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“And producer,” Rory added.
“It’s a small credit.”
“I heard the movie hit a rough patch. A disaster as your set was destroyed by the storm. Any comments?”
“No. No problem at all. You two have fun. I have to go to work.” Ivy walked back toward Drew and Vera. There was something about that reporter that Ivy did not like. Her return to the table was greeted by Vera.
“Nice of you to join us again,” Vera sniped. She ran hot and cold with Ivy. More like lukewarm and subzero.
“Griffin was having a meltdown. His fans keep finding him,” Ivy explained. Drew muttered that he would deal with it, but Ivy told him she would. She had a plan. When asked how, she declined to share her plan.
“What if we shoot in a mall?” Drew suggested, excited by what he thought was a genius idea. Vera was about to tell him how bad it was.
“A mall isn’t real. A mall represents death to small town mom-and-pop stores. This movie is about the authentic true spirit of Christmas, and you want to stick us in a mall?”
“Sorry to ruin your integrity. I forgot I was dealing with a New York artist.”
“Give me an extra week.”
“We don’t have the money. What if we cut the shopping sequence? I’m not even sure we need it.”
Vera considered this. Ivy knew about things happening on a film set that led to a movie’s story being changed. They had to stick to the script. That was what Vera had said in her kickoff speech. Now she was considering cutting a scene that was so important to the movie. “Do we need it?” Vera paused.
“Yes, we do need it,” Ivy said. “It’s the last time they see each other. It’s not goodbye, but they both sense it is. They muddle through the holidays together, knowing that…knowing their relationship is being tested.” She spoke quietly, “But I have a solution. What if we turn a closed mall into Main Street? Not just any mall. A dead mall. The Finger Lakes Mall closed during the pandemic. Never reopened. Used to be the place all us kids would go. Maybe we can take one wing, decorate some storefronts, throw up some lights, and turn it into Main Street.”
Drew was not sure. Vera was. “Love it! The dead mall becomes our set.” She turned to Drew. “Why didn’t you think of that?” He started to defend himself, but all Vera cared about was: “Get me access to that mall.” Drew went into producing mode.
Rory moved close to the conversation and offered, “The county owns it. Mall went bankrupt last year. I can make some calls if it helps.”
“Who are you?” Vera asked.
“Reporter—Rory Jones. Covering the movie for the paper.”
“Thanks, Rory. We can use all the help we can get,” Drew said.
For Vera, this day kept getting worse. She snapped at him. “I said no press on the set.” Vera climbed up on a chair and called out to the department heads in the dining room. “Okay, lunchtime is over! Where’s Wyck?” Wyck was eating next door. “Get him over here!”
Wyck grabbed his grilled cheese sandwich and carried it to the bar table. “What’s going on?”
“We need to turn the wing of a dead mall into Main Street by tomorrow morning to stay on schedule. Bruce, let the crew know. Early call. Drew, get me into the mall. Ivy, you know that woman who does the background extras?”
“Denise. She’s Nick’s sister.”
Vera was too frazzled. “Who the hell is Nick?”
“Nick is Rick,” Drew said.
“Griffin is Rick! What are you talking about? We need extras. You’re from around here. Start calling…and I need you to rewrite the scenes.” Ivy was lost in thought. “Are you even listening to me?” Vera practically yelled.
Ivy turned to her with a smile. She had just come up with a genius idea. “What if we did it like the walk through the seasons shot inNotting Hill?” Ivy suggested, referring to the classic Richard Curtis comedy. “But instead of the seasons changing we see Rick and Ilsa walk into a store, shoppers wipe the frame, and Rick and Ilsa come out a year older. Carrying different presents. We can shoot two nights in one day and get back on schedule.”
Vera hugged Ivy. “I loveNotting Hill. That’s a great idea. Can’t wait to steal it. You’re not just a writer. You’re a director.”
“Oh, that means so much, Vera.” Ivy smiled.
“So get going!”
Director. Vera thought of me as a director. I do have a good sense of visual storytelling. Most people think screenwriting is just writing what the characters say. It’s so much more. Good screenwriting has minimal dialogue and tells the story with pictures.
