07 - A Day At The Movies
Story index at the bottom
By James
Saturday June 2nd 2001 10:44:55 AM
A Day At The Movies
Hello everyone, it's James again. Here's another story.
There was a long period where Jodie and I didn't see each other very often, for about 6-7 weeks I think, from memory. We saw each other occasionally, and we exchanged a few pleasantries now and then.
After this lull period was over, I received a phone call from Jodie on a Saturday night. It was rugby night, and I really wasn't paying much attention to what she was saying. The game was really close, and it was just about full time. She kept blurting out information to me, and I was replying "yep", "yeah", "ok" without knowing what she was actually talking about.
She got suspicious, and at one point she asked me "Are you gay?" and I blurted out "Yeah".
She laughed, and then scolded me for not paying attention.
I apologised, and she continued. I still wasn't paying much attention to what she was saying, but I was half listening this time. Eventually, she said something about a movie her uncle was making, and asked me if I wanted to be in it. It was only going to be a small part, and would only have about 5-10 minutes of screen time.
I replied with the usual "Yep, sure". I was, and still am, a terrible actor, but I would've done anything to get her off the phone. She went through the details, which were simply to meet at her place at 10:00am on Monday morning.
I said, "Yeah, yeah. Bye!" The game was nearing full time, with only about a minute left. She sounded a little annoyed, but said bye and hung up.
The game was tied at, I think 16 all, and the opposition had the ball, but it was in their own half. They managed to get it to the half way line, and attempted a field goal, it missed, and there was only about 10 seconds left. My team had possession, but couldn't manage to score, so the game ended in a tie.
It was an anticlimax really, the teams were evenly balanced, and the result could've gone either way. It had been a great game, but both teams really messed up when they had opportunities.
After the game, I struggled to remember what Jodie had told me. I got a piece of paper, and wrote down everything I could remember. Be at her house at 10:00am on Monday, that's it. I even struggled to remember why I was going to her place in the first place.
The game ended at about 10:00pm, I think, and it was too early for me to go to bed. Beth had gone to a party with some of her girlfriends, and both my mum and dad were in bed already.
I ended up calling Jodie again, just for a conversation. She sounded pleased to hear me again, and she teased me a little, "Oh, so now you want to talk?"
We had a good hour-long talk about nearly everything. She reminded me of the details once more, and hung up.
I ended up going to bed at about half past 11. That night, I had a nightmare that still haunts me to this day. A maniac brandishing an axe was chasing me around at school, and eventually he cornered me, and as he was about to hack at my head, I woke up in a terrible sweat.
I could hear my heart was racing even though it was only a dream. It was only 7:00am, but I couldn't manage to get back to sleep. I crawled around my bed for about an hour, before deciding to get up.
It was Sunday morning, and there were a few good cartoons on in the morning. I watched these for about another hour, before Beth came limping down the stairs. She looked really tired, she said she didn't get home till 1:00am, and didn't get to bed till 3 in the morning.
I told her about what I was doing tomorrow, and she laughed. She told me what I already knew, that I couldn't act even if my life depended on it.
She watched cartoons with me for another hour before deciding to make lunch. I didn't know where mum and dad were, they weren't at home when I woke up.
We found a note on the kitchen table - they went out for an early morning round of golf, and wouldn't be back for lunch, and asked us to prepare something ourselves. We ended up having a pizza, which didn't taste that good. It was Vegetarian, and I didn't like that very much.
Our parents came home at about 2:00pm, and I told them about what was going to happen tomorrow and they said that it was alright with them. I spent the rest of the day on the computer or watching TV.
Monday arrived, and I was getting a little nervous, because I didn't know exactly what my role in the movie was going to be. I got dropped off at Jodie's place at 10:00am. Jodie informed me that we were heading to her uncle's place in the country, where our scenes were to be shot.
Her mum drove us there, and like all friends' mothers, she wanted to know everything about me. Where I was born, my mum and dad, what I like etc. I'd met her a couple of times before, so I didn't know why she was asking me all this now.
We arrived at her uncle's about half an hour later. There were a quite a few people gathered there, about 10-15, but I didn't see much equipment lying around.
Jodie's mum left as her uncle greeted us. At a glance, most of the people that were there looked like punks, but after a while, I found them to be quite sociable.
Her uncle (Keith), informed Jodie and I that our scenes weren't due to be shot until later in the afternoon. I asked him what my role would be, and he handed me a copy of the script, with my bits highlighted.
I read through my bits of the script, which took me about fifteen minutes or so. The script stated that Jodie and I were the children of a CEO of a large electronics company. In short, we were to be kidnapped, in order to force our "dad" to withdraw from a takeover of another company.
It also said that were had to be tied up partly on camera, and there was a scene which showed us tied up. I was really getting nervous about the idea, and I told Jodie this.
Sure, I liked being tied up, but being tied up in front of all these people was a scary thought. Jodie told me that that was the very reason why she'd picked me to be her "brother", because I'd been tied up before.
"You haven't told them about our games have you?" I asked her.
"No, of course not. I'm not that stupid. My uncle picked me, because I was the only kid that he knew."
"Why didn't you pick Mark instead of me then?" I asked, curiously.
"I did, but he didn't want to do it."
She said that she was kind of nervous too, but she reassured me that everything would be fine.
We watched them shoot various scenes for about an hour and a half before breaking for lunch. Lunch was basically just sandwiches and cordial.
After lunch, everyone had a break, and played a game of cricket. I managed to hit two sixes while batting, before being a little too ambitious and being bowled out attempting another one.
Her uncle told us to remember our lines, because our scene would be shot after the next one. I only had two lines to say "Who are you?" and "Why are you doing this?" (not very original I must say), but I had quite a few actions to remember. I had to kick a guy in the leg and have a swipe at another, among others. There were also instances when I was supposed to do a little bit of struggling.
I managed to remember all my lines and actions before a lady walked over and told us that we needed to get dressed before our scene. Jodie and I were led over to round the back of the house, where she gave us some clothes to put on. She directed me to the bathroom and told me to get changed, Jodie was led somewhere else down the hallway.
The clothes I'd been given were sort of what I'd expected. A blue shirt with a tie, and cream coloured pants. I was also given a pair of black leather shoes to wear.
Jodie, in contrast, was wearing something like a basketball uniform. She had a T-shirt, shorts, short white socks and runners on.
When she saw me, she laughed, and made a few nasty comments about the way I looked.
The lady who showed us in, straightened up my tie and fixed up my hair a little. She didn't have any complaints about the way Jodie was dressed.
We were led back to the front of the house where they had just finished shooting, and were waiting for us. Her uncle took us over to a black van (surprise, surprise) and told us to stand next to it.
There, about four other people came at us with rope, and began tying us up.
"Tell me if it's too tight", one of the told me.
I replied that it was fine.
They had our hands tied behind our backs, and our arms tied to our side, before we were led to the back of the van. There were actually quite a few people watching as we were being tied up, and I really started to get nervous.
They sat us down on the edge, and one of them knelt down and tied our legs loosely together at the ankles.
Her uncle asked us if we were alright, and if it was too tight or not, Jodie and I both said that it was OK.
We were helped inside the van, and were positioned so that we sat opposite each other. Her uncle brought out a roll of duct tape, and told us that they were for gags. (Duh! Like we didn't know that!)
He told us to close our mouths, so it wouldn't hurt when they took it off.
He cut off one piece and smoothed it over my mouth, and did the same with Jodie. Again, he asked if we were OK, and we both nodded.
There were quite a few people standing outside the van, I could feel my face going red with embarrassment.
Her uncle went through what was going to happen, "The van's going to back up down that road a bit, and turn around. The van's going to drive back up this driveway, but it'll go up a little further towards the house. Stan and Lenny are going to be the drivers, and when the car stops they're going to take you out of here and take you inside the house. Understand?"
We both nodded again. He closed the van, and there was a slight pause before I heard two people getting into the front seat. The car started and rolled down the driveway. The road was a gravel road, so it was a little rocky.
I looked at Jodie, who seemed very relaxed compared with me, I was nervous as hell. She looked at me, and shrugged her shoulders, trying to indicate that everything was fine.
The car turned around, and headed back in the direction of the house. I felt it pull up into the driveway. The car stopped, and I waited for the van to open. It did, and I'd been directed not to look at the camera, but at the two guys who'd "kidnapped" us.
I was grabbed rather harshly by Stan, and Jodie let out a grunt as she was slung over Lenny's shoulders.
Lenny went ahead into the house, and a camera followed close behind him. Stan grabbed one of my arms with his left hand, and shut the van with his right. I too, was slung over his shoulder, and he walked into the house, again, with a camera close behind.
He took a look behind him before heading into the house.
"Cut", Jodie's uncle yelled.
He made a few comments about the scene, and the fact that there were a few blemishes in it, so we had to reshoot the scene.
Jodie had looked at the camera as the door was opening, and the car had clipped the gate as it pulled into the driveway.
He also told me to show a little more emotion as I was being pulled out of the car, and asked me to look a little more scared that I did.
Jodie and I were again placed in the back of the van, and we went through the same drill as last time. This time, the shoot was flawless, and we proceeded to the next scene.
The next scene was shot inside the house, down in the basement where it was rather dusty. Jodie and I were placed on the floor. All the cameras and equipment were brought in, and placed at various positions around us.
"This is a short scene, it only goes for about 10 seconds or so, you guys have just got to struggle, not too hard, just gently", Keith informed us.
As soon as the words "Action" came from his mouth, I began struggling. The ropes weren't that tight, so I took it easy, being careful not to accidentally untie myself..
About half way through, her uncle called "Cut".
I stopped struggling and looked over at him.
"My gag fell off." Jodie laughed.
He replaced her gag with another strip of duct tape, and replaced mine as well while he was at it.
The scene was reshot to perfection this time. A lady walked over to Jodie and put water over her eyes.
"James, you just sit there, don't do anything." he told me.
A camera was placed in front of Jodie, and her uncle directed her to look to the right of the camera. She started sniffing, and "crying" as the camera rolled. After another 10 seconds, the camera stopped and her uncle shouted, "Perfect!"
"OK, the next scene we're going to shoot is your rescue scene. All you've got to do is sit tight, and wait for Paul to come in. When he comes in, you both look at him, and start yelling, OK?" Keith told us.
Everybody cleared out of the room, except for the two camera guys who were positioned in front of us, and to our side.
There was a bit of shuffling going on upstairs, and we heard a faint "Action" call. A few moments later, a guy comes crashing through the door, holding a gun in his right hand. That was our queue, and Jodie and I started yelling out towards him. He said something, before running down the stairs like mad.
Another call of "Cut" was then heard, and everybody relaxed.
Paul came over and untied Jodie, while the lady who'd given us our clothes untied me.
He said that there was still one more scene to shoot with us, and it'd be shot at Stan's house, where we were supposed to "live".
It took about 15 minutes to get all the cameras and equipment into the van, and we drove to Stan's house. His house wasn't far from Jodie's uncle's place, it took about 10 minutes to get there.
His house was pretty big, probably not what you'd expect a CEO of a large firm to own, but her uncle said that it was the best they could get. Everything was unpacked and set up inside the house. Our "parents" were, I think, Stan's mum and dad. We shot a scene, which showed them leaving the house for a lunch function.
The next scene was the scene where we get "kidnapped". I was to be in my room, and Jodie in hers when the kidnappers sneak in through the back door, knock out a servant and "grab" us.
Keith shot the scene where the servant gets knocked out first, Stan and Lenny sneak into the house, and smash him over the head with a baton. The scene had to be reshot a few times, because the servant wasn't timing his falls properly.
Finally, they got it right, and it was our turn. I was directed to my room, and a cameraman was situated behind me as I sat at my desk reading.
I heard a faint cry of "Action" and I began my reading. I just kept glancing at the same line until the door opened, and two guys come rushing at me. As per the script, one of them grabs me, and I kick him, and he lets go. The other guy approaches me, and I have a swipe at his face with my fist. I miss, and he grabs my arm and twists it behind my back.
I cry out in "pain", as the guy I kicked shouted profanities, which I won't mention here. A handkerchief soaked in "chloroform" is placed over my nose, and I slowly cease my struggle and eventually fall limp.
One of them says, "You get the girl, I'll handle this one" and the other walks out.
He pulls out a rope, and ties my wrists behind my back. That's when I heard the "Cut" call again, and the guy unties me.
Jodie's scene was shot next. She sees the other guy as he enters the room, and they struggle for a bit (she was more convincing that me). Jodie manages to slap him before she too is overpowered and subdued with the chloroform. She didn't get tied, as Keith called "Cut" as soon as she fell to the floor.
There was no "reuniting" scene where, after our kidnapping, we are reunited with our parents, and they give us hugs and kisses etc. I was a little surprised that there was no such scene, but I supposed that Keith knew more about these things than I did.
Jodie's uncle made a comment about it being perfect, and commending Jodie and I for doing such a good job.
The film was part of a media and film studies course, which Jodie's uncle and a few of his friends were undertaking. They had about 6 months to finish the movie. The entire movie ran bout one and half hours; the scenes we were in took up about 5 minutes.
The movie was finished about 3 weeks after we shot our scenes, and I was invited to a screening of the movie at Keith's place. Overall, the movie looked quite professional. Everything ran smoothly, and some of the sound and special effects that Keith put in were amazing. The scene where Jodie was seen crying was a pretty emotional scene, given the music that Keith put into the background.
The movie was ranked third in the class, behind an action/thriller type movie, and a comedy.
When I got home, my mum and dad asked me what I'd had to do. I told them that I'd been kidnapped. I was worried that they would ask for details, but they didn't and dropped it at that.
However, Beth heard me, and she pressed me for details. When I refused, she hounded me until I finally gave in and told her everything that had happened. By the end, she was laughing like mad, saying that I was crazy to do such a thing.
Beth continued to poke fun at me all night, even in front of mum and dad. Eventually, I got a little peace when I went to bed. I couldn't get much sleep that night, as I was still reminded of that nightmare I'd had two nights ago.
I hope you all enjoyed this story. Could I please get some feedback, I didn't get any for my last story.
James
Australia
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James' stories
- 01 - At Jodie's House: the Second Story (f/mm)
- 02 - The Man in the Vampire Mask (?/f, f/m)
- 03 - Beth and I (m/f, f/m)
- 04 - A Strange Old Day (f/fm, fm/f)
- 05 - Double the Fun (fm/ff)
- 06 - Double the Fun - Part 2 (fm/fm)
- 07 - A Day At The Movies (?/fm)
Index of all stories in the "Archive for Everyone" section