A Little Major Update
"...And cut!" Luke called out. Judging from the smile behind the camera, you could tell he was pleased with the recent footage taken. "That was great you guys! Take five before heading to the next scene."
A murmur of comments came from the actors and actresses as they left for the green room. It has just been scene after scene in all four current shows for the past weeks, and they were all glad the director let them have a break every so often.
Once the final actor left, Luke leaned back in his director's chair. Grabbing for his Sprite, he took a refreshing sip before someone walked in.
"Luke." Hearing his name, the director turned around to see his main producer, and background and prop designer.
"Hey Ben."
The artist pulled a chair over and hopped up next to his friend. "So, how's the production going? I know we're on the short end of the wire and not getting much out there."
"Uh, I'd say pretty well. Everyone has a positive attitude and is paying attention to my critiques, which is good." Luke looked down and noticed the envelope in Ben's left hand. "What's in the envelope?"
"I honestly don't know. Nick gave it to me and said that Caden got it when coming back from shooting Ask the Smashers with another film company. I think it's from the main director there."
Intrigued, Luke took the letter from him and opened it with a delicate index finger. The thick paper was tinted black in one color that slowly fades to a creamy white in the opposite corner. The font was written in silver ink and seemed to shimmer if angled correctly under the light.
Dear Four Elements Film Company,
Coming from a director to director standard, I would like to praise you on your high level of skills in the film industry. I have heard much about you, and I have to say, you definitely live up to everyone's expectations.
But that's not the point of this letter. Recently, my company is on the brink of failure. We lost our buliding permit (thanks to some of my unorganized friends...) and are soon to be kicked out of the property. It's a tragedy and I don't know how much longer I can hold off the authorities.
Yet again, this isn't the point of this letter. I hear that you too are struggling with production and are having trouble getting content out for your viewers. So, as well as being a professional in making compromises, I'm willing to make a deal with your main director.
Now, I'm offering a way to fix all our problems. I suggest we combine our companies. This way, you can have our help in producing more content a lot quicker, and we can have more help in finding the permit faster. It's a good deal, don't you think?
I'll give you some time to talk to your co-workers/friends about my offer. Meet me in the lobby inside the building on 567379 Avenue in five days before Halloween to discuss such matters in person. Your friend, Caden I believe, knows the way. I perfer things as important as this to be as formal as possible.
-A
"Wait... that isn't even a full address..." Luke pointed out with a confused look. Ben smiled.
"Caden said that he said the exact thing too." He quickly skimmed over the letter. "So, are you going to accept the offer?"
Luke looked over the letter as well, considering what could happen if he did or didn't accept. He always was an independent person and never liked having help... But, they are having trouble releasing content on time, and this person promised faster production if he and his friends helped find their building permit or whatever they lost...
"Uh, Luke...?" The director blinked rapidly and turned to Ben. "You were spacing out for a good thirty seconds. I just wanted to make sure you don't have narcolepsy or anything. like that..."
"Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinking..."
"And?"
"It's the 25th! Go get Caden and Nick and meet me out in the lobby. We have to go now!" Luke exclaimed, Ben already rushing out of the room. Grabbing his seven by seven rubix cube, he headed for the door and down the hallway.
He made his decision but was not confident about it whatsoever. He watched as the elevator doors closed in front of him. There's no going back now.
Hopefully he made the right choice.
"Wow Caden, you weren't joking. This place is literally in the middle of nowhere," Nick commented as they stepped out of the car. They looked up to see the four-story building glisten high in the sky, windows marking the edges.
"How does anyone know this place exists?" Ben asked as they walked up to the revolving door.
"That's the thing. People don't," Caden said with a smile. "The head director didn't want to draw attention towards herself and her studio."
"Wow, talk about conservative," Luke muttered to himself. His friends gave him a sideways glance, but didn't push him any farther. As soon as they walked in, the four boys' jaws dropped. The lobby was huge! The chandelier was decorated with colorful jewels and a fancy fountain performed a water show in the middle. There were many chairs, couches, and sofas with pillows in the corners above a vintage-design rug.
"Wow, this place is awesome!" Nick exclaimed, checking the room out. "This director must make good production to be so freaking rich."
"No joke..."
As they continued to walk further in the lobby, they spotted four teens about their age sitting on a couple of the couches and chairs surrounding the fountain: two girls and two boys. One of the teens; a girl with short, black hair and thin glasses spotted and waved them over.
"Hi guys!" She said with a smile as the four boys walked over. "Nice to see you again Caden."
"You too Alli," Caden said, shaking hands with the girl. "How's production coming for you guys?"
"Eh, okay with the little time we got," Alli said with a sad smile. Quickly changing the subject, she asked, "So, which one of you is the main director?"
Ben gently shoved Luke forward, making him stumble slightly before regaining his balance. His cheeks started to turn a light shade of pink, which made Alli giggle. She decided to start out with the introductions.
"Hi, I'm Alli Lassiter. I'm the main director of this studio. What's your name, clumsy?"
Luke's jaw dropped while his three friends were trying their bests not to laugh behind his back. "The name's Luke Peterson, not clumsy, thank you very much."
Alli laughed, and patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry to offend you, but I needed a laugh today. Too much stress, if you know what I mean."
Luke smiled a bit. "Yeah..."
"So, why don't you introduce me to your associates," she suggested, gesturing towards Luke's friends.
"Uh, sure. It seems like you already know Caden, but this is Caden Taylor. He's a music expert and knows a lot about music and musical instruments in general. He's our sound and backgrounds effects manager, as well as the assistant editor. He can also control water," Luke introduced and Caden smiled. He held up his hand, and a small ball of water formed in his palm.
Luke then pointed at Nick. "This is Nick Williams, our script writer and the main editor. He is great at soccer and fast runner, and can control air." The blond waved his hand and a gust of air blew through the room.
Luke closed his eyes, enjoying the small breeze before continuing. "That's Ben Andrews, our producer and background designer and management. He is very artistic and is good at playing lacrosse. He can control fire."
Ben winked and snapped his fingers, and a burst of flame came after the snap. Alli looked at each one of them with an equal glance when they were introduced, then turned back to Luke.
"Huh, a writer, musician, and artist... You have a good balance in film making... It intrigues me why you are having a hard time releasing content.
"And, due to the process of elimination, you control the final element mentioned, earth," Alli guessed. Luke nodded, and held his hand out for a shake.
"You didn't let me finish. I'm Luke Peterson, the main director and founder of Four Element Films. I'm a big fan of puzzles and rubix cubes, and an awesome guitar player. And yes, I can control earth," the brunette said with a smirk. Alli raised an eyebrow and smiled, taking his hand and shaking it well.
"Wow, big introduction for yourself. But no matter. Nice to meet you Luke, Nick, Caden, and Ben. Now, let's get down to business," she said with a determined look, leading them over to the chairs and couches. "I'm taking it you took a good amount of time to think about my little offer."
"Nope. Luke thought about it during the carride here," Caden said, Luke smiling a sheepish smile. Alli looked at Luke with a raised eyebrow.
"You are a pretty ballsy person. You know this decision can change your life, right?"
"Yep, I'm fully aware of that," Luke said with a confident smile. "But don't worry, I know what I want."
"And what would that be?"
"That yes, I will take upon your offer," Luke said with a set look in his eyes. Ben, Nick, and Caden looked at their friend with wide eyes, not believing him for a second.
"Wait, seriously?"
"Uh, yeah," Luke sat straight up. "Look, I was very unsure of what I was getting myself into when heading down here in the car. And I was even more unsure when I first walked in here. Rich and conservative people aren't my type.
"But that all changed when I met you. I can tell that when you have your mind set on something, you get it done. It's in your persona. And that explains why you're so successful. I think..."
Alli stood up and walked over to him. "Well, I'm glad you made your decision." She turned to her three accompaniments, the two boys and one girl. "Hey Nolan, Kyle, and Nikki. Show Nick, Ben, and Caden around the place. I would like to speak to Ben alone for a minute."
"Sure thing," the boy with brown hair said. He turned to the others. "Come on you guys."
The six started to walk towards the elevator, talking and getting to know each other. Ben was introducing himself and talking to the blond haired boy with devil horns (Kyle), both of them showing their fire powers to one another. Caden and the brunette boy (Nolan) talked and joked about Ask the Smashers, leading the way upfront. Nick and the red-haired girl (Nikki) just stood in the back awkwardly.
"Your friends sure are interesting people..." Alli said with a smile. Luke nodded and lowered his head, but didn't do anything vocally. "You know, I thought you weren't going to be the person I thought you were either. I thought I was going to work with a independant adolescent with tons of pride. But after you admitted all those things, I instantly changed my mind as well. We're going to have fun, trust me."
Luke lifted his head up and locked eyes with Alli, her hazel eyes shining with honesty.
"Don't worry, I trust you."
A/N: Yeah, this may sound rushed, but this one-shot is well overdue. I need to finish it before I can continue with my procedure. This one-shot has no significance really; just an intro before my big changes.
Now, before you ask what my changes are, check out the journal on my DeviantART account. The link is on my profile, so just click it and check out Brushing Up Bios and Important News.
So, I'm going to post this on both accounts, then do my first change five minutes once I post said one-shot. I already decided on my nickname, so I hope you guys like it!
I will try my BEST to post those Halloween one-shots. One may be posted after Halloween, so it's whatever. You guys still like me if I post it a couple days late.
And finally, this one-shot is dedicated to Nolan, my friend who I based my OC Nolan off of. His 16th birthday was yesterday, and I decided to post this for him, for being a good friend, drummer, and supporter for me. If you're reading this Nolan: Happy 16th Birthday!
-Alli/Elemental