Movie Magic

Preamble: This story grew out of a real experience with a brief opportunity to rent my property for shooting a commercial. Stir in my over-imagination and a work of fiction was built around that tiny framework of reality. I've tried to get the production stuff correct but realistically I only saw a day of shooting so I am sure real movies are far more involved. I purposely avoided using any real celebrities because it wasn't about writing a fanboy fantasy tribute to a real celebrity but rather a romance that grows between two people who met through a "show biz" opportunity.

It has been over a decade since I published my last story. To my 103 followers, sorry about that. I had several stories drafted but they all sounded like what I'd already written except flat and when I realized that, I just quit writing. Recent global events and my employer allowed me to work from home for extended period. Without an hour plus being spent each day commuting and more time spent away from everyone else, it seemed a good opportunity to try writing again.

After more reflection and lots of research on Lit, I switched to writing in the first person. I found that by getting inside the head of one of the characters, I could picture and narrate a more imaginative plot. For me, it seems to have worked but I'll leave that up to you the reader - please vote. The bulk of the story framework and plot flowed from my fingers in a rough but virtually complete form in a single evening to be filled in and smoothed out over a couple of weeks.

All characters are the product of my imagination, all are over 18 if engaging in sex and none are based on real people so any real-life similarity to persons alive or dead is a random act of happenstance and not an intentional or real construct. As I've always preferred, I posted the entire story in one piece. This story is copyright HoserProser, 2021. Enjoy, critique, vote in equal measure. It is good to be back.

—HP—

Chapter 1 - Shooting Begins

"Aaaaaannnnnd CUT!" the director called as the final shoot of the day ground to a halt. The production assistants applauded and moved about the crew and actors backslapping and glad-handing everyone with that wonderful fake bravado that keeps everyone pseudo-motivated and morale registering at least a false positive. In reality it had been a long, cold and very damp day of shooting. That morale was probably also buoyed by a big dose of thank god that's over.

The camera drone settled to the ground, its eight rotors slowing to a stop in a spray of wet dirt and debris as the operator slipped the remote control body harness off and began the process of dismantling and cleaning his baby. Removing the large battery packs and camera module and folding the eight rotor arms converted what had seemed like a real helicopter to a package that fit a foam-filled box small enough for one person to wrestle with.

The drone camera operator swooped in to grab the camera module, power it down and remove the memory cards. With the memory cards securely in the hands of the director of photography, the last few hour's work was ready to join other footage safely stowed away. Even to a newbie like me, this was obviously no over-the-counter drone. It took two people to run it, one to fly the drone and the other to work the remote camera. I overheard someone say they were packing their toy up to go shoot second-unit "B roll" footage several hundred miles away in the small town where the story was actually supposed to be set.

The long shots of the actors driving up, walking from building to building and other atmosphere shots had been done quickly today with that single drone. One of the crew had been happy to take this newbie under his wing and explain what they were doing with the drone that they couldn't do in the past. Back in the day they would use big camera booms, scaffolding or even real helicopters with lots of setup and teardown work to accomplish what they had done so easily today with a single drone.

Tomorrow's schedule at my place called for conventional cameras shooting more traditional scenes with careful lighting, artistic camera angles, characters and dialogue. They weren't using any green fabric or backdrops that I could see, so I assumed there was little or no computer-generated graphics to be added to this movie but it was early days yet and I didn't know the plot or overall shooting schedule. Heck, I didn't even know how many more days of shooting on my property they had planned. They said it depended on the weather, the level of natural lighting and other bits of movie mumbo-jumbo. Apparently all of that cocktail of stuff went together to produce the magic that would appear on the large or small screen.

Not that I particularly minded, the production company had only partly invaded the house. The longer they were here, the more rent they paid, and the more free food I got. Before they got here I was probably like most, really rather clueless about how much was involved with shooting a movie and what happened on location.

The number of people behind the scenes with strange job titles like Best Boy, Key Grip, Set Dresser, Gaffer and so forth boggled my mind. Some were typical jobs like Director, Producer, Cameraman and such. But even those jobs had assistants and associates with them. Most of the other jobs were totally foreign to me. Sure, I'd seen them listed in movie credits but who knew what they did?

Turns out a Best Boy is actually the lead electrician as opposed to a capable underage male assistant, or worse! A mature woman could be a Best Boy! What does a Grip do? Does the Key Grip look after locking things up? All kinds of things came to mind but to see them running around adjusting lights, putting colored gels over lights and generally moving about in organized confusion getting all the shots and scenes set up according to the director's wishes told me a bit about what their job description really was.

But the best job description, by far, was Craft Services. It should be called Bacchanal Services - these people were gods of food and drink, although unlike the real Bacchus, all the drinks I saw were non-alcoholic. Constantly circulating with trays of fresh-baked goodies and amazing nibbles, setting up tents with tables groaning under piles of delicious morsels to graze on all day, the were in charge of keeping bellies full. Craft Services were definitely the real stars of this show as far as I was concerned. Their never-ending supply of coffee, hot chocolate, soup and warm treats to stave off the miserable damp chill of the day was very welcome.

Craft Services had showed up before everyone else with a fully equipped portable kitchen in the back of a pretty big truck. Their kitchen rivalled my farmhouse kitchen for size. They plugged in to the massive generator the Best Boy and Electricians had set up the day before and started producing wonderful food for the cast and crew. There was a lunch break at a nearby banquet hall so I learned Craft Services weren't producing full meals, just snacks. A team of four people and an entire truck devoted to nothing but providing fresh goodies, fruit, beverages plus a range of other healthier finger foods for those so inclined to keep bellies full and everyone content and warm through the dreary fall day.

Chapter 2 - A Movie?

This movie thing had all started a few years ago. A long-forgotten location scout had dropped by to ask me if I minded him taking a look around. I had nothing better in mind at the time so I'd given him the full 50 cent tour of the place. We talked about the farm and how interested we might be in renting it out for location work for commercials, TV shows or movies. Nothing seemed to come of it, I had completely forgotten about him in the intervening years.

But in my defence, I had been swamped with bigger challenges in the meantime. Barely three years ago now, "we" became "I". The kids were grown, moved out and happily living successful lives of their own. The other half of "we" decided an empty nest was as good a reason as any to trade up to the successful executive with the big six figure salary plus bonuses. Ditch the pathetic history professor with the hobby farm dreams, the old farmhouse in constant disrepair and the farm pets the kids had left behind. Of course, the balance sheet then showed I had those assorted assets - four-legged hay-burning pets, an old brick farmhouse, barn and some farmland. The balance sheet somehow forgot to show the mortgage that also went with it.

Balance, ha! She got the retirement savings and I got the privilege of taking out a second mortgage to buy her half of the farm. I was alone doggedly trudging through the shared dream and paying for it all. Nope, I wasn't bitter. Not that I would give up the farm and all the associated work, but it still burned my ass that all the expenses got dumped on me and she got all the cash. At least her income exceeded mine and the kids were beyond needing child support so I didn't have to make ridiculous support payments as well.

With the constant struggle to stay ahead of my bills, the movie shoot had been a bit of a godsend. Out of the blue, the location scout had returned to inquire about my willingness to rent the entire property - all ten acres including the house and the barn plus my two horses as extras. Each setup day paid half of what a shooting day paid. So far, the setup days and one shooting day were covering six months of farm bills and a prolonged shooting schedule could well add up to multiple years of relief from the bills. Stay as long as you like!

Apparently when he first visited, the scout was interested in locations for a laundry product commercial but in the electronic age everything lasts forever. The digital photos of my property and buildings in some location database somewhere had piqued the interest of a director looking for a rural setting for his epic farm romance. My farm apparently had that slightly rustic-modern look and feel they wanted for the rural property where the lead characters would fall in love and live happily ever after.

It wasn't a big budget movie but the funding seemed solid and the rental money was a welcome addition to the farm's coffers. Their willingness to cut regular checks that cleared the bank quickly also helped.

Today's shooting had involved all of the cast. The conditions were ideal for the director's image of a damp, dull fall day for the couple's arrival at the farm. But the chill had been hard on the cast who were costumed for the milder temperatures described in the script.

The crew could all dress for the weather but the cast had to soldier on in light clothing so I had opened the upstairs of the house to the cast to take shelter in the bedrooms long-vacated by my kids. With the doors wide open for the constant flow of people, I had idled the heating system. I made the upstairs rooms a cozy refuge with a couple of small electric heaters to let cast members warm up and dry out between takes.

Someone, a producer maybe - they seemed to do nothing but stand around and talk on their cell phones - had told me who the actors were and why they were somewhat famous. I guessed they weren't A-listers but their names and the work they had done were well outside my normal viewing interests and I honestly had no idea who they were.

I tried to act impressed and suitably star struck but I don't think I was fooling anyone so I retired my pathetic acting skills and just wandered about watching and learning. I didn't even realize I was grazing in one of the food tents with the leading man until an assistant came scuttling up breathlessly to ask him to prepare for the next scene. Hopefully the down-on-the-farm hospitality I was providing helped put the cast at ease and feel at home. I just treated them all equally, like I would any other guests, because I had no idea who was who or why or even if I should be impressed.

Chapter 3 - Sleeping Beauty

As the last of the cast transport vans rolled out of laneway and the various crew vehicles straggled behind them, I went out to the barn to feed the horses, top up their water buckets and see if the barn cats would emerge from their hiding place. Every four-legged resident was happy to see me and dug right in to their late supper.

The pasture was pretty much done growing and the horses were living up to their 'hay burner' reputation with the cooler fall weather. With the animals happily munching, I turned for the house. Not needing supper of my own after all the food tent grazing, I was content to head for the beer fridge and retire to the comfort of the staged living room set. As I raised the glass for another sip, I heard the toilet upstairs flush. What the heck?

"Hello, where is everyone" came a slightly groggy but definitely feminine voice from upstairs. Setting my beer down for now, I walked through to the base of the stairs.

"Hi, the movie people have all left, can I help you?", I called up. As my eyes adjusted to the lack of light up there, I saw a slender, shapely figure with a full head of flowing dark hair. "Who are you and how did you come to be left behind?"

"Oh shit," she said. "That means I've missed my ride home. I'm Amy, one of the cast. I fell asleep in the lovely warm bed up here. Guess they all left without checking these rooms."

"Come on down, I can make you some supper and get you something to drink."

"Thanks, I had more than my fill from Craft Services."

"Me too, I was just enjoying a nice beer to wind down. Can I offer you beer, wine, tea or coffee or something else?"

"I'd love a glass of wine, white if you have it."

"I've got a nice Chardonnay that I was told is good. I rely on other's opinions for the whites. I'm more of a beer and red wine guy. I hope you like it."

I got the bottle from the fridge and as I poured her glass of wine, I looked past the bottle. She had a pretty good case of bed-head but there was a nice full head of that bed-headed hair framing her beautiful face. Her full lips smirked slightly at my scrutiny but she held my gaze with her expressive, clear, blue eyes.

She was still dressed in her character's costume which seemed to be a casual country look with plaid shirt and jeans. The plaid shirt was well fitted, probably thanks to some nips and tucks of costume-designer magic. Her full breasts were subtly but clearly displayed to great advantage with a nice bit of shadowy cleavage highlighted between the open lapels. The jeans were another bit of magic. They would never be for real work or sitting on a horse, but watching her walk with the pleasant shifting of one cheek and then the other was not something I would forget for quite a while. All in all, a nice package from all angles.

Remembering my manners as I brought her glass over, "Hi Amy, I'm Eric and it is probably obvious to say this is my place."

"Thanks for the wine. I'm very pleased to formally meet you. We don't often know much about the circumstances of where we are when shooting on location. This movie seems to use this site and the various sets for a number of scenes of the farm. My character falls in love and eventually settles on the farm so I guess this is supposed to be my virtual home from what I can tell from the script segments so far."

"So your character is one of the leads but you don't know what the movie's about? How do you play your character if you don't know what's going to happen?"

"Most productions work this way now. We get the general idea of the plot, what our character is like, what happens to them and how big a role they play in the plot. But we don't know all the details. That way, none of the cast or crew can slip up and give away more than a teaser of the plot on social media. Maybe we act more natural by not having a lot of time to sort out how our character should act beyond the current scene or two."

"Well, that's another bit of movie magic I've learned about today. I really had no idea what was involved. Anyway, what would you like to do tonight? Can I drive you somewhere? Are you staying in local hotels or going home each night? I don't even know where you're from."

"Actually, I am a relatively local girl. I grew up in the suburbs not too far from here. I was going to go to my parents tonight but I guess no one in transportation remembered that. If you don't mind driving me to the closest hotel, I'll make arrangements to get back in the morning."

"If it isn't too weird or creepy, you're welcome to stay in the room you were in. Both of my kids are grown and gone and the entire upstairs is yours if you want. I have the master suite down the hall over there in the addition" I said as I vaguely waved my hand towards the hallway. "I can probably find you a long t-shirt as sleepwear and we can have you showered and fed well before everyone else gets here. We can even run stuff through the wash if you like. Up to you."

"Thanks, that does sound like a simpler plan. It fits for my character too", she chuckled. "Isn't there a Mrs. Eric who will be unhappy with an unexpected guest?"

"No, Mrs. Eric traded up a few years ago when we became empty nesters. She no longer shared 'our' dream of the quirky old hobby farm that we had been so keen on when the kids were little. As soon as the kids left home, she did too and obviously had done a lot of pre-planning behind my back. I barely got to keep the farm with a big debt to buy her out, cover the last bit of the kids' education costs and I still got stuck with everyone's left-over pets."

I didn't realize how bitter that sounded until the echo of my voice died out and Amy was silently watching me.

"Sorry, I guess it still provokes a bitter response in spite of the time that has passed. I don't hate what my life has become but I obviously still harbor some resentment for how it happened and how the assets were divided. I'm a history professor at the state college's local satellite campus. I enjoy the country life and being able to get away from the world here on the farm. The smaller campus has a slower pace, lower pressure plus a light commute except for a few days of winter. We're on our fall study break this week so I can hang out and bask in the celebrity glow."

I realized this was probably the most I'd said about myself to anyone since the divorce. I normally only spoke to others during my lectures and seminars and that was always about the course material and not about me.

"Anyway, enough about me. How did you get into acting? Is there a Mr. Amy somewhere who will be worried if you don't call? Cell phones can be marginal out here so you may need to go upstairs where the signal gets stronger. You'll have to forgive me but I don't know anything about any of the cast members other than what I've learned today. I don't watch much in the way of TV or movies. I tend to read to relax so I doubt I've seen any of your work."

"That's refreshing. Even the bit of acting I've done, which is far from Hollywood, I'm usually treated like a minor celebrity. I always find it refreshing to be somewhere that no one knows who I am or what I do. I can just be myself. I studied drama at the main campus of the very same state college, started getting small parts in commercials and little walk-on TV roles as my agent found stuff. As you can probably guess by my character's outfit for this movie, I usually get cast for the 'girl-next-door' roles but that has been good for putting food on the table so far."

She paused to lift her wine glass to her lips and I took the opportunity to study her further. She was definitely the girl-next-door type and I was starting to warm up to that image a lot. Perhaps time would tell if she was really that way inside as well.

"There's no Mr. Amy as you put it. I've been working on building my career. The reality is we don't have much time for relationships until or if we get famous and our agent fabricates appropriate media coverage of a supposed famous boyfriend. I haven't had enough success to warrant that kind of attention yet." Checking her phone again, she exclaimed "Oh, look, I've got a couple of bars so I'll send my parents a text explaining that the shoot ran late and I will be staying close to the site." After tapping for a bit, with a return chime she looked up, "there, all set."