October Sky

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18th May, 1996 (Saturday)

Ricky Stirling (POV)

I glance down at my wristwatch, to see…

10:57

Sigh, any minute now. They'll walk through the door hand in hand any damn minute now.

To distract myself I start spamming Observe on every single object I can lay my eyes on.

PING!

Coffee Mug: A ceramic mug

Wooden Table: A table made out of wood

Latte: Drinking a cup will recover 2 HP, provide the Status Effect 'Energized' which will increase movement speed for a short duration, and provide warmth.

…

…

Sigh, the gamer really is broken as fuck. You know what the problem with a majority of humans is? Every single piece of knowledge they ingest will never be used to its maximum potential. If they see a problem in front of them, they'll go for the convenient solution that favors their inner bias, ignoring efficiency and effectiveness in the process.

The gamer solves that problem handily.

Name – Richmond 'Ricky' Stirling

Age – 18

HP: 200/200

Occupation: Novelist, Comic Book Artist

Titles: Genius/Prodigy, Literary Behemoth, Multi-linguist

Affiliations: Unaffiliated

Base of Operations: City of Los Angeles

Citizenship: American

Education: Masters in Fine Arts (Cinematic) from USC

Money: $1.4 million

ATTRIBUTES:-

Strength: 36 (18+9+8)

Dexterity: 37 (18+9+10)

Constitution: 34 (18+9+7)

Intelligence: 78 (18+8+52)

Wisdom: 54 (18+7+29)

Charisma: 59 (18+6+35)

Specialized Attributes:-

Creativity: 43/100

Technical Proficiency: 61/100

Physical Fitness: 80/100

Networking: 14/100

Stage Presence: 29/100

Business Acumen: 18/100

SP: 0

Skills:-

Gamer's Mind [Passive] Lv. Max

Gamer's Body [Passive] Lv. Max

My INT which signifies my knowledge is significantly higher than the rest of my stats and well on its way to reaching 100. Then again, considering the number of books I've read through… it makes sense really.

But the real cincher is my WIS stat, sitting at a crisp 54. It has helped in ways that cannot be quantified really.

For example, suppose a director is filming a movie, and he is struggling to juggle the emotional context along with a tightly kept plot. Based on the story, it's almost impossible to put an emphasis on both. So which will he choose? Will he focus on the characterization of the film, which will churn out truly remarkable performances from the actors, or shave off a portion of character development to elevate various subplots, which will culminate into an explosive finale.

There can be several factors in solving the above conundrum, multiple variables that haven't been considered, but in the end, it all boils down to the Director's bias. It depends on his mindset, whether he wants to make a commercially viable film with multiple subplots and exposition that will expand the fandom as much as possible, or a nuanced grounded storyline with poignancy, which will undoubtedly receive acclaim from critics around the world.

Art film or Event Film? A burning question in the mind of professionals which can dictate the fate of a movie in a variety of ways. This was one of the reasons why Christopher Nolan was so revered among the general populace and the industry alike. His films managed to seamlessly blend artistic innovation into big-budget blockbusters, creating a certain appeal to both professional critics and the average movie-goers.

He was intelligent, sure, but more than that… he was wise.

And that's where my WIS comes into relevance. If I need to not only make my mark on Hollywood, but carve out a chunk of it in my name… then my ability to use my substantial knowledge in an efficient manner will be more useful than anything else.

Just then…

"Ricky!"

I turned my head towards the back to see Trent arrive with a few other people.

"Ricky! I got everyone. Now see," He proceeded to point his finger at people one after another, "You know Missy, she'll play Amber. Now you recognize Dr. McRidge, he's the on campus counselor, he headed the mental health awareness drive where you donated like… 10 grand? Eh, anyways here she is… Janice. Janice meet the brains behind this project, I give you the man, the myth, the legend… Ricky Stirling." Awww, that's so sweet. Well if I ever need a hype man during an impromptu underground rap battle, I know just who to call.

"Thanks for that… intro Trent, much appreciated. Missy! Oh how I have missed you over the past weeks, don't worry I have a canister of cappuccino in the car." I said as I bent forward to give her a side hug.

"Oh! I have missed you too kiddo, and aren't you just the sweetest little boy!" She leaned into my ears while we bumped shoulders and whispered, "You better bring a bottle to set every day, or this whole thing is gonna crash and burn."

I mouthed 'noted' right before I continued introducing myself to the rest.

"Dr. McRidge!" I went for a handshake and was met with nothing but enthusiasm, "Thank you so much for agreeing to do this, I talked with Trent and… let me assure you, you'll be well compensated for your role." I grinned reassuringly.

"Oh! No problem Ricky! I've said it before and I'll say it again, I owe you a favor. And I take my favors very seriously. I would've done this for nothing but a piping hot dinner, the fact that you're giving remuneration at all is… fantastic my boy." He shook my hand vigorously, like he had just been offered 5 grand for a week's work.

Which he had. Been offered I mean. And he took it in a heartbeat. You see with the educational year concluding at USC, he had quite literally nothing on his plate. I mean, you can guess how his job as the on-campus counselor would've been rendered obsolete by the fact that… there was no-one to counsel.

Well that's stretching it, I'm sure he still had some regular visitors, but his workload was significantly offset by the lack of students on campus.

Finally, I turned to my soon to be fellow co-star, Janice Barlowe, a 21 year old aspiring Broadway actor with a rich history in performing Shakespearean roles.

"Miss Barlowe! It's a pleasure to finally put a face to the name. Just so you know, Trent's been talking you up all day, I hope you're half as good as he thinks you are. For context, he's called you the second coming of Sandy Katz." I grinned playfully.

It seems she understood my intent behind my words, "It's wonderful to meet you… can I call you Ricky?" She asked, her face scrunched up a little as if she was afraid the answer would be no.

"Sure, you can call me anything except… well let's carry on shall we? Let's get a table, order a cup of joe - yes Missy, I'll fetch the canister, and then I'll tell you all about my vision. If you all feel optimistic by the end, then we'll visit the set. What do you all say?" I finish as I await their answer.

After a general consensus we found a nice table and ordered some sandwiches and a plate of croissants.

After a hearty meal resembling a brunch, we finally got down to business.

"All right. Now, I don't know what Trent's already told you all but I'll cover everything here, from the start. Ready?"

"Ok."

"Sure."

Yeah, go on."

…

"Great. Now this," I started by taking out 3 copies of the script from my briefcase and handing them out, "is the script I've written. Ladies and gentlemen, forgive me for being dramatic, but we are on the verge of creating history. This won't be just another run of the mill horror flick with cheap jump scares, and a plot looser than Frederick Goldberg's pants," a series of snorts and giggles followed, "we, the five of us, or six, depending on how the casting call goes, will revolutionize the found footage technique's application, and provide our future audiences with not a spectacle, but rather, an experience."

"No musical score, no choppy editing, no cliched or cringe dialogue to force the plot forwards, no religious innuendos on how the devil sucks, worship christ, etc., this movie will be filmed on a shoe-string budget, barely 50-60 grand max. It'll be filmed mainly during the night, and almost entirely on a series of home video cameras, we will utilize the ambient sounds, the chirping of sparrows, the snapping of grasshoppers, the rustling of clothes as we move naturally about. Now be warned, this is a horror movie, we will utilize a handful of tropes, like possession, the slow head turn of the protagonist as the ghost materializes behind him, but it'll be done sparingly at best. I have a vision for this, and for that, we will need to draw attention away from the action and gore that plagues a typical feature, and attempt to focus on believability. The sheer realism of the situation."

"One thing I've noticed in audiences who watch horror films, is that a jump scare almost always relies on a startle reflex, and a sudden uninhibited rush of adrenaline to create a false sense of urgency, which people often mistake for fear. But they are never really afraid are they? The second they're out of the cinema hall, they focus on their next task, the fear never lingers in the back of their head. Don't get me wrong, there are a number of legendary horror movies who have accomplished this to great effect, with a masterful build up of suspense and anticipation, and a factor of unpredictability."

"Well, by using the found footage technique, we will not only replicate these effects, but imbue them with a sense of relatability, the audience should relate to the characters within and believe within the deepest recesses of their mind, that such an intense phenomenon could happen to any of them."

I paused to take a breath and noticed how they were hanging onto every word coming out of my mouth. CHA is truly overpowered.

"Now to inculcate this realism, we'll film the movie in order, that's right, it'll be filmed in sequence, to ensure me and you, Janice, can provide a performance that'll leave a lasting impact on people's psyche. And with that, I have only one more question for you all." I paused, my countenance twisted into a grave expression, as everyone leaned into the table, every single ounce of their attention on me.

"Are all of you in?"

…

…

"So," Trent said, "This is the set huh? How did you get it?"

"What do you mean?" I asked back.

Janice spoke up, "He means this house does not lie within the studio zone. How did you get the owners to agree to let you shoot it here?"

"Oh, well they said they wanted to sell it sometime next year, and hoped its value would jump up after I told them we'll be shooting a multi-million dollar grossing film here."

"You mean you misled them into believing that." Missy shot in, her voice clearly indicating her hesitance at the validity of my actions.

"Nope, no misleading. I have a vision not just for its production, but also marketing. This film will gross over $20 million minimum. Or at least, I hope it will."

"Ok, as long as I'm getting paid… how much was it exactly?"

"$1400 a week, which brings it to $200 a day. I'm not going higher than that Janice. I myself will be receiving no salary, this entire production is funded exclusively by me." I said, ensuring my tone remained blunt throughout.

"You know, for a potential $20 million grossing movie, you expecting me to just accept 200 a day is ludicrous on so many levels… come on, you're really telling me there's no wiggle room? How about a percent of the first dollar gross?" Janice fired back, apparently getting a little too greedy for my taste.

Snort. A percent of the first dollar gross. I expected this to be honest, that's why I lowballed my projections to $20 million. Who knows how she and the others would react when they see it gross over $200 million… well I'll find out in a few months anyways.

But like hell am I signing away any percent of the first dollar gross. The only reason I'm making my improved version of this… admittedly slightly above average movie is due to the return on investment value.

Paranormal Activity is often cited as the most profitable film of all time based on proportionate ROI, that's why I'm funding it completely out of my own pocket and forking out the marketing costs. That way, when it inevitably crosses $200 million, about 50-60% of it would go to the distributors, but the rest?

Potentially $100 million would find itself in my savings account, and this is the 90s. I'm not even accounting for Home Video Sales, all in all… I've stumbled unintentionally upon a potential goldmine. And I'm not leaving without mining every single gram of it.

"Fat chance Janice, fat chance. You're lucky I hired you, an untested actress of doubtful caliber without so much as an audition based solely on my bro's recommendation. Show some appreciation would you?" I said while fiddling with my wallet, and taking out a thick wad of cash, before extending my hand towards her.

"$1400, think of it as an advance, you'll receive payment every weekend, or upon the film's completion, whichever comes first."

Just as she's about to grab the stack, I pull back my hand slightly, "You agree to my conditions, right?" I raised an eyebrow, making it clear it's not really a question.

"Yes, ok. Thanks Ricky." She said before hurriedly snatching the cash from the hand and depositing it in her purse in one swift motion, almost as if she's afraid it'll disappear.

Huh.

My first little power play as a film-maker. It might have been against a drama student who doesn't know any better, but I had to start somewhere didn't I?