Hello, everybody! Hope everyone had a great holiday!
This time I'm getting a little autobiographical. Jade in this story is based upon myself and a lot of what happens here is actually from my childhood all the way to high school. I always liked the angle of Jade being a filmmaker but it was seldom explored other than peripherally. Here I wanted to give a proper backstory to that concept plus it's also a love letter to the cinema in general. Who doesn't like movies, right? And if any of you readers out there have interest in filmmaking will understand Jade right away.
So, this is the most personal story I have written. Very close to the chest. So, more so than ever I would really like to hear from all of you. Leave your reviews and tell me what you think. You can always PM me as well.
enjoy!
"I'm just a storyteller, and the cinema happens to be my medium." – Federico Fellini
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Jade remembered the day she decided that she wanted to make movies.
It was a sultry August afternoon. Jade had been on summer break but both her parents worked so she was often on her own. One day, she got a special treat when her Nana came over. She loved her so much and they always had the best time. Jade wanted to spend the day with her but Nana had done her best to stay out of the heat.
Nana was reading the newspaper, like she always does when she first comes over and sits down to a cup of tea, when she spotted that on the page opposite the article she was continuing, were the showtimes.
"Jadelyn, sweetheart!"
The seven-year-old Jade came running into the living room.
"Yes, Nana?"
"I have a wonderful idea," she smiled warmly. "Why don't use girls go catch a movie?"
Jade's eyes grew wide like it was the greatest idea she had ever heard.
"Ooohh, that sounds great!"
Nana flips the page to regard the various ads and showings under each one.
"Oh my!" she exclaimed.
There was hardly anything that sounded appropriate for a child nowadays, she thought. Whatever happened to the days when a family could go out to the movies? Now, everything had ratings and it was just too complicated.
Her finger stopped on the sixth page of the Living section. The Cinemark was having a special re-release of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Something about a new digital mix, whatever that meant.
Jade was absolutely beaming in line, awaiting to get tickets to go and see the movie. It has been her favorite since she had gotten the video for Christmas last year. She hadn't seen it in a while because she wasn't allowed to operate the VCR and mommy and daddy were never home.
"Two adults for Beauty and the Beast please," Nana grinned at the man behind the counter. He looked down at the short Jade trying to be taller by standing on her tippy toes. He rung her up for the one adult and one child admission.
"There you ladies go," handing Nana the tickets. "Two grown up tickets for one great movie."
The two get their stubs torn off and Nana hands Jade hers.
"Now, keep this with you. Put it in your pocket so you don't lose it now. See that man over there?"
Jade looks past her Nana and sees the large man with a rather festive vest.
"His job is to let people in but only if they have their tickets, so hold onto yours. And if you use the bathroom, you have to show him your ticket so you get let back in, okay?"
Jade nods dutifully.
"Want some popcorn? Ah, how about some candy?"
"Yeah," Jade gasped.
"Think your mommy and daddy will mind."
Jade thinks about it and shrugs. "Nope."
After the long line in the concession stand, Jade and her Nana were finally ready to find their theatre. Jade presented her stub to the usher quickly and with a deadly serious expression. She looked like she was handing a police officer her license and registration.
"Number 5," the usher said.
"Whoa," Jade softly whispered as soon as she entered the big theatre. The 40-ft high white sheet spread along the wall captured her right away.
Nana turns around at her granddaughter. "Jade, are you okay?"
"It's big, Nana." She begins to walk toward it with reverence. "Really big."
"Yup," Nana smiles. "The old big screen."
"But why does it have to be so big, Nana?"
"Because, everyone is here to watch the movie. This way everybody can see it."
The concept had a hard time wrapping itself around Jade's elementary mind. She thinks about why would a bunch of strangers would be watching her favorite movie at the same time she was. She thinks about it as Nana finds them two seats in the center, not too far from the screen and not too close.
Jade was thankful that they could sit down.
Nana was thankful for the air conditioning.
Slowly, the room began to fill up. When it seemed like every seat was finally filled, the lights started to go down.
The movie played like it always did before. Jade knew the songs and all the characters by heart. But something different happened this time. Before when she would watch the movie, her mother would just put it on and leave the room to do something else and eventually come back in 90 minutes.
It was nothing like watching it on a TV set at home. Not even close. When it got to the part where the angry mob went to storm the Beast's castle, Jade was genuinely thrilled. It was so larger than life. The climactic battle on the castle rooftop was positively epic. Jade cried when Belle held the then dying Beast. But as Jade looked around, she could see other people crying too. Not just kids but also grownups. The whole house was brought down into tears. Jade never saw anything like it before. She didn't know anybody here and yet they were all feeling exactly the same way she was.
When the lights came up, people began filing out. Nana on the other hand was out like a light, snoring a little loudly.
Jade tried waking her up but she knew Nana was a tough nut to crack when she took her naps. Bored, she sat down and looked at all the words gracing across the screen.
She leaned in close to get it all. It was moving a little too fast for her. There were words like "assistant" and "editor" and all kinds of things that she didn't comprehend. But half of the other lines, she did. They were people's names.
Nana finally snapped out of it and noticed her granddaughter.
"Sorry, babe" rubbing her eyes. "Must have dosed off there."
"It's okay," Jade not acknowledging her because she is too entranced by that rolling series of text.
"Was I snoring?"
Jade held up her thumb and forefinger to suggest "a little bit."
"Nana?"
"Yes, dear?"
"What is that?," she asked pointing to the screen.
"Oh, those are credits."
"What's that?"
"You know…the people who made the movie."
Now that Jade understood, she diligently tried thanking every person she saw. She enjoyed herself and wished she could thank everyone who helped make the movie happen.
She watched those names and remembered the faces of the audience.
What if I was one of those names? Jade mused. What if I was the one that made all those people laugh and cry?
It was like somebody was reading a story to hundreds of people.
She has watched them on television before but this was the first time Jade experienced a "movie."
That was the day when Jade West got bitten by the bug.