…..

  May 7th, 2010.

  .

  "Shot's okay… and it's a for [Following]!

  Regal's voice echoed through the small, enclosed priso, signaling the end of the day's shoot and also the film's.

  The crew and cast burst into a collective cheer, their excitement palpable as the tension of the final take gave way to exhiration.

  "Whooohooo!"

  "YahhooOOoo!" - some cheered, and the energy was tagious.

  Laughter and shouts filled the room as crew members reverted to their college-student selves, tossing aside props and es.

  "Listen up, everyone!" Regal cpped his hands to get their attention. "Let's get the gear packed, and here's the deal, I am treating you all to something special to eat. It's on me!"

  Another loud cheer erupted from the crew.

  "You said it, sir!" - one of them called, as the group began pag up equipment with renewed energy.

  Despite the short time, two days over thirty days, they had worked together, and the bond withieam had grown into something meaningful.

  From the actors to the crew, there was a sense of mutual resped camaraderie that filled the space.

  As the group worked, Tom, a man dressed in a poliiform, approached Regal, extending his hand. "gratutions, Regal. I have got to head out, but it's been excellent w with you."

  Regal shook his hand firmly, his appreciation evident. "Thanks, Tom. You were fantastic. I am gd we got to work together."

  A couple of other men in simir police outfits followed suit, their gratutions before making their exit.

  Like Tom, they had only been part of the project for a few days, and knowing the arty wouldn't be a grand affair, they chose to bow out early.

  Regal gave them a nod, his voice warm. "If you are heading out, don't worry about pag. We have got it covered. Thanks for everything."

  The men waved as they exited, leaving the remaining crew to finish tidying up. Regal rolled up his sleeves and joined in, helping to pack up the set alongside his team.

  Among those staying to help were Keanu and Andrew.

  Andrew had a shoot today which is only obvious since he is the main lead of the story.

  Keanu, oher hand, was now like a familiar presen set tal, alitg in even when he didn't have ses to film.

  It had bee something of a norm for him, if there was work to be done, Keanu would be there, ready to lend a hand without hesitation.

  Then there was Simon Lombardozzi.

  Though Simon wasn't scheduled to film today either, he had shown up anyway.

  He pyed the bckmailer in the film, a tough, imposing figure with a shiny bald head and a menag presence.

  But off-s, Simon was anything but intimidating.

  Gentle, approachable and he had developed a deep resped love fal's work ethic.

  Despite having only a handful of ses, Simon had taken to assisting behind the ses whenever his schedule allowed.

  As the st prop acked away and the space cleared out, only about fifteen people remained, including Keanu, Andrew, and Simon.

  Grace was absent, her ses already pleted.

  Regal had heard she was attending an ag css, as required by the agency she had joined. However, she had promised to meet them directly at the restaurant for the celebratory dinner.

  After everything was ed up, Keanu approached Regal. His shirt was damp with sweat, but his expression was ear.

  Without a word, he stepped forward and hugged Regal, the gesture ced with emotion. "grats, Regal. I mean it." He added, his voice thick with siy.

  "...." Regal blinked in surprise before a smile spread across his face. He patted Keanu on the back, returning the hug. "Thanks, man. This wouldn't have happened without you."

  Keanu chuckled as he stepped back. "Right, sir director."

  "grats, Regal," Andrew chimed in, stepping forward to give Regal a friendly the shoulder.

  "Yeh kid, you were amazing." Simon, t slightly over the others with his imposing build but gentle demeanor, nodded in agreement.

  "...chuckle, thanks." Regal replied, a fist bump.

  One by ohe crew members approached Regal to offer their gratutions. Handshakes, high-fives, pats on the back - each gesture carried their admiration and gratitude.

  Among them, two familiar faces approached simultaneously: Darren, Regal's friend, senior from uy, ahe same guy who had flunked out during the auditions but whal had decided to give a small role and surprisingly not, Ben had readily accepted.

  Both exteheir hands toward Regal at the same time.

  "..." - "..."

  Realizing that, their eyes locked briefly, and the atmosphere between them shifted - their expressions tightening with a flicker of annoyance.

  Regal immediately picked up oensioween them.

  ?It had caught him off guard for a moment.

  Ben was the type who tried to genuinely get along with everyone, while Darren, though not unfriendly, had a more reserved approach.

  Still their personalities didn't often csh, but this minor iion seemed to underscore their differences.

  Deg it wasn't worth addressing, Regal simply smiled aended both hands, shaking theirs simultaneously.

  "You guys did great too." He said, his voice light, diffusing any lingering awkwardness.

  Ben's stiff posture rexed almost instantly, a grin spreading across his face as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, thanks for the appreciation… and the role too."

  "Hah, what are you doing thanking him? Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Darren remarked looking at Ben.

  "Yo–!"

  "Good work, Regal. I am looking forward to the one."

  Ben started, clearly ready to retort, but Darren had already turned his attention back tal.

  Regal nodded mentally, eying them warily as he released their hands with a parting remark. "Let's make the one eveer, alright?"

  "Of course."

  "...sure."

  Both men nodded.

  After the st of the crew had offered their goodbyes, Regal led the group toward the restaurant he had reserved for the celebratory dinner.

  .

  ….

  The day in his offid house, marked the beginning of the post-produ phase for the film.

  So far, the project has cal around368,000.

  That covered everything - cast and crew saries, aodations during the shoot, equipmeals, and location fees.

  This left him with about 28,000 from the 396,000 he had received as a royalty payment from Everleaf Press.

  Even though his test royalty payment was signifitly rger, Regal was resolute in his decision to plete the film within the budget he had initially set.

  It wasn't about having more funds, it was about proving to himself that he could stick to the pn he had promised.

  But, at the same time, he was fident that the money he had pnned for would be enough to see it through.

  Now, the remainder of his budget had to stretch far enough to cover the costs of post-produ, which meant - editing, sound design, sg, and crading.

  Each of these steps was critical to the final product, and there was no room for promise.

  Then there was the bigger challehe elephant in the room - distribution.

  Regal leaned ba his chair, staring at the ceiling of his modest 'office' as he weighed his options.

  Film festivals seemed like the natural route.

  The Big Five, Venice, es, Berlin, Toronto, and Sundance, were known for attrag distributors and buyers. A premiere at one of these could make or break the film's success.

  But there was oiny hiccup - timing.

  It was mid-May.

  es was already in full swing, and the submission deadline had long passed.

  Venid TIFF wouldn't kick off until te August.

  That left a frustrating gap of nearly three months, a dead zone of sorts.

  It was too te for es and far too early to prepare for the wave of major festivals.

  While smaller festivals were an option, they didn't carry the same clout or es o secure a strong distribution deal.

  Attending those would likely drain resources without much return.

  Yet, Regal couldn't afford to sit idle.

  Waiting until Venice or TIFF felt like a waste of valuable time and momentum.

  He tapped his pen against the desk, the sound eg in the quiet room as his mind ed.

  There had to be another way, a faster solution.

  If festivals weren't an immediate option, then has no option but to seek out a backer, someone who could help him secure a deal with a distributor .

  But to attract such a backer, he needed more than promises h footage.

  He needed a professional and final version of his film that could hold its own against industry standards.

  That should be his immediate goal.

  However, the road ahead was anything but simple.

  The first major hurdle was editing.

  At the moment, all he had was raw footage, a daunting 250 minutes of it.

  No distributor would waste a sed gng at that, let aloting through it.

  He sidered renting aing suite aing it done by himself, but with his curreing skills, it would only lead to wasted time and money.

  True, he had somehow mao awaken the [Editing] skill, but he k wasn't nearly enough.

  The intricacies of color corre, sound synization, and pag were far beyond what he could reasonably achieve alone.

  As he stared at the hard disk copy, which tains the raw footage that has the hard work of many.

  He 't let this bee a medicore product.

  Currently, his [Editing] skill is at [Novice], and the best he will be able to afford to upgrade is to [Intermediate] level, if he collects the rewards.

  Anything beyond that would be a waste of EP he could better allocate for future purchases rather than wasting it upon only for basic.

  And, yes, Regal did call the [Intermediate] level basic.

  .

  ….

  [To be tinued…]

  ★─────??★??─────★

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