"A fake script?" Jenny asked, smiling faintly as she held the clapperboard.
"Exactly," Andrew confirmed. "The plot can't be revealed. The venue and the students—the extras—were all borrowed from the principal for free."
This was typical of New World Productions: stingy was an understatement. Van Ness High School had agreed to lend its playground, organize students as free extras, and provide free meals, all because of the harmless-sounding, fabricated screenplay the producer had presented.
Rock 'n' Roll High School was a classic low-budget film: pure teenage rebellion, rock music, and romance. The actual plot involved the rebellious cheerleader of Vince Lombardy High inviting the Ramones to perform, enraging the old-fashioned principal, ultimately leading to the students tearing down the faculty office roof and renaming the school Rock 'n' Roll High School
Naturally, the administration of Van Ness Public High School wouldn't touch that plot. So, the director tasked Andrew with writing a deceptive screenplay, "High School Life," to placate them.
Andrew's version featured a new female principal who reforms the school, inspiring students obsessed with rock music to realize life offered more paths: college, factory work, supermarket cashier—all leading to a bright future.
"Okay, I understand." Jenny began erasing the title from the clapperboard, rewriting "High School Life" with a pen.
"Just make sure everyone relevant keeps quiet. We're only here for one day."
"No problem," Jenny replied, winking. "Andy, you're starting to sound like a real director."
Andrew waved away the compliment with a smile. "Just here to get a credit."
At that moment, a shrill burst of rapid conversation erupted from the other side of the camera, escalating into what sounded like a heated argument.
"I'll go see what the commotion is. See you, Jenny."
"See you."
He quickly moved into the crowd where Jim was besieged by the three female leads, who were, as Andrew mentally categorized them, quacking like fifteen hundred ducks.
"Can we block now?"
"Where's the director? Red or black jacket today?"
"Joe promised me a close-up last week!"
...
Andrew shook his head, mildly amused. Poor Jim, overwhelmed like a little chick, was being interrupted by the next question before he could finish answering the last.
Andrew addressed the Director of Photography, Dean Cundey. "Mr. Cundey, the extras are blocked and have rehearsed twice. They're ready to move in sync with the actors. What's the holdup?"
The cinematographer, peering behind the camera to check the framing, briefly looked up. "They want definitive answers, Andrew. Jim is trying to give them lengthy explanations, and so..."
Andrew understood immediately. A film set required countless instant decisions. The script might only state "white shoes," but the director had to select the perfect pair from costume—a dozen such choices every day, from shoe style to choreographing fifty extras.
The actresses didn't trust Jim's authority, and Jim felt compelled to over-explain his reasoning.
"Jim, where's the director? Where's Joe? Should I wear the red coat or the black one today? This damn low-budget film—the costume budget was maybe a hundred dollars! I had to spend my own paycheck. You know, I was right behind Rod Stewart at Fred Segal's on Sunset, and I snagged this red one a minute before him, otherwise he would've bought it for three hundred. And this black one is..." Lead actress PJ Soles rattled off details about her outfits with intimate familiarity.
"Miss Soles!" Andrew interjected firmly. "You should be wearing the red one for today's scene."
"Call me PJ. Red? But black is fine too."
Because you wore red in the videotape, Andrew thought, relying on the vault's vision. He quickly manufactured a professional, technical justification.
"Ms. PJ Soles, we are shooting at sunrise. The light before and after sunrise is a pale blue, which will make black appear flat and unnatural. Your red coat, however, is perfect. Pale blue is the complementary color to red, and it will absolutely pop against the background. Plus, your character is a rock girl—red is the superior choice for attitude."
"Really? Then red it is." PJ seemed satisfied by the technical explanation.
"Ms. Mary Voronoff," Andrew continued, addressing the actress playing the headmistress. "The director did promise you a close-up last week. It's on today's schedule. You walk to the camera from a distance, appearing in the headmistress's uniform." Andrew took the schedule from Jim, flipped to a page marked with colored paper, and showed it to Mary.
"Look, this is your shot."
"Dey Young (Miss Young), you play the well-behaved, studious girl, and you're the focus of the first shot. Let's start with your blocking and focus marks. In exactly eighteen and a half minutes—not twenty—the extras will be in position, and we will begin rehearsals."
Andrew had solved the crisis cleanly and efficiently, earning a thumbs-up from the cinematographer.
Mary Voronoff, who played the headmistress, was an industry veteran, having worked on several New World productions.
Dey Young, the studious girl, was a newcomer. Both prepared to start blocking their movements.
PJ Soles, the rebellious rock cheerleader, was the biggest star on the set. Having played major roles in the blockbuster horror films Carrie two years prior and the currently showing Halloween, she commanded the highest salary and was the only actor who had a stand-in.
While the stand-in took PJ's place for the rehearsals, the lighting crew checked the effect of the lights, and the camera team measured distances.
Film cameras lacked autofocus; the focus puller had to measure the exact distance between the actor's eyes and the camera with a tape measure to ensure sparkling clarity on screen.
PJ used her time to head to the temporary dressing room in the school building to change and touch up her makeup.
The red-haired first assistant cameraman (the focus puller and chief laborer) quickly grabbed tape and searched the floor for the actor's initial position based on the storyboard.
He marked the spot with a T-shaped marker. He then took his tape measure, hooked one end to the camera, and pulled the other end in front of the stand-in's eyes, noting the reading.
Back at the camera, he calculated the focus and marked it on the focus ring. During the actual shoot, he would adjust the focus precisely to that mark.
This meticulous process was repeated several times to complete the rehearsals for the first shot.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Andrew picked up the megaphone. "Makeup! Gigi, final touch-up for the female lead."
It was 5:55 AM, and Andrew's anxiety resurfaced—the director still hadn't appeared. At that moment, PJ Soles emerged from the dressing room, having changed and touched up her makeup.
She was still hesitant, wearing the red coat but holding the black one, gesturing between them. "Where's the director? I still need his confirmation."
Everyone looked at Andrew, who felt a sudden cold sweat. Why are they looking at me? I don't know where he is either! Yet, the vision was clear: she wore red. He forced a confident smile: "The director, the director..."
"The director's here!" Jim shouted from the opposite side.
A tall, thin man, nearly 6 feet 6 inches tall, walked in through the school gate. With a head of frizzy curly hair and features hinting at Middle Eastern ancestry, it was Allan Arkush,, the director of Rock 'n' Roll High School.