| Fan Fiction |
by W99
It was Day 1 of their shooting, and although the movie’s promotional activities had yet to truly kick off, HIM had decided not to waste any valuable time, moving filming up two weeks earlier than the initial plan.
And even though this hadn’t been the only time Calvin had to pull on his actor robes, he was still understandably very nervous about the whole thing. He was casted as the main character, for the very first time ever, and his co-stars were all notably old hands in the industry.
Selina was a supremely good actress, and it went without saying that both Chun and Ella were sure to have a few acting tricks to pull out of their sleeves. He was the most inexperienced out of the bunch, and honestly, it was destroying what little self-confidence he had in himself.
“Nervous?” Selina skipped up just then. “You have a frown on your face.” It was just the two of them that day. Chun and Ella weren’t needed yet until a few days later.
Calvin quickly erased the tell-tale sign from his features, pulling on a smoothly masked smile. “Why should I be?”
Selina raised an eyebrow, not at all convinced by his casual tone.
He broke out into a true grin. “Ok fine, maybe I am. Just a little. It’s been awhile since I’ve last acted.”
She nodded, “But I’m feeling equally excited too. I can’t wait to really begin work!”
Calvin laughed. Her enthusiasm was infectious. His expression turned more serious, however, when his earlier worries came back to swirl hauntingly around him. “I hope I won’t slow the whole team down.”
Selina glanced up at him, noticing for the first time that day the faint dark circles under his eyes. His make-up artist hadn’t been able to truly cover them all up.
So, Calvin hadn’t been sleeping well last night? She found this particularly intriguing.
Calvin had always presented himself to be the most confident, most self-assured member out of Fahrenheit. He was always all smiles and no frowns. Truly, they had all gotten used to the idea that Calvin was a big, goofy baby who didn’t have a single care in the world. It was interesting to note that he wasn’t all that he seemed to be.
Selina leaned forward in a confidential manner. “You know what?”
Calvin cocked his head to one side, curious at her secretive, hushed tone. He leaned closer too. “What?”
“You’ll be great, so stop being a worry wart!” she took the opportunity to give him a smart tap on the head, than danced away laughingly.
Calvin blinked, not expecting that from her. “Hey!”
After making sure she was a safe distance away from any potential retributions from Calvin’s part, she turned back to face him. “I have absolute faith in your abilities!” she called out, her tone speaking volumes of her confidence in him. She smiled, truly believing that he would do a good job.
Calvin nodded after a short pause, humbled by her certainty. It gave him a welcomed, much-needed boost in his confidence level.
“Calvin! Selina! Over here!” Pete, their director waved them over just then.
They hurried to his side at once.
“I trust the both of you have today’s script down to pat?” Pete regarded them sternly, though there was a telltale twinkle in his eyes.
Calvin and Selina nodded seriously back.
“Good. Well, I just wanted to run things over briefly with you two. Calvin, you have it easier. You have limited movement today, only going between Point A and Point B,” Pete turned towards his female actress. “But Selina, the first scene is slightly more complicated for you. Now, I don’t want you to get flustered if you forget where you’re supposed to go next. Positions aren’t dead fixed so if you find yourself at a loss, just move whichever way you deem most suitable, and we’ll see if we can work with whatever you’re delivering. Got it?”
“Well, since it’s the first time all of us are working together, we’ll be starting with something basic. You know, just to get everybody settled down and used to each other. Now…” Pete launched into a detailed lecture of just what he wanted to see, and what he wanted to feel from the two young pop stars.
Calvin listened carefully, lending his full attention. Pete was a very good director, decisive and precise. He knew what he wanted to capture on screen, and he knew how to explain it all to his actors. He piled them with reassurances to calm their nerves down, but at the same time he also managed to convey his brisk, not-taking-any-crap-whatsoever tone across.
By the time the three of them wrapped up their private little discussion, Calvin had a clearer idea of what was expected of him. He was still feeling a tiny bit apprehensive, but Pete’s pep talk had boosted his self-esteem up and he was feeling a lot happier about everything in general.
“And action!”
As the minutes slowly ticked past, Calvin began to relax. It was great to be in front of the cameras again, and after the initial pressure of worrying that he wouldn’t be able to perform satisfactorily had faded away, he was able to concentrate fully on the task at hand and deliver all his lines easily and effortlessly.
He still felt unsure of himself at times, but with Pete’s smooth handling and continuous coaching, he found himself warming up to his role, beginning to grasp an idea of who and what Dr Jayden truly was, this person that earlier on had only existed in his scripts.
Pete settled back with a small smile as he watched both Calvin and Selina interacting with each other on set. The two young actors were an absolute pleasure to work with.
Selina was quick on her feet, both witty and charming. She had a fantastic camera presence, her features intriguingly expressive, her body movements fluid and natural.
Calvin on the other hand, though slightly stiffer compared to his co-star, was however surprisingly easy to direct. He adapted to his surroundings very well, was willing to work hard and take risks just to ensure a perfect take, and his drive to succeed more than made up for his inexperienced and lack of expertise.
Dr Jaden and Nurse Ariel were coming splendidly to life. All in all, ‘Because of You’ looked like it was going to be a very delightful series to produce.
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It was an amiable atmosphere that surrounded both Selina and Calvin when they sat down for some much-needed break. The both of them had covered four different ‘hospital’ scenes in rapid succession. There was barely any need to slow down, and re-takes were kept to a surprising minimum.
Pete was overjoyed at the pace they were setting. The on-screen chemistry between both actors was unbelievable, and the two were so well-prepared for their roles and had memorized their lines so well they barely made any mistakes.
At the rate they were going, they could well wrap up filming before the proposed date.
“You were great today,” genuine admiration shone in Selina’s eyes as she ate daintily from her lunch box.
“I wasn’t. You were better,” Calvin protested, but in all honesty he was feeling quite pleased with himself. True, he still had some way to go before he could really call himself a top-notch actor, but all in all, he thought he hadn’t done too badly for their first day of shooting.
“Oh, stop being so modest!” she rolled her eyes at him. “Be quiet and accept compliments graciously for once.”
“I’m sorry,” Calvin returned, grinning. He deepened his voice playfully, just to tease her. “What I meant to say was, thank you my lady for the wonderful encouragement. I shall hold this sentence dear to my heart always and forever,” dramatic arm-waving accompanied his statement.
Selina aimed an empty bottle at him, laughingly throwing it at his head.
He ducked, than leaned over slyly to steal some food from her unattended container.
“Calvin! That’s mine!” she protested.
“Too late,” one gulp and a slice of her chicken had disappeared down his throat.
“You meanie!” she kicked up a big fuss jokingly, and wouldn’t quit until he finally offered her a slice of his own chicken as a form of apology.
Calvin shook his head, a small smile unknowingly drifting across his face as he regarded the laughing young woman sitting in front of him. To the public, Selina Ren was a sophisticated, spirited young lady with the voice and looks of a heartbreakingly beautiful angel. But who would have guessed that underneath all that glamorous beauty laid the naivety and mischievousness of an innocent, youthful child?
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Thank you all for the wonderful comments! I hope the chapter was alright. =D
-W99