Hollywood King

Several weeks passed after the shooting of Star Wars began.

Throughout the shooting, there were so many things ongoing that made everyone feel as if they were home one way or another.

It was mainly due to how they spent their days and nights in the set without a beat.

The set, cast and crew became family after a few weeks.

Scene: Mos Eisley Cantina

In the bustling and diverse Mos Eisley Cantina, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Obi-Wan Kenobi sought passage to Alderaan. The air was thick with alien languages and the clinking of glasses.

As Han Solo negotiated with the cantina's bartender, Wuher, Luke turned to Obi-Wan, slightly overwhelmed by the eclectic crowd.

"I can't believe there are so many different species here. It's like a whole galaxy in one room!" Luke Skywalker whispered.

"Indeed, Luke. The Cantina is a haven for all walks of life. Just remember, be cautious. Not everyone here has the best intentions,” Obi-Wan Kenobi smiled at his reaction.

In the midst of their conversation, Wuher accidentally spilt a drink on one of the patrons, provoking an outburst of anger.

In an alien language, Patron said something while waving his arms in the air.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Here, let me clean it up!" Suddenly, Wuher started by saying apologetically. He felt bad for spilling the drink, so he focused on cleaning it.

Harrison Ford, ever the master of improvisation, seized the moment and turned to Mark Hamill.

"Looks like we found the one customer Wuher couldn't serve,” Han Solo said while grinning from ear to ear.

Mark Hamill burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking with mirth.

The crew, caught off guard by Harrison Ford's spontaneous wit, joined in the laughter, their amusement echoing through the lively cantina.

The momentary interruption of laughter added a touch of levity to the scene, capturing the camaraderie between the actors and the infectious energy of the original Star Wars film.

Scene: Yoda's Hut on Dagobah

On the swampy and mysterious planet of Dagobah, Luke Skywalker had sought out the wise and enigmatic Jedi Master Yoda. Inside the humble abode, Yoda, portrayed by Frank Oz, sat perched on a log, observing Luke's every move.

"Judge me by my size, do you? And well, you should not. For my ally is the Force and a powerful ally it is,” Yoda said while stroking his chin.

As Yoda spoke, Mark Hamill, portraying Luke Skywalker, accidentally stumbled over a root on the uneven floor, nearly losing his balance.

"Guess I should judge the roots by their size too, huh?" Mark Hamill said while gaining everyone’s attention.

Frank Oz, his voice emanating from Yoda's puppet, couldn't help but chuckle, his iconic character momentarily breaking from his sage-like persona.

The crew, witnessing the unexpected banter, joined in the laughter.

“Mark… Mark!” Ian said while laughing.

Mark shook his head while standing where he was.

The laughter died down soon.

“Who is ready to take the next shot?” Ian asked loudly, making everyone get back to their work.

“Let’s go before someone else trips!” Mark said and got to his position.

After that, they started to shoot their scene successfully. Although the scene was not perfect, they continued to take re-shoots one after another until Ian felt the scene was perfect.

And the day ended with everyone leaving the set with successful smiles of completing the scene.

-

[Renner Studio]

It was 9pm.

Ian Renner sat in his seat while looking at a few cuts he was able to get off from the set today.

His eyes continued to look at how the scene was executed slowly.

And in a way, he was looking for flaws.

Because the days had been hectic for him. His sleep was barely three hours, and most of the time, he was in front of his computer working, working and working.

He squinted his eyes as they continued to doze off even when he was actively looking at the scene over and over.

*Knock knock knock!*

The three knocks on the door brought back his focus as Ian sighed and propped back on the chair.

“Come in!” He yelled.

The office was open for staff who were willing to work until late at night because these days it was busy with the shooting.

Some teams needed extra work hours, and since Ian was paying them for their every minute of work input, they were more than happy.

This time, when the knocks came, he didn’t know who it was, but he closed his eyes for a moment as he was anyway disturbed from his focus.

“Ian,” Raelynn’s voice came in just above a whisper.

Ian slightly opened his eyes to see Rselynn wearing her office suit, with two cups of coffee that were placed on a tray in her hand.

“Come in, Rae. I thought you already went home,” Ian mumbled and sat straight.

“No, I couldn’t. I saw that the lights were on in your office, and when I asked, Murphy said you’re still working. No wonder you look exhausted looking at the screen for hours,” she sat while talking and placed the coffee on the table.

“My seventh cup of coffee.”

She shook her head for his response.

“You know, you should get some rest, this is not healthy. The shooting will go on for several months, and you can not work this hard to keep up the quality of the shooting. Especially when there’s only you as a director on the set,” her whisper filled the air.

The night felt extra chilly, or maybe it was the air conditioner. However, Ian looked at her worried features and sighed.

“The weekend is coming. Which means, there will be enough time to sleep and rest. Mark Hamill is just a few steps away from helping me with directing. I didn’t know a teacher can have that much insight on directing,” Ian said with a chuckle.

He was shocked when he found out how fresh Mark’s ideas were at times, but again, he knew Mark’s potential based off of just talking to him.

Raelynn nodded.

“Still, go home for today. It’s almost ten, and you can’t live off of caffeine.”

The corner of Ian’s lips curled up. “Don’t doubt the skill of a hardworking director. I’ll get ready to go home when I’m done with this scene. I just feel like something isn’t enough… I just need to find what it is,” he sighed as he looked back at the paused scene.

It was raw footage, but he still knew something was missing.

“Maybe a fresh set of eyes might help,” Raelynn walked around the table and stood behind Ian.

She put it back to the beginning and started the scene playing in front of them. While looking at the scene closely, her hands found their way to Ian’s head and she started massaging his head.

“Play it again,” she requested as she had the feeling of what was missing.

-

read ahead: www.patreon.com/TC_L