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Ding-dong. The doorbell rang. Henry, who had been adjusting the camera, set aside what he was doing and went to open the door.
Charlize Theron stood outside. There was a hint of fatigue in her expression, but also a trace of anticipation. Henry greeted her warmly.
"Come in, my dear."
The girl sprang forward excitedly and kissed him. It was brief—no lingering affection—because there was still a guest waiting in the hallway.
"Jane, come in."
Seeing J.J. Harris, Henry naturally greeted her as well.
"Ms. Harris, it's been a while."
"Good evening, Mr. Brown. Sorry to impose," J.J. Harris replied. Even though the doorway had been cleared for her, she still looked uneasily into the house, not daring to step straight inside.
From that expression alone, Henry knew exactly what she was worried about. He smiled.
"Worried about Katie? Don't worry—she's already eaten and is resting. She won't bother us."
He casually pointed to a tall steel cat tree nearby. A massive tiger lay sprawled across it, tail flicking lazily, very much alive—not some decorative rug.
"You… you really keep a tiger!" J.J. Harris exclaimed in shock.
"What tiger? That's a tabby cat," Henry insisted with a straight face. "She just eats a bit too much."
"…Alright. Tabby cat, Katie," J.J. Harris said cautiously. Seeing the tiger's head lift slightly, she leaned back instinctively and asked nervously, "She really doesn't bite?"
"Don't worry, Jane, Katie really doesn't bite," Charlize said from inside the room, already placing her bag on the rack by the door.
"Unless you stick your hand into her mouth."
"Charlize, that's not funny at all!"
"Alright, sorry. Don't worry—Katie's habits are just like a cat's. She won't come sniffing around you like a dog."
"…Okay. It better be," J.J. Harris muttered, holding the doorframe as she cautiously stepped inside.
The first thing she noticed was the strange layout of the house, along with the steel cat trees of varying heights lining the walls.
A clear message: seeing a tiger didn't mean climbing up would save you. After all, they were better climbers than modern humans.
Still, what immediately caught J.J. Harris's attention was the projection screen and the camera setup.
The old digital camera had already been taken to Stark Pictures' equipment department as a prototype for engineers to disassemble.
The camera currently in use at home was a second-generation, hand-built digital camera. Some flaws had been fixed, and performance had improved slightly over the previous version.
There was no reason to give others brand-new equipment while using junk yourself. That wasn't frugality—it was self-torture.
As a professional agent and producer, J.J. Harris was naturally familiar with filming equipment. She stepped closer to examine it, then turned to Henry.
"May I touch it?"
"Go ahead," Henry said, preparing to play the videotape.
Although VCDs already existed at this time, their resolution was only 320×240. In digital terms, that was even worse than 240p's 426×240.
And a single movie usually required two discs; longer films might need three.
By contrast, legitimate VHS tapes—provided the source was good and not repeatedly copied—could reach up to 720×480 in resolution, close to 480p (854×480).
So in terms of image quality, videotapes were actually better than VCDs.
Henry's tape had been rented, but it was a legitimate Blockbuster rental, so the picture quality was reliable.
As she studied the digital camera, J.J. Harris couldn't help asking curiously,
"So this is the secret weapon everyone's been talking about at Stark Pictures.
"Most people think it was Tony Stark's idea. If Charlize hadn't told me, I wouldn't have believed you were the one who built it first. Hasn't anyone approached you about cooperation, Henry?"
"You said it yourself—everyone thinks it's Tony Stark's idea. Who would come looking for me?" Henry said self-mockingly.
J.J. Harris replied,
"You might not know this, but the Japanese backers behind Columbia Pictures—Sony's Norio Ohga—have been frantic over this. He's been trying to get in touch with Tony Stark but hasn't been able to reach him.
"They're the ones most obsessed with setting standards. Just look at how they turned videotapes into a civil war among themselves. I hear they're now working with Philips to define the next-generation disc standard.
"And then Stark Pictures suddenly announces digital movie cameras. They were still congratulating themselves over upcoming DV technology at TV-level quality, when suddenly a giant steps on their heads."
Henry chuckled.
"The Japanese, huh. Their economy was booming a few years ago—it made them think they were walking on clouds. I bet some people still believe this stagnation is just a temporary buildup before a second takeoff."
J.J. Harris shared more industry gossip.
"Heh. Sony Pictures Entertainment's two co-chairmen, Jon Peters and Peter Guber, have been boasting publicly lately.
"They say if not for them holding the line, the Japanese would've already swept into Hollywood and swallowed Stark Pictures whole. By their logic, you guys owe them a huge favor."
"Those two?" Henry lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"Do they really have that kind of influence?"
"They're probably just very good at stringing along Japanese executives who don't know the industry."
"Ha." Henry laughed softly and dropped the gossip. Turning to Charlize, who was already settled on the sofa, he said:
"It's a bit late today, so instead of watching the entire film first, we'll jump straight to the scenes I think are interesting.
"Tonight's film is Annie Hall, directed by Woody Allen and released in 1977—a romantic comedy that won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actress at the 50th Academy Awards.
"The female lead is Diane Keaton. She was thirty at the time and in a romantic relationship with Woody Allen, so you could almost say this film is semi-autobiographical for the two of them.
"Most of the time, Diane Keaton is basically playing herself—her quirks, her self-deprecating humor. Those traits aren't unique to the character; they're part of who she is.
"But with Woody Allen's script and direction, combined with her personal fashion sense, they created a deeply charming character. You can think of Annie Hall as the version of herself seen through the loving eyes of her partner.
"Films so perfectly tailored like this are rare. And honestly, I wouldn't want to hand you over to that director anyway—we all know what kind of personality he has."
Henry kissed the back of Charlize's hand, making her blush, while J.J. Harris laughed cheerfully.
"Even so, while it's largely a natural performance, I think there's still a lot worth learning from her work in this film. Otherwise, she wouldn't have won Best Actress."
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