of attention with a humble demeanor. He turned slightly, smiling at Regal in a way that suggested he had anticipated this moment long before anyone else.

  Regal retur with a subtle nod before settling into his chair.

  Stephen Sr. took the microphone, seizing the moment. "Thank you all once again for beioday."

  He tinued after a slight pause. "Now, let's not dey this any longer. It seems many of you have already noticed. But let me have the pleasure to introduce him. HE, is the director of this film. Regal Seraphsail."

  People nodded as their eyes now fully focused al - it was no small feat to be introduced into Hollywood by such legend.

  The host let the rea settle before tinuing. There was another round of cheers and cps for the young director.

  Regal leaned into the mic. "I appreciate the introdu, Sir Stephen. But please do hat the pleasure is entirely mine."

  His words once again earned a couple of nods, while a few dismissed it as mere fttery. However, there was no denying that most of them were looking forward to the event.

  Moments ter, it was time, and then the questions began.

  The first came from a reporter in the sed row who raised a hand, then spoke. "Regal Seraphsail, right? Should I refer to you as the director of Following or the author of the ret sensation [Harry Potter]? Which title do you prefer?"

  Regal didn't miss a beat. "Just 'Regal' is fine. And as for the title. I don't miher. They are both things I love doing."

  Another question followed without pause.

  "Right. I really ehe film. But, if you don't mind me asking - you look incredibly young. What were your qualifications before stepping into filmmaking? And what made you transition from writing to direg?"

  "I am a fourth-year uy dropout." Not minding the iion behind it, Regal followed in with a response. He was slowly getting used to it. "As for the transition… I wouldn't really call it that. Filmmaking was always the goal. Writing just happened along the way."

  A small murmur swept through the room, surprised by the reveal - and his way of bluntness and matter-of-fact response.

  The reporter nodded. "So, what will happen to the [Harry Potter] series? Are you tinuing to write? If so, how long are you pnning to take that path?"

  Regal shook his head. "Of course I would tinue. Writing gave me a way to tell stories when I didn't have the means to make films. It's something I will always do, but as I said - Dire - that was always the end goal."

  "So…" - another voice spoke up. "Did you have any prior experience w on other projects before this?"

  Regal gave a small shrug. "I shot a couple of short films ba college, but I never put them oher than that? No. This is my first real project."

  There ause as the reporters processed the information. However, another journalist was quip onto the question.

  Her notepad resting on her p, she leaned forward. "Your film pys a lot with perception ay. What drew you to explore themes of psychological fragmentation and unreliable narration? And if I may add, I noticed a simir narrative approa your book [Harry Potter]. What is your take on it?"

  Regal's lips quivered slightly, recalling a simir observatiwen before the book's unch. "If I were to analyze it ih, I would say it was simply a ce. I agree both stories minutely follow simir themes like building up tense senses iirely different mediums."

  He paused briefly before tinuing. "But holy, I would go as far as to cim it as my style. It was all my circumsta the time that dictated my choices. I had one goal - to make a film with whatever budget I had at my disposal."

  A follow-up came almost immediately. "Oh, we know the exaumber?"

  "Around five huhousand dolrs." He said it without hesitation.

  There were a couple of raised eyebrows among the crowd - surprised, perhaps impressed for an indie film with that budget to have achieved such rich quality.

  Many doubted if it were just a publicity stunt, queking a reporter in the middle row raised a hand, her curiosity evident. "I noticed your name listed under photography during the credits. Was that true?"

  "It's exactly as it is credited." Regal didn't beat around the bush for g his credit. "I didn't have the budget to hire a professional photographer, so I had to step in myself. Thankfully, I had a good crew supp me. Together, we made it work."

  Regal's response immediately shut down any lingering doubts - he ily pointed out that the crew he had worked with could vouch for him if proof was needed.

  "The final reveal pletely retextualizes everything that came before it." - a reporter noted. "How early in the writing process did you lo that reveal? And did it ge at any point?"

  Regal sidered for a moment before answering. "Hmm… actually, when I first came up with the script, I had a pletely different ending. inally, the betrayal itself was meant to be the climax. But after a lot of thought, I wanted something that would leave a stronger impact. So I reworked the final revetion to make it even more shog."

  A journalist in the front row raised her hand. "Mr. Stephen Hawking - first, gratutions on your eback."

  Stephen gave a light chuckle. "I wouldly call it that. But please, go on."

  "Of course." She nodded before tinuing. "Your name alone brought a level of prestige to this film. When did you e on board to support this project? And did you see something special in this debut team?"

  Stephen Sr. tapped his microphone slightly before responding. "I regret to admit. I only joihis project toward the very end. By that point, the final cut - the same one you all just watched - was already locked in. And seeing it, I knew right away that I wao present it myself."

  Then, another journalist, flipping through their notes, spoke up. "Mr. Regal, this is for you. Given your background as a writer, would you say you are more drawn to storytelling or the teical side of filmmaking?"

  Regal's lips curved slightly, as if the question amused him. "Storytelling. Always storytelling. The teical side is just a means to an end. If I have to learool, every camera trick, and every editing teique to get the story across, I will - but those things are he focus. The story is."

  Stephen Sr. let out a light chuckle beside him, his tone pyful. "Watch out for this young man's words. He is putting it nicely, but bluntly, he is saying he will break every rule in the book if it means making the film work."

  Another hand shot up, breaking the brief silence.

  "With the protagonist, Bill, following people around, are you ily supp voyeurism?"

  The question hung in the air. But Regal didn't flinch. "Umm, how about a no?"

  He said it with a casual air, as if dismissing the question as quickly as it had e. Before the room could fully absorb his response, another hand shot up.

  This time, an older journalist ihird row. "[Following] is a highly unventional film in terms of its spy. What made you take such a risk with a non-linear narrative, especially for your first project?"

  "I didn't see it as a risk." Regal admitted. "I phe spy to unfold that way. I thought, if you u in a linear structure, it loses its impact. You are meant to experiehe protagonist's reality the same way he does: out of order, fused, pieg it together as it goes."

  Stephen Sr., seated beside him, chimed in. "And here I thought you just liked making people think too hard."

  That earned a ripple of ughter from the audience, easing some of the lingering formality in the room.

  The plimeween Regal and Stephen Sr. was clear, and the reporter took he bad-forth betweewo felt more like a private versation than a public Q&A.

  A reporter, seemingly emboldened by the exge, raised her hand. "We have been hearing rumors about you colborating with Regal on his project. Is that true?"

  It wasn't a fact - obviously, there had also been no such rumor.

  But that question, asked now, was the moment the rumor would begin to spread.

  It was simply too rare for Stephen Sr. to baeohis openly - even in his prime. Especially so after many years of taking the break.

  Stephen Sr.'s face remaiill. "Let's stick to questions about this film, shall we?"

  The crowd chuckled lightly, sensing the subtle boundary he had set.

  The questions tinued - some teical, others about his creative influences. Regal answered them all in the same manner but tried his best to never e off as arrogant.

  It wasn't just about defending his choices. It was about expining why they mattered.

  By the time the session ed up, it was clear - whatever doubts had lingered before, they were gone now.

  The film had spoken for itself.

  And so had its director.

  .

  ….

  [To be tinued…]

  ★─────??★??─────★

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