Rise To Stardom - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Pre-Production
On a TweetTalk post, one whose engagement was increasing by the minute, denizens of the internet gathered to talk about today’s episode of Artistry Unleashed.

A few of them had heard the rumors pertaining to Kyle being invited to the show while the others who had no knowledge of sort, had simply tuned in to the show to be entertained.

—

[N0c: Today’s episode, was arguably one of the best in my opinion. Really enjoyed the rapport between Kyle and Emma.

Princess Peach: That genuine appreciation in his eyes when he talks about his gratitude towards everyone who made his song a success was just so endearing. A genuinely sweet soul. That’s the kind of person Kyle is.

DoYouEvenCultivateBro: For someone who seemed like an introvert based off his social media presence, he sure is one hell of a charmer. Now I understand why my younger sister’s been obsessed with him these past few months.

The 78th Curator: Moment he talked about [The Curator], I knew this guy was a homie. Became an instant fan! Though I do agree the recent seasons have been utter bullshit.

OldSage: What a well-spoken young man. Wish I had a grandson like him…

Trix Or Treat: I’ve always loved Kyle’s wittiness with words but today’s was just off the charts.

Oompa-Loompa-Doompety-Doo: @Trix Or Treat; I agree! Couldn’t help but crack up each time he played along with Emma. The subtlety of it is what makes it even better.

RedDragonWithACoin: I really admire the privacy and respect that Emma gives to all artists, whether mainstream or indie. That quality of hers is what really makes her show such a hit I feel like.

PurpleCar: Couldn’t agree more with the comment upstairs. The way she tests the waters by not outright asking but instead giving the artists a chance to decide if they do want to talk about it or not is a really nice touch. Kudos to Kyle for playing along too. Made today’s episode that much more fun.

Cptn_Jak_Sparrow: Found his songs due to this episode and I must say, I’m loving them. Playing them all on loop as we speak.

PainTrain: [No Clue] huh. Even though it’s been recommended to me these past few days, I was planning to just ignore it due to the craze everywhere but seeing the man behind the song… yeah, I will listen to it tonight.

GottaLoveVillains: @PainTrain; I know right. Seems like such a chill dude. Definitely give the song a shot too. You just might like it as much as a lot of people do.

InspirationCapsuleIsGoodForTheBody: That burning passion in his eyes when he talks about singing and acting; that’s an expression I haven’t seen from a lot of artists in a really long while. Hopefully he maintains that and Hollywood doesn’t suck it all out of him.

IWantToGetLaid: Kyle’s so handsome its unfair! Darn parents of mine! Couldn’t you have given me some proper variables! I wanna get laid so bad!

Sigma_King: @IWantToGetLaid; Man you need to fix that shitty mentality of yours first. First off, I think it’s very obvious that there’s more to Kyle than simply just being a hunk. Secondly, don’t get motivated by hoes and actually work on yourself, for yourself. Get on that grind train and improve bro. Then maybe, you actually will get laid.

Asian_Mother: @IWantToGetLaid; You better apologize to your parents right now or you’ll taste the fury of my slipper! Better yet, I might send you to Jesus!

Paparazzi Man: Honestly, Kyle would be an idiot not to capitalize on his fame at the moment. Simply churning out a few more songs would ensure that he stays relevant at least.

The Impostor: @Papparazzi Man; Nah. I doubt he’d do that. Doesn’t seem like the type.

Zack Mendez: Hopefully we hear a new song from him soon. Wouldn’t mind seeing him in a movie or another series either.

CuriousCat: @Zack Mendez; Hey, it’s really you! What project are you planning to work on next?!

—

As the thread continued on, more and more people continued to join in on the discussion.

While some simply had words of admiration for Kyle, some came purely to spectate and peruse through the thread, some, looked forward to his next song and some, hoped that they would see him in a movie or another series sooner rather than later.

* * *

[Somewhere in Englishtown, NYC…]

“Haa…”

Glancing over to his assistant director who was massaging his temples as he sighed tiredly, Director Mark Clyde returned his attention to the drifting circuit before him.

A few stunt drivers were speeding through the circuit, burning rubber as they executed some really skillful drifts that edged dangerously close to the metallic railings of the enclosed space.

Just beside the director, was Bruce Gunn, an upcoming action star in the late 90’s and early 2000’s who was set to become an A-lister.

Being quite the daredevil, Bruce had always loved doing his own stunts in all his movies, a trait every director he had ever worked with had loved and feared at the same time.

However, in the year 2005, he had decided to take a long break from his acting career for personal reasons.

Apparently, he had wanted to watch his daughters grow up and be a proper family man, a decision the general public had been in immense support of.

But with that long hiatus from him, came a scenario where he slowly started to fade away into obscurity, making him a forgotten actor in the minds of the general public.

Most of today’s teens and young adults probably wouldn’t even have heard of him, not that Bruce ever minded though.

To him, having the best relationship with his family was something he would’ve never traded his career for.

Now that his daughters were adults in their own rights though, he and his wife had decided to pursue their various aspirations again.

Now at the age of 44, Bruce was looking to produce an action movie with his long-time friend Mark Clyde who was aged 45.

Mark himself was a director who was well-known for a few popular rom-com films here and there that had done really well at the box office.

However, considering he had never really gotten the chance to shoot an action movie, this came as a much welcome opportunity to really push himself to new heights and his improve his craft too.

Having written a nice script that was pretty much conventional in every sense of the word, but still good enough to be a fun action romp, the project had been greenlit and pre-production of the film had begun a few weeks back.

Considering they also had a small joint venture of their own that went by the name of Dot Productions, along with another friend of theirs who would be handling things on the production side, all three had raised a sum total of $16 million for the movie.

With the budget already secured, both were planning to just have a good time making the movie – not that it would ever stop either of them from their thrill-seeking tendencies though.

Staring at the circuit, Tom Higgs, the young man in his late twenties and also the assistant director, voiced his opinions in exasperated tone;

“Forgive my impertinence but are you really still planning to go along with this?”

“Yes. We are.” Mark and Bruce replied in unison, their expression nonchalant.

“Besides, the direction style for this movie demands it.” Mark added casually.

Sighing again, Tom inwardly groaned, wondering why exactly the two of them were so adamant on this.

“But it might take a long while you know?! Wouldn’t it be a hassle if we were producing the movie for a long while just because of it?!” he frowned again, not even holding back this time.

“It’s alright. We aren’t in a hurry.” Mark shrugged.

“Won’t a stuntman be much better than an actor in all regards for something like that?” Tom questioned again, a look of defeat and resignation settling on his features.

“Well of course we’ll employ stuntmen when necessary, but for the most part, we need the actor to be capable of doing most of his own stunts. We won’t compromise on that.” Mark replied, his tone still casual.

“Besides, wouldn’t the audience be excited when they watch the movie and realize that most of the stunts were done by the actors themselves. Adds a much needed touch of realism most action movies don’t have these days.” Bruce also added, his eyes glancing over to Tom’s for a split moment.

Despite understanding where both of them were coming from, Tom still felt very uncomfortable about the whole idea.

But alas, he was only an assistant director and at the end of the day, he couldn’t go against the vision of the director.

He could only do as he was told to and accept it without complaints.

Tom’s only hope though, was that they would find the actor they needed as soon as possible, unless, they’d be stuck with auditions and pre-production for the next one or two months, and possibly even three, if things didn’t gel properly.

“So, did Jeffrey agree to star in the movie?” Bruce asked Mark, his expression curious.

“Yeah. He was practically over the moon to be working with us again even at his age. I also sent the script to him and he liked it.” Mark replied.

“That’s great. So all that’s left now, is finding the actor that’ll be tasked with playing Alex Hunt and the rest of the cast.” Bruce stroked his chin as he said that, a thin smile still present on his lips.

“Yeah. Auditions start in a week and a few days. Hopefully we find good eggs among them.” Director Mark nodded.

Having discussed extensively about it, all while also considering other ways to effectively minimize budget costs, Mark, Bruce and Hank Boon, their producer, had decided to go for aspiring actors who wouldn’t mind the small pay they could manage.

Since most of the funds would go into polishing the movie to its absolute best, it was a safe option for them as even the starring actors in the film itself, weren’t being paid huge sums of money.

* * *

(A few days later…)

Placing a thin stack of scripts on his office table, Kyle gazed at Oliver with glimmer of excitement, the question in his eyes evident.

“Yes. That’s the short script you’ll be auditioning with.” the agent answered while loosening his tie.

Sitting on the other end of his desk, Oliver watched as Kyle quickly retrieved said script with child-like excitement, his eyes already devouring through all of the content.

Staring amusedly at him for a few more minutes, Oliver then broke the silence.

“A condition was attached to the role you’ll be tasked with playing Kyle, that is, if you actually do end up getting the role…”

“And what’s that?” Kyle tore his gaze away from the script, his expression curious.

“You’ll be required to do most of your stunts. And apparently, some might be a bit dangerous…”

“In addition to that, the pay might not be all that enticing, though I seriously doubt that you’d give a rat’s ass about that…” Oliver continued, soliciting a slight grin from Kyle.

The agent had noticed quite a while back that Kyle was more about the art than the money side of the business itself.

“But still, pulling off all of your own stunts feels a bit too risky in my opinion…”

“I personally would reject the offer despite having being keeping tabs on the project for a while.” Oliver leaned forward on the desk as he gave his own opinion, a hint of worry on his features.

“But, your input is necessary…” he gestured to Kyle with his hands.

“So, you’re absolutely free to reject it if you want and we can just go search for another project. I won’t mind.” the agent concluded, gauging Kyle’s reaction.

“Is that all?” Kyle tilted his head in mild amusement.

“Yes.” Oliver nodded in response.

“Then it’s fine. I’m okay with having to do all of my own stunts” the young man replied with a thin smile, causing Oliver to sigh in slight resignation.

He already had a feeling his ward would follow through with the condition regardless.

“Alright then. We leave for New York in a week.” he said shortly after and Kyle nodded as he replied;

“No problem. I’ll do my best to thoroughly prepare for the auditions.”

Most newbie actors were usually quite scared to follow through with any sort of dangerous stunts at the inception of their career, lest it might physically injure and prevent them from getting future roles.

This was a very sane and understandable decision.

But for Kyle, that didn’t even bother him one bit.

In his case, sanity was already out the window.

He was blessed with quite the powerful system, one in which he could employ its usage to make things far easier and smoother for him than the average person.

And so, although Kyle himself understood why Oliver was understandably worried, he was extremely confident about pulling off all of his own stunts regardless.