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“Yeah. Then after lunch we work on spot choreo for b-reel while you work with the leads and supporting leads on the main stuff.”
“Yes, very good. Now this is a short shoot with a whole lot of people not from our company. The hardest part about this isn’t going to be teaching them any moves or stunts, it’s all going to be about talent and time management.” I swallowed, trying to keep my tone level when really I was so pumped, I felt like I could punch through a board.
Sure, the whole marriage thing with Mickey was still going on, but that was almost background noise to me at that point. Because Monday night, when I was laying in bed and grousing over my situation, we’d gotten an email for a gig that was not only going to pay a pretty penny, but also give us plenty of clout.
And goodness knew, as a relatively new business, we could use all the clout that we could get.
Besides, it was a pretty exciting project as it were. Big, epic battle with a female lead versus a male lead. Costumes. Wardrobe. And thankfully, no high heels.
As an added bonus, since it was all about battle and war, the producers were fine with having me do actual stunt work in some of the b-reel tracking shots. It felt like ages since I had a chance to work in front of the camera as well as behind, and it was just fantastic.
“We have a schedule, so we need to stick to it. If anything else in production causes there to be a delay -which, let’s face it- always happens, then you use that time to rehearse and go over your choreography again and again until it’s burned into the extra’s eyes. Got it?”
There were nods all around and I gave them one of my patented smiles. “Alright. This can be a huge deal for all of us. We do well, we’re pretty much guaranteed to get more and more work. So, let’s do this all together, okay team?”
There was a cheer and I felt satisfaction wash over me. Sure, the whole project was far from over, it was just beginning really, but I had confidence in my workers. Although our company was small, that had allowed me to hire only people I had one hundred percent confidence in, and that was pretty darn nice. I knew we were going to rock it, and this was pretty much the big break I had been waiting for my company to have.
“Hello, Mrs. Shelstien?” a young, whippish looking man sidled up beside me, looking a bit uncertain with a clipboard in his hands.
“It’s Miss,” I corrected quickly. I hadn’t spent all my time working on building my name up and my brand for it to go to some non-existent Mr. Shelstien.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just assumed because of the ring.”
Well, what about the very real Mr. Dirussi?
I jolted, then cleared my throat to try to recover from the reaction. “Ah yes, that. Just a little promise ring. Nothing that serious.”
I sent him a smile that I was fairly sure convinced him, because then he was off and talking about whatever brought him over.
“Both of our leads are now here, so I’m supposed to walk you through what shots the directors have planned to make sure it all still works with the blocking you submitted.”
It wasn’t that I was attached to the ring, really. It was just that it was a really big rock and the thought of leaving it at home alone where someone could break in and steal it made me nauseous. No, the only place where it was safe was right on my finger -even if it was terribly inconvenient.
Wait… why hadn’t I just given it back to Mickey at the diner? Then it would have been his problem and I wouldn’t have had to worry.
“They better still work with what we submitted,” I said with a laugh that maybe almost sounded halfway genuine. “Me and my co-owners pulled an all nighter writing out everything according to the specs we were given, and it was approved the next day.”
The assistant let out a little laugh, but it was much more nervous than mine. “I’m sure everything will be fine. From what I hear, everyone loves the choreography you sent in.”
“Uh-huh, I’m sure. Why don’t you lead the way?”
He nodded and scuttled off, looking over his shoulder every now and then to make sure I was still following. Which I was, of course. The leads had some of the most intense blocking.
Sure, it wasn’t a high-level action scene stuff, but there was axe choreo and sword choreo and even a little dagger-play. It was a whole to-do for a commercial, but that was show biz.
The set was an impressive spread, with a big ol’ field and plenty of tents for the staff. I’d worked in some pretty uncomfortable conditions, but I certainly wasn’t going to complain with a big ol’ craft table and tons of cool water.
