…..
====
Se 22: Bill's and Cobb's First frontatioras: 6 people walking the streets (no dialogue) and 1 with a long shot (no dialogue).
Bill: Two lines of dialogue.
Cobb: One line.
====
Despite its outward simplicity, the se was deceptively ambitious.
Regal had p as a single, one-miwenty-two-sed-long take - a single, unbroken shot that demanded fwless precision and focus from everyone o.
For a debut director, it was a bold, some would say reckless, move.
Long takes like this had fallen out of favor i years, not because they were impossible, but because they were draining.
Modern filmmaking offered easier alternatives. The sequence could be broken into manageable segments, filmed separately, and pieced together in post-produ.
It would save time, energy, and a fair share of frustration.
Most viewers wouldn't even notice the difference.
But Regal wasn't ied in taking the easy route - not for this se.
The fluid chraphy, the raw immersion, the authenticity that only a tinuous take could deliver.
Every step, every gnce, every subtle shift iion had to flow naturally, uninterrupted - this wasn't about venience.
It was about creating something that felt real.
And it wasn't just him who felt the pressure - the entire crew, though small, shared the tension in the air.
"Alright." For o time, Regal once again leaned into the camera, ready to follow the actors. "Owo, and A!"
The and echoed, snapping everyoo motion.
…..
[-A Few Minutes Before-]
.
Seren finished her final iion of the extras' es before making her way to where the main cast was resting.
In her hand was a small camera handed by Regal, that had photos of Keanu and Andrew in their respective es.
Apparently her task was to maintain something called 'tinuity' - a crucial part of ensuring that the es and the makeup looked sisteween shots.
After each se ed, she was responsible for taking updated photos to use as references for the day's filming.
As Seren approached, her eyes nded al, who was finishing a versation with Keanu and Andrew.
"Good." He nodded, inf them. "I will set up the shot and call you both i's ready."
With that, he stepped away, immediately engaging in a brief versation with someone named Darren.
Meanwhile, Keanu and Andrew shifted their focus, visibly preparing to immerse themselves in their roles.
Seren didn't waste any time. She moved closer to the duo, her eyes sing their es, cheg for any discrepancies or damages beyond what had been iionally designed.
Satisfied, she gave a slight nod of approval.
"Looks good. Thanks for cooperating, both of you." She said before stepping back.
As she finished, Darren ed up his discussion with Regal and approached the duo, filling them in on their designated marks and movements for the uping se.
Seren took a step back, her task finally plete. Without a word, she moved to the edge of the set, letting the flurry of activity unfold around her while she quietly observed from a distance.
It was then her eyes nded on Grace, who stood nearby, seemingly absorbed in what looked like se notes.
Seren's brows furrowed slightly in thought.
Wasn't she done for the day? She clearly recalled Grace mentioning earlier that her ses were finished and had even seen her remove her makeup.
Yet, here she over the notes with a focused expression.
Still, Seren didn't ent.
She was far too tired after the nonstop moving around she had done all day. The thought of any further exertion made her shoulders ache.
"He better pay me well for all the work I did, or else he is going to die in my hands." She murmured, her frustration slipping out.
Though she was grumbling about ing up her tasks, assigned by her than her brother, the director, there was a faint sense of futility lingering in her mind.
Most of the work was already pleted, or more precisely, her brother had already taken care of it.
He was obsessively meticulous about the es his actors wore. Precautions, double-checks, detailed instrus - he ha all even before the shoot began.
Yet, despite that, she still found herself questioning: Was this normal?
Would most directo to such lengths, or was her brother just absurdly fastidious, nitpig over every small detail?
The thought circled her mind briefly before she dismissed it with a small shake of her head. It wasn't her pce to know, and frankly, she didn't care to find out.
Her attention shifted back to Grace, still focused on the se notes in hand.
For a moment, Seren's gaze softened.
She couldn't help but think: She is really beautiful.
Her gaze lingered for a fleeting moment before her womanly instincts kicked in.
Immediately, her focus shifted toward her brother, standing behind the camera.
Regal Seraphsail.
Her brother was living his dream, and it was written in every movement he made and every gnce he cast.
It hit her then, this was the happiest she had ever seen him - though he never smiled all day she could tell it.
The thought brought a faint smile to her lips.
With that realization, the fatigue in her body and the lingering doubts in her mied away… if only for now.
She watched him for a few more moments.
Regal's eyes were glued to some intricate part of the camera, something she couldn't name or eveend to uand.
He had mentioned a couple of days before with Keanu that he was both direg and handling the camera work himself.
It didn't seem like a big deal, definitely not the way Regal had casually brushed it off.
Her gaze shifted again, this time drifting toward the actors o.
That's when her boyfriend caught her attention.
She hated to admit it, but she reized that same madness in Keanu's eyes - the same relentless drive her brother had for filmmaking.
In the days leading up to the auditions and throughout the movie's preparation, he had worked himself to the bone.
She had helped a little, though not much.
In fact, she had assumed that her silend patience were the best kind of support she could offer.
Still, it was hard to ighe parallels.
The way he threw himself into every detail, every line, every moment, it was uny.
Just like her brother.
…and just like someone else she knew all too well.
They might have a passion for this world, but she knew how easily it could e people.
It wasn't as inte, not quite. But she could se, simmerih the surface.
"What do you think… of him?" Seren blurted out, gng at Grace, who stood like a statue, her sharp eyes fixed oivity o with an unreadable expression.
Grace didn't answer immediately. Her stoic demeanave away a flicker of hesitation, just enough for Seren to notice.
Ah, so she's just nervous around new people.
It didn't take long for Seren to piece it together, what had taken Regal half an hour of auditions to figure out.
Dealing with people like Grace? That was her specialty.
Rule one: Don't give them a ce to retreat. Keep them talking, no matter what.
It wasly a sophisticated strategy, more like sheer persistence, but it worked more often than not.
"Whom exactly?" Grace finally responded, unsure.
"Both." Seren pointed out with a shrug.
"I am jealous of one… and I admire the raswered, in a measured tone, as if carefully sidering each word.
It wasn't hard to guess who beloo which se - jealousy for Keanu and admiration fal.
"I meant their skills." Seren rolled her eyes in crification.
Grace tilted her head slightly. "True. But wasn't my answer closer to what you really wao know?"
…?That stopped Seren iracks.
Her eyebrows twitched as the realization hit, Grace had her pletely pegged.
Caught red-handed.
Before Seren could respond, Grace added. "You don't have to worry. Regal's far too focused on work to care about anything, or anyone, o."
Grace deliberately omitted aion of Keanu.
It wasn't lost on Seren that Grace was subtly steering the versation away from him, likely because she had picked up on Seren's true ''.
Keanu, it seemed, was never even part of the equation in this exge - he was already out of market.
Sere out a warm ugh, shaking off the tension. "That's just a nice way of saying he is a pain, isn't it?
.
…..
[To be tinued…]
★─────??★??─────★
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