SearchThe room was hushed. Strong blue light from the power can just outside the window lit the whole room in a single tone. Everything was ready.
“Speed!”
“Necrophobia: Scene Three O Nine Two: Take One.”
“Aaand Action!”
Jack was sure he was supposed to do or say something. He wasn’t sure what it was but he knew it was somehow important. Why was he here? Why was he sitting in this room under these lights with a camera pointed at his face? Why was the director looking more and more pained? He looked back at the director and said “What? Am I supposed to say something?”
“Cut!”
“I’m sorry,” said Jack. “What was I supposed to do?”
The director scratched his damp forehead. It was very hot. Everyone was hot. Everyone was sweating but everyone was doing their jobs. The cameraman was working the camera. The boom operator held the boom mike out of shot. The sound girl had the tape running constantly checking the levels. How was it, then, that the actor wasn’t acting? “Okay Jack,” said the director. “What’s the problem? We’ve been over this. All you have to do is look just over here and say ‘Where is she then?’”
“Where is she then?” Jack echoed.
“That’s beautiful. Beautiful. Now try saying it after I say ‘Action’ Okay?”
“I think I can manage that.” Said Jack with a confident smile.
“Okay… Let’s go again.”
“Okay.”
It was getting hotter. The man with the clapperboard went back in front of the camera.
“Rolling!” said the cameraman.
There was a high pitched beep.
“Speed!” said the sound op.
“Necrophobia: Scene Three O Nine Two: Take Two.” The clapper snapped and the clapperboard operator, who was also the assistant camera, ducked out of shot.
Jack was facing the camera alone again.
“Action!” said the director.
Now Jack was more confident. He knew what he had to do. He had to say something. He had to say something… What the fuck was it that he had to say? “Sooo…” he said, filling in the gap. He thought it was better to say “Sooo…” than say nothing at all. Nothing would have been boring. Saying “Sooo…” was embellishing the script, adding a bit of impro. The director had said from the outset that he wanted the actors to make the words their own rather than slavishly follow the printed word. The trouble was that it was hard to improvise and remember lines at the same time. “Sooo…” he said a second time trying to make it sound as natural as possible. Maybe the character he was playing could have a bit of a stammer. He looked over at the director. The director’s face had a dead look. Jack exhaled loudly, bared his teeth, inhaled just as loudly again and then said “No… It’s gone.”
“Cut!”
“Just went,” said Jack. “No excuses. Just completely went out of my head.”
“That’s okay. Happens to the best. We’ll go again. ‘Where is she then?’”
“How do you think I should say it?”
“Like in rehearsal.”
“Do you think I should sound worried?”
“Probably best to keep the acting to a minimum okay? Just say the words with as little acting as possible. The meaning will carry through. The camera picks up everything. Really… The less acting the better. Keep it casual.”
“Okay… Got you. Got you. More of a stage actor. You know… On stage you have to give it everything.”
“I understand. Can we go again?”
“Rolling!”
Beep.
“Speed!”
“Necrophobia: Three O Nine Two: Take Three.”
“Action.”
“Where is she then? You know. Just wondered.”
“Cut! Jack… What are you doing?”
“I was trying to sound casual.”
“Don’t! Don’t try to sound casual! Don’t try to do anything! Just say the line!”
“I’m not used to acting out of sequence.”
“Okay… We’ll go again. But please. Please just say the line. I know it’s not easy but just say it. Don’t act. Don’t change the words. Just say ‘Where is she then?’”
“Rolling!”
Beep.
“Speed!”
“Necrophobia: Scene Three O Nine Two: Take Four.”
“Action!”
Jack sat there. He didn’t say a word. He just sat there. He looked down at the floor. Then, after a short pause, he looked up at the camera and said “Where is she then?”
“Cut! Perfect.”
“Sorry,” said the cameraman. “End of the reel.”
“What?”
“End of the reel. The reel just ran out.”
“Why didn’t you say it was near the end of the reel.”
“I didn’t expect the scene to be so long. It’s only four words.”
“Okay,” said the director. “Ten minutes everybody.”
Over tea the actors were sitting in the garden having buns. Jack said “Of course it must be very hard for him. It’s his first film. He doesn’t have the experience. I’d be very surprised if it turned out any good.”
© Jago Turner. All rights reserved by the author.
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