These st few weeks had been a little hectie because of all the promotions I was doing for [Harry Potter]. Now that the film is done and dusted, I could actually focus on something I love. Ag. Sure, rehearsals were ly ag, but they were an equally important part of the process. If your rehearsals are solid, your performance will e out to be great. They are especially necessary for a small-budget film like [Brick]. For something like [Harry Potter], we had the budget to reshoot if the first performance didn't e out great. Here, we didn't.

  While I was busy with Harry Potter, Tobias was busy with Stephen Chbosky, w on the pre-produ of [The Perks of Being a Wallflower] as well. I guess I'm rushing things a bit with the two films, but I couldn't help myself. Both of these were excellent movies in the inal timeline, and I desperately wao add them to my ag portfolio.

  Now that we were here, we could focus on the film, [Brick]. Rian was a very metia came to filmmaking. He had po shoot the entire film from start to end in January 2004. Until then, we would practice each se so many times that we could do them even in our sleep. Just like a stage py. The first day was just for introdus and a table read; actual rehearsals would begin on the sed day.

  When Rian started narrating the story of the film, it transfixed everyone. He just had this fir for storytelling, that made everyoop everything and pay him their utmost attention.

  "So then," Rian said as he fihe story, "Brendan reveals the truth to Laura about the tenth brick of heroin, but Laura, in a petty streak of reveells him about the father of Emily's baby. Brendan stands there, shell-shocked, the camera firmly on his face, as Laura walks out of the frame in the background. The end."

  As soon as he finished narrating the story, everyoarted g loudly. The appuse was deserved because Rian had held each of us captive with his narrative from start to end. I knew from his future work that his dire was top-notch, but his stories were also very well thought out. His narration wasn't just about the story; he also described where the camera would be pced. This was a big reason I never asked him to storyboard the entire film like I was making Chbosky do—because I knew he didn't . This narration just proved me right.

  "Thank you!" Rian bowed politely to all the actors appuding him.

  "No, thank you, Rian," I turhe tables on him. "Thank you for writing this amazing story aing me and everyone here be a part of it. I know for sure that this film will be a big hit."

  "We haven't even begun shooti," Rian reminded me.

  "We will soon," I reassured him. "Mark my words, this film will be a cssic."

  (Break)

  The following days, I dedicated myself fully to the pre-produ of [Brick]. Not just rehearsals, but everything from es and props to movie equipment that we had to rent for the film. Until now, I hadn't realized how much woes into making a movie. The only dowo it all was that I couldn't physically go and haggle for the stuff necessary for the produ, for obvious reasons. Other than that, I made all the major decisions about the finance distribution.

  Of my initial budget of 1m, 100k was earmarked for Rian Johnson for his script and dire of the film. From the remaining 900k, 300k had to be kept in reserve for post-produ, whicluded things like editing, crading, sound mixing, musid a small tingency fund. We'd also need a further 50k for marketing the film at festivals and making copies for prospective distributors, leaving us with 550k.

  Now here es the tricky part: We had already spent 100k on the pre-produ, and a further 600k would be needed for the film's actual produ. If we added all that expense, we'd be in the ive by 150k, which was a lot sidering it was 15% of our budget. Not that I didn't have that sort of money, but I didn't want to overspend. I knew for sure that the inal film was made on a budget of less than half a million, and here I was, uo limit the budget to even a million.

  Where did things g?

  "Maybe we remove my sary for the time being?" Rian Johnson offered magnanimously.

  "No," I shook my head. "That's not happening. You are helming this project all on your own. You deserve this money, and probably more. It's just that… you were ready to make this film with half a million, and now, even with double the money, we are not able to ma."

  All this time, I was versing in my Ameri at because I o be Ameri for this role. Rian hadn't asked for it, but it was my idea to speak only in my Ameri at until after [Brick] and [Perks] had been finished.

  "That's because, in the inal pn, I had po do the editing myself," Rian poi himself. "The music would have been provided by my cousin Nathan, who also agreed to work for free just to have a ce to work on a film. Now you are insisting on hiring a professioor and a top-css poser. So, of course, the budget will increase. If we do as in the inal pn, we save 100k at the very least by eliminating the editor and the poser. To save further money, I edit the film on a home puter. That will save us the cost of renting aing studio as well."

  Rian wasn't wrong. Eliminating aor and a poser would save us a lot of mohe poser was someone I could take a risk with, but the editor was a must-have for a film. Rian had no experien editing, from what he had told me, editing a feature-length film on a home puter is very time-ing. I wouldn't be surprised if it took Rian a full year just to edit the film. But even if we fot that part for noere still over our initial budget. I o do something to curb that.

  "poser I agree on," I said to Rian slowly. "Tell your cousin the job is his. He start writing musi his free time or whenever he likes. I'll ask my wyer to draw up a tract for him, and if the film is profitable, he'll be paid a fair sum out of the profits."

  "I'll pass it along," Rian nodded with a smile. "I'm sure he'll appreciate that."

  "However," I tinued, "we have to have aor. That's something I ot promise on. I'll still give you the freedom to dictate the final cut."

  There was another reason for this. In the inal film, there were moments when the sound or the video was not clear and I had to rely on the subtitles. I had chalked it up to its low budget, but after w in the industry for this long, I know it was something that a good editor save in a low-budget film if he's dedicated.

  Rian ined his head in uanding. "So that reduces 50k off the budget that was allocated to the poser. We're still over budget by a full 100k."

  And that was the whole problem. Film produ is not as easy a task as it seems on paper. You have to make a lot of promises aions, especially when making a small indie film.

  "Maybe you should get Tobias to help you on this," Rian suggested helpfully.

  "No," I shook my head. "He is already overburdened with the other film's produoreover, I o prove to everyohat I do this on my own, and I will." Then suddenly an idea came to me. "es. We ask everyoo wear their own clothes. Being actors, I think they would uand that this is a small produ."

  Rian tilted his head from side to side, mulling over the idea, before shaking his head. "Your dress will remain the same throughout the film, so we'll need multiples of it to make sure we maintain tinuity. Same for the characters of Tug, Emily, Dode, and the Pin. Then there will be a toga party, for which we'll he toga es. At most, you save 5-6k if you tell everyone else to get their own clothes."

  That was not worth it at all. If I asked people to do that, I would be beled a cheapskate. I wouldn't risk my reputation for a measly 5k.

  As if sensing my train of thought, Rian spoke up. "As I said, it's best if you let me edit the film to save on the costs."

  The more I thought about it, the more tempting the idea sounded. Yet, I didn't give in that easily.

  "Let me see if anything else be done first," I said relutly. "If every other aveo save money fails, then I'll let you edit the film."

  "Okay," Rian nodded. "Shall we meet tomorrow m then?"

  "Yeah," I nodded bad shook his hand before taking my leave. Our meetings began in the ms with the entire cast for se rehearsals. Later on, when others had gone home, Rian and I would work on other aspects of produ, like today.

  As I walked to my car, my bodyguards were walking around me, probably making me look like a pretentious asshole to any onlooker, but my mind was elsewhere. Logically, I khat arranging 100k extra wouldn't be too difficult for me, especially when I knew I'd be getting tens of millions from [HP3] soon enough, but I also khat I couldn't just increase my budget on a whim. That would make me a bad producer. I'd have to make do with the inal budget somehow.

  (Break)

  Steve had been waiting for Troy for quite some time. It felt wrong being alone in this huge house without Kathy. He had purchased a new home in LA just this week and had moved most of their furniture and belongings from their old house, which was now up for sale. This new home boasted top-of-the-line security that would make breaking in almost impossible. That, bined with 24/7 security guards and cameras, made this a much safer resideheir old home didn't have any buyers at the moment, but he was sure there would be soon.

  Initially, Troy had said that he didn't mind moving bato that house, but Steve had put his foot dowill remembered that bsted night when Roger called him and gave him the worst news. Steve had called all his acquaintances and friends, including Barry Meyer, immediately. It was Barry who had sent the wyer on such short notice. Steve hadn't slept a wink or eaten a sie until the day when Troy had nded in London. When he did, Steve and Kathy had hugged him for dear life.

  He didn't want Troy to e back to this cursed city without either him or Kathy apanying him. He khat Troy was growing rapidly, and would leave the in a few years. Didn't mean he liked it. For him, Troy would always be the small kid he adopted all those years ago. And now, that same kid was taking his first step in the world beyond ag, and he began it by being a film producer.

  A producer who walked into their new home with a worried face. He plopped down on the couch tiredly and put his bare feet on the coffee table.

  "Are you okay, son?" Steve asked.

  Troy nodded without saying a word and closed his eyes, leaning his head ba the couch.

  "e on, don't do that!" Steve pined. "Use your words like a civilized man."

  Troy grunted, "Sorry Dad. It's just… film produ."

  Steve smiled. "I wouldn't mind hearing what's w you. If you hadn't noticed, I'm also a film producer, so maybe I help you out?"

  Troy thought about it for a few moments before shrugging. Then he unched into the seemingly trivial problem he was having. Trivial because the solution was simple, at least on the surface. Any major problem that could be solved with less than half a million dolrs wasn't really a problem for their family. But Troy was correct. If he wao bee a successful film producer, he couldn't let the budget go overboard.

  "It's a good thing you came to me when you did," Steve said with a smile. "I save you all the equipment costs. Cameras, sound rec devices, the whole shebang."

  "But your equipment is in London," Troy said, fused.

  "Yeah," Steve agreed. "Do you know my friend Elliot Barrell?"

  "Vaguely," Troy said, trying to remember the man. "What does he have to do with my film?"

  "He had to shoot a part of his film in London before we started shooting [Prisoner of Azkaban]," Steve expined. "To save on transportation costs for his equipment, he borrowed mine. I didn't charge him anything. Now I think it would be a ime for him to repay the favor. Don't you think?"

  "You really want to use your favor like that?" Troy asked. "We cut costs elsewhere."

  "Oh, we will," Steve said, pletely serious. "If you share your budget with me, I'll be more than happy to tell you where to cut down. But believe me, take the equipment anyway. It's a small favor, so it won't matter mu the end."

  "Okay," Troy agreed after a few moments of ption.

  "Good," Steve smiled. "Now, show me your produ budget."

  _____________________________________

  AN: I'm back after the hiatus. Regur updates will begin now.

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