Hollywood King
When an actor transmigrates into a world where any of the entertainment masterpieces of his previous world hasn't been revealed, how will he change Hollywood? Ian Renner who always dreamed of being on the top of Hollywood finally had a chance to make his dream come true with his cheat, Memory Library. On the other hand, the love life that he could only dream about started to show signs of fruition. From starting from home alone to making batman begins shortly after that, from Lucifer to Games of Thrones, Ian will make everything
Hollywood King #Chapter 1: Chapter 01. - Read Hollywood King Chapter 1: Chapter 01. Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT
The reflection of his fingers running through his hair in front of the mirror hit the boy with the realization that it was him. He was controlling this unknown body.
A slight gasp escaped through his dry lips revealing a bitter expression, it was not him, yet him. The picture of the upper body was stark naked while the lower body had bright blue sweatpants on. Something he'd typically not wear, unlike his dull solemn colors.
His appearance has changed entirely. He was previously 5'10", but now he seems much taller than he was. His face looked weirdly much different than he was. Attractive was how he could describe himself. The diamond-shaped face, pointed nose, thin lips, and dark brown eyes made him almost believe that he was living in a dream. He touched his face in pure horror. His black hair was straight yet trimmed just right above his eyebrows.
"Am I dreaming?" He asked a bit loud. The voice reverberated back to his ears.
He slapped himself while still staring at the mirror making sure it was still him doing everything that is happening to the reflection and trying to know what is actually going on.
A hard slap hit his left cheek and left it stinging, he opened and closed his sharp jaw, which he realized was his.
Ian Renner, who last remembered sitting on the E class flight to London, could not remember anything apart from the short sleep he decided to take on the flight because he was worn out by his busy schedule.
Looking around, all he could see was a luxurious-looking room with a high-quality interior and he assumed that he was either in some mansion or a Five-star hotel. But much to his horror there was no trace of where and what he was doing right there.
The slight ray of sunlight passing through the glass calmly enjoyed its stay on the navy blue bed which indicated the morning sun still had plenty of time left to arrive.
Looking here and there around the four corners of the room, he realized the mirror seemed to help him with showing what he looks like but making it worse by not telling him why he looks like that. He now has a brand new body.
Taking a few steps backward, he sat on the edge of the bed wondering how and why all of this happened.
Suddenly there was a noise from the door that was on his left side which made him jump, numbing his brain for quite a good second.
Revealing a young girl, who seems to be in her early 20s with her damp hair and white robe wrapped around her fair body. Seeing her Ian made a frown along with a confused look.
Thousands of questions attacked his head giving him a slight headache. Looking from her head to toes, he saw how pretty she is but realized she isn't his type at all.
The longer he stared at her, the longer she stared back at him. His headache increased while bringing him memories of the original body owner and girl having nothing but sex throughout the night. Sarah was her name.
"Hey, you look odd. What happened?," She enquired and walked in front of the mirror, swaying her hips side to side.
"Doesn't matter. Leave now." He responded coldly. Due to all the questions which seemed to be ringing inside Ian's brain, he just wanted to be alone.
The girl turned in a split second to look back at him. She was bewildered. His gaze remained cold, locked on hers, intentionally.
"What-"
"Leave. You heard me." He cut her off shortly.
"You promised to take me shopping. And I-"
"Leave, Sarah." The coldness of his voice surprised Ian himself. The girl didn't dare to utter a single word more and just gave him an annoyed look.
She collected her belongings that were lying on the floor and bedpost, then she left. His eyes, which had been locked on to her the whole time, moved to his tangled fingers while his elbows rested on his legs.
A low groan left his lips. His hands grasped his throbbing head which was having an increase in pain with every moving second.
The steps of Sarah faded away while leaving Ian and his thoughts alone. The progressing headache gave him more memories.
"I'm transmigrated," Going through memories one by one, this realization finally hit him but many things were still unclear.
He took the phone that was on the bed-stand, which said 8.17 am, and the date read the year, 2017.
-
Ian was from a middle-classed family, he grew up and pursued to be an actor on his own will. Studying in film school was one of the things he desperately wanted to do in his life.
After turning 18, without much support from his family, he grinded his way into the film industry. He had to go through hours of one after another audition to finally find a place in this Stardom.
Years of struggle finally brought him up as a C - grade actor. It was after all this that he got an offer to act as a supporting role in a big Disney movie with more than 100 million USD production cost.
He was more than content with what he got because he solely knew that he would be able to climb up to be a B lister actor easily after this movie, but fate had different plans. His attempt to go to London failed as ended up inside the body of somebody unknown who is also named Ian, but with a completely different background.
A series of memories flashed through his mind rapidly, explaining not just about his new body but also about the new world he is going to live in. The history and its geography, and almost everything are a bit different except for the technological development. The more he kept recalling it, the clearer it occurred to him.
-
Ian, the body owner who was now 23 years old was born to quite a wealthy family. He basically is the typical definition of a spoiled brat. His father owned a production studio and made a huge fortune and a successful career until it came down after investing millions of dollars in a few disastrous projects and facing massive losses due to it. Despite the attempts of his father to get back the old glory, they never fully recovered from it.
Making things worse, Ian's parents died in a car accident around two years ago. What was left for Ian was five million dollars, an old mansion in Beverly Hills, and the studio that his dad owned which was now on the verge of shutting down.
The original soul of the body, who was always covered with luxury, had to face their sudden death. Yet he dealt with it in the worst way possible. He turned himself into a playboy. Laying down with random girls and leaving them was one of his daily routines. Not to mention, the jail was a place he visited more than twice this year. His teenage days were filled with nothing but things that he was going to surely regret one day if he was still here.
Nevertheless, after last night's one-night-stand, Ian's body was replaced with another 'Ian', but who-knows-how this happened.
-
The actor-Ian was still lying on the bed with a deep frown thinking about these memories, debating what exactly to do now. The scene of how he died in his sleep kept replaying in his mind much to his displeasure. With a little time he knew, he could control what he saw. Subtly, he stopped the replay of his death as it wasn't that much of a nice scene to keep watching.
Straightening his back, he let out a deep sigh which he held for too long due to all the memory flashbacks. He started thinking about why his soul was transmigrated into this body. Is there anything left for him to do? Is this a second chance or a payment? He started thinking of all the sins and merits he did in his lifetime. Various thoughts invaded his brain.
Out of it all, the worst was how he thought of paying back for the sins he did. Ian was no saint after all. Clearly, the thought gave him something to be afraid of but something he would never do. He was always someone who reasoned whatever he committed to. Either good or bad. His thoughts didn't seem to end.
Suddenly, what he saw sent a chill down his spine. His mouth curved into an 'O' shape in surprise. He couldn't believe his eyes for the second time. First, it is this body. Now, it's a treasure. Pure treasure.
[Movies]
Various types of famous, peak-hit movies from his world were in front of his eyes. He was sure someone was playing with him badly and he was unsure why in the world he was seeing all this.
They all were like an open library in front of his eyes. Various types of names and images were projected on the front screen through his eyes. Thinking of one particular film, it appeared on the front screen slightly away from the library of movies. He found that the movie folders contain literally anything and everything it takes to direct a movie. From soundtracks to dialogues, start to the end, which gave him goosebumps.
What many legends suffered to create by spending days after days in his original world, was right in front of him. The irony is, from what he saw through the memories, the new universe in which he now resides in, people haven't seen many appreciable movies that were created in his original world. Basically, he realized the people in this world missed big-time entertainment. Ian's eyes were locked on to the screen.
Thinking about the screen behind the library, the movie folder appeared back. He decided to open more and more folders from the library and surprise himself. Meanwhile, his brain was in a huge debate of questions about this superpower he is blessed with, or maybe cursed with.
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Valerine has been the main helping hand of the mansion for almost four years and is someone who knows all the ins and outs of the Renner house including their family, business, and of course the house's infamous 'playboy' Ian included. She was petite in figure yet had so much strength in her to take care of an entire mansion by herself.
She, who ought to be in her late thirties, is now doubting her memory and experience with Master Ian or so as she calls him, due to his recent unusual behavior.
For the past few days, Ian has been surprising Valerine by showing a sudden massive change in the things that the previous 'Ian' had been intent on. The 'Ian', Valerine knew, ate three full meals, did nothing the whole day but enjoyed his night out with random girls, and wasted money every day in vain. It was now completely Valerine's duty to cook, wash, clean everything, and take care of the house.
It was no secret for anybody who knew them that Ian was a good-for-nothing heir to all the inheritance his parents left. Lately, the third-floor library has been his domain. Valerine's futile attempts of taking meals inside the library every six hours got rejected or were received with a short reply such as "Leave it there, I'll eat".
In the past, Valerine never cared about what Ian did, or what Ian will be doing for the rest of the day cause she certainly knew that this 'playboy' would be an utter dishonor to his father's name.
Maybe because of the fact that Ian basically grew up with his important stages of life in front of her eyes, the past few days have been quite concerning for her.
Every time she would go inside, Ian would be either reading a book, watching a movie, or scribbling who-knows-what in one of the huge piles of books that rested in front of him. This change, after all, seemed pleasant, but she feared that if he was suffering from a sudden mental illness.
At times, knowing that there aren't many people who care for him, she even tried to mention some psychologists who could help, but ended up getting a response such as "I'm perfectly fine.", but not before his signature-cold-glare.
-
It was an early morning Tuesday when Valerine was dusting the off-white cushions in the living room while sweat drops covered her body due to the slight increase in the temperature in the surroundings.
She was taken aback by the footsteps down the hall by none other than Ian. Imagine someone coming around just when you worry about them, that is what happened to Valerine. But on the other hand, her thoughts were invaded these days by Ian, day and night. Another surprise is Ian wearing a suit.
She wondered for a moment, where he found that. She herself has never seen him wearing those sorts of clothes and was ready to hit the road to find the reality of the matter. A slight gasp passed through her lips.
"Are you going somewhere, sir?" Valerine asked in her kindest voice possible, knowing very well that she will receive a cold stare back. She was just being cautious. She kept her gaze on him and continued to stare for a few more awkward seconds while Ian replied, "To the office." His expressions still remained blank as ever.
The surprise was clearly painted on Valerine's face that even a stranger could possibly understand the state she was currently in. "I won't be back till night," He added and gave a small nod while walking outside. She opened her mouth to say something, but just an "Oh," left in a small voice.
[...]
Ian, who walked past the living room door, couldn't have imagined a few days back how big the mansion really was. He stumbled his way to find places inside it, for example, the library, but now all he needed was to move his body to the place where he needed to go. Because of that, he started rummaging through his previous body owner's stuff in his bedroom, and then he found a car key. In no time, after a few wrong turns, he finally saw the garage.
Walking inside it, he was quite stunned by seeing a Porsche Spyder. He got inside the luxurious car with all the big plans he had in his mind and started the engine. While using the muscle memory of his new body he somehow drove this car to its destination.
-
Renner Films, the production studio started by Henrey Renner-father of the former owner of Ian's body, was now barely functioning. The golden times of Renner Films left a remarkable history, which was recognized by the entire country. In the past, it had done many great movies with top stars but now is on the verge of its end.
The studio made millions of dollars with movies of various genres which fans loved. It was an accomplishment that Henrey Renner and the CEO, Mason Striver were very proud and happy of. It was worth their entire lives' hard work.
Mason Striver, who was in his late 40s, and had a tall muscular figure was one of the closest friends of Henry Renner. Even after the downfall he still tries his best to make the Renner Films work with every single cell remaining. That was mainly because of the memories Henry and him shared together.
The 'one dream' they worked together for had kept him alive day and night just to work for the betterment of the now left bits and pieces of the studio.
The most embarrassing part of it all was how the studio went from working with top stars and collecting huge awards to barely making C-graded soft porn movies. Yet, out of it all, what Mason aims for is even a slight growth of the company in which he owns only a 15% stake now.
He was in an internal conflict between the idea of trying to make the studio somehow work just like he's been doing now or selling the studio for a good price. What kept him back from taking the latter decision was all the reasons he started working in the studio for.
His assistant knocked on the door and got approval from Mason to come in. The middle-aged woman announced that a young man named 'Ian' came to meet Mason, leaving him in doubt. The assistant had never heard about anyone named Ian because she came to work in the studio around a year ago, and not once did anybody named Ian visit the studio.
Mason doubted if it was the 'Ian' he knew for a second, but approved him to come inside, while questions kept rising inside his head. Mason had lost hope in Ian to do literally anything worthwhile in the studio ever since he became a playboy and stopped valuing anything that has had to do with his father. It maintained a clear disappointment about Ian in Mason's brain.
On second thoughts, Mason suddenly got the idea of Ian wanting a loan or some sort of money, which Mason obviously was in lack of. Deciding to deal with anything the young Renner had come up with, Mason took a deep breath.
As Ian walked past the door, it was clear to Mason that the young Renner had the same body and young face just like he remembered but his entire aura had changed. The vibes he sent off gave a new feeling to Mason, due to which he doubted what exactly was happening and was unsure about what his eyes were seeing.
That was just how experienced Mason was with humans, especially his best friend's son. Most importantly what gave half of this impression was how Ian had dressed today.
"Uncle Mason," Ian addressed and sat right in front of him. Mason nodded in return but decided to get straight to the point with no short talks.
"Ian, why are you here?" His voice was full of curiosity. Doubts and unpredictable questions appeared.
"This might be surprising to you, but first I want to apologize," Ian started while his eyes locked onto Mason's. He leaned forward in his seat and continued, "I also know this is sudden, but I want to change for good. I want to work for the company." He gave a straightforward answer and completed what he was about to say, briefly.
"Are you okay?" Mason asked out of nowhere. This whole change for the good was confusing, even to him.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, uncle Mason. But there are a few things I need to start new, around here."
"And-" Mason was about to explain how things have been going around here, just for the reason he knew that raising Ian's hopes up would do nothing at the moment but would automatically shatter them in the end by just how the things are.
"I want to work for the company." Ian cut him off.
"But why? Suddenly?" Mason leaned back in his chair while his elbows rested on the chair arms. His thoughts seemed to never stop disturbing his peace of mind.
"This will sound ridiculous, but I saw my parents in my dreams about a week ago. And I- I think I kind of regret how my behavior was in these past years. My dad said he wants me to work for the company and make it better. Although this sounds nonsensical, I'm sure as to how my life was from weeks ago was not what my dad imagined me to have when he was alive."
A sigh left Mason's lips signaling he was understanding what Ian was trying to say. But in his mind, he wanted to know what exactly Ian really wants to do. Mason was highly sceptical about the whole idea of Ian working for the studios. Taking a few moments to himself, he decided to continue the conversation.
"So, what do you want to do?" He asked.
"I want to continue the studio, just like dad wants me to. I want to try things and change my life differently to see if I can possibly change anything about how it is right now," He declared.
All Mason knew was Ian was confessing that he needed to change and work for the company repeatedly. Which ended up increasing his doubts and adding up more reasons for his initial impression of his arrival of Ian.
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Mason's thoughts were all over the place after hearing Ian's words. He wanted to work for the company? That was something that he just refused to believe.
After all, Ian was irresponsible and a playboy. People like him would hardly change but on the other hand, Mason didn't have much choice.
Even if he did think like that, Ian held 85 percent shares in the studio that were transferred to him after his father's death.
All the previous shareholders sold their shares to Henrey Renner due to the losses they were facing, but Mason couldn't do it because of the effort and faith he had, along with the little hope which remained in him about the studio's prospering future.
In the end, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"Okay, I'll try my best to help you in whatever you have in your mind Ian," He agreed after a long pause of silence.
"Can I see the recent records of the studio?" Ian asked.
"Here," Mason took out a file from the locker of his desk and placed it in front of him. "These are the income records of the past two years."
"Room is heaven?" Ian clicked his tongue in disappointment. 'The Sexy Door', 'Hot Summer', 'The Diaries of Red Shoes', and a few more names of some soft porn movies made Ian's eyes rise up from the file while his face tightened with displeasure. After all the records he read, he understood it was nothing but the royalties which were the only thing that kept this company still running.
"What are your plans for the company?" Ian asked.
With a sigh, Mason said, "I've been trying to save funds to produce a romantic comedy movie." He paused while straightening his back, "But due to our current reputation, no good actor is willing to work with us."
"Understandable," Ian replied with a slight nod. His brain was doing calculations at once about how the production studio would go on if they continued like this.
"This will soon go bankrupt. All those movies I saw in this file," he signalled at the file in his hand which made Mason focus, "This won't work for long. We need to change our ways." He stated firmly.
The words which Ian mouthed out, were nothing new to Mason's brain. He knew the reality pretty well but wondered what else they could possibly do.
"What do you suggest? I mean," He leaned forward to the table, "I've been trying for years. Years." The pain in his voice was clear.
"I might have a plan." Mason's frown deepened. Ian continued, "First of all, we need more funds. Like, I know we have a small distribution channel which has an edge over other companies."
"I'm afraid I'm not following," Mason interrupted.
"I've been writing scripts for a while now. And-"
"You what?" Mason interrupted again.
"Yes, uncle. I'm serious about this. I've been writing scripts. I'll even go join the writers guild today." Ian briefly stopped.
"Since when?" Mason inquired. If anything he was highly surprised by what he was hearing.
"Doesn't matter. What I've in mind, does matter. This movie that I've been writing can be done within a very low budget yet I'm sure it can earn big." He continued. Ian was slightly frustrated with Mason's questions which made it harder for him to explain more until he solved Mason's doubts.
"Go on, Ian. You do know that I'm surprised to see you here and now let's hear it." Mason said.
"The movie's title is 'Home Alone'." Ian started while completely ignoring the comment from Mason. "It's basically about a kid who is around 8-years-old, who got stuck at home during Christmas and is trying to protect his house from burglars." Ian paused.
"Stuck? I'm not getting it."
"Let me explain, but it'll be much clearer once I bring the script in. The house contains around eleven kids, mom forgets the troublesome kid at home due to all the Christmas hype, sounds normal right?" Ian asked while Mason gave a weird look.
"Ian-"
"Genre is comedy. This can be basically done with a small cast since it's mainly focused on the kid and two burglars for most parts of the movie. The kid who is too smart for his age does various tricks and traps to keep the burglars away." Ian stopped while his gaze locked onto Mason's.
Ian, who knew almost everything about Home Alone which was famous in his universe, was thinking about how much more he could put into words to make Mason agree to his idea. Only if he knew how much of a hit the movie was.
Mason's facial expressions remained unchanged. Unsatisfied with Ian's idea. He has legitimate doubts. As an experienced man, he was thinking thoroughly about everything at once. The silence that seemed to grow gave me no choice but to show Mason the script Ian has been working on.
"For you, this all might sound childish. I'm inexperienced and I don't expect you to trust the idea yet. You can give your thoughts after seeing the script." He said with a straight face.
"I'll look forward to it." Mason replied shortly.
-
The Writers Guild is the joint effort of two different labor unions, representing TV and film writers. The Guild negotiates and administers contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of its members; conducts programs, seminars and events on issues of interest to writers; and presents writers' views to various bodies of government. Ian knew the Writers Guild could do wonders to his career once he joined it.
The Writers Guild was important to Ian because of the copyright problems. What he knew was, through the Guild he could easily get his script copyrighted in a day after spending some money. He already had his thoughts sorted out regarding what he was going to do after meeting Uncle Mason.
In Hollywood, guilds such as writers guild, directors guild, and actors guild were an important thing to know before stepping inside the Industry. The Writers Guild was quite important to every scriptwriter as it was needed to protect the writer's rights.
Ian took steps inside the huge walls of the institute of The Writers Guild with new hopes. The white floor tiles made a tapping sound with each step he took. He saw the young receptionist who ought to be in her late twenties greet him with a warm smile. The huge silver-plated name "The Writers Guild" behind where the receptionist was, made Ian walk forward and ask what he was here for.
"How much does it take to register?" Ian voiced out, completely ignoring her "Oh... and, Good morning". he tried to be nice.
"Uh- yes sir," she was startled by his abrupt behavior.
"Sir, it would take 500 dollars to register. And, if you have a script to be copyrighted, it will take an additional 100 dollars for each script." She said while nervously biting her lips yet trying to maintain her posture. This was her first day at the job and she didn't want to mess it up.
He nodded while he sensed her nervousness. "I'll register," he said. She took out a form which was on her desk and placed it in front of him while she briskly rummaged trying to find something which he thought maybe was for a pen. Without a second thought, Ian pulled out a pen from one of his pockets and began filling the form.
Taking out 500 dollars, Ian handed it to her along with the form, finally, he became a part of The Writers Guild.
-
It was almost evening after signing up with The Writers Guild. He realized what he needed to do now was to complete writing his script. Coming home he headed straight to the library, opened his computer, and logged in using the pin from the stored memories.
[Home Alone]
He took a deep breath and typed the name of his very first project as a screenwriter. 'This is going to be a big hit,' the thought gave him high motivation and without wasting any second, he started off by typing the script.
Starting with the mesmeric hype of Christmas, he wrote all the way to the story of this kid, Kevin. It was about how all of his family left him alone by mistake, to how he taught a lesson to the burglars who tried to his house. The little stunts he pulled on them gave a smile to Ian remembering how the original movie made them remarkable.
Finishing writing the script with how Kevin was disappointed to find that his family is still gone. However, he then hears Kate, his mother enter the house and call for him; they reconcile and are soon joined by Peter, Buzz, Jeff, Megan, and Linnie, who waited for them in Paris until they could obtain a direct flight to Chicago.
Ian's fingers kept typing further about how Kevin kept silent about his encounter with Harry and Marv, the burglars, although Peter, Kevin's brother, finds Harry's knocked-out gold tooth. Finally, Kevin then observes Marley, his scary-looking yet kind neighbor's reunion with his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. Marley notices Kevin and the pair wave to each other. It has a satisfying happy ending.
'This should be it,' Ian thought back to himself while resting in his chair and letting out the final sigh of the day.
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As soon as he completed the script, he went to The Writers Guild to get the script copyrighted. 100 dollars were gone but he knew this was just the start. The first step was done. The second step was also done. Only the third one was remaining. He mentally made notes to himself on what he still needed to do along with uncle Mason.
-
Sitting in front of uncle Mason, Ian took out the 'Home Alone' script and kept it on the table. He was shocked by the look on his Uncle's face. The last time he came here, he was sure that Uncle Mason was trying to understand him. But now the atmosphere was weird. Ian showed no emotions on his face, but inside his brain, thoughts were running around.
Mason almost couldn't believe his eyes. Ian Renner was in front of him with a script. The other day, Mason was so sure that Ian was just messing around, that he took it all as a joke. The kid he was seeing now was no longer the same kid he knew. Now the kid in front of him was a scriptwriter. Taking the script in his hand, he wondered what was going through Ian's head while he read the title, 'Home Alone'.
"Home Alone?" Mason questioned while Ian nodded in reply. "You… wrote this?" He asked almost in disbelief.
"Yes, I did."
Knowing Ian for so long, Mason knew that he could be the type to buy a script from someone else and make it look like he poured his effort into it. That was just how much faith Mason had in him.
"If you're not sure, you can ask from The Writers Guild." Ian made it clear after seeing the doubt in Mason's eyes.
"Huh?" Mason questioned not yet completely trusting his words.
"The copyrights are under my name. Which obviously means I wrote that." Ian stated, sternly.
With that, Mason went silent and got into the business of reading the manuscript. With each page he turned, his entire mindset about the whole project turned. Mason was amused, surprised, shocked, bewildered and on top of it all, confused. Mason's eyes started to have a glimmer in them as he read more and more.
Time passed quickly and only the sound of pages turning could be heard. Ian sat silently as Mason's eyes scanned through the pages.
The perception of Ian, which ought to be someone who didn't even know the basics about screenwriting, completely took a 180 turn in Mason's eyes. Even the content wasn't that bad. It was in fact pretty good for a comedy movie.
For a second, Mason kept wondering if the script he had read was really written by Ian.
"You really wrote this?" He asked, doubt apparent in his voice.
"I already said I did. Uncle, please trust me on this."
Ian insisted and seeing his honest eyes, Mason dropped his scepticism for the time being.
"Hmm.. This script is really good." Ian's eyes glittered hearing that. "The characters have enough substance and the situations are funny. Moreover, the main character is someone who will surely make people laugh. I would even say that this script is perfect for a low-budget comedy movie."
Mason's assessment was based on the amount of scripts he had read everyday. Although Renner films was only working on soft porn movies for a while, he had been looking for a good script to produce a movie.
Home Alone was really good by his standards.
"So, what do you wanna do with this script?" Mason inquired. Ian couldn't understand what he was trying to ask. "I mean, we can sell this for quite a good price since Christmas is just two months away."
In the festival season, a lot of comedy movies would be released that a family could watch together. It was a great way for studios to earn quick cash in with a good comedy movie.
"Uhm-" Ian was cut off shortly.
"I can pull a few strings to sell this."
Ian shook his head in return. This whole selling idea bothered him.
"I want it to be produced by Renner's Films. I want Renner's production house to reach its former glory and," he heaved a heavy sigh, "This would be a great start." He completed what he had to say.
"Hmm… if this has been your plan all along, I should think about it a bit more carefully." Mason leaned in his chair while continuing.
"We're gonna need a cast and a director. We already have our old production crew." He said.
Although the idea was just perfect and what they needed at the moment, Mason knew more. He truly liked the manuscript. Yet there was that doubt lingering around. Will the Renner's would be able to do it, or will it be a failure for Renner's.
"What else are you thinking, uncle?" Ian asked.
Mason let out a sigh and words slipped out of his mouth. "I'm not sure if this will work for Renner's."
"It will just cost a couple of million dollars. I'm sure it will work." Ian stated, almost unsure of what more to say just to convince Mason to accept the whole idea of this project. One way or another Ian knew this would work.
Because in the other world, the movie had cost almost 18 million dollars, if not more. But it was mainly because of the high marketing budget they had. If it wasn't for a few more reasons, this film could be easily produced with a few couples of million dollars even in this new world. This was no secret to Ian.
Mason gave a sceptical look which Ian was now too used to. This also explained that Mason was having doubts about this. Ian saw the look but he was not willing to explain everything because he knew more than 500 million dollars were earned according to his old memories and were confident about this.
He was planning to produce the movie with the money his parents left him. That was something the previous Ian would never do.
Mason glanced at the script one more time and moved his gaze towards Ian, "If we're going to do this, you should know we don't have much time left for Christmas. And that would be the only season this film will get a hit. I know some directors-"
"I can direct." The three words shocked Mason for who-knows-what time.
"Uh- what?" He asked.
"I can direct, Uncle."
"This is not the time to joke if you're serious about this whole project."
Ian shook his head while saying, "You do remember that the only thing that made my father proud about me was me going to Stanford University."
"I certainly do," Mason replied, disappointment was clear in his voice.
"What you don't know is, I have studied a course on movies. Also, I've been reading a lot of books for weeks." Ian was confident while spitting white lies through his mouth. He 'was' reading books and that was true.
"Huh- you did what?" Mason couldn't believe his ears. Ian just nodded in return.
Ian in his previous life did study movies as a part of his attempt to trying to improve in acting. It has always been a huge dream of Ian to be an actor. The thing that comes along with acting is movies. It was also his dream to get into directing later down his career. Out of it all, the library in his head had information on how to direct a movie, so, it won't be hard for him.
"I seriously don't think so. If you're gonna direct, just know that you'll ruin a nice script. Don't ruin something good I have seen in years." Mason told him strictly.
"I know where you are coming from, I sure do. But I legit wrote this myself, if it isn't me, I can assure you no one knows the story more than I do. Let me do it, uncle. Just like how the script is, you'll get to see a good movie from Renner's Films after years. " Ian insisted and sat straight on his chair.
Mason's mind kept yelling 'No!' over and over but he was silent watching Ian trying so hard to convince him.
"It won't be like how you think. This story is mine, let me do the directing." Ian added, further.
There were a thousand reasons why Ian couldn't direct the movie in Mason's mind. But the script that was his and this silenced half of Mason's thoughts.
"I'm not sure, Ian. Do you even know how to operate a camera? Or how to divide a scene in several shots? Huh? What I think is, we need a professional." His voice became louder with frustration which he was holding back for so many reasons.
"Of course, I do. Why would you think I won't?" Ian sighed loudly. "Give me a chance to prove myself."
"Stubborn as ever." Mason mouthed his thoughts aloud for the first time without thinking, in disapproval.
A word from me_
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Hello there!
This is to let you know that a new discord server has been created and I'm inviting all of you to join :))
(It's a pretty long ride, get in)
https/discord.gg/pjVeC2dkT5
Also, scroll down to read Chapter 5 :')
tc.
Ian was pretty exhausted just by trying to make Mason agree to his idea. After all, he had no other option, but to convince him because he had no connections within the industry. It took him two days to finally get an "okay" from Uncle Mason.
Ian, who was too used to being chased by people who wanted stuff from him, had to put all his ego aside just to make Mason agree with his idea. The thing was he didn't like pestering Mason so much. He had self-respect after all. But he knew that the previous owner of the body had a ruined reputation.
From what he knew, if this became a success, the rest of the things he would be able to handle by himself but he needed Mason's assistance for as long as he decided to work at Renner's.
He needed a whole crew and distributor which Renner films were able to provide. But the matter was, Ian, didn't know anyone except Mason. His 85% share meant nothing when he was new to the whole crew in a way.
After Mason agreed on doing the project with so many negotiations held, and so many negotiations left to be held in the near future, Ian asked him to act as the producer which Mason accepted without thinking about it much.
For the past couple of days, Mason has been in a huge battle with Ian. He kept insisting on letting somebody else be the director of 'Home Alone. Thinking about all the pros and cons, Mason couldn't find even a single good reason why he should allow Ian to direct it.
But what finally turned the tables was the notebook that Ian showed him. It was filled with sketches of various scenes. Different shots of 'Home Alone' and also how the camera placements are going to be.
This was something a professional director would often do to explain his view in mind and make someone understand it from the scratch. It was impressive how Ian pulled the right card just when Mason was going to reject it. He was highly impressed with this 'amateur' or so he called him.
But the challenges didn't end right there. In fact, it was just barely the start. Ian had only 2 million dollars remaining in his bank account. The former body owner somehow couldn't finish wasting those, but Ian was far away from complaining. But it would be a huge challenge for him to create 'Home Alone' just from 2 million dollars.
The major part which made the entire 'Home Alone' successful was its good writing and excellent performance. It depended on how each actor brought out the exact character they were playing. They either nailed it or failed, there wasn't something in between. He thought the money would be enough because it wouldn't cost much for the cast or filming.
-
It was the third day on which Ian met Mason, and also the first day he was a director. He just woke up and realized it must be sometime around 9 o'clock which meant he still had plenty of time left to meet with Mason. Dressing up with the suits of the previous Ian, the body owner got ready within minutes to meet Mason. He remembered how at first, he was only able to find comfortable clothes in his wardrobe but then he saw that several types of suits were neatly arranged in the behind. It was a pretty big walk-in closet and has not been cleaned in a few years. Ian knew why it hasn't, it was because the previous body owner enjoyed a lot of privacy. Which also meant no one was allowed inside his closet.
The suits were refreshingly new yet haven't been maintained just like it was as if no one has ever touched them in years. Just like the first day, he had to dust the suits off before wearing them.
He certainly knew it was going to be the very first day during which they would talk about the cast, film crew, and basic stuff related to their project.
[...] Reaching his destination, he went in without informing because now it has become a place where he spends more time than his own house.
"Good morning, Ian." Mason greeted enthusiastically. It completely showed how refreshing everything was suddenly for him.
"Morning, Uncle." Ian sat while taking out and placing all the documents in front of him.
Then they started talking about the crew, trying to plan each and every step ahead. While talking to his uncle, he learnt a few more new things related to the film industry in this new world. His memories did help a lot in knowing them, but listening to them from someone who experienced the ins and outs was a memorable experience for Ian.
As the budget wasn't much, Ian had decided to go with cheap actors. As long as their acting skills suit the character he was fine with them not having a huge name in the industry. After all, the film needed skills more than anything for this to work.
In the current world he was in, the actors were ranked by an organization called Global Celebs Guild. The other guilds such as the Directors Guild, Actors Guild, Writers Guild, and others cooperated with the Global Celebs in their missions.
In fact, every other country had this ranking system. Including countries like India and Korea which supposedly have a recognized movie and music industry. They have a local and global ranking in which they rank actors and celebrities.
With this, it was clear which actor was at the top. It should be noted that the rankings weren't based on skill entirely but on popularity.
The rankings were calculated by taking a lot of factors like popularity, social media searches, awards, movies, box office rankings, and other stuff.
Ian didn't know the exact formula but the rankings were accepted by Hollywood and the higher a person is on them, the more influence the person has.
This was not practiced in Ian's world but he liked this more than he should. Because this clearly showed the ranks of actors and made it easy to see where the actors stand in their own careers.
The rankings were of many types. Actor ranking, singer ranking, etc, and the overall celeb ranking. How the rankings worked was, that they had several types of ranks such as E-grade, D-grade, C-grade, B-grade, A-grade, and a special S-grade.
Much to everyone's surprise, only six actors were at the top of celebs' S- ranking. Furthermore, all the people in the industry kept fighting for years and years just to get to the top of their careers. The competition was extremely high.
For 'Home Alone', Ian was happy with E-graded actors. As long as they possessed the necessary potential, the rank didn't matter to Ian. But just for the role of the two thieves, he thought of selecting D-graded actors since it was a comedy.
From what he knew not everyone can be funny. The more they try, the less funny they are.
"I've listed some comedy TV actors that I think would be good for the roles of the thieves. Tell me what you think about them." He leaned in while turning the pages of the document which were right in front of Mason.
"Uh-huh. I see, these are some well-mannered actors who bring out the characters that they are playing."
"Exactly... But honestly, no matter how unpopular the actor is, if they make the cut we need, it'll be more than enough." Ian added.
"Take Kevin for example. Although there are plenty of kids who do roles and are D or C graded, Kevin is special. I researched some of the 8-year-olds in the industry. Yet more than half are not 'that'. The thieves play the next main role. Two of the burglars should really look and have that bond that we imagined them to have.
All these put together, we need a crew who can really be what the characters are, literally." He stopped himself trying not to get too far or sound too needy.
"Hmm… gotcha. I think we can find them soon enough." Mason's mind map started to draw lines.
"Do you have anybody in mind, uncle?" Ian questioned back.
"Yeah, I actually do. Don't worry, I can talk to them. It won't be that much of a big deal, because some of those few have worked with your dad a few years ago. They had so much potential and faith in our production house, I remember. Others would be easy to talk to" Mason said and sighed.
"What's wrong?" Ian asked while Mason shook his head.
"Just that, the ones who worked with your dad, it'll take lots of convincing for them to agree as well. I mean.. after his death, they certainly know how our studio has been running." Mason added. "But yeah, don't worry."
"I'll leave it to you, uncle." Ian had to say these words just to show that he trusted Mason. "The main role- Kevin. Do you have anyone in mind for that as well?"
"Uh- it'll take some time for that. We need a super-smart boy for that. If you did your research properly, I bet you saw it yourself."
Ian nodded in return.
"Yeah, honestly, I saw none to match the role. It'll be hard to find that 'one'. So it's fine to take time just for him. But, try to convince others as soon as possible."
"Yeah, I will see."
"Uh- it would be fine if I auditioned them myself, right?"
"Of course."
Ian nodded in return. They read over info on the actors one by one, discussing each of their traits. The way Ian explained, Mason couldn't be more proud of how thoughtful he was. Yet, he'd never know how he became like that.
"The real problem is not about actors, Ian. It'll be of the film crew." Mason added.
"Huh-" Ian sounded a little confused. Taking a while to think about it, he knew what his uncle said was right. The realization was clear in his eyes as they fell into complete silence.
A word from me_
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The talk regarding the crew started among them, while they knew they were going to be in some trouble due to it.
"Many of them left due to the losses," Mason stated.
"Yeah, I didn't think of this. I mean, what about others?"
"They wouldn't be enough. We'll need more."
Ian knew what he meant. He also knew whoever remained with Renner films was just because of loyalty. They were the employees who had been with the studio ever since it had started.
But while producing the soft porn movies, they had to hire another crew that was experienced at shooting porn movies. But that won't work in this situation.
It sounded hectic to find people in all this hurry, especially when the state they are in doesn't sound trustworthy.
"I know, uncle. Just try to get a small crew. Mainly the most necessary people for the movie, you know what I meant right?" Ian asked.
"Hmm.. yes. I'll.. try-" Mason sounded so unsure that Ian felt like this movie wouldn't even start.
But suddenly, an idea popped up in his mind. The image of a person passed through his mind as he said.
"No, wait. I think I can solve this."
"What? How? Do you know some-"
Ian cut him short, "Yes, I do have someone in mind." He stated sure as ever.
Mason doubted Ian as he was never trustable in his eyes. Though, at this moment, there was nothing else he could do but to trust him and trust in his so-called process.
With time, Mason was turning page by page while listening to Ian and his plans for this project. He always thought that this kid was not someone good with talks yet much to his surprise he was wrong.
He remembers how Ian's father kept saying things about him like how he always thought Ian would learn, grow and become the best version of himself. Maybe the time has finally come, Mason's thoughts came to an end as the rest of the morning passed by.
-
It was quiet, yet the surroundings hid an unsettling feeling. Ian was at a cafe which was near the studio but was not with anyone, he was still waiting for somebody.
A small bell rang every time someone came in, and each time Ian's eyes focused shifted towards the door without missing a beat.
The environment of the cafe was perfect for what Ian had in mind. The small whispers around calmed his soul and gave him more confidence because he had no room to overthink.
He was waiting for somebody he knew. Someone who can solve a major part of the problem he was currently facing.
Just after a few minutes passed by, the bell rang once more. A fat man, dressed in a suit, with perfectly combed hair along with a clean shaved face, and an expensive watch with posh-looking shoes came in. Ian took a second to observe all of this while he knew this man was exactly who he was waiting for.
According to his memories, John was the former body owner's childhood friend. After graduating college, he had fooled around for a while and then decided to join his father in the export business.
The matter of their friendship was, that Ian's former body owner never stopped fooling around even after John quit the antics, which made them part ways.
Seeing John from the farthest table, Ian raised his hand and waved just to grab his attention. Just like he thought, John's eyes looked up towards him while he walked straight to the corner of the cafe.
"Been long, hasn't it?" John asked while sitting right in front of him.
"Iced latte, as usual?" Ian asked in return while trying to show generosity. He nodded as if to answer his previous question,
"It has been very long, indeed. Never heard from you in a year. I was surprised to know you haven't died from STDs yet." Ian tried to show his playful side which was one of the traits of his previous body owner.
"Not my fault. You were too busy," Ian continued
"Our paths divided on what we chose, Ian." John didn't seem to be pleased with how Ian was. "I changed for good, helped dad a bit here and there. Now I'm good. I didn't have time because of that. Although I very well wonder to what I owe this surprise of meeting you."
"Huh- can't I even remember my good old friend?"
"What is it? I know there's something, spill."
From what Ian knew, John wasn't this clever. It was evident that he had learned something here and there.
"Hm.. you're right." Ian smiled in defeat. No fooling this man, he thought. "I need your crew."
As soon as the words left Ian's lips, surprise and shock were evident on John's face.
"I don't handle it anymore," He composed himself in a millisecond and replied sternly.
Ian clicked his tongue while stating, "There's no way you gave up the crew entirely. I know you too well for that shit," He chuckled under his breath.
John was someone who loved the cinematography and always used to skip management classes for filmmaking ones. And much to his favor, his uncle was a renowned cinematographer who also had a studio.
From childhood, John had spent a lot of time with his uncle and because of him, John had been influenced by movies a lot. Even during Halloween, he would always dress up as a famous Hollywood horror character.
They used to hang out a lot while sharing so many ideas about filmmaking because Ian had a large Hollywood influence too. This was the very reason they became friends.
John knew things like how to operate a camera, which his uncle taught him personally. Not just a camera, he learned a lot from his uncle which he was grateful for and something he could never express with words.
But unfortunately, some years ago, his uncle passed away. After that, he got to know that his uncle had written off the entire studio in his name in his will long before dying. It was heartwarming for him but his parents didn't like the idea of the film industry. It was partly because his uncle and father had friction.
Therefore, they forced him to get into the export business which was bound to be successful. John had no say in any of it. It was not like he didn't try to object, but every attempt of his turned into failure.
Ian knew all of this because of his memories, but something that surprised him was the behavior of the current John.
The silence took over them for a while when the waiter brought what Ian ordered.
"Ian, you weren't surprised to hear this from me at all, I figured from your voice. And I heard something about you." John smirked and laughed.
"What did you hear about me?"
"That you, a party animal who can't stay without clubbing and partying every night suddenly was nowhere to be found." He scoffed. "How so?" He questioned.
Ian wished he could slap the daylight of the former body owner. As much as a playboy he himself is, he kept his reputation in his 'world' achieving things little by little. But his reputation as the Ian of this world was already ruined by his playboy behavior long ago. I've got so much clean up to do, he thought to himself.
"Huh- it's just-"
"Oh and… heard you went to the studio, too. What's the plan?" John was straightforward with his questions.
"Oh well, I decided to carry forward my father's dream. I'm directing a movie. The real matter is, I need a crew. That is why I contacted you. But, I see you've done plenty of research to know so much stuff about me,"
"Haha… don't act like you don't know me. Had to check the waters before jumping in," He was right. "And again, I don't really handle the studio, but tell me about the movie." His interest started showing.
Ian recited a small summary of the movie while John kept asking questions here and there. He even explained what type of actors he wanted and the film crew he needed.
"Ah right. Do you even know how to direct? I mean, as long as I know you've known how to work with your dick, not with-"
"I wrote the script myself, John. I can obviously direct. Uncle Mason will act as the producer." Ian said almost annoyed.
"Hmm… Uncle accepted the entire idea, I see?"
John was surprised that Mason would accept Ian as a director but his friend was indeed looking pretty different. At least he sounded more mature.
Ian slightly nodded and came to the real question, "Now the question is who is handling the studio?" He asked.
At that, John frowned before telling.
A word from me_
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For the fourth time, John ignored Ian's question. They started to talk about their schoolmates and how things ended with each other.
Although their talks were flowing nicely, Ian certainly knew why he was here. Without making his plan a success, he had no intention to go back.
"You ignored my question again. Who is handling the studio?" He asked.
"It's being handled by my assistant mostly." He replied with a sigh.
"So you do have a say in it, right?"
"I do, but I've different shit to look after with dad and his business. It's almost as if I never interfere with the studio." He tried his best to compose himself and said this.
"Hmm... I see." Ian was silent for a moment.
It was as if something snapped in John, his facial expressions were unreadable to Ian.
"Fuck, you do remember how eager I was whenever I went to hang out with my uncle, right?" He asked suddenly.
"Yeah, I do. Good old days."
"When he died, he left the studio for me to take care of. I mean, I'd literally die before letting the studio have a downfall." He sighed. "I still can't believe dad didn't allow me to continue."
Sadness was evident in his voice.
"You were so good at skipping management classes and focusing on your film classes. What happened now? Couldn't you do it with the studio anymore?" Ian let out a low chuckle, remembering the old days.
"Don't even remind me. Not gonna lie, I so badly want to continue the studio by saying no to dad."
"Huh- they didn't even consider?"
"As if… But there is still something in my heart, a bitter feeling about letting go of the studio completely."
It was at that moment that John started ranting about everything that had happened to him. How his dad forcefully made him join the business and kept pushing him more and more into what he wanted him to do.
Waking up every day with no motivation to do business and knowing his cinematography passion was long gone, wasn't easy for John. Those long and hard days of frustration… John finally let it out.
Ian felt blank, yet kept listening to him. Knowing that what John needed right now was for someone to listen to him. After a while of cussing at everything, John sighed loudly and shook his head.
"Times have changed a lot…. Uh, thanks for listening to my rant," he said after a pause.
"No problem, I seriously came to you to find a crew. You're the guy that came to my mind when I started thinking about getting a crew."
"Hmm… I don't really know what you're looking for exactly. But I'll tell my assistant to contact you. He'll arrange what you need." John said while looking at his watch.
"Thanks, man. It'd be a huge help."
Ian thanked him humbly and was satisfied knowing he found his crew and will be able to start things as quickly as possible. They talked for some more time, then John had to be somewhere, so they promised to meet up later.
-
Ian brought the good news to Mason the very next day. They started talking about actors for the film, very well knowing there is still a little more to do before they start shooting.
Mason was looking for the actors including the two thieves, who pretty much run the whole film.
But the main role, Kevin Mccallister remained empty. Ian was keen on finding a kid who exactly fits the traits of Kevin in this alternate world.
Kevin McCallister was a young boy who was mistakenly separated from his family and forced to defend himself against bumbling burglars Marv and Harry. He was the youngest child of Peter McCallister and Kate McCallister and the youngest sibling of Buzz, Megan, Linnie, and Jeff.
Later on in his movie, he took revenge upon all those who tried to do evil on him, primarily upon the home invaders.
Kelvin's role actor was someone who had a lot of charm and after the release of Home Alone in his world, Kevin had become the hero of many children. They were often kids imitating him. Kevin was normally argumentative, stubborn, and even aggressive which are the traits one would find in an eight-year-old boy. They would need a pretty smart boy for this role.
Ian noted all this in the character traits he wanted in Kevin, which Mason had a copy of.
"We'd need a super-smart kid for the role, an ordinary one won't fit it." Mason told Ian.
"Yeah, do you've anyone in mind?"
"I'll search around a bit. It would be kinda hard to find."
Ian nodded in return.
-
It had been two days. They've been searching for a kid for over a while, who would suit the role. Although they did many auditions, Ian didn't like any of them.
"I don't know what you're saying, mom!" The kid shouted in the studio at his mother.
It was a quite good 45-minute session with an eight-year-old whose mom kept telling him to act like a certain role they had practiced before, or so his mom said.
Every time the kid tried, his mom would interfere by saying, "That's not it." "I'm sorry, can we try one more time?" "I told you to show more emotions!" "Try one more time."
"Last. Time. Do it!" She said it almost above a whisper, yet everybody heard her.
"Hello, man! I thought we were going to hang-"
"What are you even doing?" She stepped in for the millionth time.
It irritated both the producer and director equally. Perks of having moms as young people's managers, Ian thought to himself.
After not being able to handle anymore, he dismissed them by saying, "I'm sorry, but he is not the Kevin we're looking for. Well done little buddy! Don't give up!" He went closer and patted the frustrated-looking kid.
Mason sighed in grief, praying silently to find the 'one' as quickly as possible.
The day was long for both of them. Almost every other kid was not suited for the role. Either he would sound fake, not have enough potential, doesn't sound like Kevin, or doesn't look smart… the list went on and on for Ian.
Meanwhile, Mason was already in talks with many actors and had to go from one actor to another talking about the role and showing them the script.
More than half of them completely agreed after seeing the script. The few who denied it were entire because of how young the director is, and though inexperienced, and not to mention the current state of their studio affected their reputation a lot.
The majority accepted because the shooting will go on for just one month, and they thought this is an experimental film.
The D- grade and E- grade actors were more than used to acting in these types of experimental movies, so they accepted without further doubts.
It was two busy days for Ian and Mason. They would come to the studio in the morning, talk, talk, talk, write a bit and talk more, go home exhausted, eat then sleep and repeat.
The most annoying part of it all was finding Kevin. It was way easier for his mom to find Kevin during the hyped-up Christmas in the original movie rather than finding a kid to act the role of Kevin, Ian thought to himself.
-
They found all the necessary actors except Kevin. Hunting for the role went on for one more week. They were pretty exhausted and were almost on the verge of taking a lifetime break. That was just how tiring it was after seeing so many 'shitty' auditions.
They all started doubting the future of their Acting career. If they're not going to find a kid to suit just one main role, how would young actors grow up and make fitting and more important roles?
One day, Ian was talking with John's assistant in the studio about how they will plan things in the future. John made Ben, the assistant guy, help with things around the studio for Ian.
Ben was a young guy with average experience around the stuff related to the studio. Ben and Ian clicked right in when they first met.
He was truly grateful for it, as Ben was so helpful in everything he needed help with. He was polite, humble, and pretty open-minded which made him easy to work with.
"So, how long do you think it will take?" They were talking about starting the shooting when Ben decided to ask this question.
Ian sighed, "I don't know. We are trying to find a kid who suits Kevin's role. As he's the main character, it'd be weird to start without-"
Both of their focus went to the door, when it suddenly opened with a thud, revealing a grinning Mason. Ian couldn't even complete his sentence.
"I found Kevin!" Mason shouted in happiness.
"Who?" Ian and Ben both asked in unison.
A word from me_
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Ian and Ben both waited for what Mason was about to say. The happiness on his face said a lot about what type of kid he found.
"I actually forgot about this kid. My friend who also works in the industry as an actress has a kid who is talented and is 8 years old." He said in a single breath. Taking a huge breath in, he continued,
"Perfectly perfect." He completed what he was about to say.
"Why couldn't you tell me before?" Annoyance was clear in Ian's voice.
"Sorry, I literally forgot about her. Been so long since I last met her, she was out of the country for a shooting. Came today and called me after seeing the notice. I think the little boy could do this role." He smiled genuinely.
"Need to audition him first, can you tell them to be here tomorrow? Or I can go meet him?" Ian asked while Mason nodded in return.
It felt like a huge weight got off their shoulders. Although, Ian didn't believe anything until he saw it himself.
"Why do you think he is perfect for the role by the way?" Ian questioned.
"He had done some roles himself, here and there. Also, his mom is very talented. I sure know that the little guy learnt stuff from her. So I genuinely think… he's worth a try." Mason added. Ian nodded in reply, not knowing what to say.
The first time the little boy Adam met Mason, he was taken back by how smart he is. Adam basically had a reply for every conversation they had.
Unlike many kids, who'd just nod, talk gibberish, or say things which might piss off an adult, Adam's discipline was quite outstanding.
"So… what things are you interested in?" Mason had questioned Adam when he had first met him.
They were talking about Adam's hobbies and what he wanted to do in life after growing up. The question popped up randomly but the little kid had excitedly answered it.
"I love movies. Every Sunday, me and my mom will watch a new movie and after growing up, I want to be an actor. Playing all sorts of roles. Won't that be exciting?" He questioned back.
Mason had smiled hearing such an answer. For his age, Adam already seemed to have a good grasp of movies and would even try to know what kind of roles his mother was playing.
Of course, he had other hobbies too but his primary focus was only on movies.
Adam's smartness for his age was beyond comparison with kids at his age group.
Due to all this, he had got some roles in low budget movies and using his smartness, he had played them very well.
Mason would only see Adam once or twice a year when he and his mother would meet up. But because of trying to come up with options in a hurry, he had completely forgotten about Adam.
It was a shame Mason didn't bring up Adam's name when thinking about 'Home Alone'. Not just him, if anyone who worked with this kid heard about how Kevin's character was needed, they would all suggest Adam.
-
Ian parked the car outside Michelle's house. Michelle was Adam's mom, who supposedly is an actress.
Ian came to meet Adam's mother to talk about the role. It would've been easier if Mason joined, but he was busy with handling some other business.
The house was average looking just like all the houses in the same street. Two storeys, with a small garden. It was peaceful.
He knocked on the door twice and waited patiently until someone opened it. His thoughts were arranged on what to say and when to say it. He wished everything would go according to the plan, and Adam should suit the role.
The door was opened by a middle aged woman, with a genuine smile.
"Hey, can I help you?" She asked.
He was still at the doorstep.
"Yeah, actually, I want to meet Adam. Mason must've called you before, I guess?" He returned the politeness.
"Ah, yes! Ian right? Please, come in." Her facial expressions showed how excited she was to have him.
He followed her inside. The house looked old, yet nothing gave it away. It was well maintained.
"Please take a seat, I'll ask Adam to come down,"
There were frames of photos hung in the opposite corner while he took the leather couch to sit.
It was a small living room, but the wooden floor and furniture arrangement seemed like a 'sweet home'. A house where someone can really relax when they get off from work and come home.
"Adam! Someone's here for you!" She shouted.
The little boy, with black hair looking very cute with his boyish grin came jogging down and stood behind his mom.
"Hey, Adam. I'm Ian." Ian extended his hand expecting for him to do the same.
Just like he expected, Adam came forward and shook hands with him.
"Uncle Mason told me about you. We talked for almost thirty minutes,"
"Oh-" Ian didn't expect him to talk this much. In fact, never was there a kid before who had talked this friendly before their guardian in the previous meetups and auditions.
That's the 'basic' training, talk less, show more. Atleast, that's how all the newbie trainers taught the kids in the industry.
"About the script, I meant." Adam said and smiled.
"I see, so… you like it?" Ian asked.
"I loved it!"
"It is actually rare to see such a young man in the industry trying to direct a movie." Adam's mom tried to start a conversation and break the ice.
Ian nodded and smiled without saying anything.
"What was the budget again? One million?" She asked.
"Yeah, at least that's how much we estimated."
"Yeah, it's pretty good for an experimental movie. A good start,"
He didn't try to deny the fact it's experimental. With the current situation of the studio, the last thing Ian would do is create something to experiment on.
"Yeah, let's see."
"Hmm.. when Mason said all this, I actually thought with the right amount of investment, profits can be high with this script. And the genre being comedy, is a plus."
She completed what was in her mind. Ian didn't deny nor accept it, "We hope so, too."
"So, you read the script?" Ian asked turning his entire focus towards the kid.
"Yes, sir. I did." Adam answered politely.
"Call me Ian, and what do you think?"
He smiled slyly in return, "Kevin is smart. Very smart and someone just like me," he answered. His confidence gave a huge impression.
Ian focused his attention on Adam while they started talking about the script. Since Mason had explained about almost everything, it was easy for him to talk about what the character is like.
Ian made Adam talk like one of his previous characters. He was stunned by how good the kid's talents were.
"Woah, that was so good. Can you do another? Maybe something funny?"
The more someone tried, the less funny they were. Ian had that in his mind. Yet, Adam succeeded in making Ian laugh.
The script was already with Adam because Mason sent a copy just as soon as he decided Adam is good for the role.
Knowing that, Ian knew Adam had so many questions about Kevin. Yet he took it slowly. One at a time without trying to frustrate Ian.
More than anything, what Ian knew was… he found the perfect actor for the role. It makes him more happy knowing how excited the kid is to play a character just like him.
"What would you think Kevin would do if he knew his family would leave him alone in 'christmas?"
"He'd be fine with it, I mean… he didn't like his family, now did he?" Adam asked back.
Ian chuckled under his breath knowing the kid sure tried to understand a lot about the character but still had a child-like innocence, which made it even easier.
The audition took a small amount of time like 20-minutes. The rest was just casual talking.
After almost an hour, they both were feeling more than just fine when they knew they achieved exactly what they wanted.
"I think I'll go now," Ian stood up while patting the kid on his head.
Michelle, who was busy with her phone right in the next corner, heard this and walked towards them.
"Oh, are you guys done?"
"Yeah, for today. The real deal starts soon, can we get Adam to be in the studio tomorrow? I want to do some rehearsal and take some photos," he asked.
"Yeah, I'll drop him by, I have shooting around 9. Will it be fine?" She asked.
"Yeah, perfect. See ya tomorrow, bye Adam, Michelle."
He bid them farewell and walked outside while they both followed him out and waved him goodbye.
Ian felt as if a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He finally found his Kevin.
Ian was content.
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Ever since Ian found Kevin, things have been running quickly. One of the very important things regarding the project was to choose locations.
The perfect place in Ian's mind to shoot the movie wasn't finalized, as he just needed a place where snow was falling. After some discussion, they chose Canada. As snow falls in October there, it was easy and quick to finish the movie.
Their plan was to finish the movie by December and release it around Christmas. With that thought, they have been super busy lately.
The post-production would take 20 days to a month. So, it all was a rush.
One of the things he was grateful for, was the crew. They were super supportive and highly professional. They did things with great focus.
It was hard to find such professionals with a low budget. The crew was almost like a lucky break for him.
Though sometimes, they'd take Ian for a kid. As in, they would doubt what he's capable of, his lack of experience. It was frustrating for Ian, but he managed it with patience.
He knew that it was because of his age. A young director is always taken lightly especially one with no previous work to show for himself.
In Hollywood, only the top directors started directing in their 20s. Most of them only began in their late 30s and 40s.
Among the crew, the cinematographer Niko was a well experienced person with sound knowledge of lightning, camera, and tone of the scene.
For a director, a cinematographer is really important as he operates the camera and turns the director's imagination into reality.
Many famous directors had top cinematographers too. It was one of the most important aspects of filmmaking.
In that sense, Niko was pretty good. He's been shooting movies for a while and was pretty experienced.
Although at times he tried to give some advice for scenes, trying to help out the newbie director Ian. But ended up finding out that he was not really a newbie.
"Ian, I think in this scene, we should show more of the background and take a close-up shot. Putting up photos of Kevin's family might be a nice idea. What do you think?"
"It's a good idea but we need to keep the background bright. It's a comedy, so expressions need to be on point, so the entire scene will fall on the actor's shoulders most of the time."
"Yeah, let's hope those guys do a good job."
Like that, they had a lot of conversations and they generally got a better idea for the movie. Home alone was a movie that Ian just wanted to emulate completely from the original in his memories.
That way, there will be more chances of success.
Though he didn't like it and wanted to add his own flavor to it, his studio needed a big hit and he wanted to get a higher chance of success.
He had changed the actors but he knew that if he could somehow match the feeling of the original movie, he would surely succeed.
-
It has already been some days since the shooting started. It was one fun ride to everyone including Ian. And many things have changed about Ian in the eyes of actors and even the crew.
At first, they were simply doing their lines.
As the actors didn't have many expectations from the movie doing well, they weren't trying to give their best in their acting. They thought it was just an experimental movie that a young director was making to experience filmmaking.
Because of that, most actors simply treated this as a way to earn quick money.
This frustrated Ian to the point where he scolded the actors one by one. After all, they were having so many cuts and shooting and a single scene wasn't cheap.
"There are fourteen people in this house and you're the only one who has to make trouble. Get upstairs!" The actress playing the character of Kevin's mom Kate repeated the lines just as it is.
"Cut!" Ian shouted.
"What?" She asked back, noticing Ian's angry face.
Fiona, who was an E-grade actress, was acting as Mrs. Kate McCallister. Ian wanted her to give a good performance as Kevin's mom, who was an important role in the first few scenes.
But it looked like she wasn't even willing to try.
"This is not what you're meant to be doing. Where's the rage? Where's the haste? Where are the emotions? Do you guys think this is a joke?"
He looked around the four corners of the room. This was his breaking point. Everyone was the same before he started to scold them.
"A family with twelve kids. Do you think the mom would be so calm? Knowing the trip will be to another country…?"
"Uh…"
"Say something. You all have been in the industry for so long and you don't even know how to do such a simple scene…"
The lecture went on for fifteen more minutes, while the actors looked at each other's faces and in the end, started taking the script and the movie seriously.
After all, what Ian had said was true. The only reason they weren't serious was that they were taking Ian as a newbie. But after he scolded them again and again, their ego as actors was hurt.
This made them take the script seriously.
-
It was the scene where Kevin was watching an adult's action movie, after knowing that no one was at home. Of course, with his snacks. In the original movie, it wasn't even a real movie. Ian too decided to create the scene.
"Come out, y'all. I'm eating junk while watching a rubbish movie,"
Kevin's mom was strict about not allowing him to eat or watch those types of movies. Not to mention, Adam was perfectly doing the scene so far.
The scene was pretty hilarious, knowing Kevin was having the time of his life because he always wanted his family to disappear.
The guy on the screen, shot the other man with his gun, talking about their little money deal. Horror was written all over Kevin's face.
"Keep the change, you filthy animal," said the murderer while he killed the other guy, and kept shooting even when he was dead.
Kevin closed his eyes from his hands and shouted at the top of his lungs,
"Mom!"
They were shooting the last scene in the house where Kevin shouts 'mom' after watching the television. Ian was perfectly content with that scene and Adam's acting.
The scene after that was, in which the mom and dad who were already on the flight realised that they left the kid alone.
Adam was perfect as Kevin, maybe even more than the original actor in some scenes.
"Cut!" Ian stopped, "Okay, Adam, that was good."
"You sure?" The kid asked back, still energetic after a day of shooting.
"Yeah, let's pack up now! Good job everyone."
With that, the day's work finally ended but the shooting had just started.
-
The next day, the shooting took place inside the studio. It was the scene where they realise Kevin is not with them and they were on a flight. The green screen helped them to perfect the background. They started and continued doing the scene two or three times only to realize something was missing.
"The parents, you both should act oblivious. Just like a couple who'd forget their kid. I mean, that's what you are-"
They all burst into a fit of laughter. The shooting started with jokes here and there, yet the scene wasn't perfect.
Kevin's mom suddenly woke from the small sleep she's been having and took her bag. Shuffling through the bag, she found her purse.
"What's the matter?" Kevin's dad asked. "Honey?"
"I.. uh- I have a terrible feeling."
"About what?"
"That we forgot something-"
"Nah Nah… you feel like that because we left in such a hurry. We took care of everything…. Believe me, we did."
"Did I turn off the coffee?"
"No… I did,"
"Did you lock up?"
"Yeah…"
"Did you close the garage?"
"That's it.. I forgot to close the garage.. that's it."
She sighed hearing his words. "No, that's not it…"
"What else could we be forgetting?"
Ian was looking closely at this conversation. He was content with the pace, expressions, and how smooth the conversation flew.
"KEVIN!"
She shouted.
After seeing the clip again, it was as if something was missing… Ian felt.
"Can we start over? I want the best you could pull off…! Give me more… expressions," Ian asked.
They nodded and continued to do the whole thing over.
"KEVIN!" Kate shouted again. Which made Ian rise from the chair, due to happiness for a perfect shot.
After a whole lot of attempts, Ian was happy with the last shot of the day. He clapped loudly seeing how good she did it. Everyone else joined him, being happy after so much effort.
"That's it for today!" Ian said.
It brought a smile to everyone's face as it was the last scene they had to shoot that day.
Especially because from the very beginning, Kevin, who was the main character, has been doing the role seriously and perfectly, making others doubt their own acting skills.
Moreover, seeing how hard Ian works, the constructive criticism he gives off in every bad scene made the actors start truly doing their characters better.
They packed off their belongings one by one, while some went off to their homes straight away, but the film crew had to stay at the studio to discuss more the scenes.
During the packing up, they started talking about today's shootings.
"I never thought you'd scold them that way," the Assistant cameraman, Jack, said loud enough for Ian to hear.
"Yeah, but it was due to this that they took their roles seriously. Now, see, we've had perfect scenes shot already," he replied with a slight smile.
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"This scene can be a bit tricky, so let me explain it to you. This Kevin's trick includes you, coming through a blowtorch and getting your head on fire."
Hearing this, Hyde Wilkins, who plays the role of Harry, nodded and smiled. He was a middle-aged man who was comparatively fat than an average body, yet was someone who did his role perfectly. He almost perfectly is like the real Harry who played Home Alone. But, Ian had to make the make-up artists create fake wrinkles and construct the bald head during the shot. But most of the time, Harry was in a cap so it was easier for them.
"Are you going to set my head on fire?" He asked with a joking smile.
"We can't do that, can we? We're gonna do an old magician's trick. The fire will be blown onto a dummy head, which will be painted black."
He turned to the cameraman and continued what he was saying, "The camera will be pointed at the glass at a 45 angle. And when Hyde hits this very specific mark on the setup, the reflection of the dummy head will be blocked, leaving the flame visible. And appear to burn your head."
They all nodded in understanding. "So in the end, my head will be on fire," Hyde laughed, making everyone laugh.
They were astonished by how good Ian is with everything. But Ian wanted to get over shooting quickly, so he used tactics like these that had been used in Home Alone 1 in his previous life.
His memories provided him with all the strategies he needed.
It's been more than one week since the shooting started. They decided to go to Canada after successfully filming the air-flight scenes in the studio. They rented a house in Canada that looked almost exactly like the house in the original movie.
The specificity was, that Ian wanted furniture which screamed Christmas just like in the original. It had been said that the original director used furniture, and house decorations in red and green colors depicting the nature of Christmas.
Knowing that Ian rented the house and the furniture along with it. The house looked perfectly like the McCallister house in no time.
In the original, Some of the house interiors, and many other interiors, were built inside an abandoned high school. Ian was lucky enough to find a house and rent it without wanting to create stuff and spend more money.
They started shooting different scenes which included Marv and Harry getting tricked by the nine-year-old.
"Quiet on the set!" Ian shouted.
"Sound!"
"Set!" The sound manager, Robert replied.
"Camera?"
"Set!" Niko, the cinematographer replied.
"Roll sound" Ian commanded.
"Roll camera"
The Clapper board moved into the scene with the scene number and 'take 1' which was visible on the clapper board.
"Action!"
The previous scene started on the outside when Harry aka Hyde went up the stairs while checking the doorknob, to make sure it wasn't hot, unlike one of Kevin's stunts. After touching it two or three times, he went inside.
The current scene takes place inside the house, where Harry's head gets burned. After putting his head inside, just like they had planned, the blowtorch blew fire, and Harry's facial expressions were on the spot. Just as if his head was burning.
"Owwww!"
"Cut!" Ian shouted.
They all stopped their work. The scene wasn't perfect and they had to do it a few more times before Ian decided it was perfect. In times like these, doing the same shot over and over wasn't an easy task for them.
"Cut!"
The final shot was perfect.
"That's it for today!"
It was already 10 p.m. and just like he knew, Kevin has to go home after 10 because of some laws regarding child labor. Even in the original movie, it is said that Columbus had to play Kevin's coverage first during the night, then he would be there to shoot the scene fully.
Ian wanted Kevin on the set, so he let everyone go home at times when Kevin took off during some days, but he kept working and shooting with others on several other days, till late at night.
-
Different scenes took different turns. Some were perfect, some were almost perfect, and some were even better than the originals.
Like how the snow at the end of the movie was fake, mashed potato flakes yet it was already snowing in Canada. It will be easy to make future scenes realistic, Ian thought.
Ian had to use so many tricks from the original movie, to quicken the process.
The scene in which they were shooting currently was when Marv gets in from the window and steps on the ornaments/toys.
They were candy glass, where the original idea is from the original movie which Ian used shamelessly.
"Action!"
Marv, who entered from the window with an evil grin thinking that the kid forgot to lock the window, stepped on the toys unintentionally and shouted while falling and touching his feet. For the role of Marv, they had found the perfect actor who looked a bit different from the original Home Alone Marv. Will Murray, who was a 35 years old C-grade actor had curly hair, a tall body, and the perfect beard and mustache which succeeded in leaving an expression on Ian during the auditions because he saw Marv through Will.
"I'm going to kill that kid!" He shouted.
"Cut!"
Ian watched the tape over and over, yet wasn't satisfied.
"One more time, but does it hurt?" He asked Marv who still kept jumping slightly from one foot to another.
"Yeah," they all chuckled.
After two more shots, it seemed okay to Ian, so they moved on to the next.
Prop Master, James Rogers brought a prop of a fake tarantula which was a spider breed, and a real tarantula in a glass jar.
"Is that harmless?" Ian asked with the idea of using the real one.
"Yeah, see." The tarantula kept running in his hands, here and there without giving a shit to anyone around. It was harmless, he knew and he felt.
"It's alright, let's use the fake one," Ian shouted aloud for everyone to hear but winked at the prop master. James nodded and smiled seeming to understand his plan. The scene started after explaining what Marv had to do.
"Roll camera"
"Action"
During the scene, just like Ian wanted, the real tarantula was used, making Marv scream for his life. It was the most realistic shot so far, Ian thought yet apologized to Marv after he calmed down. He was lucky that Will had no special fears of tarantulas, and if he did, Ian was doomed.
The very next moment Marv stood up, and the spider was taken away. After a few seconds of laughing and making fun of his screams, they called it a day. Ian thanked him personally for not making a big fuss about it.
"I'm glad I could give a realistic shot," was Will's reply.
-
Just like that, the majority of the scenes inside the house were taken and they still had almost half of the movie to be done.
They shot the scenes which take place inside the house, first. And decided to shoot several scenes which took place outside, in the cold for the last.
There was a scene where Marv and Harry had to stop their van short to not crash into Kevin on the road, and it would be risky to really stop the van like that, the kid could actually get hurt if something went wrong.
So, Ian did the same just like in the originals. They took a shot of the van pulling away, then reversing in editing.
'Safety first' when Ian said it, the whole crew agreed with him.
In the shot, Harry was driving with Marv in the passenger seat. In the thought of editing it later just as if Kevin was about to get hit, they took a few scenes of the van pulling.
[...] They were shooting the rest of the scene.
Kevin screamed loudly after almost getting knocked by a van and kept walking to the front to see the drivers of the van. After he saw Harry, Kevin's frightened face was shot on the camera (2) perfectly while he walked away quickly. There were two cameras to get a closer view and a distant one, which was normal during making movies.
"Cut! It was awesome! Do you guys need a break?" Ian asked. It was cold outside, but they had to keep going.
"Nah," they both shook their heads.
"Okay, next you, Harry needs to be confused. Then just like the script, say the two lines. And then, the van should start to drive. Are we clear?" He asked while they nodded.
The scene started and Harry gave out perfect expressions.
"What's the matter?" Marv asked.
"I don't like the way that kid looked at me," Harry replied.
"Cut! Make it more… natural! One more time!" Ian shouted not being satisfied with the shot.
-
The days got exhausting for all of them. Coldness made it tough to shoot much in it.
Nevertheless, they enjoyed every moment. Kevin was the most enthusiastic one among them all. They had so many inner jokes going on in between actors which didn't make any person bored for a single second.
Hyde, who played Harry, and Adam, made fun of almost every person on the set. They got along so well that Niko got a clip in which Hyde was sleeping on the couch since it was early and Adam's head was on his lap. They both were snoring lightly, which made it even funny.
After seeing the small video, the entire crew made fun of them.
Niko filmed little stuff happening behind the scenes in his private camera to make another small documentary as Ian requested. Moments of them joking around, talking, laughing, shots-gone-wrong, and sleeping were in it.
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"Focus!" Ian shouted for everyone to hear.
"This is the very last scene that we're gonna shoot. And y'all trying to mess this up? I mean, we did scenes that are way harder than this. Now, listen up everyone. I know y'all look forward for this to end,"
Everyone nodded in acceptance.
"So, let's do this! and now, about the scene… Although the family didn't take Kevin seriously, in the very last scene, they show how much they missed him. Even Buzz, who always said mean things… will say his part, you see the script? Right, Buzz?"
They have been screwing up the final scene for the seventh time. Even Kevin, who has been very enthusiastic about the entire project, seemed a bit unfocused, which Ian assumes was caused by tiredness.
Ian sighed loudly and took the mic, "Guys, we've been going on and off for weeks now. I know it's been hard, it's been exhausting, kind of fun, but I really need one hundred percent focus right now. The end should be just as good as the start!" He said while everyone nodded.
"You guys are very good actors. The best I've ever seen, remember, the focus is the key," Mason, who was silent, spoke up seeing how much Ian struggled.
This was the final scene where the mom comes home, after so many hours of thinking about Kevin, she was worried sick. After seeing her, Kevin asks where the others are, then all of them come through the door, revealing that they got home right on the day of Christmas.
It was clear in the movie that Kevin and his siblings never had a strong bond. As an example, in the very first scene when Kevin asks if anyone could help him to pack the suitcase, all they did was mock Kevin and joke about him because they all knew how immature he was and that his mom did everything for him.
Ian intended to show how things have changed ever since Kevin got lost, in the minds of his siblings.
Nevertheless, after all the work that they had been doing for weeks, he wanted pure perfection in the last scene.
"Quiet on the set"
"Camera - set"
"Roll sound"
"Roll camera"
The clapper showed - Final scene, Clip 35, take 3.
"Action!" Ian commanded.
The camera showed the house which has been decorated with Christmas decorations, even the tree had its lights on. Then, the camera moved to Kevin's face. He let out a sigh.
Camera-3 which was outside the set was on hold and started rolling when Ian gave the command. Kevin came outside the door, the snowfall was evidently showing its Christmas. He looked left and right, trying to see if his family was outside. Then, realizing no one was there, he lowered his gaze in defeat and went inside, closing the door after him.
Then, a lorry came right in front of the camera and stopped, showing that his mom had come.
"Cut! That was great! The next will be all about you, Kevin. Your expressions must show the end of the movie. Take a fifteen-minute break till I check the tape." Ian said.
It's been four hours after that, the film was finally done. The last scene will be memorable since Ian wanted to take it just like the originals. Although he wanted to end all the inside scenes which needed the house at first, he kept the final scene to be taken in the house, which had just a small part showing the outside from the window.
He could've taken this scene before, so they would have paid the rent and gotten it over with. Because setting the cameras, and lighting on location was a time taking process, and taking scenes from out and in the house was no easy task.
But, he wanted all of them to feel the mere satisfaction of experiencing the great feeling of ending the movie. Just like Ian would feel when it's done.
The crew, actors and everyone was sitting in the house, in the living room getting ready to watch the final tape of the last scene.
"Alright, get ready y'all. Don't cry! Or we better get ready with the tissues" Ian joked and played the screen in front of him. Kevin was on display.
After the kid sighed and went inside, it showed a lorry stop in front of his house. Then the camera showed that Kevin was holding a photo frame of his family, in his parents' bedroom. It depicts how his feelings for the family changed from wanting them to disappear to missing them.
Mom came inside while shrugging her jacket off the snow. She shouted, "Kevin!"
"Kevin?!" She yelled again.
Kevin's eyes lit up while he quit the room and came down. The camera then focused on how mom sees Christmas socks have been hanging near the firewood, with the names of their family members.
A slight smile formed on her face.
Kevin hurriedly ran off the stairs, seeing mom, he stopped in his tracks.
"Merry Christmas, sweetheart," She said in a sweet voice.
His expressions remained unchanged, kind of mad yet happy inside.
"Oh Kevin, I'm so sorry." She said, her emotions changing suddenly.
They both smiled and ran off to hug each other. Everyone clapped because it was so heartwarming, even for the actors. The expressions were on point. Surprising Ian, of how good it was. Even better than the original. Then they started to shoot the rest of the final scene.
"Where's everybody else?" Kevin asked.
"Oh, baby, they couldn't come, they wanted to so much, bu-"
"I didn't fall asleep in the back," Buzz came in, shouting with the chaos of other voices of their siblings with him.
Kevin and mom gasped.
They all were shouting and saying things to one another. It was a family mess, which Kevin had missed a lot.
"Kevin, Kevin my boy, oh come here," Dad lifted and hugged him. "It's good to see you, ah! You're alright."
"Hey, Kevin! It's pretty cool that you didn't burn the place down," Bazz said after a while.
"Thanks, buzz"
[….] The movie ended with Kevin waving to the old man outside the window in the snow, who was now hugging his family one by one. Everyone had tears in their eyes but a huge smile plastered on their face.
Knowing it was the very last day of their shootings, it was emotional for all the actors and crew who now had a strong bond between them. Adam was hugging Hyde while crying. Kevin's mom was smiling with tears in her eyes. Everyone was so overwhelmed.
They all gathered that night and threw a party to make sure no one forgets the night. Various types of dance moves were brought up, the most hilarious was Adam's. Niko recorded some of them, thinking they might want it, plus it was just fun to watch it.
-
After the filming was done in Canada, they came back to Los Angeles. After completing the final scene, the entire film was done in the mind map of Ian.
Without wasting even a day more, from the very next day, Ian started to work on editing. To help in editing, he found the perfect editor from his very good friend, John.
He was working in the industry for 7 years, which is quite long because editing always updates itself with the current fashions in the industry. Steffen Hudson, who faces occasional updates, works hard in the industry to maintain his standard.
He was around 32 years old who is happily married and very humble but quite opinionated. He'd ask questions often, to make things clear for him.
Ian, who knew many things about editing, would explain how exactly he wanted the scenes to be. Niko who joined these two, sat silently for the most part, knowing Ian wanted to do things quickly and efficiently. Opinions and questions would take more time since Ian knew exactly what he was doing.
On the side, Ian made a director's cut with extra scenes. Niko and Ian kept talking about it, while Steffen questioned about it.
"Why would a director's cut be needed?"
"We can later release it, using DVD and home media. It'll help the studio to earn more." Ian said.
"But, it'll work only if the movie gets famous. Do you think it will?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm well aware. And I don't think, I know it will." Ian smirked.
Steffen had no questions afterward.
"How is it going?" Mason entered the studio and got seated in front of Niko.
"Pretty good, so far. It's a success, uncle." Ian said and smiled. It was no wonder, Ian was warming up for Mason. Even when the shootings took place, they spent nights talking about various things regarding work.
Then they just continued to work till late at night. Niko went home early saying he was tired, but Ian, Steffen, and Mason remained in the studio.
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Ian and Steffen finished overall editing in a week. A week is very short for editing compared to other huge movies. A movie like Home Alone, which made $285.7 million domestically, which is a record for a family comedy and held the number one spot at the North American box office for 12 consecutive weeks in the real world, wouldn't have been able to be edited in a week if it wasn't for Ian.
Also, this movie was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Highest Box-Office Gross - Comedy", grossing $477 million worldwide in the original world.
It was almost as if a huge step was closer to his goal. Now what was left was, to make deals, movie premiere, and the biggest step, movie release.
Just as Ian finished creating the movie, they started working on getting deals with theatre chains for a Christmas release. Thanks to Ian's father, they had a distribution channel that made things pretty easy. He did his best to acquire a distribution channel.
Because of this advantage, they were able to deal with theatre chains themselves without including a third party in it. Ian was lucky in this case.
Distributors who would determine the marketing strategy, and then the release date made things easier for Ian. Still, the industry holds many challenges.
For one, Christmas movies are a huge thing on the eve. The competition is real in Hollywood. On the other side, Hollywood's big studios were notorious for dominating distribution channels in the country and not allowing other companies to get it. In this way, major movies, no matter how great they are, need to get through them and profits will be shared.
It was a Sunday, December 7th. A big day for Ian.
It was the 'Home Alone' premier which was happening for the employees of Renner films and some close friends of Ian and Mason. But the majority were people in the movie industry such as small directors, actors, and their families. Ian invited John personally, knowing without him and his favor, nothing would've gone easier for him.
The streets were busy as usual, and so was Ian's mind. Although he knew every step was perfect or almost perfect, he still had nerves because this was his first movie. Yet, confidence was plastered on his face with a smile with which he politely greeted everyone he met.
At the small gathering, everyone who knew Ian was excited. Even the maid, Valerine who got invited by Ian had a huge grin plastered on her face.
The moment he invited her, she was doubting her ears. As to know what exactly she heard. She knew Ian was making a movie, which was why he was going out and in from the house. But this was a whole different surprising news for her.
"I'm sorry, what, sir? Movie pre-?"
Yet, not after long, he repeated himself which made it clear to her. She has never been invited to any of such events by the family. So, she made sure to wear her most expensive-looking dress. She wanted to know how the movie panned out, so badly that she couldn't hide her excitement.
Everyone was in their seats, waiting for the crowd to fill in while Ian and John started betting about how the feedback are going to be.
"If this isn't good, you'll work as my assistant. My current one does loads of shit to handle, anyway." John said while they both laughed.
"If this worked, you'll be my assistant. I've none, and trust me it's a good chance, not many get it. You're the lucky one" He stated loud enough for Mason to hear who burst out laughing.
The environment around the movie theatre already started to warm up. While Ian kept fidgeting with his fingers. It would be a shame if people didn't find things funny in such a great movie, yet his confidence was so high, that he knew things were going to work as planned.
The film hall darkened and the movie started. From the beginning, everyone was laughing. Ian was enjoying hearing laughs from all around. At times, adults laughed, and at some points, kids laughed. No matter what, the movie would never age. Ian knew it.
The movie came to an end, and many had tears in their eyes while the whole theatre was silent.
[The End]
Everyone clapped while the names of the people who the credits should be gone was on the big screen. It was quickly followed by the cast.
"Dad, can we watch again?"
"Aww… It was so cute, the endddd!" Two girls talked in loud pitches.
"Bro, can't imagine being home alone. I'd let anyone steal things instead of acting crazy."
"Wow! That was so good."
"It was wholesome- yeah"
"It's Christmas!!"
"What an adventure, damn"
"Yuckkkk! Those burglars got what they deserve!"
"It was hilarious!"
Whispers of different compliments and comments started filling Ian's ears. He was still sitting in his seat and was happy with how it turned out. Finally, the people who were on the screen stood up and started talking among themselves. All of the employees and John congratulated him knowing this is going to turn out big. The actors were more than content with how their skills helped. They all thanked Ian.
"That was an excellent movie. So glad to be a part of it," Fiona, who acted as Kevin's mother said.
"It was all due to everyone's skills. But, welcome." Ian replied.
Mason was talking to others while Ian bid goodbye to the people who he invited. Yet, his eyes were on Ian. It was because he never thought a kid could make this type of movie.
Mason walked towards Ian and gave a brotherly pat bringing his attention.
"This was way better than I expected. For a newbie like you, I honestly had no hope for the movie. But, this- This was a masterpiece. I did start trusting you right after I saw the screen, but you overly fulfilled my expectations. It was beyond appreciation,"
Hearing those words from Mason, brought a smile to Ian's face.
"Thank you, uncle. If it wasn't for your trust in me, I'd have had no help. Although I did have the highest share and could have taken decisions by myself, easily, but with you, it was more than easy. Thank you," He said.
"You won, Ian." John joined the conversation.
"Yep, I did!" He nodded.
"Now who is whose assistant?" Mason added.
"I've better things to do, but, that was really a good one. As far as my knowledge on stuff, I can't even think how you… You did that."
There was a hidden meaning to what he said, as he was referring to the old body owner.
Ian smirked, "Talk less, work more, that's my secret. I'm glad you enjoyed it." He mocked John.
"Tell me how that spider shit is not funny. Bro, you'd run to hills if we pulled those shit on you."
"You bet,"
John kept talking about various scenes and joking while Ian kept joking back to back.
"Not gonna lie, when I was watching Kevin make Harry and Marv suffer. It kind of reminded me of you, in both of their positions,"
"Nah, but I honestly thought that old man was you, so bad it isn't you. Could've been better" Mason said loud enough for everyone to hear, while they all busted out laughing.
The energy of the room was so high that they all kept chatting for around an hour.
-
As Ian was hurriedly preparing to release Home Alone right in the season, other studios were also getting ready to release their own Christmas movie.
The CEO of Leon movies was sitting in his regular chair in his office going through the list of Christmas movies that were about to be released in the season. That was something he did annually. Going through them, discussing them, and checking the competitiveness.
What he always wanted was, that their movies be at their peak when it comes to Christmas, especially. He had high hopes for the Rom-com movie they are going to release soon. Which he estimates would have an income of 70 million dollars to 100 million dollars. After several years of being in the industry, he had good plans for the end of the year.
"'It's a Christmas Carol', which is at the top, I heard it's good, and the others are pretty fine, too. Which also means, competition is pretty high,"
Leon White, the CEO was nodding to everything his assistant Marina say.
'Santa's gift', 'A Dream Come True', 'True Love brings Christmas?', 'Snow is blind', and so on were written down and down the list.
"Home Alone was done by a small film studio. Remember the Renners? The studio which hasn't been doing good for the past few years?" Marina added more.
"Hah! What are they even thinking? Of course, I remember. And, we don't have to worry about it. We don't even have to talk about it. Pfft," The CEO glossed over it while she nodded in return.
"That's the end of the list,"
Leon let out an evil chuckle, "We got no competition, take this away,"
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There still were two weeks left till Christmas. The Renner's Studio was trying to market the movie even though their budget was small. To do the movie, it had taken them 800k. He was planning to do the movie with one million dollars.
Therefore, he was investing around 200k dollars to market the movie. What he knew was, that it wasn't as much as what other studios might spend, yet it would help at least a little.
Ian came to the office early morning to have a little talk with Mason who was already busy handling the studio business.
"How is it going, uncle?"
"It's good. The team is already on the marketing, with just a few more things left to do. Take a break for the next two weeks. Not like there's much left for you to do here,"
"Yeah, I know. But won't be resting. Got work,"
"What work? Are you going back to your playboy ways?" Mason asked teasingly. Ian chuckled in response, while they talked a bit more, then he went home.
[...] For the next two weeks, he didn't wait in the house idly.
As he had a whole library of all Hollywood films, series, and stories, he decided to aim for a genius image in the industry. He was planning to release a lot of things, so starting off with a book seemed pretty good for him.
Since people thought of him as an amateur director, what he wanted to achieve was way ahead of him. A director who was young yet who create masterpieces was what he wanted. With all the 'resources' he had, he wanted better things that can lead people to think of him differently.
His memory library gave him so many suggestions.
He sat in front of his laptop and typed the headline, 'Resident Evil'. He always thought the plot would look good in a book. And then, he started writing the plot of Resident Evil.
[In his Memory Library]
Resident Evil is a Japanese horror video game series and media franchise. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter, and first-person shooter games. This expanded into a live-action film series, animated films, television series, comic books, novels, audio dramas, and other media. Basically, Resident Evil is an action horror film released in 2004 and is inspired by the video game series of the same name. A sequel to Resident Evil, as the original film follows, the main character Alice (the sole survivor of a zombie outbreak at a classified research facility) attempts to escape the city as the virus outbreak spreads.
Ian, who knew all of this, took out the plot and made a story from it. From how the virus outbreaks to explaining how they escape. While writing, he couldn't stop thinking of how good the game actually was.
The graphics which can never get old made Ian wonder if he really should just go into creating the Resident Evil gameplay. But since his goals are different, he decided against it.
He was writing scenes from action to horror, horror to romance, and back to action. Although many critics say Resident Evil was such a bad movie that degraded the quality of the video game, Ian knew better.
He created something from both of them. Even in the real world, 'RE' novels existed which basically provided so much information from backstories to action. But, he made his novel exceptional.
He started writing…
The Hive: a subterranean genetic research facility owned and operated by Umbrella, an immensely powerful corporation with interests in everything from human longevity to biowarfare. With computerized defenses and heavily armed human backup, the Hive is impregnable and invulnerable. Or so Umbrella believes. But something has gone fatally wrong. The Hive has lost containment of its most lethal and horrific creation: a virus that kills and reanimates human life, reducing the entire facility staff of five hundred men and women to mindless creatures with a single driving force—hunger. And the key to stopping them rests with one young woman who cannot even remember who she is.
-
It took him more than a week to complete the book after so much editing. At some points, he'd write two chapters and then erase them all over to write a single chapter, which is better than the first two. Likewise, he spent so much time writing the book.
He even spent three nights in a row without sleeping just to write. It was hectic at first, but when he come closer to the end, he felt satisfied with his own efforts. After writing the entire book, he took an entire day to read it from the beginning to experience the thrill of what a reader would feel.
He was gratified.
Then, he sent it to some major publishing houses hoping they'd like is work. The hardship of traditional publishing is, that there's a high chance of getting rejected in the initial stage no matter how good the novel is. They aim for more about, the current trends in the industry, good writing skills, etc. The major challenge for them is marketability.
But if the manuscript can land a good deal, it would be a massive success.
On the other hand, Renner Films was working hard to do more screenings of the movie. One of these screenings was a media screening. Mason used his connections to invite a lot of critics. It was nerve-wracking for Mason to know that the comments would go to the public not long before the movie is yet to be released.
Ian came to the studio after he sent his manuscript to the publishers. When he entered the studio, he was welcomed by Mason and two-three more people who has smiles plastered on their faces.
"What are you guys so smiley about?" He asked.
"Good thing you came here, we were actually waiting for you. Come, see this. We had a screening yesterday, with the critics and the media. The reviews were awesome! I mean, they all were telling how 'home Aloned' they wish they could be and stuff."
"Oh wow, what about the public? And what the hell is Home Aloned?" Ian asked amusingly, sitting in the chair, while he joined the discussion.
"So many comments. Many of the followers of the critics are already waiting in line, tickets pre-booked. Home Aloned is basically the new adjective of the year." The editor, Steffen added.
"Honestly, this was always a dream of the studio. Especially your father's," Mason said in a low tone while Ian nodded and gave a smile.
"Show me the comments,"
Steffen took the laptop and placed it in front of Ian. For a popular review, there were many public comments. The website, 'It's A Movie (IAM) is a small website for new movies. Many critics that Mason invited were from it, and they posted their reviews there. Fans around the local theatres where Renner's was known for some years are active on the website, which is why they had known The Renners.
'Is it really that good?'
'Been so long since I last saw an actual comedy Christmas, let's see how this turns out! better payback if I'm not satisfied'
'Woah, this is a paid comment, isn't it?'
'Can't wait to watch!'
'Renners hasn't released something worth the watch in years, wonder how this will be'
'Is this paid?'
'These reviews make me doubt what I've seen from Renners. #lookingforward'
"No wonder why people think these reviews are paid," Ian said while scrolling down the screen, to the end.
'Just a few days away from the premier, good luck #lookingforward'
'New director? #lookingforward'
"Hashtag was pretty popular in the website, the Home Aloned one, oh and the lookingforward one. Gotta pay whoever made them up, for real," The youngest among the crew, Daniel added. He was working as the transportation driver of the crew.
He joined the Renners because he had no other job qualification but after he heard from someone he knew about The Renners, he told the entire story of his life and how he wanted a job, if it was any other one, it's positive that he won't get the job, yet Mason's kindness offered the job.
"Can't wait for the real premier, everyone who 'thinks' that we paid and all, they are going to be proved false," Mason said.
He was disappointed with how he did things in the studio. The main reason why the public assumes weird stuff was the recent history of The Renners. This movie is going to be a history changer, he thought.
They were all laughing and enjoying while they read comments one after another. From the reviews Ian knew, that the few people who watched it, loved it, and from the comments, he understood, that those few fans are going to love The Renners, maybe not at the moment, but as soon as they watched the movie.
"Let's see how much we can earn from this," Mason said.
"Yeah, not like all the crowd we need are on the website. Let's just think… This is just the beginning," Ian said.
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Ian was going through the reviews that the critics had written about Home Alone. There were both positive and negative ones. After every review, he understood the point of view of the critic. The majority of the reviews were expected, but some were truly unexpected.
"The movie is quite enjoyable as long as it explores the fantasy of a neglected little boy having an entire house of his own to explore and play in, but the physical cruelty that dominates the last act leaves a sour taste, and the multiple continuity errors strain one's suspension of disbelief to near the breaking point." - Jonathan Barley [6/10]
"Great movie! Home Alone is arguably one of the funniest movies ever! It's really good. The cast is very good! It was sweet to see Hyde in it! The teamwork of the two burglars is just not insanely hilarious but it's also incredible that the two are so good together and I like how their scenes of punishment are followed right after the other! I think Harry looks like Robert Frank, that top actor! I like Kevin's mom, she is a fine actress!! This is a perfect movie for people to watch around Christmas and if you need a big laugh watch this as it will crack you up! Highly recommended!!" - Phescy Shawarma [9.5/10]
A huge disappointment! The movie was a huge waste of time. No redeemable quality. Everything seemed rushed. Nothing about it felt like Christmas. Everything in this film is stupid or cringy, or insulting, or all together. The plot was lame. Don't waste your time on this poor excuse so-called movie. - Womby Womainer [3/10]
I'm a young adult, and not a huge fan of kids' movies these days. Some people would classify this as a kids' movie, but I think it's more of a classic. I grew up seeing these types on TV every winter, and it's still one of my favorite genres. Home Alone is fantastic. I laughed a lot when I watched it. It's really one of those "feel good" movies, the kind that makes you want to cuddle up on the couch with family and relax and enjoy it.
If you haven't seen it yet, you're missing out on a great Christmas movie. Heck, it's even great for a rainy day. Watch it, you'll love it! I wish it were on more often! - J.J.James [10/10]
A huge sigh left Ian's lips. He was feeling good and bad, both about the premier.
"I honestly feel these are quite weird, and I expected much… better," Ian told Mason who kept reading the reviews with him.
"You shouldn't care about these a lot. Some reviews are like that due to catering to bigger movie releases."
"Huh, like-"
"Like see, this review by Womby, it's pretty bad for us, right?"
Ian nodded in return.
"Yeah, now see this one," Mason showed another review of another movie by the same username.
"Don't you think it's just that their movie is better?" Ian was having doubts.
"No, this is pretty normal in the industry. Womby works in the Times of LA, an agency which made deals, a partnership with the Leon Studios.,"
"I see,"
"Yes, it happens. That movie is another big Christmas release by Leon Studios. They release pretty big hits, which attract a huge fan base every year, the name of the movie is 'Sweet Merry Love', a rom-com."
"Hm.. Makes sense,"
"Yeah, so due to it all, they bash out on small studios like us. You just… don't have to care about them, You know this stuff happens often in Hollywood. When I say many.. I mean many bigshots use their connections and influence to get favorable responses… Critics are biased and it's hard to find unbiased ones.."
Ian shook his head in disapproval. "It's fine, doesn't matter. In the end, only box office will matter,"
"Yeah,"
"And Ian, see these good reviews. Don't you feel thrilled by these? These will only grow bigger and bigger after the premier."
Ian nodded and smiled in return. He was right, if those big movie studios want to play unfairly, let them.
Nothing would matter in the end, but just the box office.
-
It was the smallest cinema hall in the town. It was the days of many new movie releases and screenings of new Christmas movies. Many people were thrilled to watch the movie they had longed after getting to know about them during different marketing campaigns, especially movie fans of different film studios.
The young man, Aaron was so thrilled to watch 'Sweet Mary Love', on the very first show of the day in that theatre, but when he came out after its end, he was enraged.
His hope for a good Christmas movie got destroyed. He was an enthusiastic movie lover, and would often watch movies in cinemas. But during this time of Christmas, he was left with no good movie.
He tried almost every movie that got into the public eye through marketing. But none was good as they ought them to be. Either too cliche, or not to his choice, and one even got the main character to die at the end, and some other reasons, which made things worse for Aaron.
He got out of the cinema, very angrily. He threw the ticket which was in his hand throughout the entire movie, out in the air. He was clearly frustrated. So were many people who came out of the movie hall, just like him.
He was annoyed at every film studio that had done so much marketing. He was annoyed at every studio for not releasing something good. Also, he was annoyed at every critic who said that movie was good. He decided to call his best friend and nag about the movie he just watched, just like he did the other days.
Right when he took the phone, he overheard a conversation with a family who had just gotten out from a screening of another movie.
"Can we watch it again, mom? I wanna see Harry getting tortured!" Two kids laugh and kept talking about it.
Aaron who saw this went near the schedule board in front of the cinema hall and saw, at the same time 'Sweet Merry Love' was screened, another Christmas movie called, 'Home Alone' got screened.
He saw the movie title on the It's A Movie website but had decided against it because of some negative comments which gave him a bad taste.
But seeing all the hype for it, he had a sudden change in his mind. Everyone who came out from the screening of Home Alone seemed to be overly joyed.
'This better be worth it' He bought a ticket to the next show of Home Alone.
He sat in the seat which was assigned on the ticket with low hopes because he was afraid to get disappointed.
In fact, he didn't even buy popcorn before the movie even though his movie tradition was to buy popcorn before the movie and enjoy it throughout the movie. Yet he thought, if the movie is good, he will buy snacks during the interval.
This better be good, he told himself over and over. The movie started and all the tension ceased.
"This house is so full of people. It makes me sick! When I grow up and get married, I'm living alone!"
This gave Aaron a smile. Leaning back to the chair, he got comfortable and watched the movie throughout. He was such a fan of movies, little things in the production and direction of the movies, mattered to him a lot. If a certain shot hasn't been taken properly, and he wished it was better, it would leave a certain bad taste.
But in Home Alone, he found everything to look almost perfect if not perfect. And after a while, he had forgotten what he was exactly looking for in a Christmas movie, yet he enjoyed the entire movie thoroughly.
"Would you please tell him that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back?"
It was heartwarming for everyone in the hall. Aww's, sniffs were audible in the movie hall. Even Aaron's heart warmed up. He even bought snacks in the interval by spending a little extra, because it was worth it all.
The movie ended giving the opportunity for the crowd to wish if they were able to watch it again. That was what Aaron thought, too. He stood up just like everyone else in the hall and walked out smiling. He was feeling content, with the money and time he spent.
He called his friend, just after he got out.
"Yes, man."
"I watched it, that was shit not gonna lie"
"No, but listen, in the same place, Home Alone was screened right after Sweet Merry love. I was about to call you at the time, but I heard Home Alone was good, so I watched it."
"Yes, now now now… It was awesome! I suggest you should watch it, please not that crap Sweet Merry Love."
"Yeah, tomorrow? I can join you, too. Another round of home alone doesn't sound boring to me."
He felt like it was 'Christmas' after all. After getting into his car, still thinking about the movie, he made a mental note to bribe against some of the negative comments.
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Leon White, the CEO of Leon studios walked into his office with a smile. He was wondering about the 'success' he had dreamt for their release of Sweet Merry Love. When they were planning things, they had expected to make 5-10 million dollars on the first day. So, its profit can increase with days.
They had so many plans for the movie because it's the last movie they will be releasing for the year. So, they would always aim to put out a movie that will be memorable.
He wanted to know the progress, so as soon as he entered his office, he was greeted by his assistant.
"Good morning, sir."
"Good morning, how's the progress so far?" He wasted no time asking the question that has been on his mind.
"Yes, sir. It's already been a day, and-"
Leon snatched the report from his assistant's hand and checked the reason for the nervousness on his assistant's face. Normally, every year after a big hit on the first day, his assistant would be thrilled and happy grinning from ear to ear.
In a split second, he looked from the file to his assistant's face. Back to back, again and again.
"Is this some kind of a joke?"
"No, sir- It's not."
The report clearly showed that they made only around 4 million dollars. Which was nowhere near their goal.
"How?" He asked. The Assistant remained silent.
Then he saw a movie called 'Home Alone' in the second rank with over 3 million.
"What do you know about Home Alone?" Leon asked his assistant.
"Uh- Home Alone is a movie by Renners. I told you the other day, but the director was Renner's son, Ian Renner. And as far as I heard, it's prett-"
"Don't complete that. I don't wanna hear praises. I can't believe this unknown studio ranked second. How in the world?"
He was clearly shocked and frustrated, because, one, his target wasn't achieved, two, the competition was with an unknown studio that was on the verge of ending itself.
"Don't worry, sir. This would-"
"This is just the start of my headache," Leon said, utterly irritated.
-
Ian was excited to see how much Home Alone made on its first day of release. He made his way to the studio with much a hype than in hurry.
Uncle Mason was sitting in his office while Ian entered with a smile. Mason's grin was beyond the point of reach.
"How are the numbers, uncle?"
"They are- Look for yourself!" He smiled broadly.
On the very first day, 'Home Alone' had made 3 million dollars. Ian kept scrolling down to see which theatres made the most.
"Damn! Just like I expected!" Ian unconsciously said aloud.
"You expected this much? This is huge Ian! I mean, we've never made this much in a single day of release! And did u see the rankings? Second? How?" Mason was thrilled that he kept swinging in his chair from left to right as the words left his lips.
"I honestly knew this is going to be a massive success. This is just the start, uncle,"
Every word Ian said had a meaning which signaled that it was to Mason's profit that he trusted him.
"I know what you're trying to say. I'm glad I trusted you too, son. I knew the movie is going to be great, but the numbers on the first day are just unbelievable."
"Yeah, the first day itself recovered the whole movie investments," Ian added.
They both talked and enjoyed knowing the start is a massive success. After a while, they called and told everyone who was on the crew and the actors how much they made on the first day. Adam's mom was aware when Mason told her about it. She mentioned how she's been getting calls to congratulate Adam for his fantastic acting skills.
[...] With every day, the numbers of the box office would just go up and up with no turn. It has become 7 million dollars the next day, and then with every day, the numbers went high.
"24 million dollars for this week!" Mason called Ian early in the morning on a Tuesday, after it has been just a week since the release.
It made huge changes in the image of Renner's studio for those who knew Renners. The reviews seemed to change drastically by then when Ian checked them. He was concerned about the public opinion of the movie, more than he should be. Yet, he was happier than ever with the results.
-
In the second week, it was closer to 60 million dollars. During these two weeks, there had been many scandals going in and out of the studio. Many other competitive studios have been trying to play dirty.
Ian and Mason who was highly active on social media platforms to know about what is going on in the minds of the viewers were updated on everything that had been going on.
"The hashtag is pretty trending with people who went to watch the movie," Mason said while they were talking about the numbers that have been going up.
"Yeah, but there are so many negative comments from different people,"
A single comment got caught in Ian's eyes and then he kept reading negative comments one after another. After a little while, it was obvious that the people who are trying to badmouth the director and the studio were from third parties of different other competitive moviemakers.
Nevertheless, people watched the movie and had been giving great feedback about Home Alone.
Such a bad movie on Christmas! Who even is the director? Ah, right. What more can we expect from new directors? - Melody
[Replies to @Melody] It's not bad. Nowhere near bad! I swear I can watch this movie many times for this Christmas and next year's Christmas. #HomeAloned - Movielover3
For such negative comments, many Home Alone fans had bribed against it. The talk of the town was Home Alone. It became a huge thing that such a young director had directed an awesome Christmas movie.
"They are talking against negative comments," Ian said in surprise when he saw replies.
"Yeah, as I told you, those comments are still being spread by other movie studios. They do it, thinking that the certain group who hasn't watched the movie yet, would not watch it."
"Yeah, I get it. These trends, wow," Ian said while scrolling down.
—- Comment below if you have watched 'Home Alone' more than once!
- Who wouldn't? #threetimes
- Omg! Was so cute… I wish I could
- Watched twice with family and friends! Anyone else?!
—- I wish I was Home Aloned! Anyone wanna watch it again?
[Posted pictures of new Home Alone tickets]
- Best Christmas movie! Wish I could go with you!
- Who is going with you? Omg.. so lucky
—- As an experienced director, this movie is quite impressive for a newbie. Wish you luck in your future projects! #HomeAloned
- Must be a good one… Going this Friday.
- Even Director Kernel suggested! Gonna go fr now
- Yes! Everyone should go and watch!
Ian and Mason spent an entire day in the studio reading things that have been written about Home Alone. Those two words, Home Alone, seem to be everywhere in his feed. Yet, they both enjoyed talking about their efforts and success.
-
On the other hand, Leon was pretty upset about how his plans has been going down the drain. Not like Sweet Merry Love wasn't earning, but for Leon, it wasn't enough. The people who watched the movie were the fans of the Leon Studios and people who got recommended by them.
"Just. Posted. Another. Comment!" His assistant said while tapping the screen after every word.
"Don't you understand? It doesn't matter now! That…. Renner's ruined it, all! One week and just… 10 million?!"
"Uh- Sir, was it the critics? I mean... We can pay-" His assistant was clearly trying to lift his mood up.
"You showed me enough reviews and comments. Every bad comment got replied to with many… Positive feedback for the movie! This is just ridi-"
"What went wrong? Was it the Renner's?" His assistant asked back.
"It wasn't the critics. Close the studio for today, let's watch this goddamn Home Alone,"
…
The situation of the Leon Studio got critical. With every investor calling and asking what is going on with the box office, Leon got more and more miserable, especially when they point out his exact words.
"You told me this movie would earn over 10 million dollars on the first day. Now it's been a week and yet it's just past 10 million. I don't think we can continue to be partners in your future projects, sorry."
Just like that, he lost one investor. With time, more and more people called him and asked about the numbers going low and low, day by day because about 60 million dollars got invested in Sweet Merry Love. The major reason the investors invested enthusiastically was the name of the Leon industry. But it won't be like that for so long.
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Home Alone was getting bigger and bigger. There'd be more than 30 calls per day that Renner films get, asking about appointments to talk with the brains behind the black horse that took the box office by storm.
Media and reporters kept continuously ringing the phones of Renner Studios, due to this many fans of movies had their focus shifted to Renners.
"Hello, Is this The Renner's?"
"Do you want an interview?" Mason asked back.
"Yes, please! Can I get a date-"
"The queue is long, sorry."
Mason said and hung up immediately. Everyone including Mason's assistant and Ian laughed hearing that. Different types of calls came from time to time. One even threatened to give them the interview first before other media channels.
They were delaying interviews and reveals because Ian knew big stuff is yet to come.
"When will we even give these interviews? I mean, there are many reporters who are interested in who wrote the movie and your background." Mason said.
"Hmm… Wait for some more time, uncle."
"Won't be able to wait for long," Mason said.
Meanwhile, Mason was busy finding more screens to cast the movie. Movies from major studios were given more screens than small studios. Home Alone got just 700 screens, but after all the craze and trends Home Alone successfully got, almost 500 more theatre screens were given.
On the other hand, regardless of the interviews… Ian and the actors got plenty of spotlight from the media. Their information was already with them. It was a very new experience for Ian to find paparazzi outside his home.
Waking up, dreaming big about movies, then going to see so many cameras and flashlights outside his house, was new to him. He barely got out of it and knew that the actors were facing similar situations.
Ever since the media got to know about the actors, they'd been going crazy where they live too.
After two-three days of this new form of torture, Ian accepted to be on the Sunday Night Show which was hosted by J.M. Fawk. He was the host of a popular TV show, on a very famous channel, which made him well-known for his funny questions. And especially, for the fact, he asks his guests, what the media and the general public want to know.
Ian had hidden intentions as to why he needed to attend the show. As he was getting a lot of feedback and comments, the majority of the people assumed that he won't face any media conference because they think it was a one-time thing and the director is inexperienced and is afraid. He so badly wanted to prove them all wrong.
Also, facing the media would do so much good for them, and for the name of the studio. Plus the show is really popular among the fans of movies, so Ian felt like this was an opportunity for a public appearance.
A day after he got the invitation, he accepted it. A whole conversation went on between Ian and the pre-interviewer.
"Hello, good morning, sir. Heard you accepted the interview,"
"Good morning, and yeah I did."
"I'm Klein Mark. I've been assigned to do the pre-interview for the show. Do you have time to talk about this a bit?"
"Yeah, continue,"
"So, we do this pre-interview on Thursday to discuss the stories, anecdotes, current events, and other stuff that you might think about sharing."
"Oh, alright. I'll be there?"
"Yes, okay. I'll email the rest of the details. Don't worry it's nothing big, just a small interview. Like, when you see these shows on television, which people assume are live but the reality is nothing is live. Every part is scripted. I'm explaining this to you because you're new, but don't worry, we'll go through it one by one and…"
Ian who knew these kept listening to him agreeing occasionally. It was obvious the field wasn't very welcoming for new directors. But he wished at least the host would be nice.
Listening to this conversation from the other end of the studio, Mason had questions. He asked why he accepted just this, but not any other media interviews, then Ian explained the reason.
"This show… Basically covers a major population, which will answer many of their questions. We'll just have to go and see. No big deal, uncle" Ian shrugged.
-
After he faced the pre-interview he got to know many ideas, thoughts, and rumors about him that have been whispering all over the fandom. Some even assumed that he slept with Adam's mother, Michelle to make it through, although it was nonsensical because it was his script and he had no reason to sleep with the Male lead's mother.
After every question, it was tiring for him to answer the next question. But at last, it became interesting because the producers were keen to know about his next projects.
It was Sunday, and he got ready in a Navy Blue suit which made him look decent.
"Are you ready? Follow me," The producer came to the dressing room and asked.
They got into the show, onstage right after a few seconds. The welcome was just as they had planned, and even the audience in front of him seemed friendly. He grew comfortable and confident with each passing second.
"First time on T.V. huh?" Fawk commented while a laugh echoed.
After a few minutes of comfortable questions on Renner's Studio and his background, it became a bit heavy. Different types of serious questions based on the industry and the future were asked very lightly. But, Ian had answers for all of them.
"Home Alone… Was it a fluke? Did you expect this kind of reaction?"
Ian chuckled in response, "It wasn't a fluke. The view of me is quite new to all of you, but the movie and the success were well planned. Luck, too, does matter a little bit, to be honest."
"Will you do more movies?"
"I do have plans,"
"Will you be sticking to just 'Christmas movies'?"
"Of course not. Where's the fun in that?" The crowd laughed in response.
Few questions about Adam were asked too.
"How did Adam, Michelle, our well-known actress's kid, join this? Have you guys known them before?"
"My uncle knew Michelle, that is how he joined. After auditioning, I realized he was perfect for the role. He was such a good actor, smart for kids of his age, and did the role perfectly."
"How was he, during the set and off the set?"
"Adam… is surprisingly decent. He gave us so much support,"
"Aren't we talking about such a good kid," Fawk laughed, making everyone laugh. Ian, too, laughed in return because he couldn't act crazy to prove his point. Instead, he remained silent.
"And… have you considered what you're going to do next?"
-
It has been two days since the show. Different types of views, ideas, and feedback have been shown in public media. Many of them went far enough to dig into his past, showing how much of a waste of money he was and criticizing his history in a very bad way.
The other part of the fans were busy explaining how this was just a one-time wonder and guessing his next moves. Much to everyone's surprise, social media has been going crazy due to his interview. So many younger girls swooned over the new director, wishing him the best of luck in his career and saying that they were looking forward to his next movie.
-
On the other hand, Box office numbers went higher and higher during the End of December. The crowd gathered for Home Alone was insanely high.
The box office numbers during the end of the month made the media go crazy all over again. 150 million dollars for this new director's movie was unbelievably a wonder to everyone.
Once again, the majority called it a one-time wonder because the director showed up in the industry out of nowhere. They also thought after this, Ian won't be releasing such good movies because it was common for everyone to know being inexperienced means so many failed projects.
Channel Marine was famous for bringing out entertainment news related to the Hollywood box office.
"The box office numbers for 'Home Alone' hit its peak yesterday, at 150 million dollars which is a huge number for a new director. This was the first in a long time to hit the top of the box office by a new director who we never saw before. But, Ian Renner who directed Home Alone said that this success was well planned throughout the movie. What about you? Do you think he was being honest? Either way, the entire movie fans are looking at Renner's Studio very closely for its next movie, or big hit? Who knows? Stay with us, Marine, for the hottest news of the latest box office movies!"
Ian switched the screen off with a smile knowing his plans were an entire success.
"What are we going to do next?" Mason, who was watching that girl's chatter, asked with great curiosity.
"Hmm… Something bigger than this"
"What exactly?" Mason asked in return.
"You will see when I complete the script," Ian said with a smile.
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Ian got a call from a famous publishing house saying that they'd like to publish his novel from their publishing company. The main influence for this was Ian's name spreading like wildfire in a dry forest.
M.J. Steven was a famous publisher but was well-known for his own writing. He started Actus Books, a publishing house two years ago, wanting to experience new ins and outs of his career. In his younger days, he wrote stories from romance to thriller, family-oriented to mature audiences.
Being a great writer for 12 years, gave him so many experiences when it comes to publishing. When he completed his very first novel, he had to carry his work to several places just to get accepted. This was why he knew traditional publishing is a tough path to take if you aim for quick money. This is also why he wanted to help novice writers with good stories to earn quickly.
His family, which contained three kids and his lovely wife, was talking about the new Christmas movie for three days straight. They had to watch it without him because he was busy with work. Yet, he was curious about the movie because every year they'd watch a Christmas movie and this year, all the kids had been nagging before saying there are no nice movies. The sudden change of talk, made him wonder.
The very next day, just like every day, he got 10 books to review. He was skeptical about the second book he got named Resident Evil. It was normal for them to do a quick search about the author before reading the insides, and just like that, he found out it was by Ian Renner.
The young inexperienced director who made millions in his first movie.
As soon as he knew about it, he started to read Resident Evil. With every page, he got a thrill to read more and more.
'This boy is quite good just as he thinks he is' he thought to himself.
Accepted* he typed on his computer, in front of the book title.
He accepted Resident Evil, mainly because of the plot and the story flow. Although his writing skills weren't too good, Steven liked how he had put forward his story.
"Hello, we're from Actus Books, the publishing house, is this Mr. Ian Renner?"
"Yes, hello,"
"We're glad to say that your submission has been accepted."
"Oh, great. When can I see the editor?"
Ian asked that question because he had so many things to talk about in the book.
"Will you be able to meet our editor tomorrow, around 2 pm?"
"Yes, sure. Thanks."
Ian was feeling good after the call. The first thing he did was to search for Actus Books publishing house. He found out that it's famous and well-known for publishing works of new writers.
-
Home Alone was already popular among the local movie lovers and was more than ready to be distributed internationally.
There was a certain crowd of people already in demand of this new Christmas movie hit, home alone. Due to this, many companies tried to make deals with The Renner's.
"Alpha, Good Movies, and CM Cine talked today. And Alpha was asking 85%," Mason said.
"Hmm… What about the other two?" Ian asked back.
"Good Movies, 92%, and CM cine asked 87%,"
"They must be thinking we are fools or something. Let's wait a bit more. If you can, forward my number to all of the international distributors. I'll handle them myself." Ian said strictly.
Different companies related to international distribution, contacted Ian and Mason to make deals that were favorable for them. Yet, Ian waited patiently till the perfect deal got secured.
Not after too long, Ian got a call from Light Studios where he secured a deal over the phone for 80% which was a good deal compared to others. It was normal that they couldn't get more than 20% from it. They were content with 20%. Hearing this, Mason praised Ian's luck over and over.
"I can't believe this movie is going international. I mean, who would have thought that this would turn this way?" Mason was still in disbelief.
"Me. I thought, uncle." Ian said and smirked.
They made plans to meet the Light company during a day in the upcoming week. Meanwhile, Ian went to meet the editor of his novel Resident Evil.
"Mr. Steven?" Ian asked, trying to get his attention.
"Ian Renner, I suppose?" Steven stopped what he was doing and signaled him to sit.
"Yes, that I'm."
"Please, take a seat," Steven said. "So, I read through 5 chapters without a break. I find this extremely interesting. Can you really tell me where you got the idea, or what made you write this?"
"Yeah, sure. It's just that I've been reading lots of books on the genre. And from what I saw, I always find myself wishing… only if this happened, that happened. I mean, any reader with the sanity of a brain would do it, right?"
Steven laughed hearing this, "yes, but that's not the problem. This is your first novel, I assume?"
"Yes, it is."
"I've never seen someone writing a plot this good for the first time. This… is a first to me. I mean, I've seen plenty of creative minds doing wonders, but this… this manuscript over here, is an extreme surprise. Are you sure you don't want to self-publish?"
"Hmm… I did think of it. But I honestly would not have enough time to focus on every other thing related to publishing, like, marketing and all. Also, if you know me… my name has been quite popular lately, which also means people would buy it for the sake of it. This way, they'd know it was by me, yet, there won't be any huge effect like I had self-published. But my main focus is, I can't give 100% focus to this. But, I want the best for my novel." Ian let out a sigh after trying to explain his situation.
One thing he knew about his work was, that readers are going to love it. The company itself would be able to earn huge profits due to his novel.
"Yeah, I understand where you are coming from. Also, would you mind if I changed a few things here and there?"
"It depends. Can we talk about it one by one? I don't want to harm my plot,"
"Neither do I. I'll make the necessary arrangements and call you again if it's fine?"
"Thank you so much, I think I'll leave then," Ian stood up while shaking hands with Steven.
"Oh and… My kids love Home Alone." Steven said with a smile.
-
Within a matter of days, the Renner's studio got its ultimate success after the International distributions. Fans from different countries had their own favorite part of Home Alone.
It became more and more exciting for Ian and Mason. In fact, this was the first time Mason truly enjoyed Christmas after a few years. Ian's social media got busy with tags of different parts of the movie, Home Alone cinema tickets, good feedback, and fans wanting to know more about Ian's future goals.
But, with the Christmas hype dying, profits from the movie got lower. It decreased to around 80 million dollars in two weeks.
And as the New Year began, many Hollywood directors, actors, and people in the film industry wanted to associate with Ian. In fact, they wanted to make connections with one another.
For different Hollywood parties, Ian got invited along with Mason.
"Before two years ago, I remember we got invited to many such parties. But it's a waste of time with people drinking and talking. Ideas flow here and there in the room. I might not attend," Mason said.
"I think I'll go. This is the best way to find people and introduce myself. Among it all, we need to focus on our next project, and for that… I think I want to find some hidden talents," Ian said, thinking about so many things at once.
"Have you thought anything about it?" Mason asked.
"I have thought many things about it. We can discuss it later, but for now, I'll go. Tonight I have the first party I got invited to."
Ian said and left the studio.
During the past couple of weeks, just when the income was decreasing, he started working here and there on his next project.
He also found out what type of talents he needed to look out for, and his main goal for the night. Since the guest list was obvious in the party invitation, he did a background check-up on almost every actor, director, and persona who got invited.
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Ian parked his Porsche Spyder in front of the location that had been mentioned in the invitation he got. Without a second thought, he went inside.
The party was organized by Cube Pictures, a very famous studio for everything they release which attracted a huge number of fans. They started from scratch and came a huge way in the industry in a matter of five years. The CEO, Jackson Corealla holds these parties every year with the intention of bringing people in the industry closer.
The entire hotel hall was beautifully decorated. The music filled his ears, which was the pop music that people loved in this world. Going inside he was greeted by a staff member who wore a black and white uniform.
"Ian Renner," Ian said.
"Please go inside, I hope you enjoy the evening, sir," He said after a while of checking the guest list that was in his hands.
Ian nodded and went inside. Everyone was wearing expensive-looking suits and ladies were wearing similarly good-looking clothes which screamed their wealth. As soon as he entered, he could see magnificent glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, a crystal water fountain, near the bar on the left, and scores of famous celebrities chatting amiably and having a fun time.
He identified some of the people even from far away. There were many famous people in the industry including famous movie stars, directors, and producers.
He could see that quite a few people at the party recognized him and gave him welcoming nods and gestures. He returned the polite gestures and walked to the bar, to get something to drink and calm his nerves.
"Hello, how may I help you?" The bartender, a large caucasian man in a white pin-up suit, asked him after he'd served the drinks to the ladies who sat two seats down from his own.
"Uhh, I'd like a sparkling apple cider cocktail, on the rocks, please. Add a hint of lemon, if you could." He ordered.
"Coming right up!" The bartender got to work, preparing his drink.
Taking his drink, he decided to socialize and get to know some of the people at the function.
It had been a few hours well into the night, and Ian decided that he should introduce himself to the CEO of Cube, Jackson Corellia as it looked like he was about to head to get some drinks of his own.
Ian excused himself from his current company which consisted of a redhead who was currently trying to seduce him, and a few of her entourage of friends.
They were actors that had been invited to the party.
Making his way to the bar, carefully taking a seat next to Jackson, Ian asked the bartender for six shots of tequila and a bourbon whiskey.
"Good evening, Mr. Renner, I hope you're enjoying the party." Jackson Corellia started the conversation after taking a few seconds to recognize Ian.
"A very good evening to you too, Mr. Corealla, the party is really amazing, I am honored to have been invited," Ian replied cordially.
"That's great, I hope you've tried our Creme Brulee, it's to die for. And you can call me Jackson."
Jackson said, trying to make small talks. These parties hosted by him weren't only for the purpose of bringing people together. He also hosted them to make business connections.
After a while, he started talking about Home Alone.
"I've watched your film, Home Alone, it was a wonderful film, Ian. It must have been difficult to come up with something of that caliber." Jackson complimented.
"Home Alone was a project that I had been working on for some time. It wasn't easy producing it. Thankfully, the movie did well."
Ian said, noticing Jackson's intentions.
"It did way more than just well. It's been in the number one position on the North America Box office rankings for a while now. Are you going to release it overseas?"
"Yeah, but Renner films don't have any branches outside America and we never really have good connections to release a movie internationally."
Ian replied with a sheepish smile.
"You must have gotten some offers?"
"Yes, there are some but we are still looking over them. I don't want to rush into it. The movie hasn't even reached its potential in America yet."
Jackson felt like Ian was joking with those words. Home Alone had already garnered more than 200 million dollars and it still hasn't reached its potential.
It was truly a black horse.
Taking a sip of his drink, Jackson offered.
"Hmm, if you'd like my company is ready to help you release the company in International Markets, if you want, we can buy off the rights to Home Alone's international screening rights off of your hands, and we can decide the asking price at a later date. Or if you have something else in mind, I am all ears, Ian." Jackson prodded but Ian shook his head.
Selling international rights wasn't something he would do. It meant giving someone else a lot of power over Home Alone.
"I am sorry, Jackson, I would like to hold on to the international screening rights for Home Alone for now. I was thinking that I could develop this film into something more refined for the future, but I do believe that I would be interested in exploring further avenues of partnership for my company's forays into international markets. I have a few more projects that I have in mind, and I could use an experienced hand in the more technical and financial aspects of the film business."
Ian countered. Jackson stared at Ian, taking in his sophisticated answer for a solid half a minute, and smiled.
"Alright Ian, why don't you visit my office. Here, take my business card and email my secretary Jolene, she'll schedule an appointment for this Tuesday, I'll ask her to keep a slot open. You can prepare a full dossier of your future prospects and we can come up with a deal that benefits both of us. Have a great evening Ian." And with that Jackson, downed his last shot of Bourbon and returned to the party.
Ian stared at the seat where Jackson Corellia had been sitting and he knew that he had reached a crossroad that'll define his foreseeable future in this industry. Opportunity had come knocking, now it was up to him to do with it as he wished.
He had come to this party, wanting to make such a partnership and he had been successful in the end.
Now, it was time to enjoy the party.
Ian downed his last shot of Whiskey and he too, returned to the gorgeous redhead that was waiting for him, by the fountain.
There she was, standing by the fountain. The tight black dress perfectly clung to her body, as she took a sip from the drink she had with her. Her perfectly matching set of expensive-looking necklace and earrings glowed in the darkness. Seeing Ian walking towards her, she straightened her dress and smiled seductively.
"You brought your drink, I wish I had too. Could use one, right now," Ian said as soon as he got closer to her.
"We can share," She said and offered the glass.
"Nah, it's alright. You can enjoy yours," Ian said and walked closer to her.
"Oh, okay. So, were you talking with Jackson?" She asked while taking a sip.
"Yeah, I was. And, why are you here and not enjoying the party?" He asked faking curiosity although he clearly knew what her intentions were.
She kept her glass aside on the edge of the water fountain and ran her fingers through the hem of his collar. "I think I would enjoy the time being in here, with you."
It was obvious to Ian what was she going to do. Alexa Carla was a D - grade actress who had acted in some side characters. She had acted in the last movie Cube Pictures released, which was why she was invited. Ian knew it all when he agreed to meet her outside.
At first, he didn't want to ruin his image even if it was in front of an actress, but within a matter of seconds, he agreed with Alexa, questioning why he should ruin the fun.
"Were y'all talking about your new movie?" She asked, curiosity clearly written on her face.
"No. We were just talking about a deal. Even if it was… Don't expect a role from trying like this. I don't give roles for seduction." Ian said. She looked back dumbfoundedly at him.
"I'm not-"
"We can have a bit of fun if you want," Ian said while tracing her lower lips. She was confused. "But again, don't expect a role due to all this."
"I didn't expect anything, I-" She was taken back by every one of his words. Normally, the industry gave so many opportunities for actresses who successfully seduce directors. But, she understood that he was different.
"Guess what?" He asked playfully seeing how confused she looked. He knew she didn't expect that kind of an answer from him, so he had to explain things to her.
"What?" She asked looking into his eyes.
"If you're interested, you can audition for a role in my next movie,"
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After an hour of enjoying the party, they both couldn't keep their hands to themselves. Ian decided to take her home after a little bit of teasing. As soon as he entered the house, he took her by hand and walked up the stairs to his room. Although she initiated talking to him, it was obvious that with every step they took something made her nervous.
Ian clicked the door unlock, then it swung open. Without wasting a second, his lips crashed onto hers, while a breathy moan left her mouth. His hands were in her hair, tugging from time to time while she raked her fingers through his hair wildly.
"You.are.too.eager.it.seems," Ian said in between kisses. While she blushed furiously under his gaze. It was obvious that they spent the last time at the party impatiently.
The room was lit up by the moonlight which crept inside the room through the open window. Their emotions already started running wildly even though anything barely started.
"Mhmm… I need to freshen up first," She said after slightly pushing him yet their lips didn't stop. He backed off a bit while chuckling under his breath and nodded. She walked to the bathroom while he went and sat on the edge of the bed.
Deciding that he needs to get comfortable and ready for her, he took off all of his clothes except for his boxers. A few minutes later he heard the bathroom door open, and he looked in her direction. His jaw nearly hit the ground.
Alexa was standing there in only the minuscule pink panties that he had ever seen. It's true that Ian had seen plenty of women even in his previous life, but something about the current moment made him excited. Her torso was slim but her stomach was toned. She had lovely, porcelain skin and medium-sized breasts that stood proud and perky on her chest.
She was standing there with her body fully on display. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned in and captured her full, plumpy lips in a very passionate kiss.
Alexa moaned into his lips as her hands started playing with his hair. His hands lowered and cupped her fantastic ass that was covered by only a g-string. He lifted her by her ass and laid her down on the bed, gently. He broke the kiss and lifted her leg up. He laid soft kisses down the sole of her foot, past her calf, and on the inside of her knee.
"Do you like that, Alexa?" He breathed her name.
"Mhm… It feels really good," She breathed out, her cheeks slightly pink. He parted her thighs and lowered his head. He could already smell the heady aroma of her arousal. He had to stop himself from claiming her right then and there. He pressed his lips against the soft skin of her inner thigh and laid feather-light kisses all over her.
Her breathing picked as he got closer to her panty-covered groin. She felt exposed. The thought of it turned her on.
Her fingers snaked through his hair as his tongue tickled the junction of her thigh and hip. He was just about to kiss her damp panties when she grabbed them and pulled them aside. She moaned loudly just as she felt his lips and tongue on her. He was doing magic down her hips, and she was in ecstasy.
He grabbed her hips and held them tightly as he sucked her clit into his mouth. Alexa squealed as she came on him, her fluids leaking out and running down the crack of her butt cheeks. He kept stroking till she came slightly down from her high.
Ian removed his boxers, climbed on top of her, and supported himself on his arms, while he brought his lips close to his ear, "Today, I'll claim you gently," he said and kissed her lips. Alexa could taste herself on him.
She nodded in agreement and kept her legs open as he rubbed his very large penis up and down the length of her slit. She arched her back as he slid inside of her. Her fingernails scratched at his bare back as he sucked a nipple into his mouth and penetrated her down to the hilt in a single thrust.
Alexa gasped in pain at being stretched. Ian waited for her to give him the go-ahead. She nodded and he started moving. Alexa closed her eyes and hugged him around the neck as he penetrated her slowly and repeatedly. She bit into his neck when he slid in at a good angle and was happy when he continued in the same motion. They both enjoyed the slow torture for a few more minutes.
"Ian," she moaned. She was shaking her head when the feeling of an orgasm started to make itself known. Ian could feel it, too.
"I can't hold on much longer," He breathed out. She smiled into his shoulder. She was happy knowing that she was able to please him as well. She wrapped her legs around his hips as she felt they both were on the edge.
"Alexa!" He cried out as she squealed into his neck, hiding her face from him as her body spasmed through a powerful orgasm. She felt him following right after. The thrusts became slower in a matter of seconds. He collapsed onto her.
Little did she know, the night didn't end there. Instead, it was lovely. They spent it being with each other. After a long time, it was the first time that Ian was nice to a girl.
"My clothes are still there, hope you don't kick me out without them," At one point of the night, Alexa said to Ian and they both laughed. Down her heart, she knew it was a possibility.
"Don't worry about it, Valerine will take care of them," Ian said while her eyebrows frowned in confusion.
"Valerine, who?"
"She helps around here,..."
[...]
It was the morning after Ian's Trist in bed with Alexa, and the beautiful redhead was laid on the silky linen bed, on her stomach. She was not accompanied by Ian, as he had already left to start working on his next project.
Alexa was just about to wake up when her sleep was suddenly disturbed by a loud voice emanating from the home theatre system in the bedroom
"Good morning. It's 7:00 a.m. the weather in Los Angeles is 72 degrees with scattered clouds. The surf conditions are fair with waist-to-shoulder high lines. High tide will be at 10:52 a.m."
She belatedly realizes it's the preset alarm of Ian's Google assistant.
The redhead groans, stretches, and searches around for Ian, not finding him nearby on the bed, she looks for her clothing. The clothing is in complete disarray and focusing on the events of the previous night, she remembers most of it is in the bathroom outside, so she finds her panties and puts Ian's discarded shirt loosely, and heads off in search of him, in his mansion.
She somehow reaches downstairs and on not finding him in either the dining area or the lounge, she figures that he must be in his study, so she heads there, when a firm voice stops her in her tracks, "You are not authorized to access that area, ma'am"
Alexa winces internally at the cold tone she's being addressed with and mutters a soft "Jesus", and she turns around to face the intruder.
On a more thorough observation, she realizes that her intruder is an older woman, formally dressed in business attire, suited for a woman who works indoors "I've got your clothes here. They've been dry-cleaned and pressed, and there's a car waiting for you outside that will take you anywhere you'd like to go."
Wincing again at the callous dismissal of her presence, Alexa can't help but strike up a conversation, "You must be the famous Valerine."
"Indeed, I am." Is the woman's crystal response.
Her anger gets the better of her and she can't help but retort "Ian has you picking up the dry-cleaning?"
The condescending yet foxy look on the woman's face has Alexa's stomach-churning, and the retort she receives is vicious "I do anything and everything that Mr. Renner requires, including, occasionally, taking out the trash. Will that be all?"
In under fifteen minutes of that conversation, Alexa was out of the house and going to her house.
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The next morning Ian woke up before the redhead. He then spent his time in his workspace at home, working on what was next to come. After spending a couple of hours by himself, he decided to visit Mason at the studio.
The main reason he wanted to visit Mason was to talk about the profits and box office numbers. As well as the next projects he was thinking of.
As soon as he went to the office, he was welcomed by a happy Mason, who was smiling with a file in his hand.
"Good thing you came, Ian, see these" Mason said. Ian laughed knowing the main reason he came here was to talk about what he saw right in front of him.
They started reviewing the profit records while talking about the film performance at the box office. Home Alone was on the brink of earning 300 million dollars.
"The media won't back up anytime soon. We're close to 300 million dollars at the North American box office." Mason said.
"Yeah, but the box office is going down every day. It's just the media which is helping us." Ian said and looked over at the file.
Most people had already watched Home Alone, so fewer and fewer people were going to the theatre.
"Hmm… we can't do anything about it. Have you completed the script of your next project? "
Mason asked with a raised eyebrow. Ian had told him that he was working on some scripts.
"Not yet, but close. I will bring it to you first thing when I'm done with it."
"Yeah, good. Here, see this, these articles in newspapers are all about Home Alone. The movie is a miracle!" Mason said and showed Ian different articles that have been written about them.
A lot of media outlets had requested interviews from them and some had even roped in some crew members and actors who had worked in Home Alone to give an interview.
"What are we going to do with all this money? Even after taxes, we will have a lot. The next movie won't need that much, and I was thinking of improving the company and buying some equipment."
Mason asked out of the blue. The thought of what he had to do with the money, has been walking in his mind for quite some time.
"Yeah, we need new equipment as well as a better working place. Moreover, we need to get new employees because the work will just increase from now on. I have lots of plans for Renner films."
Mason nodded at that. Those were the primary things that needed to be done.
"I've been thinking that, too. It's been so long since we renovated. I think we can do both, renovate and buy new equipment."
"Yeah, alright. But, we will need a new crew, too. I was going to have a talk with John about it." Ian said while Mason nodded in reply happily.
The crew John provided had worked day and night in Home Alone. Ian was already used to them.
"Yeah, I will give out an application that we are looking for more employees. And call an architect for the renovation."
They talked about all sorts of stuff for a long time. In the end, Ian talked about his meeting with Jackson.
"Oh, and Jackson Corealla, the CEO of Cube Pictures, we actually had a conversation the other day at the party about selling the overseas rights of Home Alone,"
An 'oh' escaped Mason's lips as he listened."So, we scheduled a meeting to talk about it."
"Cube Pictures… It is a very good deal. They are one of the four big studios in Hollywood. Well done, Ian," Mason said and smiled. Pride was clearly written on his face.
Renner films weren't able to co-operate with any big studios before. But now, they were in talks with a top studio.
"Thanks, uncle."
-
Home Alone was doing so well in the box office. Although the numbers were going down since the majority had watched it, the hype and love for Home Alone remained the same. Using this, The Actus Books marketed Resident Evil by utilizing his name and new-found fame, attracting many movie and book lovers.
At first, the majority of the readers who knew Ian were, had doubts as to how he would create a Zombie based story. Regardless, they knew the children's comedy genre is one he was comfortable in, but an action horror… No.
It has been two weeks since they started marketing. Even during editing, Actus Books had a huge banner in front of their publishing firm, which had an amazing description of Resident Evil. They decided to start marketing the book early, because the entire panel of the marketing team trusted it was a one-time opportunity for their publishing firm.
The very first day they hung up the banner and went on a marketing campaign in social media, both movie fans and loyal readers, wanted to know more about Resident Evil.
Fans of Home Alone highly suspected that it wouldn't be a good book as they pretended it to be because they doubted what Ian was capable of.
M.J. Stevens on the other hand, who got into editing has been doing quite a good job. It was almost as if he didn't wanted to change anything other than minor grammatical errors. He edited Resident Evil in a matter of one month. Normally, it takes more than two months for a busy editor like him to complete editing the whole story.
"I became the very first loyal fan of your work during the very start of editing. Have you got any plans for the next book?" At one point when they were discussing matters, Stevens asked Ian which made him answer honestly.
"I have plans, yes. But I won't start to write anytime sooner, it'll probably be after my next movie or during that. But, thank you," He smiled genuinely.
The next day, Ian got invited to Actus Books to review the book cover made by their chief graphic designer. Troy Bailey, who was 37 years of age. He was requested to make the best cover of his life. It was a request from M.J. Stevens when they met, which was a first during his career in Actus Books.
"This is the plot of Resident Evil. I want you to put extra focus into making this. Trust me, it's going to be a huge hit and the cover should be catchy. You can do what you are skilled. But make sure to catch the attention of the targeted audience, this should be the best cover you'll ever make."
He stated firmly while making sure to not disappoint the author of the book. Besides that, he trusted his employee who never disappointed in any of the works he did. After spending a couple of sleepless nights, Troy made three covers which he felt satisfied with.
"Take a look at this and this. Suggestions are always welcome," He smiled and indicated toward the computer screen. "It looks better on paper, trust me," He added a few more words.
Out of the two, the one on the left caught Ian's eyes as quickly as he saw it. Red, blue and black fitted the theme of survival horror and adventure. The words were written perfectly matched to the background picture, which was of a woman holding a gun. It was quite catchy and Ian had no adjustments to make in his first inspection of the cover.
"This one," Ian showed using his index.
"I knew it! Since it is the one you chose, I have a surprise." Troy announced while taking the laptop screen to himself. Clicking some more things here and there using the mouse, he showed his third design which was an exclusive he kept to himself, to show the author if his taste matched Troy's.
"That is perfect, I like it." Ian blurted out as soon as he saw the cover.
[...]
Just after that, as it was mentioned before, the two weeks of heavy marketing sessions by Actus Books ended, and the public who awaited Ian's next move got ready for its grand reveal.
Many media and social media sites that were keen on the activities of the new director, paid extra attention to the new book reveal.
'Resident Evil by Ian Renner, a work of survival thriller with a spice of adventure.'
'Young director on the spotlight with his new work of fiction, Resident Evil.'
'Truth to be revealed on Resident Evil by Ian Renner, tomorrow!'
Headlines of several daily articles and gossip magazines took over the topic with great interest. Ian, who lent a copy of the very first edition to Mason, heard an earful of appreciations.
[...]
"Hey there, Hollywood admirers! The hottest news of today reveals that the book by the new director Ian Renner, Resident Evil, which is a thriller, adventure, and survival horror novel, captured the 7th position on New York's bestseller list! How wonderful is that! Now, let's head off to some reviews of the book…" Ian smiled slightly while reading reviews one by one. It was one of those update-sharing channels which attracted a limited number of fans who are eager for information.
It has been just three days and 7th on the list wasn't bad at all, Ian thought to himself.
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Resident Evil has hit the shelves days ago, and everything including Ian's phone, mind, and the social media pages that he has been scrolling kept buzzing more and more about how the new young director created a literary masterpiece.
"Resident Evil, Ian Renner's latest literary masterpiece has been nominated in the fourth position on the New York Bestseller book list. Much to everyone's surprise the rising star of Hollywood, Ian Renner who directed a kid's comedy Christmas movie has fantastically written Resident Evil, with a plot of survival horror.
The storyline is about a crack team that is sent to the 'Hive', the mighty Umbrella Corporation's secret underground lab complex, which was locked down by its central computer 'Red Queen', after its staff of 5000 fell victim to nerve gas. They pick up the secret entrance. Resident underground security couple are both suffering from amnesia because of the gas. The computer's crafty defence soon kills half of the team before whiz kid Chad Kaplan outsmarts it. Then they find the staff has been turned into cannibalistic zombies, while experimentally miss-bred hellhounds complete the bloody inferno. The auto-destruct is programmed in two hours, to prevent out-world infection. And at least one member has a criminal secret.
With this plot, the author was able to hook up thousands of people with its horror and thriller plot twists every now and then.
Talking about its success, Resident Evil successfully sold around twelve thousand copies on the very first day and is an immortal masterpiece. It also is undoubtedly in the line for many awards including Best Horror Fiction, The Most Original, and The BookBrowze awards.
It would be great if the author, Ian Renner would agree to give an interview talking about his future goals, which many people await as soon as possible but if not, it's pretty clear that Hollywood fans will be knocking his house down. (Not Really)
It has been revealed that due to the high demand, rights have already been sold to countries including, Sweden, Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy, Canada, and UK. Further, they are arranging to sell more rights in the upcoming days. I really wonder what Ian Renner's reaction to this whole success is. He proved that his success won't be just because of his 'luck' as many predicted."
-Jose Elwin, MRS article.
Jose Elwin was a very popular article writer who sounded friendly in the paper, yet nothing but a nightmare to any newbie author. Jose Elwin who is in her middle age struggled her way to come to the top to a stage where the article she writes became popular in and out of the country. It was all due to how many novels she had read and reviewed. Last year, she also won an award for completing her 15,000th book review. It was beyond complimentary.
This is also why reading the article gave Ian a slight smile.
-
It was a bright Monday afternoon, Alissa River, a young lady who is in her twenties walked down Melrose Avenue, which was busy as ever with the popularity of the city. Just like every week, she went to her favorite book store to buy something that can keep her busy when she is free.
She works as a substitute teacher in a small school, just a bit far from where she lived. Suffering from insomnia didn't allow her to have much sleep. Due to all these reasons, one book per week has been her therapy. Regardless, she has become a great fan of books, no matter what the genre of the book is.
Going inside the bookstore smiling at the cashier, she started going to the Young Adult section to see if something catches her eyes.
"Let's buy Resident Evil, we can share the book."
She overheard a conversation between two young ladies who seemed to be at the bookstore during work hours. What made her arrive at this conclusion was how they were dressed.
Seeing a banner that was on display in the book store, she saw that Resident Evil was by the new director Ian Renner who directed Home Alone, which she herself went to watch twice during Christmas. One with family, then with friends. Not to mention, she enjoyed it both times.
With that, her curiosity to know how Resident Evil was increased while she smiles to herself.
Taking the last book on the shelf, which had an astonishing cover and written with bloody letters 'Resident Evil', she thought the cover itself was attractive. Black and red, suited the theme of horror and thriller. She went to the cashier while reading the story blurb in the back of the book.
"Nice choice as ever. I wonder how you sleep at night after reading these horror stories," He talked while typing things on his computer.
"That's what I'm saying. I don't sleep, like Zombies," Alissa said and let out a peal of scary laughter, while the cashier gasped in horror. Totally insane, he muttered secretly.
Not a fan of horror, she thought to herself while looking at him. Taking the book with her, she walked outside in the sun while reading the start. She knew she'll complete reading it within two days.
-
@GoodReads_3 ]
A great suspense/ action story that didn't shove the zombies in your face at the very beginning. A great tribute to all the zombie stories of the 70s and 80s. Five stars!
@Jeruah23 ]
The scariest book I've ever read! From the start to the end, I've been hooked on the plot and wanted to survive the zombie apocalypse. Didn't think Ian Renner would create such a masterpiece in this genre! But damn… A must-read, I must say.
@LoyalReader001 [ ]
I had to sift long and deep for a good comment on this. Why all the hostility? I think there was great chemistry in the story and how it is written. This narration successfully recreated the feel of a thriller movie and because of this particular story, the characters or settings were well written and my words won't suppress how I felt while I was reading. No story is retold here, no words are wasted, and the setting, feel, and the pace is totally not familiar to fans of the horror and thriller genre which made this a great experience, and yet it's perfectly accessible to those unfamiliar with the broader storyline. The author did an excellent job in telling and creating a good plot which at a moment held us on the hook.
He did an excellent job establishing characters without too much unnecessary background, developing them just enough to make you want to know what they'll do next, to make you care before the sudden and gruesome happens to them.
@teslaman2 [ ]
As a big fan of splatter and horror novels, I was gladly surprised when I started reading this. This was a masterpiece, and I'm very sure for at least one more century, no one will be able to break the records. It begins with a nice back story and then builds slowly in pace to a climactic frenzy. I couldn't sleep for 36 hours while reading this, and a day after reading due to how hooked I was.
Reading the reviews, M.J. Stevens decided to call Ian Renner to let him know about the success they collaborated on.
"Ian, how is it going at your end?" Stevens chirped in a warm tone.
"A mere success. Thank you for hurrying up my project and helping me out."
Ian's voice was rough yet soothing to the ears. Steven suddenly wondered how a young man accomplished writing this kind of chef-d'oeuvre.
"Don't thank me, the success is both of ours. I have a question, may I?"
"Yes, ask."
"Can I know what inspired you to write this?" He questioned.
"I'm a deep reader. Whatever catches my eyes, I read. Regardless of good or bad, that's how I criticize and think about how a plot should be and how the story should go. When I completed reading two horror stories in line, I had this idea that made me complete Resident Evil. I believe that great authors come within great readers."
That made Stevens nod in approval. After talking for a few more minutes about the mutual profits they gained and how Ian was thinking about writing some more books, the line of call ended on both ends, taking both of them back to their works.
Even though the hype about Resident Evil is all around him, he had to add the finishing touches to his next big script. 'La La Land."
...
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Ian thought through and through what his next movie should be. There were many options for him to select in his Memory Library. Different genres gave him different types of thoughts, but in the end, he went with 'La La Land' due to many reasons.
La La Land was a magical and very nicely directed movie for starters. It was a classic musical, which in fact has the same importance in this universe just like his own world.
In Ian's previous world, the movie attracted millions of eyes due to how realistic the end of it was. Not every love story has a happy ending. And not every lover succeeds career-wise if they held onto the compromises of their relationships.
According to the story, in Hollywood, Mia and Sebastian, the main characters are struggling to make it in their respective careers, for which each has extreme passion. Mia is an actress who dropped out of college and moved from small-town Nevada five years ago to pursue her dream. She is enamored with old-time Hollywood - the movies she grew up watching - but hates the cattle-herding feeling of going on auditions and her belief that she needs to schmooze at social events to get ahead in the business.
Sebastian is a jazz pianist, his style of jazz is in the vein of traditionalists Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, inspirational popular people from the previous world. Sebastian wants to do his part to preserve that tradition, especially as he knows that that style of music is dying. He has trouble emotionally playing music he doesn't like just to get a paying gig. He dreams of opening his own jazz club, most specifically in what used to be a famous jazz club that has since been converted into a tapas-bar-cum-salsa-dance-club. Partly because of their individual struggles and partly because of the situations, their first few chance meetings are antagonistic.
But they eventually become attracted to each other largely because of the passion for their dreams that they see in each other. But there are many obstacles to a happily-ever-after. They may be able to endure the struggling-artist life for so long before those struggles take their toll. The pursuit of their individual dreams may take all their energies with nothing left for their relationship. And any compromise each may make in getting ahead may change the person with whom each has fallen in love.
Ian knew how 'La La Land' was a commercial success, grossing $448 million worldwide on a production budget of $30 million, and received widespread critical acclaim with praise directed at the screenplay and direction, the performances of the two main characters score, musical numbers, cinematography, and production design.
Also while Ian was researching 'La La Land' from his memory library, he came across what the critics have said about it in his world and how it nearly won the oscar and many other awards. He wanted La La Land to win something as great as an Oscar in this world because he believed if he took the bad reviews and create something that almost everyone can enjoy, La La Land could be a huge success.
Among the critics' responses, Ian was surprised to find some reviews that were given out by famous people who he knew from his previous world for the immortal masterpieces they created through Hollywood.
"La La Land breathes new life into a bygone genre with thrillingly assured direction, powerful performances, and an irresistible excess of heart."
A famous actor, described it as "a hot miracle" and complemented its musical numbers, particularly the opening scene. And went on to name it his favorite movie of the year
"the year's most seriously pleasurable entertainment"
"succeeds both as a fizzy fantasy and a hard-headed fable, a romantic comedy and a showbiz melodrama, a work of sublime artifice and touching authenticity"
"a sun-drenched musical masterpiece."
With a slight smile that crept onto his face unintentionally, Ian typed "THE END" of the script he has been writing, knowing it is going to be the next blockbuster of Hollywood by the new young director, Ian Renner.
-
Ian was all set and ready for the interview with a reporter and some more interviewers who were more than ready to face the contriver behind Resident Evil.
What possibly can bring more fame to a media other than what people crave with the current trends? In fact, it was all about who exactly is this new director?
"Can we start?" Eddie asked.
[...] After three days, New York Times has already published the title, 'Ian Renner, the director who writes' on their front page. Ian who went to the studio during the morning to talk with Mason was welcomed with the paper in hand. He took it and started reading knowing Mason read it before him.
Ian Renner, The Director Who Writes_
Ian Renner talks to the New York Times' Eddie Ortis about his latest literary masterpiece "Resident Evil" and how he has already started planning his future steps.
'Home Alone' which hit the screens a while ago had its hype going around for more than several months which increased undiverted curiosity towards the new young director, Ian Renner. Without withdrawing any fame, he published 'Resident Evil' through Actus Books which also brought so much attention to him.
Eddie: Did you think that Home Alone would bring you this much success?
Ian: Yes, of course. As I have mentioned in a previous interview, the success of Home Alone was determined. More than that, I'm glad people enjoyed it. The positive response gave me so much motivation.
Eddie: From a family comedy to a survival thriller, how did you manage along with those genres which are totally opposites?
Ian: Hmm… Not like I wrote both of them together. While writing, I had to live inside characters and act along all of it. I bet the majority doubted my skills in writing a horror story, but I'm glad readers loved Resident Evil, regardless.
Eddie: What were some challenges you faced while writing Resident Evil?
Ian: At first, it was tough to relate and write a horror, but with time as I started growing inside the characters and feeling them, it became easier.
Eddie: Wasn't it difficult to manage the studio and writing as well? I mean, the timing?
Ian: It was… But I managed, somehow.
Eddie: You surely proved your success wasn't just because of luck. But also because of talent and skills. Are there any projects you've been working on recently?
[...Back in time, during the interview]
Ian had practiced and thought of different situations and scenarios in his mind about what the reporters may ask. At a point, he knew his future goals, and what he wanted to achieve in Hollywood would be definitely asked.
"Thank you for the compliment. And, yes. I have been working on a new project recently. Within an average time of two to three months, I'm sure the public would get to know."
Eddie Ortis smiled as he expected something along those lines before asking the question. During his 10 years of worktime he has been interviewing different types of famous people, he knew many are not willing to share their next step without a surprise.
"We are waiting for it. What about your dating life? As a young man… I'm sure there are many young girls lined up."
"Haha… I bet. My relationship status is single currently, and I'm focused on the success I have aimed for. My dating life… Only time will tell."
Eddie smiled and played along with what the famous persona telling in front of him, although he knew this interview is going to attract so many people's eyes. So he pulled his best shots.
"Any advice for new young writers or directors?"
"Thinking about which, I think any writer out there who seeks for perfect timings or perfect situation to start writing… Should simply just start. Without starting, you wouldn't know what you are capable of. Importantly, don't let yourself judge your story or your writing skills. Let it reach some readers. And, last but not least… don't let anything change your dream. Sometimes you won't be able to achieve it, but it'll leave you in the best possible position that even you wouldn't have thought.
I might be sounding like a young boy who is yet to experience the dark sides of my field, but from what I gathered… With the right amount of dedication and willpower, you can do anything you want. As there are so many opportunities out nowadays, if you want, you'll get right what you deserve"
He said and smiled while a few members of the crew behind the cameras, nodded with smiles on their faces.
"That was surprisingly motivational. Is there any special reason why you don't face interviews? Don't take any offenses, but many people assume you are egoistic, is it true?"
Ian let out a small chuckle thinking how he knew Eddie would ask that.
"Of course not. I'm not egoistic. As a newbie to the field, I've yet to explore a lot. Logically, I've no room to be egoistic if I want to learn. But weirdly, all this time, I was busy with one thing or another. It's just a matter of time, yet I hope to face more interviews and get close to the public in the future."
[Present moment - at Renners Studio]
"They've edited it nicely and made you unbelievably pleasant to the public," Mason commented with a genuine smile.
"I know right. Let's talk about our next project now, shall we?" Ian asked while retreating the smile and keeping the paper on the table.
...
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"I know right. Let's talk about our next project now, shall we?"
"Yes, sure. What is it about, Ian?" Mason's curiosity was clearly laced in his voice. He leaned forward, showing he is all ears.
"A musical, romantic movie. In many words, it contains, musical, romance, drama, melodrama, and comedy-drama. The story is about an aspiring actress Mia and a jazz musician Sebastian, who struggle to make ends meet while trying to reach their dreams in a city known for destroying hopes and breaking hearts. With modern-day Los Angeles as the backdrop, this musical about everyday life explores what is more important: a once-in-a-lifetime love or the spotlight…"
While explaining the story of Mia and Sebastian, Ian was reading Mason's facial expressions every second. In the end, after saying the conclusion of the story, he knew Mason had bad news coming.
"... So, you see, La La Land is basically a term representing unrealistic dreams. The story will all be about persuading individual careers while trying to develop personal relationships. Although it is not exactly going to work out, it'll give leave a piece of great advice to the public."
Mason nodded in approval, but Ian saw the 'but' coming miles away.
"A good theme, and very thoughtful of you Ian. But, I don't think musicals can be a very safe challenge to take in. We just got into the industry and that would be a huge risk"
Ian totally understood what Mason was trying to say. He knew that in this world, musicals were really rare, at least the good ones were. Once in every few years, a good musical would come out but then the industry will die down. The whole genre was a mixed bag all in all. Mason, who was experienced and knew all of it, was pretty trusting about what he saw inside the industry.
The movie musical is a genre of films almost as old as film itself. Ever since the invention of the "talkies", or motion pictures with sound, there have been movie musicals. In fact, many of the studio system actors became famous strictly for their singing and dancing in the era's movie musicals. Others used the popularity of the movie musicals to enhance their own fame;
Even in Ian's previous world, regardless of the increase in movie musicals in made-for-TV and animated musicals, the number of movie musicals had significantly decreased since they began in the late twenties. In 1929, there were 60 movie musicals released but in 2013, only 9 were released and one of those was a made-for-TV film. The decrease has been the case by a multitude of factors.
The main reason is that the general movie-going public no longer has the same love of musicals that it once had. Another reason is that musicals are now being catered to a younger audience. Although occasionally there are a few mainstream released musicals for older audiences per year, most are either made-for-TV or animated children's films. The movie musical is dying out. One can only hope it finds some kind of way to survive.
"I understand, uncle. But, you should understand that even Home Alone was completely different from the typical movies out there. Just like you trusted me with it, I want you to give this a try, too. I'll bring the script, I know you won't say no,"
Ian chuckled playfully while saying the last sentence.
"Yeah, sure. Oh, and take a look at these numbers," Mason pointed towards the screen in front of him which showed the profits they made.
"Now this looks satisfying. Don't you think I should've started running the business a long time ago, we might be now on somewhere huge,"
Ian joked earning a laugh from Mason. They had grown a lot closer than they were mainly due to how the young playboy Mason knew had changed completely and unbelievably.
"I doubt. By the way, you did told that you have a meeting with Cube Pictures today right? At what time will it be?"
"Oh, yes. Exactly after two hours, I think we'll be able to secure the deal."
[...]
Ian got out of his car after parking it in front of Cube Pictures. The building was unbelievably huge which made Ian smile slightly knowing if they secured the deal, everything else regarding home alone would go smooth.
"Hello sir, good morning. Can I help you with something?" The young lady who was wearing too much red lipstick asked while batting her eyelashes which didn't go unnoticed by Ian.
"Good morning, I'm here to meet the CEO, Jackson Corealla," He muttered politely.
"Please, give me a second," She said while typing out some unknown things on the computer screen. "Ian Renner, the CEO of Renner Studios?"
"Yes,"
"The elevator is to your left, sir. 9th floor."
"Okay, thank you," He said and walked away to meet Jackson Corealla.
Jackson's assistant announced that Ian was there to meet him and he approved right away. Ian went in and was welcomed by Jackson who sat in a huge office that had been designed astonishingly beautiful. The view of the entire city of buildings and clear blue sky was visible through the large glass windows which had been open.
"Good afternoon, Ian. I'm so glad you could make it," Jackson stood while offering his hand. "Please take a seat,"
"Thank you so much. A nice view you got here,"
"Ah, yes, thank you. We moved into this building last year and I exclusively made this office for me, because it just is very peaceful to look at it. Anyone would agree with me on that,"
"I know right, thank you for having me here today, I hope I return back to the studio today with a deal that can benefit us both," Ian acknowledged while smiling politely.
"I remember the exact words coming out of my mouth at the party, that night. Which reminds me, Resident Evil was such a good book."
"I'm glad you enjoyed, yet surprised you read it…"
"Hold on a second, you see that shelf over there?" Jackson pointed to the small bookshelf that was on their left. Resident Evil was on the front, which gave Ian a smile that obviously didn't go unrecognized by Jackson Corealla.
"I'm actually surprised,"
"It was a good book, I was the one to be surprised first when I started reading it. It was my wife who suggested me to read it, she totally adores horror."
Ian let out a chuckle listening to his terms, "Once again, I'm so glad she enjoyed it,"
"I started reading it for two reasons. One, I was tempted to read it by seeing how hooked she was to the story for three nights in a row. Then the second reason is, that someone I know wrote it. Blatant reasons, right?
"Haha… I think so,"
"Also, Ian, would you mind if I gave a piece of advice?"
"Of course not, go on."
"This field is not all flowers and rainbows. It is much darker than it seems on the screen. From what you read, to what you see matters a lot. I'm sure my words would make sense to you one day, with time."
He hinted at something that Ian wasn't able to identify, but he didn't pressure it because that was not why he was here.
"And… Ian, you and your company, Renner Studios have so much potential for future investments…" The topic changed in a second right for which Ian had wanted to.
"...Cube studios would be delighted to invest in any future project that you develop, either as investors or as we are going to be now, distributors. Both locally and internationally. I just hope you make the right decisions from your very next step knowing that we are undoubtedly interested in them"
Ian saw right through his words. Cube Pictures were long known for being very knowledgeable about what they are getting ready to invest in and knowing the future of things they started investing in. Jackson Corealla was someone who won't say things he doesn't mean.
"Thank you so much, that's huge coming from you. For now, I would be more than glad if we can reach a good agreement for Home Alone. Based on that, we can talk about the future later and we'll see how things might go."
Jackson smirked listening to what he said and thought how smart the young man is.
"How much do you expect for Home Alone?" He asked without thinking twice.
"We'd like to hold 27% of the international box office of home alone,"
"Ian, 27% is a bit high. You see, our company has to pay for each individual cinema hall in different countries. We can part with 17%"
'Last string of the day to pull', Ian thought.
"Twenty-three percent."
"Twenty. That's the best share I can offer," Ian smiled hearing the words coming out of the CEO who sat right in front of him. And that was exactly what he wanted the entire time.
'Well played, Ian' he complimented himself.
"That's agreeable. I would get in touch if investment opportunities open for my future projects, and I would look to Cube Pictures first for distributing my movies both locally and internationally, before looking to other options,"
Ian said and shook hands with him, knowing he secured the deal as his will.
--
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"I will ask the legal team to work on the contract soon enough and would do my best to get Home Alone in international theatres as soon as possible," Jackson expressed in confirmation.
"Yes, sure. It would be great if we can release it in a month. You know, with all the fanfare, I'm sure the media would do its best to promote it."
Jackson was impressed with that statement and nodded approvingly. "Yes, I'll try my best. By the way, do you have any idea how Resident Evil would do as a movie?"
The sudden question took Ian by surprise.
"I think it would be a good movie if it can be done well." He took a second to compose himself and questioned, "Are you interested?"
In this world Horror, thriller movies basically revolved around gothic horror, supernatural horror, monster movies, psychological horror, splatter films, slasher films, body horror, comedy horror, serial killer films, and postmodern horror. Survival
thriller is a rare genre and almost as new as a prenatal baby to the industry.
With the question Jackson asked, Ian's ideas on the industry and hopes for Resident Evil bloomed up. The genre Zombie wasn't that much popular in movies due to how unrealistic the majority of the productions come out after completing the whole movie. Out of 42 attempts in Zombie movies, barely three-four movies got nominated for awards.
That was how much Hollywood in Ian's world lacked a good survival thriller zombie movie. A missed opportunity is always a lost opportunity.
"Yes, actually. After reading the book, my interest grew to make it a movie. But I wanted to know what the author thinks of it or if he has any motive to make the movie himself," Jackson was being honest with every word he say.
"Oh, well. I understand, but for now, I don't really have any thoughts on it. Future does hold hope for a movie on Resident Evil. Especially because I have already signed an agreement over Actus for the movie rights" Ian said while trying not to give too
much hope to the CEO in front of him.
Because when compromises happen with words, they won't be nice to take back. And Ian wanted to continue to maintain a good relationship with Cube Pictures since it's a hotshot in the industry. Yet he also knew, that conversation can lead to deals or the opposite.
That's how much of an edge, words have during business meetings like these.
"Hmm… It's a shame because my wife who used to direct movies was actually trying to get back in the industry with something like Resident Evil. She was specifically talking about Resident Evil,"
Ian solely knew who his wife is. Angela Bird, a talented director who shook theatres with her horror movies was an amazing talent in the entire Hollywood. Everyone knew her and at a certain time period, people assumed she was having a mental illness.
It was when she and the CEO of Cube Pictures decided to marry. They had a history for almost a year before getting married to another person in the same industry. Everyone knew how much Jackson loved her.
She thought of getting a break and focusing on her family, but mainly she took a break because she desperately wanted one. Trying to keep up with Hollywood, the media, and everything was tiresome for her. For as long as she remembers, she has been trying to come up with something original and worth-the-watch. She personally thought marriage could be a good break for her.
People assumed different things including how she can be suffering from some disease because of how fearsome every movie is. They all assumed that the director 'can't' be normal due to how wild her imaginations can run.
Around seven to eight movies were award-winning due to the extreme technology they had used and how realistic every one of them was. Among all of them, Voracious became a huge hit.
Awards like Best Horror film, Best make-up, and Best music were won at times and still get nominated for awards while competing with new horror movies in the industry.
Ian let out a low chuckle to come out as friendly, knowing he should not let chances slip out of his hand. If Jackson is offering such a huge chance, he shouldn't let it go. Mainly because of how rumors say he loves his wife a lot and because of that he won't be stingy with anything related to her.
"I don't mind if your wife is willing to direct it, I mean… I have watched Mrs. Bird's movies, she was really good at what she did. Thinking of which, how about this… Both the companies can jointly direct the movie but it will be distributed through Renners."
"Hmm… Not bad, I actually like the idea. But I'll have to think about it, although we should definitely arrange a meeting to discuss the scale and pitch of the movie if possible, yeah?"
Ian knew that releasing Resident Evil might lift the standards of horror in this world. He also knew how in the previous world Resident Evil earned $40 million domestic but $102 million worldwide on a $33 million budget, during a time with smaller marketing costs and a more vibrant post-theatrical marketplace.
With the right amount of time and effort, he could create wonders with what he was gifted. His plan was to make Resident Evil with a budget of $40 million.
"Yeah, I heard about the new movie Cube Pictures will put out at the end of this season will be a rom-com."
Jackson nodded while smiling, "Yeah, it is. The demand for Rom-coms is quite high these days, and this movie took almost a year to complete."
"Here I thought directing them would be easier," Ian tried to joke although he knew any good movie would take enough amount of time to complete successfully. And Cube Pictures won't do any movie if it won't end as a good one.
"Of course not. I'm sure you know the pain of how long it takes to get the perfect actors and actresses we want. Now that you're in quite a good place in the industry, many high-level actors would be more than thrilled to take part in anything you direct,"
"Haha… I doubt. It took us quite a while to find someone to perfectly match the role of Kevin. It was even after searching for more than half of the kids from Hollywood. This means, regardless of the grade… Or the reputation, skills come within. And I'm sure there are many underrated talented actors out there. High graded actors do behave quite a good disciple in the good hand,"
"That kid is talented, I saw. Which reminds me, do you have plans for your literary future? I saw the article by Eddie Ortis, but I'm sure you've something in mind,"
It was obvious that Jackson was trying to know things from Ian regarding his future works ever since he got here. And again, that is what any businessman would do, try to know people in and out in the same field. Yet, Ian was willing to build up a good relationship without trying to give too much away. One word to explain how Ian reacted during this situation would be, brave.
"With writing, for now, I seriously don't have any plans. But with time, I'm sure you can expect something unexpected in the field soon enough," Ian hinted because he had so many projects in his mind, so he would take every possible opportunity to keep up his reputation.
"You bewitched me with your final words, Ian. I sure will be expecting something…" Jackson's eyes showed that he was proud for some unknown reason of Ian.
In Jackson's point of view, Ian was something special. Someone who knows stuff yet tries to walk on a road where you might get hit with a sudden challenge that can cost your life. That's how Jackson thought about Ian. A young challenging man.
"Hope so too. Anyway, I have to head back." Ian stood while extending his hand politely, "And once again, thank you for having me today."
"You're welcome. My assistant will get back to you again to hold another meeting to discuss the movie Resident Evil. And I hope that you would be able to bring Mason or the person you secured a deal with in Actus Books. I don't mind if it's both, in fact, it would be great," Jackson was talking with hope unquestionably laced in his voice.
Ian muttered a 'sure' and smiled while walking out of his office. He was sure that he accomplished more than what he wanted during his visit.
--
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The next day after the meeting with the CEO of cube pictures, Ian went to meet Mason, taking the script of 'La La Land' with him. He decided to buy coffee to make the morning much more pleasant.
"Good morning, uncle." Ian went in and placed the coffee on the table while Mason greeted him back.
"Is that the script?" Mason asked.
"Yes, take a look," Ian sat right in front of him, while Mason started reading the script.
They both fell into silence while Mason kept turning pages over and trying to get a grasp of the storyline. A few minutes passed by.
"This is very well written and I think would be a change in Hollywood,"
Ian genuinely smiled listening to his words, "I did analyze a bit about how well a musical can do after what you said the other day, but I think in my point of view that this movie can do a lot better and would make a huge change in the field, It's mainly because it's not the typical musical movies that exist in the industry," Ian acknowledged.
But in reality, even while deciding on the movie, he knew everything about the current trends in the industry and how hard it can be if they decided on a musical and it didn't turn out to be good. It's a huge risk.
"Are you going to direct this as well?" Mason asked out of the blue.
"Yeah, I think I should. I already planned how well the shots can be taken. It is also easy since the settings can be shot in places around Los Angeles. Hollywood. Obviously," Ian chuckled emphasizing 'obviously'.
Since La La Land was a movie based on and around Hollywood, things were much easier for them. With a few permissions here and there, everything else would go smoothly.
"Hmm… The outline and everything seem nice."Mason said. Ian was texting John to meet him later because of what he had in his mind. "I'll read the entire script and let you know, tomorrow,"
Mason said while still scrolling through the pages, and with every line he read, his curiosity grew more and more.
Ian stood up from where he sat and roamed around the studio. He saw how Mason had put up an article right beside the exit door to the studio which had written things about 'Home Alone' and how it became a success. Besides that article, there were several more articles on successful movies Renners released some years ago.
'Renners hit it big with It's A Never'. Ian kept reading the article, there it had explained how It's A Never rom-com movie became a huge hit, ten years ago. It was directed by Henrey Renner, Ian's father. Unfortunately, the hype lasted not more than five years. The article showed how it got locally distributed and how proud Henrey was talking about it to some local media channels. The article had a short abstract from a quick interview Henrey faced.
'We tried to relate with the feelings of the youth through this movie, and with this success, I'm sure it was a blockbuster. Special credits should go to my pal, Mason Striver along with our entire crew and the acting crew. That's all, thank you,"
Ian walked back to where he was after reading it and saw the script was on the table. Mason's eyes were on every step Ian took. It was because he has never seen Ian wanting to read or know about anything Henrey did with the studio.
"I'll read it within today, and let's talk about the script tomorrow. I already ordered some equipment online and they should be here within two weeks. Some other stuff like camera, lenses, tripods, sound equipment… I was actually going to wait till we get the crew and get a word from whoever works on them,"
"Yeah, I was going to talk with John about the crew today, and uncle since we have enough money with us right now, go with the best and the most durable equipment. Don't wait for the people because we need to start shooting as soon as possible, I'm sure anyone would work with branded equipment, it doesn't really matter at the moment as long as they are durable,"
Mason thought and knew that Ian was right. They had made around $350 million dollars from Home Alone. Which also means they had more than enough money to deal with things before the next movie starts.
"Yeah, okay. I'll get it settled today. Oh, and before you came here today, I talked with an architect for the renovations," An 'oh' left Ian's lips. "Yeah, renovations will start soon, around next week. She will come to meet us to show her plans and stuff tomorrow, you will get your own office, finally."
Ian smiled and nodded. Having a space where he can work alone sound nice to him. "I will book us a place to work during the times of renovations, and till then we have other things to do."
"The employees?" Mason asked right away.
"Yeah, the employees. I will ask John about the crew behind the cameras, you can recruit some to work around the office? I mean, we will surely need more help with time. Especially with La La Land."
"No worries, I'll take care of it and make arrangements to do interviews with the time that's left,"
-
Ian was in the bar waiting for his good old friend to ask for more help. Ever since John joined Ian in the theatre on the 'big' day, he has been even busier with the export business.
Seeing John approach him, Ian smiled and ordered the same drink they had the other day.
"How have you been?" Ian asked trying to break the ice.
"Awfully busy. I feel more tired because I'm not doing things that I like. But, yeah, time taught me a lot. Got used to them all. How about you, director?"
John asked, yet Ian saw John looked like he hadn't slept in a few days. John's under-eye bags and red lines in his eyes were prominent. Ian felt concerned more than anything.
"I'm doing awesomely fine. Home Alone was a big hit and enjoying the after-party. But man, look at you. You should take care of yourself more, you don't look fine,"
"I know, cut the shit. Don't be concerned about me right now, ask what you wanted to. These days I have been very busy with a deal, it will be done in the next day or two. And yes-" John was cut off when the waitress brought their drinks.
"Hm… You were saying?"
"Home Alone… I never thought it would do this much great, heard you're selling the international rights?" Ian laughed and nodded in reply while taking a sip from his drink, "That's even greater. Never thought my uncle's crew would be this useful. I had lost hope, you know"
"Yeah, figured it out. That is mostly why I wanted to meet you today,"
John laughed loudly, "Here I thought, out of friendship."
It brought Ian a smile because nevertheless how much of a stranger John is to him, the fact John came all the way to meet gave a feeling that Ian should at least show some gratitude.
"That, too. But, John… What are the crew doing these days?"
"Hmm…They worked on a few short movies for the past few months. Other than that, my assistant didn't really update me on it. Do you want them?"
Ian nodded and continued to drink with John.
"I'm thinking of buying your uncle's company," Hearing those words, John almost choked in his drink but gained back his composure in a milli-second.
Ian has been thinking about it for a quite while. During making budgets with the profit they will get around next week for the home alone, after paying the taxes and separating money for renovation, and equipment, Ian knew he could buy the company of John's uncle and offer him a fair price.
"That… would be great. You know with how things are, I won't get back to movie making any time sooner and they need jobs. I will make arrangements as soon as possible, but I need 30% of the shares,"
Surprisingly, John said yes without any more thought. Ian was more than ready to try make him convince to buy the company because he knew how much it meant for him… Sentimentally, because of his history.
"I didn't think you would agree to this easily,"
"I wasn't gonna, but again, the reality is what matters. Can't be selfish about anything, I'm sure you'll do great with Renners. Adding up my uncle's company would be a good help, and my uncle up there must be proud of me right now, and not like I'm giving it all away,"
"Yeah, makes sense,"
"By the way, Won't there be a new movie?" John questioned… and the rest of the evening went in a blur.
The bar which they decided to meet was exceptionally quiet and peaceful. With the sun setting in the outside, the two men got nearly drunk, while their jokes got louder and nonsensical at a point. Regardless, the attention they got from the ladies didn't decrease even by a single percent.
More than 3/4th of the bar figured out who one of the two gentlemen was and the ladies from time to time came around to make small talk while trying to seduce both of them or at least one of them. Mainly because they were in expensive-looking suits, but Ian's case was exceptional. Nevertheless, the attention didn't seem to cease till they got out of the bar.
--
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Waking up Ian stretched but his hand felt the presence of someone. In reality, he punched the person beside him who was covered in his sheet entirely. He jumped back a little and then got closer hearing small snores.
Tugging on the sheet, it came off and revealed a blonde who looked messier than ever. Her lipstick was smudged everywhere, and eyeliner and make-up were so out of place. Yet, she looked peaceful in sleep. Regardless of how messy the make-up has become, her facial features were pretty. Long eyelashes, plump lips and a small nose looked perfect on her small face.
Snapping to reality he looked around and realized that he wasn't in his mansion. Instead, it looked like a hotel, which it was. Without trying to make any noise, Ian got off the bed and walked to the bathroom.
A slight headache annoyed him for several minutes under the shower, but the incidents from last night flashed one by one in his brain. The pretty blonde seduced Ian successfully and they ended up here. After Ian revealed who he was, she was more than excited and tried much harder to get laid with him.
It was blurry, yet Ian didn't want to be completely drunk yesterday in case John got it worse. So he didn't get wasted completely, and a small amount of sanity was left with him during the night. Which was why he remembered certain incidents. For example, how he helped John's driver to get him home. It was completely messy and rushed.
Getting out of the shower, he went to the room and saw the blonde sitting on the bed with her legs crossed, yet the sheets covered her naked body.
"Are you going already?" She asked in her silky voice. It was soothing to ears, Ian thought. He turned to look at her.
"I have a place where I should be within minutes." He said and gave her a smile while taking the clothes from the floor in different places where he left them.
"I can't believe I slept with Ian Renner! This is… just wonderful," She said and chuckled.
Ian walked closer to her and kissed her forehead whispering, "Last night was wonderful, too."
"You were drunk, completely," She said and smiled yet her eyes locked on his.
"Haha… I know but I'm sure it was wonderful, get back home safely," He said and started dressing up quickly. Saying goodbye to her, without wasting a second he went to his house to get fresh clothes.
-
[Renner's Studio]
"A lady who says she's an architect is here," Mason's assistant informed him.
"Send her in, please," He said while getting up.
A girl who must be in her late 20s came in with a bag hanging onto her left shoulder. She looked attractive with her long brown hair to her hips and a polite smile.
"Come in," Mason said politely and invited her in.
"Good morning, thank you for having me here,"
"You must be Miss. Madison?" He asked while she took a seat in front of him.
The office that Mason worked in didn't have much room for more than five people. It was a rectangular-shaped room, with small windows for ventilation, a wooden L-shaped office desk, and a few cupboards that took some space off of the office.
"Please call me Madison,"
"Was it easy to find your way here?" He questioned.
"Oh… Yes, GPS helped. Here's my portfolio, check if they're up to your standards," She said confidently.
"I already saw them through the website I contacted. But I wanted to first know if you have any signature style while doing the designs?"
"No, I specifically design according to what the client demands. We can talk through them today, and I can send some originals within two days,"
She said looking at him. She was a professionalist.
"Hmm… Will you be the one who is doing our design?" Mason questioned.
"Yes, I'm a sole proprietor. I do all my designs." She said and smiled. Mason nodded in understanding.
"Okay… So… Can I know what project management services you provide… Other than the design and blueprint?"
"Yes, sir. So, I will manage the project, help you hire a contractor, check their work when the job proceeds, Make design adjustments as the work progresses, review invoices to ensure that payments never get ahead of the work, and uhm… Obtain necessary lien waivers from all contractors so no one can make a claim against your property later."
"Hm… Good. I have made the right choice it seems,"
As soon as the words slipped his lips, she smiled knowing she was able to impress him. Client approval was the bare minimum she could aim for.
"Yes, we won't let you down, and in addition, we do provide three-dimensional drawings."
"Oh, that's great. Hmm… I think you would do the job perfectly. The reviews were so good, too. What about monetary details?"
"Oh, yes. I would take 15% of the total project cost. And it would be after we settle the entire project fee, you know… Getting measurements, the time that we will have to put in, and everything. For that, we'll have to schedule another meeting with the contractor, maybe tomorrow?"
"Yeah, sure." Mason nodded while answering.
-
Ian straightaway went to the music studio which he had booked yesterday to work on something that can make him appear more valuable to the public with the release of 'La La Land'. But for the moment, he was kind of nervous about what he was going to do.
Walking in, he asked the short lady at the front desk if the piano and the guitar he asked is available, and after confirming that it is, he went inside.
Sitting in front of the piano, Ian tried to use his eidetic memory and memorize the chords. City of stars was the most impactful song which attracted so much love for the movie, La La Land.
In the film, the song is first sung by the male lead alone as the character of jazz pianist Sebastian as he sings and dances on the Hermosa Beach Pier. Later in the film, it is reprised by Sebastian and Mia during a montage of him getting ready to tour with Keith's band, as well as Mia quitting her job at a coffee shop and renting out a theater for her one-woman play.
"City of Stars" appears about halfway through the film and serves to establish the bond between the film's protagonists. La La Land's narrative hinges on whether its lovestruck Angelenos will choose each other over their respective ambitions. This central question — of whether head-over-heels romance can be reconciled with the individualistic drive needed to succeed in Hollywood — runs through the lyrics of "City of Stars".
Which was why Ian wanted to compose the songs himself, if possible. The movie without the original songs, and the jazz music would be nothing. And since it's an original, he didn't want the theme song and the songs in La La Land to be covered by someone who would not know the depth of the movie as he did.
While trying to put up with the notes he hears and sees through his library, he kept thinking on and on about why this song suited the movie so much.
In fact, "City of Stars" is the most pivotal song in the film. It intertwines the two themes of love and chasing your dreams so perfectly. It's beautiful, eerie, and memorizing. It begins with just four notes on the piano.
Ian felt what's so interesting in the song is that it is just four notes that have likely been used thousands of times in thousands of songs, but never in this way. The arrangement of these notes in "City Of Stars," somehow captures the feeling of La La Land in a way that simply can't be described. You really just have to listen. The four notes adjust slightly for the simple and eloquent lyrics that capture the story with just a few short sentences.
"City of Stars, are you shining just for me, City of stars there's so much that I can't see. Who knows, is this the start of something wonderful and new, or one more dream… that I cannot make true."
Ian hummed the lyrics and tried to composed the song yet he realised with the music and lyrics in "City of Stars," encapsulate the musical that is 'La La Land'.
After trying enough attempts from the piano, he shifted to the guitar. At first, it was hard for him to touch the strings since he hasn't played guitar for almost four years now. But after applying a little bit more pressure and getting the perfect tune for his ear, he started to remember the days he played guitar as a hobby when he went to college.
Smiling at the memory, he once again started playing 'City of stars'. He kept trying for hours and he knew he would be able to compose the song within a week with the help of someone he knew.
--
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"Oh, hey, you're early," Ian stood up and greeted John who had come to Mason's office. He had expected John to come a little bit later thinking of other things John had to do, but much to his surprise, John had come early.
"Yeah, I wanted to get this done as soon as possible because I know you are working on something else, and delaying this would just take up more time. Either way, when my assistant said the news to everyone, they were pretty excited."
"Did you bring the contract with you?" Ian asked just as John took his seat. Mason was out of the studio for some other business and it was just Ian and John in the office.
"Yes, take a look. My legal team did the work yesterday…" Ian nodded as he listened to his words, "As we discussed, 30% shares of my company when you buy it off would be mine. After the merge, when we calculated with the information Mason gave, it would be 12%. Everything is mentioned there,"
"Oh, good. Let me see,"
[...] After a few minutes of silence, Ian started to sign the document without thinking more about it. The deal was profitable for both of them in a way, and John couldn't sell off the entire company because of the sentimental value and he knew Ian would make it to the top. He did expect profits soon enough.
"It's done, then. I have to head back soon, I should thank you for the offer. And I really have a hunch that you will go to the top of Hollywood with the great potential visible. Merging uncle's company did a lot of good for us than it did for you," John said. He was getting emotional and it was visible.
Normally business conversations like these tend to have no emotional or sentimental interruptions, but when it came to John, things were a bit different. Ian couldn't completely ignore John's words and keep them professional due to the history they had. Also, Ian didn't want to be rude to the person who helped him out.
In fact, deals like these were solely the responsibility and duty of Mason, yet in every way, John was an exception.
He signed the last page where his signature was required and gave it to John. "Although, I do have something to ask,"
"Go ahead,"
"What do you say if I suggest you join me?"
John's eyes showed his confusion, and he stared questioningly at his friend.
"What exactly do you mean, Ian?" John asked clearly hoping to get a clear answer.
Ian had been thinking about it for quite a while. John was someone who didn't enjoy doing what he did. Yet from his memories, he knew John was quite a talented person in the field of movies. But more than that, he wanted to suggest something out of pure gratitude.
"Join me in my company, "
"I can't, not right now. I mean, I don't want to leave my father's company right now, it's hard, true, but I can't leave it for now,"
John was clear about his answer.
"I understand, but think about what you've always wanted…"
Ian said with a pause. He wanted John to think about his decision thoroughly. His hesitance was evident in his eyes.
"Hm… to be honest, I just started learning how things work, I can't really leave it, although I would love to. But, you'll be a true successor for my uncle's company, I have a lot of faith in you," every word claimed how genuine he was with what he felt.
"Imagine, what if the situations were different… you would join without thinking twice, I know it. Please, give it a try,"
"Nah… it's all good. But you know what, I never thought this day would come. A day where you give me a choice where I can choose to enjoy and do what I want. Haha… funny when you really think of it," John laughed at his own joke.
But in reality, Ian knew the sorrow behind his words. John was someone who genuinely wanted to pursue what he wanted. He was someone who was strong as a rock when it comes to being determined regarding his goals. Time has surely done miracles.
Ian chuckled in return without wanting to make it awkward, "Are you sure though? This might be your last chance to come on top in Hollywood. Once it's gone, it's done."
"Yeah, man. I'm comfortable with how things are happening. I will be at the top of the corporate world and you will be on top of Hollywood. After watching home alone, I don't think I can compete with you even if I wanted to," they both laughed due to the last sentence. "I give up!" He put his hands up in surrender.
"Okay, then. As you wish, the loss goes for both of us, for me… it's your brain and passion, for you… your goal."
"It's a sad reality.." He said morosely.
-
After the deal with John, Ian was settled with the crew behind the camera as soon as they assumed. It was good news to Mason.
"At a 30% stake for him in his company," Ian acknowledged.
"That's a great deal, we can start things quickly now," Mason continued, "I have another meeting with the architect and the contractor in two days. Thinking of which… Here, I have some actors who are willing to get an audition for La La Land. Some of them here are high-grade actors who I thought might suit the role, and some agencies sent applications themselves. I think it would be easy if we can find someone from this,"
Mason was Ian's CEO in a sense. He took care of the day-to-day activities of the studio, unless Ian had some stand-alone deals, it was Mason's job to make things work. The same went for the situation of the architect. It was solely Mason's duty, and so far he had been doing good, Ian thought.
"Yeah, let's see them,"
There were many hopeful applicants that wanted to work in Ian's movie, La La Land. Some of them wanted to get the lead role for themselves and had applied for auditioning for that role, while most of the applicants were okay with any role in the movie, as long as they were given work.
But before anything else, Mason showed Ian the pictures and portfolios of the people who might be the future lead for La La Land, Sebastian.
While going through the list, Ian had to look at many things about the character. It wasn't just the fact that the actor should show 'Sebastian' in him, but also body shape, performance style, diversity, creativity, and listening skills played important parts in the character. For now, they were able to choose and contact solely based on pictures and values of words that were written on paper. This was also why auditions are pretty important in the industry. The skills of an actor might not just cut the role, but their true behavior and identity played a significant part in the crew.
"Martin Tremblay? 32 years old… Did you even check these once, uncle? This man is too old to act the role of Sebastian." He took the first paper and said in disappointment.
"I did, he looked young, though. Twenty-seven or twenty-eight."
"No, I want someone who looks and is around twenty-three to twenty-five. Oh, look, this man looks like a villain. What was he even thinking, isn't he an A-grade actor? He should know his strengths and capabilities,"
"You can't blame him, Ian. It's probably the work of his agency. Agencies these days seek any and every opportunity when it comes to matters of the high-grade actors with them. I bet more than half of the agencies who knew about the opportunity sent in audition applications," Mason said and Ian understood what he said was true.
Mason leaned forward to look at the picture and agreed the actor sure did look like a villain. The sharp jaw-lines and point nose along with his eyes made him look like one.
"Malcolm Bardem… You would get the next big role of a villain in Ian's movie," Mason said in a joking tone.
"As if." Ian's response was short but he meant the two words. Unlike before, as the casting director, his choices were picky, which also was evident to Mason from how he kept pointing things out.
[...] They kept turning pages one by one while thinking and discussing why each applicant won't suit Sebastian.
"B-grade actor, 22 years old, height… 5'6"? I mean, lifting the height won't be a problem, but his face… won't do it. Let's see some more," Ian said and turned the page.
After seeing different types of profiles, Ian couldn't see any actor who would suit the role. Although he did come up with a few actors who he saw potential in, any profile didn't reach the 'yes, this is it' state for Ian.
"Contact him, and ask for an audition. But I don't think he would do the role, all of the movies he took part in, his talent is mainly in comedy, based on his portfolio, but let's give him a shot."
Ian said and thought about it a little. It was possible for someone who played comedy to get a serious role. But it was also true that based on the characters they played and got popular, people tend to have a pre-perceived image of the actor. It was pretty normal, if someone played a villainous role, it would take a lot of effort, and fantastic acting, almost near a near-perfect performance to change that image in the eyes of the audience.
After more than an hour of turning pages and thinking about possibilities, his eyes landed on an actor, which gave Ian a massive shock, as his eyes threatened to fall out of his skull.
--
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Ian was shocked for a few good seconds after seeing the photo of the person in the paper. He blinked a few times to see if he was mistaken.
Ryan Gosling?! He held the paper tightly in both his hands and got closer to see if it was really who he think he was. Well, he thought he was mistaken since even after seeing the face in the paper he kept comparing them to Ryan. But now, Ryan Gosling is right in front of his eyes.
How? He solely thought that people from his world wouldn't exist here and he won't ever meet them. It was a big surprise for him.
The oval-shaped face, thin lips, small eyes, beard, and hair looked almost the same as in his old-world memories. With some make-up he would in terms of looks be the original Ryan Gosling carbon copy with no doubt, Ian thought. His eyes then went to check the name and reading the letters his lips parted in surprise.
Name: Ryan Gosling
Age: 24 years old
Height: 1.84m
Then there had been some mentions of how many movies he had taken part in and how some of them were successful.
"Pass me the laptop," Ian said while Mason obeyed.
After clicking the search bar, Ian searched different names that came to his mind. He kept searching and searching while Mason was confused about what was going on with Ian's mind and what he was suddenly so keen about.
Ian raised his eyebrows seeing the names of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and a few more famous figures who were also famous here. Among them, there were a few whose names were a bit different. But the appearance of those people and their talents were the same.
It was a very shocking discovery for Ian. He felt like his existence for several months in this world was crumbling.
He suddenly remembered what he had read when he was in his old world, that there might be different versions of you who might exist along the same time in a parallel universe.
He searched it up thinking if it was possible for people to exist in parallel worlds, to which many people had answered yes and some had said no while explaining how all this is just a myth.
Q- Do parallel worlds exist?
(@Heart_Ticker_Why?) No, they don't. That's utter bs some people come up with when they have no job to wake up for. Ask from who say yes if they've met their seventh version of themselves? (I've heard there can be seven people who look exactly the same as u in the same world) Hah!
(@BeeisBuzzing) I do think they exist. Not because of some myth, but somehow all this just sounds right. Who knows they really might exist...
He closed the tab knowing pretty well that the internet doesn't always provide solutions. In fact, what everyone knows is that if you search 'Why does my heart ache?' the answer would simply be that it's a heart attack.
That was why Ian didn't 100% trust the internet, and neither did the people who have common sense.
Closing the PC, he picked the paper back up again. The Ryan Gosling on the paper was a C-grade actor. He then realized that regardless of what skills this new Ryan has, their status and the reputation that both Ryans have is different. Ryan Gosling, the world-famous actor that he knew in his previous world, was now in this new world trying to make his way up to stardom.
"Do you know who this is?" He asked uncle Mason.
"Oh… yes, this one is a submission for a side character role. It must have been accidentally placed here," Mason said and tried to take the paper out of Ian's hand.
Ian held onto it tightly, "Tell me more about him."
"The dude is famous for doing whatever role he is given very seriously. A funny man, if I say. I had met him once, he was very respectful. But he doesn't have very much experience or enough skills up to par enough to go up the ranks. Oh, the agency he works for is… uh, what is it called?" Mason thought for a little before answering himself, "Mimic Endeavor, yeah… that. But, why are you asking though?"
"Contact the agency, I want to meet him before any other actors," Ian said while Mason's eyebrows turned to a frown.
"He's a C-grade actor. I don't think-" Mason was cut off by Ian shortly.
"I just want to see him, myself. He looks exactly like what I have been looking for in my mind for that role. Let's see if this could be his first main role. I mean, there has to be a first for everything," Ian said and smirked. Mason said nothing but nodded in reply.
Ryan Gosling from Ian's previous life who had acted in the role of Sebastian was born on November 12, 1980. He was a Canadian actor who was prominent in independent film, he was also credited for his work in blockbuster films of varying genres and had accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD. Throughout his three-decade career, he had received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, an Independent Spirit Award, two Satellite Awards, and nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
In a famous article, it was quite well written about Ryan Gosling and how he had returned after taking a small break.
"Gosling, a virtuoso of verbal sleaze, talks directly to the camera, and he's volcanically fierce and funny." The following year, Gosling starred in Damien Chazelle's musical La La Land, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and received his second Academy Award for Best Actor nomination.
Even Robbie Collin praised his chemistry with co-star Emma Stone, writing: "Both stars are so attuned to each other's pace and flow that their repartee just seems to tumble out, perfectly formed." It emerged as one of his most commercially successful films, with earnings of over $440 million against its $30 million budget.
-
Well now Ryan Gosling, a C-Grade actor had an important meeting with his talent agent of the agency he worked for, Mimics Endeavors. It was the very first agency that had accepted his submission, which was mostly due to how good he looked.
"Hey, good morning," Tristan Gamble, his agent, shook hands before taking a seat right in front of him. Tristan was a man who was in his late twenties with a huge body which can be considered unhealthy for his age. His brown hair that was trimmed right above his neck gave him a slightly funny look. But, he was a professional in his work. Physical appearance was never a problem unless you're an actor. In a way, Ryan and Tristan grew closer while hunting for his roles in different types of movies.
They decided to meet in a little cafe across the town due to how calm and quiet the place was. And more than anything, Ryan suggested this place knowing how much his agent craved a coffee.
Twenty-four-year-old Ryan Gosling was always interested in learning something new. Lately, due to the rom-com trends increasing in the industry, he decided to start watching them and taking notes while practicing for a few parts. Right before a week had passed, he had a request from his agent to submit his application for different upcoming movie roles. And there he was, trying his best to improve and go higher in the industry.
He was born to a middle-income family with two siblings and retired parents, who also expected a lot from him. At first, they let him act for fun and for his passion, but then when they retired, they had no choice but to let Ryan take over as the head of the house.
With both his siblings attending school and college, he had no choice but to accept his parents' responsibilities. Ever since then, he had been trying harder to get better at roles and do everything to the best of his ability to be a well-known actor.
"Good morning, Tristan. How is it going?" Ryan asked while trying to be polite.
"You do know that 'Murder by Letters' was a huge flop, right?" He said sternly without missing a beat.
Murder By Letters was the latest movie where Ryan Gosling acted as a side character. The movie was a huge failure considering the famous movie star Haroon Savage's poor acting skills emitted in the movie. It was highly unlikely for a star to act and flop an entire movie like that, but it indeed happened in this case. It was later revealed that Haroon took a break in his career right after the fiasco. Ryan knew Tristan would talk about this as the very first thing when they met, but he had no other choice but to respond because of the good opportunities Tristan often brought him.
"Yeah, I'm well aware. Not that I can do anything right now, right?" Ryan questioned back.
"It's not you. You were a side character anyway, it was the main character. I still can't believe how people didn't enjoy it. The directors had high hopes for it."
"Yeah, although we all expected Haroon Savage to do a much better job...," Ryan said in disappointment.
"Hm… But Balance Productions had to face so many losses in the past few days that the $75 million budget they spent only earned just above $40 million." Tristan sighed loudly.
"Do you have any other roles I can get introduced to?" Ryan asked without talking anymore about an unsuccessful movie attempt.
"I actually got contacted by Renner's Studio. You know Home Alone? The novel Resident Evil?" Tristan asked.
"Of course I do. The director is young, I heard. So, what is the character like?"
When Tristan Gamble first got the call, even he wasn't sure what Mason was asking about. After clearing up that Ian wants to meet Ryan and talk before deciding on the roles, Tristan knew that Ryan could get a role. It was just this much trust he had kept in him. In fact, he knew Ryan's talents well and someone like Renner would definitely identify it, Tristan thought.
"Ian Renner wants to meet you. That was why they contacted us. I did send your profile for any side character available. But I wasn't expecting a meeting before the auditions. Either way, get ready to act on the spot. New directors might have new ways, you should get ready for anything. This might be a good chance, Ryan," Tristan said.
Tristan was very thoughtful when it came to his clients. Ryan, who knew this nodded throughout Tristan's talk and thought about how true it was.
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Ian woke up and straightaway went to take a cold shower to get a fresh start to his day. Water poured from his hair to his face and then to his body, but his mind wandered around thinking about La La Land.
For the most part, he was curious about what kind of a person Ryan Gosling might be. And then, he kept thinking about the other actors and ideas for his next big projects.
A shower is somewhere creativity overflows and imaginations run wild. It was the same for almost everybody.
After making $350 million dollars of profits from Home Alone, the amount had been reduced massively due to the taxes, renovation, equipment, and other stuff. In fact, just the deal John and Ian made cost Ian $20 million. An entire company for that amount wasn't a bad deal.
It cost him a bit around $1 million to cover the cost of all the equipment. Also, around $500,000 were spent on the architecture and to start the renovations. After summing it up all, Mason's share and the wages were paid off in no time. It felt like a huge win for Ian when he spent that much money they earned together from just a single project.
Because of all that, Ian had around $150 million dollars left over for himself, and he was planning to invest $30 million of that in La La Land. Ian got out of the shower and put on some comfortable clothes while his mind still kept pondering several other things. Sitting in front of the laptop, he typed in the title of his next big script.
It was a series. The establishment of the reputation of a genius was what Ian was aiming for. Someone who can create masterpieces with his own scripts and make people wonder and be in awe. The reason why he was hurrying a bit with his projects was to turn stuff up a bit. He was sure that no one was capable of creating such movies and legendary works like him in such a short duration.
It takes a normal director or scriptwriter many years to come up with good ideas and create a good outcome on the screen. But he wanted to show himself off as someone who can master the field with a little experience.
—
Ian's arrangements to meet Ryan Gosling in Renner's Studio were about to happen in just a few minutes. But on the other hand, Mason was curious as to why Ian was even meeting a C-Grade actor. Regardless, he had his full trust and faith in him. He knew Ian wouldn't do anything stupid especially when it comes to business.
"Ryan Gosling is here," Mason's assistant announced.
"Send him in," Ian replied.
Ryan Gosling who looked exactly like 'Ryan Gosling' came in with a polite smile. Pun intended of course. The facial features were almost the same. The hairstyle could be changed a bit to look like the original world Ryan, but other than that his height, proportions, and smile were exactly the same as Ian remembered.
"Good morning, Ryan." Ian stood and shook his hand immediately.
"I can't believe I finally get to meet you, sir," Mason smiled hearing the words coming out of the actor's mouth. "I'm actually curious about the role I'll be getting," Ryan straightaway jumped to the point.
"Just call me Ian, please. It's nice to meet you too,"
Ian understood that Ryan Gosling was an outgoing, nice person from the way he talks. But he wanted skills and talent to confirm the role was going to be his. He, therefore, got into work straight away.
"Let's get onto work, for now, I can't say what role you'll be getting. I called you here because your appearance is exactly what I'm looking for. The facial features, height, body, and all. The rest will solely depend on your skills," Ian was honest with him. It was the truth.
"Oh okay," Ryan replied and nodded.
Taking a scene out of the script, Ian handed it to Ryan. It started with a funny conversation at the entrance with Sebastian, the male lead. It was a conversation that Sebastian had with his older sister. It took Ryan a few minutes to read the script over and over.
It was the scene where Sebastian finds his sister, whose name is Laura, 37 years old in his bare apartment; no furniture, boxes still packed and looking nothing like a home, much to the annoyance of Laura. Sebastian tells her that he will unpack those boxes in his own club and he can't believe it has become a tapas-samba place. His sister wants him to let go of the fact that he got ripped off and start living again. She wants him to meet a woman but he's not interested. After she leaves, he practices the same Thelonious Monk song he played in his car that morning, over and over, till he gets it right.
Since it was the first proper talk that Sebastian will be having in the movie since it started, Ian thought it would be good if he let Ryan do it. In fact, he would be able to see how Ryan thought about this character as well. Living inside the character was pretty important when it comes to movies like La La Land.
"It's just a small test, take it easy," Mason said.
"I'll try my best," Ryan said and kept reading.
Ian left the office and came back after a while with a pretty brunette. She was the receptionist in the office. Khadijah Nash wasn't smiling or frowning. In fact, she was so neutral it was a little bit weird for someone to watch. But it was obvious that she had been trained so well to smile fakely that it seemed real when someone first met her. In times like this, the only thing that became clear are things like her smile.
"She will say the parts of Laura, can you start now?" Ian asked.
"Oh okay," Ryan said and sighed loudly.
[...]
"Sebastian –" Laura said.
"How long has it been?"
"You need to get serious. You live like a hermit. You're driving without insurance."
Khadijah surprisingly took the role seriously and kept talking back to back with Ryan. Even though her conversations were good, Ian's focus was full-on with Ryan.
"I am serious. I had a very serious plan for my future. It's not my fault I got Shanghai'ed." Ryan's voice got a bit serious.
"You did not get "Shanghai'ed", you got ripped off."
"What's the difference?" Ryan asked.
"No… No, wait. Try it a bit more, it should be a back-to-back question. Try it again," Ian wanted to make Ryan Gosling act like Sebastian so badly. Listening to him, Ryan practiced his dialogue again.
"What's the difference?"
A smile formed on Ian's face.
"It's not as romantic as that. And everyone knew that girl was shady except for you."
"Why do you say romantic like it's a dirty word?"
"Unpaid bills are not romantic. Call her." She kept saying her dialogues right after him.
"You're acting like life's got me on the ropes -- what you don't understand is, I want to be on the ropes. I'm letting life hit me til it gets tired. Then I'm gonna make my move. It's a classic rope-a-dope"
"I love you. Unpack your boxes."
"I'm changing the locks,'' Ryan said in a loud tone.
"Okay! That was good, thank you, Miss?" Ian asked, looking at the girl who was holding the paper without any emotion.
"Khadijah… Nash," She said and smiled for the first time.
"Thank you, you can get back into what you were doing," Mason said while Khadijah walked out of the office.
After hearing the small dialogues, Ian felt he was perfect for the role. Of course, it was not enough acting to perfectly judge his entire level, but from the way he had presented the small conversation, Ian was more than content. He was able to see the original Sebastian through his lines.
In the scene when Sebastian threw words back and forth with his sister, there was not much space for a huge thought process. It was quick, yet it was also an important scene. It was how Sebastian's expressions were and his behavior for Ian.
"That was good, I will talk with your agent and let you know, yeah?" Ian said and smiled politely.
"I really hope you mean it, this chance means a lot to me, thank you," Ryan said and left the room but not before shaking hands with both of them.
Even his personality was great while he was talking, which impressed Ian more. Actors with good personalities are as valuable as gold in the industry, especially in the process of filmmaking and associating with directors. Cocky actors tend to go off the vibe-check pretty quickly.
Ian knew he was perfect for the role. The more he thought, the more reasons he found. In fact, he watched several movies Ryan took part in in this world and was happy with how his acting skills were. They lacked a bit of professionalism, but with time Ian was sure he would be much better, proving points in Hollywood about how talented even a low-grade actor can be.
"I think he fits the role," Ian said and Mason was still confused. His facial expressions explained it all.
"Are you sure, Ian? I mean, he is talented but-"
"I'm pretty sure, make arrangements with his agency. This is going to be quick now. We need to find Mia, too," Ian said and smiled.
--
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Mason, Ian, Ryan, and Tristan who was Ryan's agent were standing in the office cubicle of the lawyer of Renner's Studio to go through the contract Mason and Ian offered.
Jordan Wright was the lawyer that had been handling matters for Renner's for around four years now. He had never come up with contracts that made situations that could create losses for the Renners.
"According to the contract, $500,000 will be Ryan Gosling's payment. There are clauses that Ryan will need to follow throughout the project. It includes that he needs to be there whenever promotions take place. A single word about the project shouldn't go out without asking permission first, that's the clause of disclosure,.." Jordan kept going on with the clauses and why he should follow them.
Actors' contracts, much like other commercial contracts, exist to memorize the key business terms between an actor and the producer/director. Actor contracts can vary from being short and simple to being heavily negotiated and complex. Actor contracts are typically drafted by attorneys specializing in entertainment law, as these attorneys understand the business terms and risks associated with acting contracts.
In the contract, it included things such as the type of film/engagement, the terms of the contract, the rights of the actor to be involved in other projects during the duration of the project, and the roles and responsibilities of the actor(s), roles and responsibilities of the producer/director, compensation, royalties, equity participation in the project, Union related provisions, and dispute resolutions (e.g. arbitration, mediation, etc.)
Jordan explained every one of them clearly. It was normal for them to sign such contracts for every project they participated in. But Jordan thought it was his duty to explain and make the other party well aware of what they'll be getting into. It was something only honest lawyers do.
Ryan Gosling and Tristan kept nodding for each and every word of his.
"We'll review the contract with the agency, get it signed and bring it back as quickly as possible, thank you," Tristan said and took the file in his hand.
Shaking hands with the lawyer, everyone left his office.
"Thank you so much, Ian," Ryan said with a smile plastered on his face.
"Haha… I just wanted an actor who would fit the role. I'm glad it is you," He said and treated back with politeness.
Ryan was two seconds away from dancing like a maniac due to the immense happiness swelling in his heart. The last time he felt like this was when he was getting an award for his acting skills and when he was promoted to a higher rank.
But now, the upcoming biggest movie director wants him to act as the main character in his next big hit, which was surprisingly unbelievable for Ryan.
"But there will be so many things we might have to practice," Ian said and paused before continuing, "As you saw the script, there will be songs you should sing and dancing sequences, the classes will start as soon as you sign the contract,"
"Yes, sure. Of course, thank you," He smiled even more broadly. Walking out of the building, they both were happy. For once, Ryan's life was going to turn upside down.
-
Since the male lead was found, he just needed to find the rest of the main cast, Ian was busy with finding someone to act as the female lead Mia. They had to find the necessary people for the supporting roles, too. Although Ian took the role of casting director, he left the rest of the responsibility with Mason since he knew people around the industry, and he trusted him with it thinking of how well he did his part during 'Home Alone'.
As long as the fitting actors of B and C grades were chosen by their talent from the audition round, Ian was fine with them. And that was exactly how he had advised Mason to take people in.
Ian also made Mason sort him some profiles as suggestions for the female lead. In fact, he was going to audition them together and was going to have a mix of newbies and established actors for the supporting roles. It was a real strategic plan because if he hired just newbies for the roles, it would be pretty obvious with their skills.
Having established actors within the crew can help co-actors.
Ian's main concern wasn't actors, roles, or characters. It was the songs, composing, and the music. As for the dance choreography, Ian thought of hiring a dance choreographer, but that was for later.
Songs like City of Stars that were in the movie had already been composed right when the scriptwriting started for La La Land. It was how much it took for the original composer to complete the songs.
Sitting in Mason's office, while his phone was being played with his fingers, he kept thinking if he should listen to the trial version he had composed. After going to the piano studio every night, for exactly seven days, he was able to compose the music but the song lyrics were sung in his voice.
He switched the screen on and listened to the song, its melody, and his voice. He knew he was never a good singer, but with the music, surprisingly his voice suited it so well. He thought to himself that he should practice more and get a better trial version since he wasn't completely convinced.
"Is that what I think it is?" Mason's voice took Ian by surprise.
"Haha… This is just an attempt, have you checked the locations I told you about?" Ian asked, covering up his voice recording. He knew he should get better or make the best version of it, but he had to practice more.
The other thing they had on their concern list was the locations. On one hand, since the original movie had taken place in Los Angeles, it was easy for them. But still, they had to rent studios, and get permission to shoot and it wasn't exactly an easy process to do in LA.
"I did, we can rent the studio at any time we want. I know the guy, he will make arrangements there. I sent the letters to get checked, we will know soon about the other locations. But you know, we should hurry up and select the acting crew first of all." Mason acknowledged.
"When will the auditions be? Day after tomorrow, yeah?" Ian asked for confirmation and Mason nodded in reply.
-
Ian was taking a flight to New York in a hurry, for another very important task for La La Land. It had already been a few days since they had cast Ryan as the male lead. But now they needed to find someone for Mia, and it seems like he had found the perfect candidate. Which was also why he was on this trip to New York.
Eloise Hampton was an actress who started her career in Hollywood in her teen days. She was now in her early 30s. Her beauty and her facial features were perfect for any role, either sad or happy. She was also a huge talent in the field of dancing and singing which made her prices high when directors hired her.
This nomination for the role was also chosen by Mason but this time he hasn't made any arrangements for Ian and Eloise to meet. It would be a sudden meeting for the both of them, but he hoped that Eloise wouldn't turn Ian's offer down because Mason personally knew how talented she was. And if anyone can perfect the role of Mia, it was Eloise.
She was an aspiring artist for many newbies in the field due to her humbleness, kindness, and the positive vibes she shared quite often. Although her career was a massive success ever since her very first movie, 'It Started With A Gift' which was a rom-com, she was never an egotistical person. In her first movie, she was the kid of a single mom, and she aced her role by bringing tears into the eyes of many people who watched the heart-warming movie, which was why she got nominated over and over for different kinds of awards back in those days. After that, she got into broadway shows, which made her even more popular among the huge fan base she had.
Broadway is a street in New York City. It runs all the way through Manhattan, but its appeal lies in the collection of theaters around the Times Square area. In the early 20th century, it became the preeminent theater district in America. This was reinforced by a string of successful dramas and musicals that helped establish the area's reputation as one of the two best places for acting in the world. Today the theater district draws some of the best acting talents from Hollywood, proving that making it on Broadway is still the pinnacle of achievement.
In fact, Eloise was mastering her field through the ins and outs of Hollywood.
Ian reached New York pretty quickly and it was still the morning. He decided to rest a bit and planned to meet Eloise right after her evening show.
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Ian was sitting in between the crowd on a normal Thursday afternoon where Romeo and Juliet were being performed on the stage. Broadway theatres had so many different varieties of acts from modern to classics.
After realizing how Romeo and Juliet were being played and people enjoyed it because of how good of a "classic" it is. Ian knew there were so many things that were common in this world and his previous one.
The seats were already occupied by different people. Couples to singles, old people to kids. There were so many of them, more than enthusiastic to watch the classic theatre experience which was about to start.
[...] Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young Italian star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays.
The start of the play gave flashbacks as to when Ian went to watch Romeo and Juliet in his world. It was a bad ending for him. Even back then, he mentally cussed for Romeo and Juliet as it was such a masterpiece without a good ending. That was just how immature he was when he first saw it. But with time, he understood.
Ian wasn't there to watch them play or enjoy the crowd or the breeze, he was simply there to meet Eloise. As popular as she was, her plays were pretty popular among broadway theatre fans.
With a huge round of applause, the play started. After a while, Ian saw who was playing Juliet. He looked at her and thought it would be more than sufficient if she agreed to play the role of Mia. She was everything he was looking for.
Eloise Hampton looked like a flawless angel from where Ian was sitting. Her dark blonde hair was neatly styled to look perfect for her role. Her thick eyebrows, straight nose, and her thin plump lips added perfection to her appearance as an actress. She looked exactly like she would fit in any role.
Ian kept watching and analyzing her acting skills. It was a given that she would act Mia's role perfectly.
[...]
"O my love, my wife!
Death that hath sucked the honey of thy breath,
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty:
Thou art not conquered, beauty's ensign yet
Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks,
And death's pale flag is not advancèd there.—
Tybalt, liest thou there in thy bloody sheet?
O, what more favor can I do to thee
Than with that hand that cut thy youth in twain
To sunder his that was thy enemy?
Forgive me, cousin.— Ah, dear Juliet,..."
Romeo acted her part in front of Juliet's body.
"Go, get thee hence, for I will not away.
What's here? A cup closed in my true love's hand?
Poison I see hath been his timeless end.
O churl, drink all and left no friendly drop
To help me after? I will kiss thy lips," Juliet said and kissed Romeo who appeared to be dead.
The voice of cousin Capulet startled Juliet, "Lead, boy, which way?"
"Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief. O happy dagger,
This is thy sheath: there rust, and let me die." She said while the dagger dug deep into her skin.
Thus, the play ended with the Prince's elegy for the lovers: "For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.
-
Ian went backstage right after the show ended. He was sure that Eloise would be there. After he passed through the crowd and got permission to go inside after saying that he was a director, he saw that people had gathered around.
It was obvious that they were the staff from the uniforms they were wearing. Everyone congratulated her while huge grins were plastered all over their faces. Everyone was happy, some handed her a bouquet of flowers, while some others hugged her and added their warm wishes.
"You were so great! You nailed it, Eloise, as always!" Ian heard a woman say while she hugged her.
"That was a brilliant Juliet performance! The final scene was almost realistic, you are such a talented actress," The lady with blonde hair handed her the huge bouquet of flowers while she thanked her and smiled broadly.
"I was watching people cry, that was so good," Another person added.
The background was so noisy that every person had to talk in loud pitches, which was also why Ian heard every word each one of them said. He smiled secretly thinking the perfect choice for Mia was right in front of his eyes.
Eloise walked away after replying to each and every one of them with a polite smile. Ian stood a few steps away while watching the entire thing happening in front of him.
He saw her approaching him when he was standing in the middle of the door to the dressing rooms.
"It was a good act, I enjoyed it and became a huge fan of yours," He said, trying to gain her attention.
"Thank you so much," She said with a huge smile with her perfect white teeth and tried to walk away.
"I'm a director," Those words gained her attention. She turned back and was looking at him. "I came here to talk about a role," he added more.
She shook her head trying to deny his words, "I don't really trust it, can you maybe contact my agency? It would be much more convenient for both of us," She said and smiled trying to keep her facts straight.
"I did contact them before I came here. Can I have a few minutes with you? That's all I'm asking, Ms. Eloise, The meeting is actually supposed to be held exactly after two days. I was impatient to meet you, the role I have in mind isn't like anything else," He said in a professional tone.
"The meeting has already been scheduled, right? What's your name?" She asked. Coming out of the blue, it was suspicious for her. Even if he was a director, in her point of view, Ian could also be lying.
"Ian. Ian Renner," He said.
-
Eloise met Ian in the nearest cafe after changing into her casual clothes. After hearing Ian's name she knew who he was. Although she had heard about Ian Renner, the black horse of the industry who came through Home Alone, she hadn't seen what he looked like.
Seeing the way Ian approached her, she felt like Gold was knocking at her door and she should get the most out of this chance.
"Hello, Ms. Eloise," Ian stood and greeted her.
"Call me Eloise, please. It's really you. Ian Renner. I didn't believe myself for a second back there," she said and took a seat in front of him.
"Yeah, I could see that, and about the role." He started. "It is the co-main character of my next big film. Let me briefly tell you the story, then you can decide. As for your acting skills, I saw them already through your performance, your consent is what I came for," He said and smiled politely.
"Go ahead,"
"Hmm… Jammed in a wide stretch of highway in sun-kissed Los Angeles, the morning commuters--Sebastian, a suavely charming jazz pianist whose life's got him on the ropes, and Mia, a brilliant playwright waiting for her big break--are off to a bad start. Of course, Sebastian, a purist with an undiluted taste in music, has a serious plan for the future. On the other hand, Mia, an incurable romantic mesmerized by the allure of the old Hollywood, is consumed by meaningless auditions. These two proper L.A. dreamers are meant for each other--and as they keep running into each other under the city's starry nights and plum-hued sunrises--a magical old-school tap-dance romance timidly commences. Indeed, this is the kind of effervescent love that defies reason, that inspires one to have long walks while gazing at the Milky Way of the city's flickering lights; nevertheless, life is as exciting as it is challenging, and the two idealists begin to veer from their dreams. But the end would be really realistic. Once someone wants to achieve their goals, they gotta sacrifice something else. That's life," Ian said.
Eloise was listening to the whole story without a beat. "Can I know a bit about Mia?" She asked after a while.
"Yes, Mia is someone artistic, big-hearted, and idealistic. Mia is a dreamer and she truly believes in the power of art. She knows that sometimes her dreams might be a bit foolish, but she perseveres in order to do what she loves. In the movie, she will be achieving her dream of becoming an actress. Mia knew it would be a challenge to become a star, but she just didn't expect the rejection to wear her down this much. Mia's realizing that she might need to take matters into her own hands a little more if she's going to get ahead in her career."
"She certainly is interesting, when will we meet next?" Eloise asked straightaway.
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