After leaving the Griffin Supermarket, Simon didn't head straight back to the motel. Instead, he wandered through the streets of Santa Monica, scouting locations in advance for his planned first film.
The movie Simon intended to make was Run Lola Run.
Though the original Run Lola Run wasn't filmed in Los Angeles, Simon didn't have the luxury of being picky right now. Since he was in Santa Monica, he decided to set the new version's locations right here.
Choosing Run Lola Run was also the result of careful consideration on Simon's part.
When it came down to it, this body was only 18 years old.
Under normal circumstances, no sensible Hollywood studio would hand over millions of dollars to a kid not even 20 yet for a risky venture. And right now, Simon didn't have the capital to finance a commercial film himself.
So, he needed to prove his chops—at least enough to ease Hollywood's concerns about his age.
Achieving that was straightforward, really: just let the work speak for itself.
Though there'd been some hiccups with WMA, the script sale for The Butterfly Effect was already a sure thing. This would be Simon's first bit of capital, and he had to use it wisely to pry open Hollywood's doors.
Of course, no matter how high a script sold for, it wouldn't amount to much. So Simon's options were limited; he could only produce an ultra-low-budget film. And that film had to deliver real value—either at the box office or through awards.
On the box office side, Simon recalled plenty of films that had pulled off low-budget miracles, like The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity.
But ultimately, their success was 90% luck and savvy marketing, with little to do with the films' actual quality.
The clearest proof? After those hits, their directors faded into obscurity in Hollywood.
So, if he tried those now, Simon figured he'd have a 99% chance of coming up empty-handed. Even that slim 1% shot at profit wouldn't get him recognized for his filmmaking skills.
As for awards, those were even more about clout and connections.
And with just the money from one script sale, crafting an artistic film good enough to win at major festivals would be next to impossible.
After sifting through options, Run Lola Run—this quirky, avant-garde experimental film—seemed perfect for Simon.
Run Lola Run had an extremely low production cost too; in his memory, it was 350,000 German marks, about $180,000, but that was over a decade from now.
Right now, with some thrift, Simon figured he could pull it off for around $100,000.
Though low-budget, Run Lola Run packed plenty of artistic and commercial punch. It not only won awards but even sparked a trend among German youth.
Of course, for Simon, that wasn't the biggest draw.
What he valued most was how Run Lola Run showcased the director's skills flawlessly.
After its 1998 release, the film's dazzling techniques in editing, music, color, montage, and camera work made it a staple in film schools worldwide, influencing many big-name directors.
Doug Liman, director of the classic Hollywood spy series The Bourne Identity, had publicly admitted that his unique style in Bourne was inspired by Run Lola Run. He even cast the original Lola, Franka Potente, as the female lead in The Bourne Identity.
So, picking Run Lola Run meant that even in the worst case—if it flopped in awards and box office—Simon would still get a chance to flaunt his filmmaking prowess to Hollywood studios.
Hollywood could be incredibly conservative, but it also worshipped talent and miracles.
As long as someone proved they could deliver profits, nobody cared if they were an angel or a devil—age would be the least of their worries.
On Washington Avenue, in the northern part of downtown Santa Monica.
As Simon passed the intersection, his eye caught the castle-like dark gray building across the street—a club. Most buildings in L.A. stuck to whites and light tones, making everything feel monotonous and bland.
This standout dark gray structure jumped out at him, and Simon quickly decided to make it one of the quick-passing street scenes in Lola's run.
Without a camera, Simon resorted to the old-fashioned way: sketching it by hand.
Standing on the curb with a handmade bound hardcover notebook, Simon first jotted down the basic street details, took another look at the scene, then started sketching rapidly in storyboard form.
A few minutes later, absorbed in his work, Simon felt a tap on his shoulder.
Puzzled, he turned around to find two girls standing behind him, unnoticed until now.
One was Courteney Cox; the other, a pretty blonde, he didn't recognize.
Courteney was eyeing him warily, saying nothing, as if waiting for him to explain himself.
Simon glanced around and realized he was right in front of a five-story apartment building—probably where Courteney and the blonde lived.
Sensing her look, it clicked for Simon.
Okay.
He'd been mistaken for a stalker.
With a wry smile, Simon closed the notebook and said, "Court, if I say this is just a coincidence, would you believe me?"
"No," Courteney shook her head immediately, but added, "So, what are you doing here?"
"I told you this afternoon—I'm prepping my movie," Simon replied, handing over the notebook.
Courteney took the thick, quarto-sized handmade notebook with a skeptical expression, flipping it open casually. The blonde girl leaned in curiously too.
The notebook was filled with dozens of pages of storyboards based on various street scenes. Though they were rough sketches, both Courteney and the blonde could easily see Simon's solid drawing skills. Most pages had detailed notes on lighting, camera positions, and other pro-level annotations.
After flipping through a few, Courteney's attention snagged on the running short-haired girl in the sketches. Suddenly, she felt too embarrassed to look at Simon. The blonde, unbothered, murmured a few admiring words, then looked up at him. "Your drawing is amazing, but is the girl in the sketches Court?"
Simon paused, glancing at Courteney's current short haircut, and understood the question.
Honestly, when sketching Lola's look, he hadn't had anyone specific in mind—he didn't even have strong feelings about the original actress, Franka Potente.
But maybe because Courteney was the only girl he knew in L.A. who fit Lola's image somewhat, he'd subconsciously based it on her during drawing, leading to this mix-up.
The sketches were pretty basic, actually; without the right hints, no one would connect the dots. But with Courteney right there, plus the earlier misunderstanding, the blonde's question made sense.
Glancing at Courteney, who was silently flipping through without looking up, and seeing both girls had clearly jumped to conclusions, Simon decided not to correct the minor mix-up. He nodded. "Yeah, this afternoon I even invited Court to be my lead actress, but she didn't believe me."
"Hehe, if Court doesn't want to, how about me? You can change all the girls in the sketches to look like me," the blonde teased with a laugh, extending her hand to Simon. "Hi, I'm Kristy Swanson."
Simon shook her hand. "Simon Westeros."
The blonde's face lit up with recognition. "Oh, you're the one Court's been talking about lately..."
Before she could finish, Courteney poked her friend in the side, shutting her up. Then she handed the notebook back to Simon. "Okay, you're off the hook."
"So," Simon said, pointing behind him, "can I stay here and finish that sketch?"
Kristy burst out laughing.
Courteney's cheeks flushed slightly as she shot Simon an exasperated glare. "Do whatever you want—it's public space."
Simon realized his question had been a bit dumb, chuckled, and reopened the notebook to the last page.
He eyed the dark gray building across the street again, picked up his pen, and started sketching. Noticing the girls hadn't left yet, he asked casually, "You two heading out for dinner?"
(End of Chapter)