Rise To Stardom - Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Shooting Begins!
{Epoch One | 3rd April 2019 | Act 1 | Scene 1 | Take 1}

Bringing the black sedan to a halt in the parking lot of a popular five-story apartment building, two individuals got out of the vehicle.

Both were dressed in pristinely tailored black suits.

“Well, this is it Sam. This is goodbye.” an elderly man in his late sixties whom was holding a suitcase, said to his former colleague.

His black hair with interspersed strands of gray, styled in a gentleman cut, was slick and gelled.

A warm expression also graced his wrinkled face and a multitude of emotions were portrayed in his brown eyes as he stared at his long-time partner.

“You’ve done a great deal for the EMF, Pierce. Sad to see you go but, enjoy your retirement. At least until they make you the next head.” Sam, a man in his late thirties with slicked-back jet-black hair and obsidian-black irises, extended a handshake with a thin smile, a rarity only a few ever got to see.

“You could’ve put more effort into your farewells Sam.” Pierce received the handshake as he said, his eyebrow arched up at his last few words.

“Be lucky you’re even getting this much.” Sam retorted and Pierce let out a hearty chuckle.

Truly, his longtime partner wasn’t the sentimental kind so he’d just have to make do with this.

“Alright then. Run along. Can’t afford to waste any more time here with my old bones.” Pierce gestured with a knowing smile and Sam nodded in response, quickly getting back into the car.

Watching as the car left, Pierce slightly waved, a peculiar silver ring on his finger noticeable as he made his way into his apartment a few seconds after.

“CUT!”

—

Checking the cameras to see if the take was good, Mark nodded as he declared;

“Alright everyone. Take five! We’ll be filming the next scene after!”

—

{Epoch One | 3rd April 2019 | Act 1 | Scene 2 | Take 1}

Sam tracked the route to the nearest safe house with the car’s inbuilt GPS system and drove towards his destination with purpose.

He needed to get all of his gadget in preparation for his recently assigned mission, one that could take him months to complete.

In addition to that, he was also required to meet up with his newly assigned partner at that same safe house.

As he kept driving, zooming past a few cars here and there, a phone call came in.

Noticing the encrypted call from the android interface of the car’s deck, Sam expected a call from HQ as he picked it up.

However, what he was met with, was a cold voice with a thick Russian that he couldn’t recognize.

[Agent Sam Watts. Buy a bouquet of flowers for your friend.]

“Who is this?” Sam’s casual expression turned cold as he asked, the cryptic message making him feel uneasy, another rarity he hardly ever experienced.

Simultaneously, he was already turning the car around, the speed increasing twofold as he made his way back to his friend’s apartment.

He had a very bad feeling about this.

[Unfortunately, you’re too late Sam. Pierce is just the beginning, and more will follow. Mark my words.]

Hearing the reply from the encrypted call that had no intentions of ever answering him in the first place as it hanged up, Sam cursed as he sped through the busy road.

“Fuck!” he banged his hands on the steering wheel!

His previously cold expression faded to show the panic and desperation that had now taken over as he dialed the car’s speed to eleven.

“Please be safe! Please be safe!” he muttered in fear as he saw the familiar building pop up in the distance.

Parking the car directly in front of the building, completely disregarding the no-parking sign, Sam bolted out of the car, only to be thrust backwards by a large explosion that sent him harshly colliding against the sides of his vehicle and knocking him out cold in the process.

“CUT!”

—

Watching as the Bob White, the cinematographer for the film, alighted from the vehicle they had been using to follow Bruce’s sedan in the shot, Director Mark quickly went to check the scenes on those too.

Satisfied with what he saw, he gave Bob, Bruce and the actor playing Pierce a thumbs up.

“Alright everyone. We’re shifting locations! Let’s move!” he ordered and quickly, the crew started to move their stuff in an orderly and professional manner.

Just two days ago, they had started the shooting for [Epoch One].

Although the scenes were shot in no particular order at the moment, the two scenes they had just shot, were the introductory scenes of the movie.

Following that, the movie would then employ a two-year time-skip where the suicide bombings would once again become rampant, with Sam going rogue even after the EMF higher-ups had warned him not to investigate.

To him, clearing his old friend’s name and getting revenge against those who framed him was an utmost priority.

To save money, the crew had opted to use a green screen for the explosion scenes alone in the movie, rather than using practical effects. It was also the same they had used for the scene they had just shot.

Considering their budget was also very tight, they were incentivized to not do more than one or two takes for some scenes that required a lot of practicality to shoot; especially the car chase scenes in the movie.

…

…

…

‘Alex’s character doesn’t just exude a certain playfulness to him for no reason…’

‘No, far from that, it works like a sort of coping mechanism. A stress reliever in intense situations, mostly…’ Kyle nodded, deepening his understanding of Alex’s character even further.

Walking up to the young man who had his head buried in what seemed to be a small notebook full of colorfully written points and other things he couldn’t quite make out, Jeffrey inquired of the young man;

“Such dedication at a young age. Are you sure you’re getting enough rest kiddo?”

Raising his head up, Kyle smiled politely in reply;

“I’m alright Jeff. I’ll get as much rest is needed once I’m done with this scene.”

He and Jeffrey, another co-actor on set, had met at the read-through last month and had actually hit it off quite well.

The old man, was the one who would be playing the main antagonist role of a man called Abraham Vine.

Although his screen time wasn’t as much as Kyle’s and Bruce’s, the old man’s role was one of those roles that just couldn’t be overlooked in the movie.

In addition to that, Jeffrey Dickson was a well-known actor in Hollywood who had starred in a lot of hit films in 80’s and 90’s.

In fact, some young’uns in this day and age also knew about him because of some old blockbuster classics he had starred in as the leading role that was still being talked about till date.

Having made his own legacy, the man, already at an unbelievable Acting Level 15 when Kyle had appraised him, just acted in whatever movie suited his fancy these days.

Bruce and Mark to Jeff especially, were young and dedicated youths he had taken under his wing when they had first stepped foot into the world of Hollywood, showing them the right path forward and shielding them from the evils of Hollywood.

Maybe it was because of that, Jeffrey had also taken a lot of liking to Kyle because he reminded him of those two when they were much younger.

“Alright. Don’t overdo it. Remember, health is wealth. Be passionate but don’t forget to take care of the body that feeds that passion.” he gave some sagely advice and Kyle nodded in response as he watched the old man make his way back into his trailer.

Simultaneously, Kyle watched as Bruce, whom he had appraised at level 14 in his acting skills, walked over.

“Hey rookie.” Bruce greeted to which Kyle reciprocated;

“Hi Bruce. Your scene just ended?” the young man questioned.

“Yeah. After the second take. Sound equipment was acting up.” Bruce tiredly stretched as he responded.

“Your scene’s coming up next. How’re you feeling?” Bruce then asked, his tone leisurely.

“Pretty confident.” Kyle replied.

“Well, give it your all. You’ve already impressed most of the crew with your fantastic action and stunt mastery but your acting must be just as good.” the experienced actor pat Kyle’s back whilst saying that.

“I won’t disappoint.” Kyle declared, his tone resolute.

No sooner had he replied, Tom, the assistant director, called out to Kyle from afar, informing him that it was time to perform his scene.

Swiftly, Kyle got up, dressed in the same all-black attire similar to that on the day of the audition.

Today, no intense action scenes would be shot. In fact, all they had been shooting were mostly just introductory scenes and a few dialogue scenes for the past two days now.

Even the interrogation scene between he and his co-actor playing the role of Donovan Dominguez had already been shot but before that scene, were two scenes just before that had yet to be shot.

One where Alex would fight his way through a dark, enclosed corridor with a silencer whilst taking down Donovan’s goons and the other, which was a scene just after that.

This exact scene, was one where Alex would first be introduced, fully, to the audience. It was also the scene he was about to act out.

Despite being a very simple scene in theory, it was a scene that was meant to arouse the audience’s interest in his character.

As a result, Kyle needed to give a very convincing performance even without any dialogue.

…

…

…

“So, first we start with a long shot and then, as you gradually come into frame, we switch to a close-up shot.”

“Remember, your eyes need to captivate the audience in this scene. Make them interested. Make them curious. Make them realize, that you’re literally a force to be reckoned with.”

“If you mess it up, that’s fine, we can try again. But, let’s try to get it in as few tries as possible alright?” Director Mark said to the rookie.

Nodding his head in understanding, Kyle took in a deep breath as Mark went to make a few checks here and there.

“Okay, we’re starting in five!” he declared and despite having already made checks, the camera, lighting and sound crew did a quick look over again and got ready.

Checks could never be too much on a filming set.

It was essential, necessary even, to give every scene their absolute best because just one simple mistake was all it took for the hard work they had previously put into to prepare for a scene to go down the drain in an instant.

“Alright! Quiet on set!”

Hearing those words from the Director, everyone on set maintained their assigned positions and Kyle, activated [Deep Dive], the scenery around him changing.

“Roll sound!” Mark called out.

“Sound is speeding!” the sound crew responded.

“Roll camera!” he called out again.

“Camera’s speeding!” Bob, the cinematographer and other cameramen responded.

“Slate!” Mark ordered.

“Epoch One – Act 1 – Scene 7 – Take 1.” the clapperloader released the stick as he casually said.

“…” a short pause descended in the area for a few seconds as the Director gave one look over before finally saying the magic words;

“Action!”