Thanks in advance.

I don't think Aucuba japonica gets very tall, although the NC site says it will get to 10 feet at maturity. Same site says growth rate is slow.

If you only want a visual barrier and not a physical one,
establish the plants in 2 or more rows, separated by several feet and offset the plants in each row by half the distance between the plants in the adjoining row. That will fill in the spaces without waiting for plants to attain their maximum width.
Rb

That would make a difference in what you might grow and why. For example, do you have a small backyard with big trees and are trying to develop a screening planting under the trees and have to think about tree root competition, and what kind of trees,vs. is the shade thrown by tall houses, and how much room do you have to work with in developing your screening plantings? And how tall do they have to be to get the effect you want (depends on whether you are looking out across flat land, or down a hill, or the expected houses will be looking down on you, or what).

That would help determine whether you can plant a mixed planting of small understory trees that tolerate some shade (dogwoods and redbuds) with shade shrubs underneath, or whether you plant one or 2 major site-blocker trees (the evergreen magnolia, if enough sun). Also, think whether you need an impenetrable type screen, or just some hazy plantings that create partial privacy.