28 The Casting
The Blair Witch Project was poised to be my first venture into the realm of live-action cinema. Although I had lent a hand in scriptwriting, my role from this point forward was mostly observational.
I was also a producer of the project since I would be financing half of it. Jason Waller, Sam and Dave's good friend, would be directing the movie. He did have experience in the industry but was never able to make his directorial debut until now.
Today, Sam, Dave, and Jason were casting for the movie. I was keen to witness the process firsthand. Nathan kindly dropped me off at the studio where the auditions were being held.
I was glad I would be able to get my driver's license this year no more relying on mom and Nathan to get somewhere.
After bidding Nathan farewell, I stepped into the bustling studio. The hallway was lined with hopeful actors, their expressions a mix of excitement and anxiety. Navigating through the crowd, I found the room where Sam, Dave, and Jason were conducting auditions.
"Hey guys, need an extra set of eyes?" I inquired, making my presence known to the trio.
Dave glanced up from his notes, his face lighting up with a welcoming smile. "That would be fantastic, actually. We're trying to narrow down our choices, but it's tougher than we thought."
Sam echoed Dave's sentiment with a look of earnestness in his eyes. "We've witnessed a variety of auditions today. Having our producer's input would be helpful."
"Good to see you again, Daniel," Jason greeted. Jason was a great guy in my opinion. He was very talented, but Hollywood had fucked him over. He was almost about to quit when Sam and Dave convinced him to direct the movie.
We wrote the script with three main characters. It wasn't the same as the original movie as I had only given Sam and Dave some bits and pieces of it. They had run with these ideas and made a pretty good script. It might be even better than the original.
The actors came and went, but until then, no one really blew us away with their performance. Then Michael happened.
"Who's next?" I asked, yawning.
"Michael Harris," Jason replied, checking the list. "He's a bit of a newcomer, but his audition tape showed promise."
Michael walked onto the stage, his demeanor confident yet unassuming. He greeted us politely before taking his position for the scene.
"Whenever you're ready, Michael," Jason prompted, his voice steady.
Michael nodded. He was to enact a part where his character, lost and terrified in the woods, discovers something horrifying in the darkness.
The room fell silent as Michael began. His initial calm demeanor rapidly dissolved into believable panic. His eyes darted around the shadowy corners of the room, as if seeing ghosts lurking just beyond the light. His breathing became erratic, hands trembling, voice cracking under the strain of fear.
"There's something out there," Michael whispered, his voice laced with terror. "I saw it... I saw it in the darkness. It's watching us."
The raw emotion in his performance was amazing, sending shivers down our spines. Michael's ability to convey terror on command showcased his remarkable acting skills.
"That was... incredible," Sam finally broke the silence, his tone full of awe.
Dave and Jason nodded in agreement, equally impressed.
"We have to cast this guy; he is perfect," I whispered to Jason, who nodded in agreement.
"Thank you. Be on the lookout for our call in the coming days," Jason said.
Michael offered a humble smile. "Thank you, everyone. I'm just glad to have the opportunity." He exited the stage.
"Well, I think we have one of our leads," I said, standing up.
"That we do," Sam replied.
"When are we auditioning for the Heather?" I asked.Heather was one of the three main leads.
"This afternoon, actually," Jason replied.
"Really? Well, I guess I will see you then. I am going to get something to eat," I said as I walked out of the room.
.
.
.
I waited for my order to arrive. It was the same burger place I loved to go to. It had shut down for a while but reopened after some renovations. They even had my picture on the wall.
As I waited, the sound of nearby conversations filled the air. One, in particular, caught my attention. The woman in the booth in front of me looked awfully like Scarlett Johansson.
No, she looked exactly like Scarlett Johansson. She looked like a teenager, maybe a couple of years older than me.
Wait, Scarlett is supposed to be older, I reasoned.
"...and then I told him, 'No way, I'm here for the Heather role, not just any part,'' the Scarlett lookalike said with a laugh.
She was here for the audition. The older woman chuckled. "Scarlett, just give it your best…."
Okay, now I was about 99 percent sure this woman was Scarlett Johansson. Maybe one of the changes in this world was that she is younger and is just starting out. I tried not to think much about it, but I mentally made a note to watch her performance at the audition.
I returned and the audition for Heather began after a while. I checked the profile of the next actress. This was the final confirmation; it indeed was Scarlett Johansson. I looked to the stage, and she walked in.
"I think this one might impress us all," I whispered to Dave.
"Hi, I'm Scarlett," she introduced herself with a poised confidence that masked the nervousness most actors showed.
She took a moment to prepare herself and delved into the scene.
She did a couple of scenes from the beginning, which impressed us all. Then Jason gave her a scene which was more difficult.
"I just want to apologize to Josh's mom, Caleb's mom, and my mom. I am so, so sorry for everything. It is my fault because it was my project," she continued, tears brimming in her eyes, her voice breaking under the weight of Heather's guilt and terror.
"Wow," I muttered.
"You were right; she is impressive," Dave whispered to me.
As the scene came to a close, Scarlett slowly let the facade of Heather fall away, returning to the composed actress who had entered the room minutes earlier.
Dave was the first to speak, breaking the heavy silence. "Wow, Scarlett, that was...incredible. Truly." Sam and Jason nodded in agreement, equally moved by her performance.
It seems we have found our Heather.
.
.
.
As I made my way to the meeting with one of the school administrators, I couldn't help but wonder about the purpose of our meeting. Upon arriving, I was greeted by a sparsely furnished office with a large window providing a view of the school courtyard. The administrator invited me to sit down.
"Daniel, there's been a complication with your homeschooling records," she began, her tone apologetic yet firm. "It appears there's a problem with the world history course you completed during your homeschooling."
Curious, I inquired, "What's the issue?"
She explained, "The accreditation of your history course doesn't meet the state's curriculum standards. As a consequence, you'll need to enroll in our junior-level history class to satisfy the graduation requirements."
Quickly, I asked, "Isn't there any way to bypass this since I've already studied the material?"
Unfortunately, she denied the possibility. "I'm afraid not. Our policy doesn't allow that. I understand this isn't ideal, but it's the only solution we have to ensure you meet all the necessary requirements."
I was disappointed and somewhat annoyed. I had no desire to sit through material I already knew, let alone with students a year younger than me.
"When does this class start?" I asked.
"You'll start tomorrow, first period, in Mrs. Thompson's class with the freshmen," she informed me.
Accepting my new reality, I agreed, "Okay, I'll be there."
Leaving the office and entering the hallway, I couldn't hide my frustration. "Great, this is just great," I muttered under my breath as I went off to find my friends.
.
.
.
Any Ideas for a ASOIAF SI ?
I already have one but feel like writing one that is based in Westeros.
Or maybe a Marvel one.
