Page 8 of The Location Shoot
“Vodka tonic,” Michael said.
“Very good,” the waiter said, placing a basket of bread and a bowl of olives on the table before scurrying away.
“Quite something to have this large room to ourselves, isn’t it?” Jean said. “I always rent out an inn or a house to share with the cast. Living together is part of the adventure of filmmaking. This place is a bit worse for wear, but of course, so am I.”
“This place is very quaint, homey,” Charlotte said. “The antique furniture in my room is lovely.”
“The grounds are beautiful. It’s so peaceful here,” Finn added.
They all smiled faintly, quietly fidgeting in their seats.
Jean chuckled. “You all need to loosen up and relax.”
“It’s just . . . well, we’re wondering if today went as you hoped,” Finn said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jean replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.
The actors all exchanged nervous glances as the waiter served their drinks.
“I propose a toast,” Jean said, raising his glass. “To our film.”
“Cheers!” they all said, clinking glasses.
Albie took a swig of his bourbon and said, “Jean, everyone’s feeling a bit shell-shocked after today. They’re not yet used to the way you work. Why don’t you tell them about your first film?”
Jean chuckled. “I made a short film as my final project in film school. A piece of shit, really, shot completely with a handheld camera, but it was quite different than what other people were doing, perhaps even a bit vulgar. Sure enough, it took home a few prizes at the festivals that year, causing quite a stir.”
Everyone sat listening eagerly.
“After that, there were all kinds of opportunities for financial backing. I knew the only way to control my art was to be a producer, so I took out a loan and started my own small production company, the same company that has made all my films to date. We had a shoestring budget for our first feature-length picture,Pump, an extended version of my short film. It was an exploration of love and sex, emphasis on the sex.”
“The press labeled it pornography,” Albie said with a chuckle.
“They weren’t wrong,” Jean replied, bursting into laughter.
“I’ve seen it. Very gritty,” Michael said.
“I’ve seen it too. Daring,” Finn added.
“Yes,” Charlotte agreed. “I’ve studied all your work.”
“It was rough as hell, but it certainly made a point,” Jean said. “The press was so repulsed by it that they gave it a much bigger spotlight than it would have otherwise enjoyed. People can be so absurdly provincial about sexual matters, especially the Americans. It received a slew of award nominations simply because of the commotion the press inadvertently caused. That pissed them off something awful.”
Albie cracked up, the others following suit.
“Tell them about the first day of filming,” Albie said. “Might shed some perspective on today.”
“The first scene we shot was an explicit sex act between the two lead characters. You should have seen the actors’ faces when they learned what we’d be starting with, only moments after they’d met. They were nude, covered only with groin cloths when I yelled action, no blocking or any of that other garbage. They hardly knew what to do, as if they were suddenly virgins. I must say, I had a good laugh over it, although I do know it was a bit wicked of me.” He took a sip of his drink. “So you see, today wasn’t so bad. I’ve gone easy on you. All you had to do was make small talk at a party.”
They all laughed, their shoulders relaxing a bit.
The waiter came by and announced, “The buffet is open.”
“Excellent. Let’s get some food, order another round, and then we can talk about something other than the damn film. You all look like a fun and obscenely pampered group; I want to hear your stories of excess and self-indulgence. I’ve got some doozies of my own you may be able to coax out of me.”
CHAPTER 3
Nearly two weeks into the shoot, they had settled into a nightly routine: when the dishes were cleared, they were served another round of drinks and settled in for conversation and laughter. As usual, it was bourbon for Jean, Finn, and Albie, vodka tonic for Michael, white wine for Charlotte, and sparkling water for Willow. Just as the drinks arrived, Jean’s assistant, Drew, popped in to drop off some papers.
