AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 10
It wasn’t close to Christmas morning, but it sure felt like it to Ivy. When she was five years old, she woke up before anyone else in the house and ran down the stairs looking to see if Santa had brought her presents. She looked at all the gifts under the Christmas tree and opened every one of them believing they were all for her. She didn’t understand why Santa would bring her a cordless drill, but she didn’t care. Santa had come to her house, and that was all that mattered. Now, today, she had that same joyous feeling. This wasn’t Santa, this wasn’t even Christmas—but it was the first day of production of her Christmas movie.
She had spent last night with her family talking about the movie. They had always been supportive and were incredibly proud. Her dad was already trying to figure out how to fly her back to Geneva for a weekend seminar teaching screenwriting. As they were getting ready for bed, the doorbell rang at midnight. It was a delivery man with a basket for Ivy. It was from her agent. The basket was Christmas themed, filled with Christmas earrings, candy canes, and designer chocolates. Even her mom was impressed with the goodies inside.
Ivy read the note from Charlotte.Congratulations, Merry Christmas. Check your bank account.Ivy did that just before she went to bed. There was a new deposit. From Brilliant Pictures, LLC for the purchase price of the script. Ivy knew that scripts were optioned until the first day of production, at which point they were officially purchased. That was when the writers got a big payday. It was more money than she had ever seen in her account. She thought it might be an error. She called Charlotte. It was only 9:00 p.m. in LA.
Charlotte told her, “That money is all yours, darling. I built an escalator clause into your back end. The bigger the movie gets, the more money you get. And there’s more coming. A hundred-thousand-dollar production bonus when shooting wraps. My phone has been blowing up. A lot of people back here want to meet you. Come home soon!”
Home? Ivy was home…Wait,Ivy thought.Home is LA.This was a visit. It was a coincidence that the movie was shooting here. She could easily have been in Canada. This visit to Geneva was going as well as it could considering the Nick factor, or dick factor as she’d told her sister. “Nick is being a dick. He won’t let us shoot in the winery.”
Get out of my head, Nick Shepherd,she said to herself.Let it go. Either Frannie will convince Nick to let them film at Shepherd Winery or Drew will figure things out. He’ll find another location to film. He’s the producer. That’s his job.Technically writers rarely went to the set of their movies. Something which Ivy felt was odd and pushed for in her contract. Total access. Her agent stated she liked this about Ivy…liked how Ivy talked about maybe directing someday. She slept very well the night before the filming began.
The next morning, a production assistant (P.A.) drove Ivy to the set. As they approached the train station, Ivy saw the signs:WJMMwith arrows.When Joseph Met Mary.(Yes,she said to herself,changethe title.) The signs were posted for the cast and crew, to help them find the day’s location. But in this case, Ivy wondered how anyone could miss it. Behind the hustle and bustle of the film trucks was the historic train station. The art department had spent all night dressing it up. The station had been transformed to look like a working station for the Amtrak Empire Service Line from New York City. Gaffers and best boys were securing lights and laying cable. Sheets of snow were on the roof of the terminal. And Christmas trees (fake) lined the platform, where extras came dressed in their winter clothes. Hats, scarves, and earmuffs were all around. Decorations abounded. The lampposts were wrapped up to look like candy canes. Fake snow covered the ground and the trees. The train station which hadn’t been used for passengers in decades was ready for its Christmas close-up.
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” Ivy said out loud to the production assistant. It was Christmas in July. But it felt and looked like the real thing. Ivy jumped from the car and practically skipped onto the set. Produced screenwriters had told her that the greatest feeling a screenwriter could have was walking onto the set of your own movie. There was Vera, talking with her director of photography, who was responsible for what the camera would capture. She and Vera wanted this to feel like an old-time movie. Vera had argued with Drew to shoot in black and white with an aspect ratio of 1.33 to make it look like an old classic, pre-1950. Drew quickly rejected that idea. But Ivy had been intrigued.
Ivy saw Denise, Nick’s sister. She had not seen her since just before the breakup. Ivy had anticipated seeing her. She knew Drew had hired the local high school drama teacher to help with the background casting. That is, the extras who would fill the frame, the shot, and make it look like the town was bustling and filled with Christmas shoppers. When Ivy used to come over to Nick’s house to watch a movie, he would always fall asleep. She and Denise would stay up watching old movies. Ivy approached Denise, a little nervous. Suddenly, the movie went to the back of her mind, and front and center was the thoughtDenise was almost my sister-in-law. In fact, during one summer, they called each other “Sis.” They were that close. Denise had been rooting for Nick and Ivy to make it as a couple.
“Hello, Ivy.”
“Hi, Denise.”
“Congratulations on the movie,” Denise said. It was like a poker game. No one was showing their cards.
“Thanks. You too. The extras all look great. I wanted to explain—”
“Nothing to explain. My brother was a jerk to you. I was so angry about what he did. I missed you, Ivy,” Denise said.
“I missed you too,” Ivy said as they hugged. And that was it. Denise was on her side.
“Welcome home. Gotta run. It looks like some of the actors are getting too into their parts,” Denise said as she ran over to a couple carrying their luggage. They were dressed in Hawaiian shirts. They tried to explain to Denise that their characters had just returned from an island honeymoon. Denise sent them to the wardrobe department to change.
Ivy walked over to Vera to say hello, but Vera was busy, deep in directing mode. “Ivy, stand to the side. We’re working here.” Ivy knew that all of her work was done. She was staying on the set with her producer credit, and in case she needed to fix any lines in the script or was needed for script changes. She also hoped that she could watch the completed footage at the end of the day. The smell of food wafted in the air. Ivy followed it. A very good-looking chef manned the craft services table. He had salt-and-pepper hair. He smiled at Ivy and with a very thick French accent said, “Bonjour.”
Her movie mind flashed to Disney’sRatatouille. “Are you making cappuccinos?” Ivy asked.
“Cappuccino, no.Café crème, yes,” the French chef said as he handed her a drink that looked just like a cappuccino.Oh, the French,Ivy thought.
“You’re craft services?”
“I am. I am J. B. Nadal. I prefer on-set chef.”
Thecafé crèmewas so good. And the pastries looked divine. She felt herself gaining a pound just by looking at them.
“There you are!” Amari called out. Ivy turned and immediately recognized the blouse Amari was wearing. It was exactly like one she used to wear. It was last seen way in the back of her closet.She looks just like me,Ivy thought.
“Oh my God, that shirt. I had one just like that,” she said.
“You still do. This is it. I stopped by your house yesterday, and your mother showed me your closet. I borrowed a few things. I hope that’s okay. Vera wanted to keep it real,” Amari said as she twirled. It was Ivy who was twirling—inside her head, at least. Amari had gone to her house and went through her clothes with her mother. What was that about? Ivy worried:What else did she find?
The answer came quickly: “Oh, and I met Nick the other day,” Amari offered. “Girl, he owns a winery. The dude’s got arms like tree trunks. He is hot. I can see why you dated him. How could you ever break up with a guy that hot?”
Ivy was getting agitated. Was it embarrassment? Anger? Jealousy? “I didn’t break up with him. He dumped me,” she said coolly.
“Oh, that makes a lot more sense.” Amari smiled. Ivy’s mind was racing to find the perfect comeback line. But like any writer, she knew that line would not come to her until later that night. She just stared at Amari, until Bruce called everyone together. Vera wanted to talk to the cast and crew. She had them huddle up. The huddle formed, and Ivy was late to the arm lock. Denise noticed and had her squeeze in.
“I want this to be real,” Vera said. “Really real. Slice of life. We’re going to be on sticks, off sticks. We’ll shoot rehearsals. We’ll do what it takes for as long as it takes to get the shots we need. Film is life. Now, let’s make a movie.” Everyone cheered. Ivy smiled. She settled in at the video village with Drew. It was where key personnel would sit on director’s chairs and watch the scene on video as it played out. Ivy had learned in film school that video playback while filming had been created by none other than Jerry Lewis.
