Behind the Scene

III. Authenticity

Hair and makeup went by faster than I wanted it to the day I had my first scene with Mads. The scene was to take place at a university, so we chose a local college that was set on small mountain that looked down onto the town below.

When I walked out of the room with my hair freshly curled and my makeup lightly done I walked over to Sawyer who was consulting someone on what I should wear.

"I thought we talked about her wearing polka dots!" Lynda, the sometimes too patient for her own good costume designer yelled.

"Listen Lynda, there is no need to yell," Sawyer patted her shoulder, "I just think she should be wearing a plain button up shirt."

I rolled my eyes and walked toward them. "Sawyer, sweetie, you are the director. Go somewhere else and direct." I turned him around and started pushing toward the exit door where everyone was setting up for the scene that was to be shot by the trees.

"Lynda is just being stubborn. I simply asked for you to be wearing a plain button up shirt. I didn't think my request was that unreasonable." He said trying to resist me pushing him through the exit.

I lowered my arms to my sides.

"Sawyer, you can be such a diva sometimes."

"But you still love me?"

"You're making it really hard." I put my hands on my hips and he leaned against the door frame. Running his hands through his dark brown hair Sawyer just stood there staring at me. "What?'

"I think you are going to be great okay. You don't have to be so nervous, everyone loves you." He stood up straight with his arms stretched out toward him. "I hope you're ready for a lot of film to be used up because I'm probably going to mess up more than once." I smiled as I leaned in for a hug. He wrapped his warm arms around me and I tried my best to let my nerves go.

"Don't be so tense Reed." Sawyer whispered into my ear and then looked into my eyes. "Remember," he continued, "he is only human."

I looked up at him and then lightly kissed him. "Promise me it's going to be okay." I said starting to back away from him to go get changed.

"I promise. And if it's not, I will make it okay." He smiled and turned on his heel to head outside. When I turned around there were a couple of people watching me with a confused look on their face. I didn't really understand why so I just made my way back to Lynda who was riffling through the the other shirts that were on the rack for some of the other girls.

"All I brought you was different polka dotted shirts." She seemed a bit worried. I laid my hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, the polka dots are perfect." I smiled the best I could and she seemed to relax. "He does get better." I tried to reassure her. "It's just the first couple of days shooting he is a nervous wreck, and this is just how it shows. Besides, who do you think tells him what to do?"I joked to get her to laugh and it worked.

"Alright, polka dots it is."

***

"And action!" Sawyer yelled from behind the monitor.

I waited a couple of seconds before I started walking. My lines were racing through my head with every step I took. We had spent about ten minutes going through which path I was going to take to get to the tree's where Anna bumps into Daniel, but it seemed to have been creeping out of my memory.

Just keep going down this path. Remember your lines. Don't freak out!

I was yelling at myself internally while trying to keep in character. Then as if out of nowhere someone bumped into my so hard that I tripped backwards and onto my butt.