The floating book shop did not open today for fear of being blown away by the wind. Fortunately, I lucked into the perfect parking spot for tomorrow's session. Meanwhile, here's another excerpt from my near 200,000 word rock n roll epic, Rising Star. It's the band's first video shoot, about a ten-minute read. The chapter begins with a quote that is likely to be obscure to many, from New Toy by Lene Lovitch.
27 "...I need a new toy to keep my head expanding...Nothing too demanding...."*
They gathered at a midtown bar early one morning to film a video of "I Should Have Said No," which was to be their first .45, backed with "Crowd Noise." Stevens was the producer. The director, Bill Norman, a tall, lean, introspective sort, had gained acclaim for imaginative commercials.
"You guys have any ideas?" he said, scratching his head.
Paul and Mitchell exchanged looks of concern.
"Too many videos rely on mimin' an' lip synchin'. I hope we're not gonna do one of those. That's like goin' backwards to the early sixties. We should be more sophisticated than that. I'd rather do somethin' fresh an' fail than be pat. I hate dancin' in videos too. It's just a substitute for ideas."
Norman looked him in the eye. "There'll be a little of all those things you hate, but not much. I intend to make the piece as simple as the song's theme. We have a strict budget. Basically, we're putting something together for promotion. Don't get me wrong - simple can be good - it will be good."
"Then let's get on with it. You know a helluva more about this than we do. Just tell us what to do."
"I'm surprised. I expected a bunch of temperamental jerks."
"We're not in character yet."
Norman stared, unsure of himself.
"He's joking," said Mitchell.
Chuckling, Norman asked them to take the small stage, then placed the extras. Phillips, Stevens, O'Connor and their wives were seated at a table, as were Susan and Goldberg. Teresa and Laura, whose sweatshirt clung to her bulging pregnancy, were placed with their backs to the bar. Norman explained the premise and retired to a position off stage.
The song was played over the sound system. The band pantomimed. A young beauty in a full-length mink, diamonds and elegant gown entered, smiling affectedly, a handsome man in a tuxedo in tow. She greeted people at several table, offering a bejeweled hand to kiss. She allowed the bartender to kiss her cheek. She settled at a table near the stage, despite the "Reserved" ticket standing upon it, which she tore in two and tossed over a shoulder. She ignored the band and flirted with her companion, whispering in his ear, which had a tiny diamond earring in its lobe.
"Okay," said Norman. "Great, Melissa, but I need more animation from the band. The song's so emotional. You all have to feel John's pain. Only look down occasionally, John. You're trying not to give in, not to show how hurt you are. Don't ever look up, Melissa. You want to kill him with indifference. Everybody else pretend you love her. Stare at her with admiration. Make it look like you're talking about her. The idea is to isolate John. Come to think of it, let's not have any animation from the band. John should suffer alone. Give me smirks and eye rolls. Let's take it all the way through this time."
When the couple was seated a bottle of champagne was brought forth. The two seized their glasses and sipped, arms entwined, eyes aglow, faces beaming. As the song drew to a close, the man peeled a hundred dollar bill from a wad and dropped it on the table, then offered the woman his arm and led her away.
They did not leave the bar until five P.M.. Norman filmed scenes from different angles. He asked for shots of extras shaking their heads and saying "No." He took close-ups of Paul's hands pantomiming the lead, which followed the first verse, and Mitchell's, whose solo followed the second. Norman planned to have Melissa's dancing image superimposed on the strings of the guitar and the keyboard. Laura was shot in close-up, hands on her belly as she told Teresa: "I should've said no." Several bottles of champagne were popped before Norman was satisfied he'd captured the right burst.
"Can we go home now?" said Paul wearily.
"You thought we were through?" said Norman, smiling impishly. "I said ‘simple,' not one dimensional. Television isn't as easy as it looks. We're goin' to a studio for dream sequences and flashbacks. There's not going to be much lip synching. Relax."
Teresa whined when Mike would not allow her to go home in the cab Richie had summoned for Laura.
"Is Bonnie coming or not?" said Mitchell to Susan.
"She's not sure yet."
"Everybody'll be in this but her. Now it'll be incomplete for posterity."
Susan rolled her eyes. "In two months it'll be forgotten."
"By everybody but us. I'll have a copy and she won't be in it."
A stand-in performed the dance sequences as Melissa huddled in the wings with John. She was called away for a scene wherein she walked across the stage arm in arm with a man in a tuxedo, only to take the arm of another passing in the other direction, then another and another.
"I wonder where they got the tuxedos," said Mitchell ironically.
"Patience," said Susan. "You know how important this is. Play the game. It's not coming out of our pockets. Have you noticed the beer bottles and cigarette prominently displayed?"
"We're makin' a commercial?" said Paul, irked.
"That's the way a lot of videos get made. Haven't you noticed it in movies? Wake up, for God's sake. What do you think a video is - art? It's promotion, an advertisement."
"Look at Mike," he moaned, changing the subject. "He looks like he's about to go over the edge. He can't stand still. She's makin' him a nervous wreck. He's worse than ever."
"If either of them complains again I'll scream."
"You've been a little jumpy yourself."
"Where the hell's Bonnie?" Mitchell snapped, glancing at his watch. "It's eight already."
"From this experience you should see why she's always late and tired," said Susan.
"Why isn't this fun?" said Paul. "Why's it all have to be done in one day?"
"To save time and money. Welcome to the machine, my son."
Visit Vic's sites:
Vic's Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
No comments:
Post a Comment