[Hyde POV]
I remembered a plot where I got arrested by the cops. I managed to avoid that storyline since my budding romance with Jackie was shown earlier.
Also, if I get arrested right now, it will be bad for the town's economy itself, so I'd rather not do it.
"Ah, I have a lot of work to do." I groaned and stood up from my seat. The season may have ended but my work wasn't done yet.
Jackie stood up and said, "Steven. Can I come with you?"
Kelso looked at us with eyes full of longing. He was focusing mostly on Jackie.
I sighed and said, "No. I need to focus."
"Hyde. I need to talk to you about the script." Donna called me before I could leave.
"Just do whatever you want. I have a job to do, so don't disturb me like yesterday." I said firmly and went to my room.
Donna grinned and said, "I'll be sure to do whatever I want."
I waved dismissively at her.
When I got to my room, the system notification lit up again.
[Season 2 of that 70s show completed.
Audience score: 8/10
Bonus point: 80.
– Actor Control Open.
Two weeks before the new season starts.]
"What is actor control?" I was curious so I clicked on it.
A new interface popped out.
{Timeline- May 2000.}
Steven Hyde actor salary: 115k per episode. (negotiate new/ quit show?)
Actor path: {Insert here.}
Actor's Personal life: {Insert here.}
Actor current saving: 5 million dollars.
"Wait, I can quit the show?" I was shocked.
[Yes. You can decide after the end of each season.] The system replied.
I thought about it and asked again, "This personal life… does that mean I can control the actor's life?"
[To an extent.]
I nodded in understanding and said, "This seems about right."
Pressing on the actor's path, I could suggest what kind of films he should do during the summer before the tv series started again.
'My internet is down, but luckily I just checked the box office list yesterday.'
Actor's Path: {Road Trip; Scary Movie; Legally Blonde; Final Destination; Pearl Harbor;}
I tried to insert more, but it only has five slots there.
'This is like a SIMS game. Maybe this is a bonus game?'
As I entered it, the system loaded for a few seconds.
[Suggestion completed. 4 suggestions taken. Final Destination, Legally Blonde, Scary Movie, Road Trip.]
[Actor salary: 200k per episode]
'The actor's salary shot up with the number of projects taken huh?'
I pressed on the actor salary link, and it turned out, I could also change that too.
'Let's go with 120k per episode. And keep the extra money for guests to come to the show.'
The system chimed in suddenly as I set the salary.
[The actor is interested in a romantic partner. Pick one from these options to suggest to him.
– Jennifer Love Hewitt, Britney Spears, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Tara Reid, Christina Aguilera, etc…]
"Heh." I snorted slightly and picked Britney Spears without hesitation. The greatest icon of the year 2000s.
I was suggesting it, not completely picking it for the actor. He has to get the girl himself.
Finally, I could do something with the actor's personal life. Same as before, I got five lines.
{Invest in tech companies– Amazon, Apple, Yahoo.}
It was after the dot com bubble crash, so the stock prices were dirt cheap.
{Invest in the movies– Legally Blonde, Road Trip, Scary Movie, Final Destination}
{Never associate with Diddy, Epstein, or any Hollywood evils like Harvey Weinstien.}
{Take care of the cast, never let them fall for Sciencetology or other cults.}
{Don't be an asshole– don't cheat on your partner}
As I submitted the suggestions, the system kept loading for almost a minute before it showed me the result.
[Actor Net Worth: 30 million dollars.
Actor current Saving: 10 million dollars.
Actor's relationship partner: Britney Spears.]
"Sorry?" I was surprised. "Did he really get Britney?"
[Potential guest for season 3: Britney Spears.]
I could quit the show now and never got any restriction on me ever again.
But I decided to continue, just to see where the plot would go.
'Worst case scenario, I can just quit after season 3.'
The system started a countdown before season 3 started.
{13 days. 23 hours. 35 minutes. 22 seconds.}
I could relax for a while and maybe, I could travel far away from Point Place too.
But relaxing from the episodes didn't mean relaxing in real life. It just meant that I have more freedom to travel and do my work now.
…
After reading all of the system notifications, I took out my laptop and a film scanner.
It was a ScanStation cinema reel scanner with a price tag of 175,000 dollars.
I bought it for 35,000 with my multiplier, and it was honestly my most expensive equipment to date.
It could convert film into digital, and after I edited it, it could transfer the digital files back into film.
This device was used by a lot of studios to digitize their own films. It was quite hard to use, but with my appraisal ability, I understood the machine quite nicely.
I mounted the first reel onto the left spindle, feeding the strip carefully through the rollers. The machine clicked softly as it locked into place.
The interface lit up on my laptop. I opened the DaVinci Resolve program.
The scanner began its work.
A soft mechanical hum filled the room as the film moved frame by frame under the sensor. Each image was captured, cleaned, stabilized, and streamed directly into the software.
Grain reduced. Scratches corrected. Color balanced automatically.
"It takes so long." I grimaced slightly.
I have around 10 hours of footage. That's how long it would also take to transfer everything into my laptop.
"Jesus…" I muttered as I checked the first cut of the film while the extras footage was still being digitized.
The main actor who played me was Marc Singer. Shannon played herself.
The pacing was awful. Scenes dragged on too long. Dialogue overlapped awkwardly. The acting…is fine.
I dragged the clips onto the timeline.
'Cut. Trim. Delete.'
I cut the drag, making the transition between each scene smoother.
As I watched the movie till the end, it started to get weird.
"Huh? This never happened?"
Shannon was making a movie about our meeting in California. From the chance meeting at the airport, the meeting at the restaurant, the party and the beach scene.
She even included Victoria in the story. Victoria became a woman called Elizabeth, and it was played by Jessica Lange– the King Kong (1976) movie actress.
However, she made it seem like we had sex after the final scene. And in her storyline, I came back to LA to stay with her.
I was quite irked, but I decided to just follow the storyline.
'I should've asked more than fifty thousand. Wait, am I getting paid to edit this or not?'
It took me two days to get a clean and acceptable cut of the film. Then, I contacted a music scoring company online and sent the movie to them.
They charged me 5000 dollars, and it would take them seven days to do it.
"This actually worked out really well."
Practical work made me apply more of the theory I learned in filmmaking courses, which in turn made it clearer for me to plan out my next movie.
I have completed my twenty hours of online course for editing, but I'm still learning about practical effects and cinematic shots.
Mrs Forman came to my room, bringing me snacks while I was working on the project.
"Steven. What is this machine?" She asked as she saw the film scanner. I managed to hide the laptop, but I didn't want to hide that since I'll need to start up the scanning again.
"This is a machine to fix the color of the movie." I told her.
She looked at it in amazement and asked, "This looks so advanced. How much does this cost?"
I told her the truth, "175 thousand dollars."
She froze in her step, her knees buckling down slightly.
"Mrs Forman, are you okay?" I grabbed her before she could fall.
"I– I– I need to lock the door."
She swore never to mention it to anyone since she didn't want the house to get robbed.
…
Two days later.
I put on the movie for my friends, with some music score I found online– not really the actual scoring for the film.
I wanted to get their opinions on the film. So I set up a speaker and projector, and played it in the basement.
The guys were bored out of their mind. But the girls were quite excited as they watched it. Fez was on the girl's side in this one.
"Why is he saying he's not in love with her?" Jackie was annoyed. "He literally saved her from getting assaulted."
"He just explained that." Donna argued with Jackie. "He's just doing the right thing. Not because he likes her."
I nodded in satisfaction as I saw them bicker over the movie. That meant the movie was engaging them.
"Why aren't they together at the end? What's the point of the movie?" Jackie fumed as the ending came out.
Donna snickered and said, "Jackie. It's not about being together. It's about wanting."
"Huh?! That doesn't make any sense! Did he come back to her? Why is he leaving to go back to Wisconsin? There's literally nothing here!" Jackie argued heatedly.
"Jackie. You can't expect him to abandon everything he has in Wisconsin just for a girl who basically stalks him when he was visiting his friends in California." Eric added.
"Shut up Eric. Only you and Donna love that slow burn stuff." Jackie snapped at Eric before turning to me, asking, "Is that really the ending?"
"Well. I cut the part where they had sex. But yeah, that is the ending." I shrugged.
"Well… put that back in!" Jackie stammered slightly.
"Nah." I rejected her casually.
She leaned in towards me and said, "Now that you're done working, can we finally go do something?"
"Jackie. I'll say it again. I don't want to do anything with you. Just go enjoy your summer break."
She was offended and sat there, silently sulking.
Fez and Kelso stood up from the couch.
"Not that I don't want to sit here and discuss the chick flick with you girls, I have a date with Laurie." Kelso said sarcastically.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"We're going skinny dipping." Kelso laughed.
Fez gasped and said, "Can I come?"
"Sure Fez." Kelso agreed easily. They left together, but I was pretty sure Laurie would kick Fez out of the car.
"Hey. Do you want to see what I got so far?" Donna asked.
"Sure."
I read the script Donna gave me after we watched the movie I edited. Some of it was written using a typewriter. But it was mostly handwritten.
"So, instead of they met each other for the first time–"
Donna interjected, "It doesn't make sense to meet each other for the first time if they stayed in the same small town together."
I nodded and said, "You cut that out, replace it with them already dating at the start of the film?"
"Yes." Donna was excited. "They were really into each other. But the girl wants to go to Paris. She asked him to come with her, waiting for him at the bus stop. But he never came."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because–" Donna froze slightly. "Um, I haven't finished that yet–"
"He could be drafted." Eric interjected. "Yeah. This will make sense. He got drafted, on the day he needed to go with her to Paris."
Donna grinned and said, "Eric. That's amazing."
"I know." Eric said smugly.
I nodded and said, "So you kept the same setting. It's her house, he bought it when she sold it. Then, he fixed it all up, the way he remembered her telling him about."
"Yes." Donna nodded in excitement.
'Isn't this 'The Notebook' rip-off?' I grimaced inwardly. Some parts of it were similar.
The script itself was quite romantic. Donna didn't do cheating stories, so the conflict was based on misunderstandings and timing.
I realized I could do more if I added PTSD scenes into the film. After a short discussion with Donna, the finalized version of the story was ready.
"I'm going to Chicago to find actors for this. You want to come?" I asked Donna and Eric.
"YES!" Donna agreed instantly.
"I don't know. Let me check my schedule." Eric said pretentiously. "Well, yes. I can go. Since it's summer break."
"Great. Now I have a driver." I smirked.
Eric grimaced.
"Donna, I need copies of the script. So once you're done, go to Dr Jekyll and print out 10 copies."
"Sure." Donna replied readily.
Once the two of them were gone, I called someone on the phone.
"Hey Bruce. I have a ready cut of your film. Do you want me to do music scoring too?"
"What– Already? I'll come over to look at it." Bruce was taken aback.
"I leave a copy at my autoshop. I'm going to Chicago, so I might not be here when you come." I told him casually.
"Alright. So, how much do you charge for this? And also the music score?" He asked.
I grinned and asked, "How much does a post production company charge? I already fixed up the color too."
"You know what? I actually don't know. This is actually nice timing. I'm going to LA anyway. I'll bring the copy to Patty. Let her determine how much it's worth."
"Alright. Deal." I agreed easily.
After cutting the call with Bruce, I called another person.
"Hey. It's me. Hyde."
"Hey Hyde." Ophelia greeted flirtingly.
"Are you already on your way to LA?" I asked.
"Not really. I'm taking a waitress job at a country club to save up. Maybe in two months? Why are you asking?"
"I actually have a movie that I'm making–"
"Wait." Ophelia stopped me. "I'll be at your house in ten minutes." She cut the call instantly.
I sighed and said, "I could've just done this over the phone."
Ten minutes later, Ophelia arrived at my place with sweat on her forehead.
"Did you run here?" I asked with disbelief.
She tied her shoulder length blonde hair into a pony tail, wore a tank top and jeans that showcased her slightly thick body.
"Yes." She leaned forwards, hand on her knees and panted. "Are you really making a movie?"
"Yeah." I said casually and grabbed her a bottle of water.
She accepted it with gratitude, "Thank you," and sat down on the couch.
"Is there a script?" She asked.
"I'm copying it right now. Do you want the lead role?"
"Yes!" She was excited.
"Great. I need your three sizes."
She widened her eyes in surprise and grinned slightly. Then, she reached the edge of her shirt and pulled it up halfway.
"For the dresses. You don't have to strip. This isn't casting couch." I stopped her by grabbing her hand.
She blushed, embarrassed and said, "Well… I'll give you the sizes later."
"Today. Also, are you free on Thursday? I'm going to Chicago to find actors. Maybe I'll do a chemistry test first and also a screen test."
She nodded, smiling happily, "I'm free whenever. I can even go to Chicago with you."
"Alright then. I'll go there tonight. So pack your bag I guess."
She skipped away happily.
I flipped through my address book and called one last place.
"Is this a Second City venue?"
"Yes. We are. May I ask who's speaking?" The receptionist asked.
"I'm Steven Hyde. A director. I want to post an open casting call if possible."
She went silent for a bit.
"We're a restaurant?" She was confused.
…
It was quite hard to get permission from Red, especially since Eric was going with me.
But Mrs Forman got our backs. We drove there after lunch. She even packed us snacks for the trip.
Ophelia kept discussing with Donna about the character during the drive. She was eager to learn everything about the character.
We checked into a hotel once we got there. It was the same hotel I was staying in before.
"Good evening Sir Hyde. It's nice to see you again." Mary Elizabeth, the receptionist who helped me with getting the police report before, greeted me cheerfully.
"Good evening Lizzie. You look as beautiful as always." I flirted with her a bit. "Is my room ready yet?"
"Yes sir."
Eric and I stayed in one room, while Donna and Ophelia stayed in the other one.
Then, we dressed up nicely in formal suits and dressed.
"We're going to Second City. I have a reservation made there for tonight." I told them casually.
Only Ophelia was excited about it. Eric and Donna didn't really care.
When we were eating dinner, there was a stand up comedian who took the stage. I recognized him immediately.
It was a young Bill Murray.
Second City has a lot of comedians, and actors with natural looks. But it didn't have the type of actors I have in mind.
Most probably because I was thinking about Ryan Gosling.
"I'll have to contact a few talent agencies and create a casting session myself."
When I came back to the hotel, Mary Elizabeth told me that someone left me a message.
Bruce tried to get in touch with me. I assumed he had watched the movie.
When I called him back, he sounded really excited.
"Ah. So, this isn't the final cut?" He asked, slightly deflated.
"It's just the scoring. Music plays an important part in the movie. The ones I edited in, can be for a TV movie, not a theater film."
"Got it. I'll wait for the final product then. Once Patty sees this, I'm sure that Warner Bros would beg to get this movie back." he snickered.
"Or, you can distribute it yourself." I said teasingly.
"I've looked into it. I think I can get it done within a month. My lawyers are already meeting with the owner of AIP." he replied casually.
Once I was done talking to him, I mumbled, "It must be nice to have money and connections."
…
The next morning, I went to several theaters around the area with Ophelia, Eric and Donna to check their performances, trying to find the perfect actor for the role.
The hotel prepared a place for me to do the casting session in one of their convention rooms.
Mary Elizabeth also helped me call the talent agencies. I paid her 200 bucks a day to help me with the logistics.
The audition started that afternoon.
Various actors came to the casting place, and even talent managers tagged along.
"So, let's start the audition." I said to Ophelia, Donna and Eric.
{Read up to Chapter 146 on my Patreon.
Patreon.com/Relifewithkarmicgacha }