Behind the Sceners

Synopsis:  Those intrepid, dedicated, pragmatic, selfless people that make movies possible are the ones that are in the spotlight here.  Like the stars that make the silver screen shine, these people are just as important as the big names giving Tinseltown its glow. 

~*~CAST~*~

Foley artist Bailey Burns: 

Foley artist Courtney Burns: (her sister)

Jane Burns: (their mother) 

Justin Burns: (their father) 

Light tech Hadley Habersham: (Bailey’s love interest)

Composer Leeland Will:  (Courtney’s love interest)

Wardrobe coordinator Naveen DuPont:

Makeup Teresa DuPont: (his wife) 

SFX Leon DuPont: (their son)

SFX Claire DuPont: (their daughter) 

Elias Stamos: (composer)

Heinz Stutsman: (director)

Tabitha Allman:  (editor/green-screen/’details gal’)

Logan Stutsman: (cameraman, his brother)

Dianthus ‘Diana’ Stutsman: (his wife, creative director)

Alisha ‘Alley’ Stutsman: (their soon to be born daughter) 

Ethel Stutsman: (Heinz’ grandma) 

Udo Stutsman: (Heinz’ dad)

Gloria Stutsman: (Heinz’ mom)

Gaston Bouvier: 

Scene 1—Blood, Sweat, Tears and Dedication

Bailey:  (is recording for a scene set in the forest with Courtney)  Hey !  I’m Bailey and that’s my sister, Courtney.   We went into the same business.   Yep, we both make noise for a living.  Isn’t that just the spiffiest thing ?   (snickers)  We’re recording for this scene where the main characters fight off legions of supernatural baddies in a vast forest.   The film, I have no idea what it’s called.   The director simply gave us notification and we thought it sounded wizard.   Personally I adore our job, especially when we see the finished product.   This one is Heinz Stutsman’s latest supernatural fantasy, ‘Enchanted Forest’, which draws upon many fairy tales he had heard growing up in Germany from his grandma Ethel.   Ethel, like Heinz’ parents, he doesn’t get to see much unless they come to visit him from Munich.  Most of the time he talks to them on Skype but they seem to be really incredible people.  I do hear that this summer, Udo, Gloria and Ethel will be visiting us.  It’ll be remarkable to see where Heinz’s greatness emanates from. 

Heinz:  (clapping vigorously)   Wunderbar !   Exceptional work, ladies ! 

Courtney:  Thank you, Heinz.   (He claps his hands on both their shoulders)

Heinz:  Hard to believe we’ll have another wrap soon.  

Bailey:  That quickly ?  I thought we just started EF.  We can’t be done this quickly !

Heinz:  (chuckles)  We’ve been working on EF for approximately 2 years now.   Hollywood is very demanding and my clock’s ticking.   By tomorrow, we’ll have what they want.  

Courtney:  It’ll be a blockbuster, like Highwayman was.  

Heinz:  (smiles)  They used to say ‘don’t capitalize in fantasy or sci-fi’, ‘don’t do experimental pieces or dabble in steampunk’.   They said my ideas were unusual, but I wanted to showcase elements you rarely see in American film today.   People want an escape and they want to be uplifted.   My films teach lessons as well.   One of my friends came to me and shook my hand, personally thanking me for inspiring them. 

Bailey:  Which film was that ?  

Heinz:  The first one I ever made called ‘A Birder’s View’ which was my first venture into learning about what worked in film and what didn’t.  

Courtney:  I always found that movie so sweet, especially when the young man dances like a peacock to court his future wife.  

Diana:  (walking in on their conversation)  It’s based on real life, you know. 

Heinz:  Diana, my butterfly !   Where have you been ? 

Diana:  I just came in from lunch.  The whole company’s having a respite.  There are finger sandwiches outside.  Gaston made them himself.  

Heinz:  Gaston knows exactly what we all like. 

Courtney/Bailey:  Oh yeah, Gaston, he’s the best cook around.   Ha ha, jinx  ! 

Diana:  Why don’t you come out and have a bite with us ?  Everyone else is waiting. 

Courtney:  Sure !  I’m famished. 

Bailey:  I could definitely go for those tasty BLTs. 

Heinz:  Wait.  How do you know they’re BLTs ?

Bailey:  I can smell the bacon from here, Heinz ! 

Courtney:  We both have noses like Bassets, you know.  

Diana:  Yes, which is why I try to keep my caramel assortment far away from the likes of you. 

Courtney:  Hey, we can’t help it sometimes. 

Courtney/Bailey:  We’re chocoholics !   (fake pout)

Courtney: (narrating)  Diana’s actually really sweet, just like her chocolates.  She’ll sneak in a couple for us before we start recording just because she’s like our surrogate mom.   Heinz doesn’t seem to mind, but he’s an even worse chocoholic than we are.   If he even hears mention of chocolate, you can see him become smitten and he’ll try to talk Diana out of one, if only one sweet for the day.  Classic Heinz !   Oh, and here we are on our lunch set.   There’s Gaston Bouvier, he’s our chef and he even caters.   He doesn’t mind making a house call every now and then.   We’ve got Naveen, our wardrobe consultant, his keup consultant, her husband Leon, their daughter, Claire, (sighs beatifically) Hadley the light-tech.  Ah, Hadley, you light up my light.  Literally.  (titters)  Ahem.   And Courtney’s little crush, Leeland is the reason we have so many Grammy awards for our symphonic scores. 

There is a small brigade of us, but that’s what make entertainment on the silver screen possible.   Some may say, ‘Your job is completely thankless and you’re insignificant’.   Honestly, I don’t see it that way.   We all have our jobs and without us, a work of art wouldn’t be produced.   Our team just happens to be one of the lucky ones who work in harmony.   Oh yes, certainly there come times that one or another of us bend beneath stress but we don’t let it get the worst of us.   Sometimes we have arguments, but we overcome them.  Same thing with negativity and depression.   Only optimism, positivity, kindness and good vibrations abound within Nirvana productions.   We may not be a huge name when compared with other studios in the Hollywood area, but we didn’t really care.   All we wanted to do was to uplift, enlighten, educate and inspire.   We even told the truth, though such a view sometimes was seen as unpopular.   The adage often says, ‘the camera is an agent of truth, recording what is presented through its untainted eyes’, and it is accurate.  We just present what the camera sees, through the genius of our director, Heinz.  

(As viewers we get to see a taste of just exactly what everyone goes through on a typical day working on a film.  Everyone’s role is paid attention to even when it’s the main stars that our artists try to exult and shine the spotlight on.) 

Bailey:  (narrating) In any given day, it can take hours at time to get a scene just right.  Heinz can be ADD and OCD so he tends to be exacting.  As any artists crafts their finest work, Heinz only improves with age.   Who knows, maybe this particular film, Enchanted Forest, might win us an Oscar this year.  

Courtney:  (narrating) Hey, Bail. Even if it doesn’t.  Doesn’t matter !  Just to be on the set with you, watching you work getting your hands dirty making crunching noises with lettuce is enough to make me smile. 

Bailey:  (laughs a bit evilly)  Depending on how gory a scene is sometimes we use other forms of produce to make our sounds authentic.   We wouldn’t know about killing people though. 

Courtney:  (sinisterly)  Or would we !  You never know !  The dark side of the industry.  On Channel 6, 10:00 pm. 

Bailey/Courtney:  Don’t watch it alone ! 

(They laugh)

Courtney:  We kid though.  

Bailey:  Our imaginations are just twisted sometimes. 

Courtney:  Helps to be slightly ‘teched in the head’ to be a Foley artist ! 

Bailey:  You said it, sis !

(scene fade) 

Scene 2—Family Comes to the Premier

Courtney:  (narrating)   We had narrowly made our 2 year window to premier Enchanted Forest.   The mistakes had been edited out and only minor flaws remained to those with attuned eyes.   We were sitting on pins and needles waiting for the red carpet reveal of Heinz’s latest masterpiece. 

Ethel:  Heinz !  It’s been so long, mein kliene Angel. 

Heinz: (chagrinned)  Grandma, please !

Ethel:  Is it such a sin to lavish my grandson with praise and love ?  How long has it been since I have seen you ?

Heinz: (laughs, appreciating his grandma’s hugs)  Touché, granny. 

(Udo and Gloria embrace Heinz heartily.)

Udo:  The anticipation is killing us ! 

Gloria:  We’re both eager to see your latest work, son !  We’ve heard so much about it.  

Heinz:  No spoilers though.  I want everyone to be surprised. 

Udo:  I’m certain that we will be. 

Heinz:  The only thing I’m concerned about is the big time critics.  They’ve come to the event and they’re not easily impressed by anything.   Any film I have made in the past has been panned heavily by them.  

Gloria: (hand on his shoulder)  We know, but that’s unimportant.

Udo:  Ya !  Remember how everyone else has been supportive of you ?  They adore your work and the message it brings to the masses. 

Ethel:  It dances to its own rhythm and doesn’t care what others think of it.   It just exists merely to give joy, entertain, enliven, enlighten and infuse the world with love. 

Heinz:  Thanks for being here.  I didn’t know you were coming.  (wipes some errant tears from his eyes, happy ones at that) 

Gloria:  We couldn’t get through to your voice mail.  Even your agent, Tabitha, couldn’t answer the phone in time.  

Udo:  We know Tabby though, she’s a nice girl.  

Heinz:  Yah, she works hard with green screen, editing and timing techniques.  She’s even more OCD than me ! 

(They all laugh)

Tabitha:  My ears were burning.  (accusingly) Someone here was talking about me !

(They laugh even harder) 

Tabitha:  Don’t worry about it, I don’t mind.  I know it was only benevolent compliments about Yours Truly.   When you’ve got details to sort out, I’m your gal. 

Looks like the gang is all here.  (sings’ Roll Out the Barrel, and everyone joins in)

Heinz:  Ah, it feels like Oktoberfest.  What a jovial time.  Your singing always soothes my nerves.  Thanks, Tabs. 

Tabs:  Bitte, buddy.   It’s how I do ! 

Courtney:  (Narrating)   All of us were on edge during the premier and we sang happy songs to keep our emotions at bay.  It seemed to have worked because a lot of people were joining in.  There were the few that rolled their eyes thinking we had all gone daft, but we didn’t pay them any heed.   They were looking to be entertained and weren’t certain what to think of Heinz’ latest work.   These were new critics unfamiliar with even the classics of cinema.   Needless to say it would be intriguing to see what their take on Enchanted Forest would be. 

(By the end of the film, even the new critics are applauding, completely won over by the hard work everyone’s done.) 

Leon:  We did it !   After all these years !  Finally !  Recognition !  Acknowledgement!  Plaudits, cheering, profound emotion ! 

Claire:  I never thought I’d see it, Leon.   I can say it’s certainly been worth it all these years working with you, dad and the crew.

(The crew is moved to joyous tears of appreciation.) 

(The critics come to talk to Heinz about what inspired him and want to show Enchanted Forest in other venues.)

Courtney:  (narrating)  We weren’t thinking that the greenhorn critics would have been entranced so easily by Heinz’ best film by far, but they were charmed by it.  It seemed like overnight they introduced it to other film festivals.   Before long, we were traveling the world and even came home to Heinz’ native Germany where he was welcomed like a decorated war hero.   Boy, it certainly felt remarkable, and darned good, especially after years of playing second fiddle to big corporate box offices in Tinsletown ! 

(Scene fade)  

Scene 3—Getting Noticed

Bailey:  (narrating)  The whirlwind of activity often left us enervated.   None of us had anticipated fame, fortune and popularity hitting us all so quickly ! 

Courtney: (narrating, snickering)   Yeah, it was absolute chaos.  We traveled everywhere either by plane, train, subway, or ship.  We rarely rode in the car unless it was our newly purchased van.  (Sings) Hey hey, I wanna be a rock star !

Bailey:  (singing) The glamorous life.  Glamorous.   (chuckling)  Glamor has its ups and downs though.  The paparazzi wouldn’t leave us alone.  Unlike some stars with scandal hanging about their necks so shamelessly, we didn’t have anything juicy for reporters to use to exploit us.

Courtney:  That doesn’t mean they didn’t try.  There were some meanies that tried to create distrust between us by seeding rumors within the group.  None of them were true and we all knew whom to trust.   We didn’t let this get in the way of our next projects.   We had time to take a respite where the paparazzi couldn’t find us.

Bailey: We had to hide away just to take a breath.  Most of the time we’re incognito.  We’re proving that we’re a force to be reckoned with and giving the populous what they actually need and desire versus over violence and gore.   

Courtney:  We found that our work was becoming more and more recognized wherever we went and touching everyone around us.   Conversations around dinner tables had shifted. 

Bailey:  Even though it wasn’t our initial intention, we had created a national movement.  People were beginning to think more about their actions, words and perceptions.   They were starting to realize stories could be told without someone getting hurt or killed and that imagination was the greatest tool any human being could ever wield other than the enigmatic element known as love. 

(Scene fade)

Scene 4—Red Carpet Treatment

Courtney:  (narrating)  2 years had passed and we had married our sweethearts.  Strange how time flies when you’re having fun.  My twins, Brooke and Ben really kept Hadley and I busy.   They didn’t mind Naveen looking over them when we were busy, but I thought it was too much for Naveen.   He didn’t seem to mind.  Kids took to him really well.  

Bailey:  Things were really changing for all of us.  I had recently married Leeland.  Unlike Courtney, I was a bit of a late bloomer but everyone supported us whole-heartedly.   Our family was expanding more and more and our business was becoming more appreciated and well-known the world over.   Tinseltown could no longer consider us an ‘indie’ film company.   We were in competition and sometimes they got a bit nasty about it.   We proceeded with kindness, compassion and plenty of heart rather than deriding and derisive comments.  

(A bit of a montage of their lives up to this point plays out in vibrant display. Upbeat music follows) 

Heinz:  (excitedly) This is quite the reunion !   I can’t believe Journeys is in the running for an Oscar.  I never thought this day would come ! 

Teresa:  Journeys is our finest masterpiece yet.   It tells a tale everyone knows well but not everyone has seen depicted on the silver screen. 

Naveen:  (nodding)  The human experience.  

Aisha:  (grinning) I knew this day would come, dad.   I always believed in you. 
Heinz: Coming from you, it’s all I need to know.   It’s better than the possibility of an Oscar ! 

Courtney:  (narrating)  We were even more anxious that night than we had been during our first premier.   The suspense was thick in the room but as soon as we had gotten that award, we all celebrated.  

Bailey:  Aisha’s face told the whole story, even though she was humble about it.  She had been predicting our win for weeks before we had ever gotten the notification.   Our lives had become even more blessed and Heinz had become even more visionary.   His life’s work and dreams were finally realized.  

Courtney:  It made us come to grips that fairy tales could happen, although there were curves along the pathway to manifest them.   That night though, other than our marriages, our time spent with our behind-the-scenes family, our evenings filled with laughter after midnight oil burning sessions in the studio.   All of that had been worth the trouble and painstaking attention to detail.  

Bailey:  We had finally made it.  The world was our oyster.  The best was yet to come. 

(At long last, the crew takes a respected bow, a symphonic theme plays and we see the hope in our characters’ eyes, no matter what tomorrow brings.)