108 106. [Behind-The-Scenes], Guiding Light, First Look, Not Alone & Burning Revenge.
Disclaimer: The story takes place in an Alternate Earth with a slightly different timeline of events. So people may be born early, some may be born a few years later or maybe not at all.
This gives me more freedom to write characters as I want, also the characters in my story are obviously not an accurate portrayal of their characters.
Please remember that this story is a wish fulfillment story set in Urban Hollywood with some Fantasy elements because of the system's shenanigans so please don't take it too seriously.
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Opening Author's Note:
I am really happy to upload this chapter guys, as with this chapter we are officially once again 3 chapters ahead of the public release of this book.
If I keep up this pace then it won't be long when I will be able to create the 2nd tier. A friend of mine suggested that I create the 2nd tier with 1 more chapter than the previous tier. So the 2nd tier patrons will get access to 7 advanced chapters rather than 6.
But that's still a few more weeks into the future, so I won't get ahead of myself and start with this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it and have a beautiful day.
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Recap of the Previous Chapter –
In the previous chapter Mark gains a new hidden class called the Legendary Virtuoso and also finalizes the pixar deal with Steve Jobs. He meets up with Nicole to offer his advice and backing which she wholeheartedly accepts.
The scene then changes to a fan of Mark's books who is talking to his friend. He asks him if he had tried the newly released book yet. But his friend instead asks him if he has seen the new Naruto Manga.
The friend then offers him the latest issue of Naruto, which he graciously accepts while thanking him. The fan then immediately runs back home so that he can start reading the latest chapter before any office friends pilot for him.
The chapter shows Naruto sneaking into a ninja library and finding out part of the truth behind the massacre of his Uzumaki clan. Doing so, enrages Naruto for the first time and the ninetails is able to use this to build a connection and pull him to his mindscape where he himself his trapped.
There Naruto's parentage is revealed and he makes a promise to himself and to the fox, that he will become the strongest hokage ever and that he will free him from his prison as soon as he can find out how to do it without killing himself in the process.
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~ Quote of the Chapter ~
The child who is not embraced by his own village, will burn it to the ground just to feel its warmth
– African Proverb.
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~ Todd Philips' POV ~
.(First Asst. Director)
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Date: Tuesday, 6th November, 1990.
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Time: 09:38 am.
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"Todd, I'm counting on you. Get my good side, will you?" He remembered that's what his young boss had jokingly asked him to do, when he handed over the task of being the [Behind-The-Scenes] director to him.
To others it might seem like the boss just demoted him as he is now not even directly involved with the project. But Marc actually still had his name listed as one of the A.Ds that has worked on the production of the film.
Even if it is just the pre-production phase of it and how could it be a demotion when he has his own crew to lead. Albeit it is a little small with only 12 members but he didn't mind. After all, all big things start somewhere small and he had complete authority over his crew.
They had been titled as the [B.T.S] crew, an acronym for Behind-The-Scenes. It had a nice ring to it, it sounded like the name of a boyband. This [Behind-The-Scenes] project was something Mark came up with and it actually served a threefold purpose.
The first is to show the creative process behind filmmaking to the audiences so that they can have better understanding and appreciation of the art form.
The second is to give amateur directors a chance to work on a real set as they make a documentary film on the director and actual film that's being made by them.
The Third is to win the Oscars. Marc himself had never come out and said it till now. But the rumors were already floating around in the crew that this movie will be Marc's answer to the Oscars.
Right now he was prepping up to take interviews with the lead creatives on the project like Steve, their lead cinematographer and River, Brad and Simmons – their lead actors.
He wanted to capture their thoughts about the film going in and about Marc Spector. It was truly an eye opening experience to know their boss and work with him first hand, so he wanted to capture a "before and after," the filming interview.
One would think that someone who is so young yet so successful would be arrogant or prideful. Yet Marc was none of the two, he didn't have the air of superiority to him. Rather despite his younger age, he always had a mature outlook towards work and people.
He would push them hard at word but if any genuine problems arised, he would be the first to lend a hand. It was the 2nd week of shooting Knives Out, Henry light technician had a family member who got into an accident.
He still remembered Marc's reply to Henry, "I understand. It's okay, accidents happen. You need to be there for your family."
Marc had patted the man on the back and reassured him that there would always be a place for him in the crew. "Though, finding a replacement for you is gonna be a pain in the a**. Steve, you're gonna be working double time till then."
"Obviously the pay will increase as well. Henry, I hope we'll have you back soon."
"Yes, boss." Henry had replied trying to hold back his tears as he saw the cheque Marc had given him for the medical expenses.
Marc was a man he had been envious of, he still was to be honest but he was also proud to work alongside him as people like Marc were a rare breed in Hollywood. He treated every member of the crew equally and demanded their best.
Even the meals served from the director to the background artists were the same. It was nutritious, flavourful and made by professional chefs of the catering company Marc had hired.
He guessed it was why Marc sported such respect from the crew. It was because despite his young age, he had proved himself to be a capable director and leader. One who always looked out for their crew and helped them through the problems as they arose.
"Steve, how are you feeling about this next film? It's supposed to be R-18, do you feel confident going into it?" He asked Steve Yedlin, their lead cinematographer.
"Hmm, I don't know what the box office of this movie would look like. But if it's just the movie itself I think it's going to be really really special."
"17 years.. that's how long I worked as a cinematographer professionally and in those years. I have never met a director like Mark before."
"What do you mean by that?" He asked.
"Most people going into the movie have somewhat of an idea of what it should look like or what kind of a movie they want to create."
"Unlike others he already knows how each and every panel should come out, how every shot should look, what kind of lighting should a scene have so that it looks perfect just the way it is in his head."
"Coming back to your question. I already know what the Killing Joke will look like because Mark has already told me the kind of film he is trying to create -
"It will be beautiful but also ugly at the same time because it talks about the nature of humanity and the role society plays in nurturing and corrupting us." Steve explained what he thought about the movie.
"Thank you, Steve. I wish you the best." He wished him luck and sent him off.
"Now, let's head over to Brad who is one of our supportive characters."
"Please have a seat, Brad." He said, when Brad entered the room.
"Thank you." The young man replied he looked to be in his early to mid 20s and very well built, with a lean muscular physique.
"Please introduce yourself." He said, asking for an introduction.
"Hi, I am Brad Pitt, I am 25 years old and I'll be playing the role of Bruce. A private detective who has a mysterious past and a man of many skills." Brad calmly replied with a charming smile.
"I see, are you feeling nervous? I heard that this is your first movie." He asked, wanting to get some personal backstory.
"Hmm, I think I would've been if I hadn't been preparing for this role for the last 6 months." He looked up in thought as he hummed for a few seconds and then replied with an easy going smile.
"6 months?!" He asked back, stunned by this tidbit.
"Yeah, it was quite the surprise for me as well. I was just a no name actor, but I had been contacted by Ms. Thorne around the last week of March. She asked me if I would like to play a role in their movie."
"At first I thought I would be part of Marc's directorial debut. But instead I had been taking dance and martial arts lessons for the past six months."
"They even had me change my diet and provided me with a trainer to take my physique to the next level. It has been a difficult journey but now I'm here and I'm glad I did." Brad finished his answer with a grateful smile on his face.
"So, Brad, what do you think about our boss?" He asked, it was a question he would be asking everyone he would interview.
"What do I think about him? Well.. before they contacted me for this job nothing much. I had read one or two of his books but at this point who hasn't." He replied casually, already aware of the fact that Marc doesn't offend easily.
"I didn't think much of it and immediately accepted it as it came with pay and also I got to join the CAA. I was struggling to meet my rent payment, you see." He revealed his reason to join with an embarrassed chuckle.
"I first saw Marc on the set of Knives Out when I got hired there as one of the background artists for a scene."
"It was a fun experience to participate in the rehearsals, I came to understand why people looked up to him when I saw him in action first hand."
"He didn't seem like a rookie at all, instead it felt like I was seeing a veteran at work. The ease with which he took care of any problems that arose on set and his compassion towards his crew surprised me."
"I'm not saying this to flatter him, it's just the truth and when I saw him fight for charity. My respect for him grew even more, he did a lot for a great cause, despite being a studio owner."
Normally people at his level just give a speech, pay a minimal donation and leave. But he sang, played instruments and even danced so he could raise money for charity all the while giving away the rights to his song."
"A man like that I can only look up to and admire but it was his fights at the end that opened my eyes. As someone who knows a little bit about the basics of martials arts and has been training in them."
I know just how freaking impressive it was that Marc fought and won against three master martial artists back-to-back. And in the end he himself matched the amount he raised and donated over 50 million dollars in donation, who does that.
"I just got goosebumps watching it happen before my eyes." He explained with clear admiration in his eyes.
"Thank you for your kind words, Brad. Though to find out that the boss had hired you half a year ago and had been planning for this movie since then is crazy."
"Well, he is well known for foresight. After all, we are just moving according to his plan."
"You wanna know how well prepared he is?" He asked back with a quirky smile
Todd nodded his head, gesturing for him to go ahead.
"He even has alternative titles ready for the more conservative countries."
"Oh yeah, I heard about it. I think one of them was called – [One Bad Day]." Todd replied knowing one of the titles.
"Yup." Brad nodded.
"Anyways, thanks for the interview, we'll talk again after the shoots are over." Todd shook hands as they wrapped up their interview.
"Sure, see you around Todd." Brad replied with a nod and left, right as River entered.
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~ First Look at The Joker ~
They were setting up the set for the first scene of the movie, unlike Knives Out Mark had decided that KJ won't be shot in chronological order of events in the movies.
Like this scene that they were setting up for was actually a two parter. Mark felt like this was the perfect scene to test River on his performance and assimilation of the characters of Arthur Fleck and the Joker.
It would show one of Arthur's daily rituals, to apply the makeup to transform himself from sad broken man to the clown with a smile. And the second would be the Joker who would be effortlessly grinning as he did his make-up with a crazed look in his eyes.
"River, you know what to do. I want that sadness and loneliness to just come off of you."
"Your eyes must have those unshed tears, as you pull at the corners of your lips to force yourself to smile, to pretend that you're happy even though you don't have a single reason to feel that way." He said, patting River's shoulder.
The entire crew had been gathered to see the first of the movie. To ensure that he would have complete control over the scene Mark had decided to shoot the scene in a theater backroom.
Here already gone through with the radio that would be playing in the background the prob guys had done a really good job at recording a few Easter eggs that you wanted to drop through the radio.
It would talk about the growing corruption and chaos in the city, the upcoming death anniversary of Martha and Thomas. The benevolent few of the rich that tried to lookout for the poor and downtrodden with the White Lotus Foundation they set up.
Todd had already finished his own set right behind him, the scene would begin in a few minutes at his go. But he had one last purchase to make before the Killing Joke could officially begin.
'Vani, open the shop please.' Mark said as he mentally scrolled down the list to the skill that will give him the max benefit if he bought it now.
[3. Guiding Light (D-tier), (Passive) –
Allows the user to passively raise the rate of improvement of an Actor's/person's skill employed by him.
Also creates a perception for them to notice this change, making them feel the benefit of acting (working) for the user's Crew/Company.
Also gives a small chance for the most talented actor/person in the user's Crew/Company to have a breakout performance if they are challenged enough and pushed to the limit of their current skills.
The increase in their rate of improvement and the degree to which an actor/person perceives this change/improvement, depends on the tier of skill, the higher the tier the better the effect.
Price – 35 points.]
'With the 20 HP from my last achievement I finally have enough to buy this.' He checked the Hunting Points he had accumulated yet.
[HP – 21 → 46.6]
'Vani, please, buy the D-Tier special skill, Guiding Light for me.' He said in his mind, ready to get the show on the road.
[Executing the purchase..
*Ding*
The Special Skill - Guiding Light has been added to the special skill tab, just think of skills name or special skills to view the new skill. As it is a full passive skill for now, it is always in effect.]
He made his way to his chair, the crew working in an organized manner to get the scene ready. The background artists had completed their make-up and were taking their spots. While River had already seated himself in his spot, though his eyes were closed.
He was probably going through the motions in his head one last time. But Mark didn't think he would need it, as he had already rehearsed this makeup scene ten times on his request.
His reasoning? He wanted to make it look like River was used to doing it. Like he didn't even need to think about what he needed to do next and it was just part of his muscle memory.
The radio host narrating the events in the city on radio in the background had actually been him. It was his way of making an unseen cameo in film, in Knives Out it had been as a background character who had his back to the camera the whole.
This time in the Killing Joke he was a radio host. In Home Alone 1, he did the voiceover for the pilot announcing the turbulence on the plane the McAllister family boarded.
For the beauty and the beast he hadn't really decided yet on which character to do the voice over for. Maybe he could ask Jess later that he got to play one characters' in the story then which one should he be.
But he already knew her answer, his little sweetheart would want him to play the beast, the cursed prince trying to find his love. He was happy they finally sorted out Anne's living situation and she could finally stay in the US with her daughter.
Tarantino and Jon were just doing last minute checks to see if all the lighting and sound equipment were properly set like Mark had asked for.
"Quiet on set." Jon called out, as the slate operator got into position.
Mark, seeing that everyone was ready to go, hoping for the best. He officially started filming and called out.
"Action!"
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His voice starting droning out of the radio, a BG artist crossed in front of the camera as smoothly swiveled over a chair and sat down to the left with a few others. The camera was set up on a motion rig and it slowly rolled forward towards River (Arthur).
A woman can be seen washing away her makeup in the sink on the far left. But focus is River who was painting his face with clown make-up with familiarity that showed his years of experience.
A secondary still camera is capturing the same shot but from another angle. It is placed on the right out of the vision of the first camera. It is zoomed in on River's lips as he is gently applying red on his lips.
But he stops for a moment and looks himself in the mirror, he tries to smile. But all he is able to get out is a half smile that fades away in his sadness. As he was watching it all play out in front of him, Mark got goosebumps.
It was hauntingly beautiful, the scene felt real despite all the props, lights, wires and camera equipment surrounding River. He couldn't help but feel that it was real. It was the unreal and oppressive sense of realism that made his hair's stand.
He could already feel that the Oscar was in the bag. As the River pulled at the corners of his lips, from a sad upturned smile to a full grinning one, the pain in his eyes were beautifully captured by the camera.
The unshed tears, unsaid feelings and emotions that he just buried in his heart as he hoped for a better day. As he let go of the corners his lips snapped back close, and a single tear drop rolled down his eye, ruining the white of his makeup.
"Cut!"
He called out, as the scene came to an end. But the set remained silent, though it was soon broken by his clap and with that all the crew clapped for River's riveting performance.
"That was perfect, we move on to the next scene." He called out as they moved to the next room.
"Mark!" River called out catching up to him.
"Yeah?" He asked, turning around.
"Don't you think we should try again? It was just one take."
"River, you remember the scene grading I used to do on Knives Out?" Mark asked.
"Of course. How was this one?"
"Well, my expectations for it was at least an 8, I would have put it at 9 but it's the first scene. So, I didn't want to be too harsh with my standards and get stuck on the very first scene."
"As for how it was, it was a 9.25. That's a monster score for the very first take. You are definitely in the zone, so I want to quickly knock out a few scenes."
"So that's why you ordered the move." River replied nodding in understanding.
"Yup. Now go and get Charlotte. I want it to actually look like you were drowning in a river."
River nodded and went off.
This time, it was a bigger set-up, it looked like a well lived apartment with tiny bits placed here and there to make it look more natural.
They had even had a working shower head for the shower scene, this was a monumental scene as it was the Joker's first time on screen.
Unlike the others, Mark had decided to take a different approach with the Joker. To explain away the reason why the police simply don't just shoot him dead. Mark came up with a better explanation for it.
His answer was Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) as it would be called 2 more decades later. Thankfully, in 1980, the American Psychiatric Association formally recognized the disorder.
So, he wouldn't just be making up a mental disorder to serve his narrative of the story, because he knew the rival studios would use anything on him they could to condemn him and his movie in the news.
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Life had been good, for little Macay, the kid was living up life to the best ever. After the meeting with Mark her mother had mellowed and talked with him. She told him about his father and the real reason why they moved.
They hugged, they cried a little and then they had pizza. He was happy that because of his new acting gig, his mother had a better shot at life.
She had been part of the working class her entire adult life, but she had admitted to him that she did not want to continue working any further, if money wasn't a problem because of his new career.
Though she did say that she would become his manager or agent or at least be the one responsible for him. So that she could look out for him in this den of snakes.
In the talks they had he realized just how lucky he was that he got to work with Mark. And how he had been looking out for him in more ways than one. This proved to be immensely helpful when his father tried to reach out to his mom just a few days ago.
His mother had shut him, not even accepting to meet up calling him an abusive alcoholic who she didn't want around her children. That final parting remark definitely inflamed his biological donor.
Because he had actually sued her for custody over him and his siblings and even though he was a little worried. His mum had assured him that the team of lawyers that Mr. Spector had hired will take care of his father and his delusions.
There was still some time for his departure to Canada for the shooting of home alone. So he was at the set of the Killing Joke with his mentor River to see him in action and what a viewing it was.
'One take. Damn.' He thought to himself as he saw River come back after talking with Mark.
"River, what did Mr. Spector say? Do you need to do it again?" He immediately asked.
"Nope, he said I already exceeded his expectations and we're moving on." He replied with a smile, feeling completely relaxed, as if the depressive sad man from before wasn't him.
"But didn't you say that you can do that scene even better?" He asked, puzzled.
"I definitely can," River replied with confirmation, "but the thing is I am in a zone right now." He then went on to explain the zone with a sports analogy.
"Also that scene was executed to a satisfactory level. So the best course of action now is to do more scenes while I'm still in the zone." He explained the reasoning behind why they were so quickly moving on to the next scene.
River always treated Macaulay as a young man rather than a kid. He answered all his questions seriously, and encouraged him to have a curious mind and to never be afraid to ask a question as that is the best way to learn.
"Always remember, young padawan, if a scene was done to the director's satisfaction. Then you must defer to the director's, to his better judgment and trust them that they know that was the best the scene could be and move on."
"Got it." He replied with an excited smile, he was hyped to see the set of a big budget production.
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~ 2 weeks later ~
Life doesn't always go exactly as planned, for her it was going even better, after her talk with Marc, because whatever they had couldn't really be called in the audition. But it had allowed her to enter Marc's camp.
Though due to being unable to find a proper shooting location the filming of Home Alone had been delayed by a month and would now be starting in December.
So, here she was on the set of KJ, as Marc had promised before her scenes would be taken care of first. Though it wasn't like she had many.
These would hardly earn her 4 minutes of screen time, but after meeting Marc for a few more times and getting closer. Marc had loosened his lips and told her a secret.
She got to know that the Killing joke wasn't actually a one-off. But rather it was the origin story of the main characters of this cinematic masterpiece that he was trying to create.
Her character that had barely gotten 4 minutes of screen time would become one of the dual protagonists in the sequel. It would be a huge break for her to appear as one of the main protagonists in Marc's movie.
Though he had also warned her that she was the only one out of his trusted circle that he had told this secret to. So if it were to be leaked to the public he would know that she was the weak link.
It was there that she saw first-hand that Marc wasn't just rich but also very well connected and influential. She had seen Mr. Steven Spielberg come and went while they were shooting in New York.
There was also George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars present on set. Marc and he would spend hours discussing Star Wars, filmmaking and how they wanted the VFX of movie production to improve in the coming years.
She will bring him coffee or whatever just so that she could spend more time with him and cozy up to him. Though she was careful enough to know not to disturb him while he was concentrating or thinking about something.
Her scenes playing as the "girl next door," whom River's character would be infatuated with were already done with.
Now all that was left was to play the psychiatrist who seemed like she was trying to help Arthur with his multiple personality disorder. Also as she spent more time on set with Marc she learnt many things about him by observing and listening.
He was not just a really good director but also a great advertiser, he would place the products and brands in a natural way and they would feel like a part of the movie and not break the audience's immersion into the film.
He always puts the film first and is always willing to allow the actor's to improv the scene if they can do something better.
"Ms. Kidman, you're being called in, for the asylum scene."
"Yeah, I'm coming." She replied, as the make-up artist assigned to her did some last minute checks.
"Good to go." She said as gave her thumbs up and left.
"Thank you." She muttered as she stared into the mirror, visualizing the scene in her mind.
Thankfully, River would be in chains during the scene and can't get physical or near her so she felt safe. She had seen some of the scenes he had done both as Arthur and as the Joker.
People couldn't help but whisper that he was definitely getting nominated for the Oscars with his performance. Personally, she felt like he might just win it.
If it weren't for seeing him joking around with a Macay she would have thought he had really gone insane; that was just how good River's performance was, it was raw, it was real, it was bone chilling.
Even though she knew that it was just an act, as she sat in her chair. She felt scared to go up against River; to be in the same room as him when he was portraying the Joker.
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"Action!" They heard Mark call out. As the scene began, all eyes were on Nicole, no on Dr. Harleen Quinzel.
She came walking down the hallway as the camera was following her, taking her in from the back. As she was buzzed in and moved inside, the camera came up behind her the angle right above her shoulder framing the shot perfectly as it took in the Joker.
"Mr. Arthur. I am Dr. Harleen Quinzel. I will be your new psychiatrist, seeing how your previous one is indisposed at the moment." She spoke introducing herself as she came towards the table and sat down.
And for the first time in the movie, the Joker laughed from the heart. It wasn't one of the laughs that Arthur had because of his disorder or one of his fake laughs but a genuine one.
He was laughing at her naivete, she hadn't even been notified that he had been the reason behind his previous therapist being indisposed and also why he was currently behind bars.
But he decided it was a story he would share with her some other day.
"What's so funny?" She asked cheerily, trying to break the ice.
He continues laughing as his thoughts go back to the only man that was able to thwart his mad plans. It wasn't the newly promoted police commissioner James Gordon. But rather the unnamed PI besides who always caught up to him despite being 5 steps behind.
"You wouldn't get it.." He finally said after his laughter died down, "this is between me and him."
Then he is then seen being led away by the guards who buzzed her in. As he moves away the camera pans down at his footsteps and we see that the right foot is leaving behind a red imprint as if it was soaked in blood.
This is to symbolize the duality of his character of Arthur who just wanted to make people laugh and smile and; who just wants to see the world burn.
"Cut!" Mark shouted through the mic.
"Order on scene." QT shouted as he herded the background artists to their respective places. And then Mark went over the scene with Jon and River marking the places that could be improved.
It took them 7 tries to get a take that satisfied Marc.
She went back to the trailer as the rest of the day would be set up for shooting the bank robbery scene. It was the first scene of the movie that would introduce the character of Joker in the bank heist.
It was really odd to her that Marc had actually shot the ending scene of the movie before he even shot the first. He had been following this whimsical routine that made absolutely no sense.
But, somehow it was working great. River was just dialed in and she could feel the morale of the crew was at its peak as well. They felt like they could achieve anything with Mark at the helm.
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She was just about to go to sleep, when she heard a lot of commotion going on outside.
Stepping outside of her humble trailer, she was shocked to find out that the building that they have been using to set up multiple sets for their indoor scenes as well as the bank robbery scene that was set for tomorrow had gone up in flames.
The upper and middle floors were completely engulfed in flames, she saw Mark standing there, just gazing at the burning building. After spending some time with him she could tell that he was smiling.
She found it odd, so she walked up to him wanting to question if he was okay.
But before she could do that Mr. Lucas stepped up and cautioned Mark.
"When you play in the big leagues things like that can happen Mark. Don't do anything stupid, don't lash out or it will only get worse."
"It's fine, I'm not angry at all. This was just an unfortunate accident." Mark replied calmly.
"QT! get me River now!"
"I know he sleeps with his make-up on. So just bring him here fast."
"On it boss." He replied and ran towards River's trailer immediately.
"Rose, how long till the fire department gets here?" Marc asked, trying to get a timeline for how long he had to shoot the scene in his head.
They said that they had called into the other places so it's gonna take longer than usual. Around 19 minutes at least.
"Okay we got 15 minutes max. Jon how many "deads" do we have?"
"Um.. we got around 6 or 8 I think.." Jon replied, having just reached the scene.
"Is it 6, is it 8, I need a definitive answer. And I need them here now."
"Also grab all the masks you can and get me a camera with a wide aperture prime lens f/2.8 or lower."
"Hurry up, we only have 15 minutes for the scene before the fire department comes. Also round up the crew. I need all hands on deck." Mark explained his requirements, as he hurried him along.
"Mark, what are you doing?!" She was unable to understand his behavior, he wasn't panicking, he wasn't angry, instead he was happy and trying his best to make the most of the unfortunate situation he found himself in.
"What does it look like I am doing, I'm filming." Mark replied, with a shrug as if his set wasn't just burning in front of him.
"But there wasn't even a scene like this in the movie." She replied wanting to hear his reply.
Though his reply stumped her, it made her understand the kind of man Marc was. The type to always make the most of a situation and always level headed.
"Sometimes movies write themselves, Nicole.. and this is a brilliant opportunity that the lord has provided me. I am not going to waste it." He wanted to say enemy but their were somethings that just couldn't be said outloud in public.
As he replied he started imagining the scene in his head, he could easily combine this scene of the burning building with the iconic 'it's about sending a message' from the Dark knight that hadn't been shot yet for his movie.
"But Mark, what if they blame you for the fire with the intention of using it to film this scene." Nicole asked, concerned for Marc.
"Well, they are free to do so. But then they must be ready to be buried under defamation lawsuits." He replied nonchalantly as he waited for his crew to gather.
As the fire kept growing he saw that it was slowly moving towards the third floor. He decided that fake dead bodies would be placed in the stairs leading to the ground floor and the ground floor itself.
The scene would be about the Joker leaving with his group of henchmen with an array of dead bodies left behind. The building burnt down along with the stash of money burning alongside it.
As he explained the scene to River and the rest of the crew that had finally gathered, after doing so he shouldered the camera and went into the building right alongside them.
If he couldn't enter the burning building himself then how could he make his crew make that sacrifice. He was the kind of leader who believed in leading from the front, seeing their boss immediately take charge filled the crew with hope.
Even though the building that they had rented for their set was burning down, their leader was calm and collected. He ordered them on where and how to lay down the fake corpses, using them to tell a story of the Joker's remorseless actions.
Before heading inside he left behind orders for the crew to cordon off the area and get the other cameramen in place to shoot them from all angles as they left the building.
Even going as far as to send a person on the roof on the opposite building for an aerial view of the scene. He also told Rose to prepare an apology for the damages to the building and that their insurance will cover the repair costs.
"Damn he didn't miss a single beat. How long till the fire truck is here?" Nicole said as she asked Rose on time left.
"At least 11 more minutes." Rose replied, taking a glance at her watch.
"I hope he gets out of there before the fire truck gets here."
"Me too, ma'am."
"Rose, please, just call me Nicole."
.
..
.
Action he called out and tapped his foot on the ground to imitate the sound of the slate board.
River came down the stairs of the first floor with his henchmen; a few more were waiting for him on the ground floor. Along with the bodies of the henchmen of the Mafia and other crime families of the city.
As he came out of the building, he did a little dance to the tune in his head only he could hear. He looked back on the burning building that illuminated his face.
Joker showed a complex array of emotions of dissatisfaction like something was missing despite him just torching an entire building and killing dozens of people.
"You know there is a proverb in African culture - The child who is not embraced by his own village, will burn it to the ground just to feel its warmth."
The Joker said to his henchmen as he turned around and gazed into the fire, in a moment of sudden clarity. But then the crazed grin took over as he started laughing like a lunatic.
That wasn't even the line that Marc had given him, it was an improv off the top of his head. But he liked it so much that he decided that it needed to be part of the movie.
He decided it was enough and shouted. "Cut!" To signal the end of the scene.
— To be continued…
In the next episode of X̶-̶M̶e̶n̶ '9̶7̶
*Cough* *Cough*
I meant in the next chapter of Hollywood: Head-Hunting System.
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Word Count: 6258 words (after excluding the disclaimer, opening Author's Note and the closing Author's Note.)
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{Closing Authors Note: With this chapter The killing Joker has officially begun on Webnovel as well and with it you must have noticed that the books cover has also changed. I hope you guys like the chapter and if you guys want to support me or read ahead then I would recommend you guys to head over to my Pat. Reon and subscribe it will allow you to read 3 advanced chapters of this Hollywood fanfic as well as three exclusive chapters of my Naruto fanfic that I have been working on over on Pat. Reon.
The link to my pat. Reon will be in the Authors Thoughts section at the bottom of the chapter or you can add my discord username – theramenlord and I will send you the link to my Pat. Reon in the message.}
