Hollywood Art: System of sunnys

Billy did not deny that it was a beautiful midday; Natalie looked astonishingly young, almost like a girl. Yet he could not help but say that she was beautiful even in the way she was, a quality that gave him a clear response, the faintest memory. She gave him room to come closer. Billy leaned in and kissed Natalie deeply as the cameras rolled. His tongue met hers. The taste of cinnamon flooded his taste buds.

She returned the kiss with depth; her hands paused on his chest while he pulled her body firmly against his own. It was the first time Billy truly let himself go, as he had in every scene before this one. A deep kiss that completely concealed the presence of anyone else.

-cut.-

For Billy, it felt like an awakening.

-You didn’t stop, Natalie.- Billy whispered, watching how the girl let herself be carried away by the kiss. Something in her had begun to rise; it was the predestination of acting, the moment when films truly happen.

-I’m sorry.- the girl said, releasing a sigh that seemed to come from her soul, stopping her in every step, a brief truth in which every part left him genuinely breathless.

-Twenty minutes!- Steven Spielberg shouted, having been filming since dawn, and this scene was already showing the actors’ fatigue; they needed a little time. Billy said nothing, but he noticed Natalie’s nervousness about continuing.

He took a step away, sat down slightly apart from everything, pulled out his sketchbook, and began drawing rough drafts of several shots; within them were the images he carried of how to write a story that grew efficiently long. Naruto already held two hundred chapters in his hands, stretching every apex, letting every fight unfold to its fullest.

They were stories like these—complete and filled with effort—that were worth it. Billy was certain that the amount of combat he portrayed needed improvement, and that every character required a strong entrance from different angles. Now, only at chapter seventy-eight, he was writing about Jiraiya and an elite team created to hunt S-rank criminals, forming a squad specialized in maximum-attack ambushes.

All new characters, and before the invasion of the Sand began, before Naruto was introduced to Jiraiya, before everything had its time and place, he used every scene to tell a continuous story. Still writing, his chapters ran fifty percent longer, with twenty-five extra pages.

He felt Natalie’s return; she was composed again, now she simply had to do her job as she always did.

-scene 51, take 5.-

EXT. NABOO LAKE RETREAT, LODGING, GARDEN TERRACE – AFTERNOON

ANAKIN and PADME walk up the stairs from where the water skimmer is parked to a terrace overlooking a beautiful garden. Behind them, PADDY ACCU supervises two handmaidens, NANDI and TECKLA, as they carry the bags into the lodging.

ANAKIN and PADME stop at the balustrade. PADME gazes at the garden, the shimmering lake, and the mountains rising beyond. ANAKIN watches her in silence.

PADME: When I was on Level Three, we used to come here for school retreats. See that island? We used to swim there every day. I love the water.

ANAKIN: So do I. I guess it’s because I grew up on a desert planet.

PADME notices that ANAKIN is watching her.

PADME: …We used to lie in the sand and let the sun dry us… and try to guess the names of the birds that were singing.

ANAKIN: I don’t like sand. It’s coarse, rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft… and smooth…

He touches her arm. PADME becomes receptive to the way he looks at her, though she is nervous. Billy/Anakin’s eyes are heavy and laden with meaning, making her legs weaken once again; everything about her was so clearly exposed. It ignited Spielberg’s lens like a bonfire, and he gave a deep gesture of approval.

PADME: There was an old man who lived on the island. He used to make glass from sand, vases and necklaces from the glass. They were magical.

ANAKIN

(looking into her eyes)

Everything here is magical.

PADME: You could look into the glass and see the water, the way it rippled and moved. It looked so real… but it wasn’t.

ANAKIN: Sometimes, when you believe something is real, it becomes real. Real enough, at least…

They look into each other’s eyes. He touches her chin. Another gesture that makes her eyes widen, her pupils dilate, her skin prickle—everything is captured, recorded by Steven, who trusts that chemistry will do the rest of the acting. He has a role to shoot and must be in England the following week to finish, due to Star Wars. Saving Private Ryan had stretched on for nearly six months, and filming was only just beginning, wrapping up and moving toward a November release.

PADME: I used to think that if you looked too deeply into the crystal, you’d get lost.

ANAKIN: I think that’s true…

ANAKIN kisses PADME. She does not resist. She comes to her senses and pulls away. It still tastes of cinnamon, but now it is the taste of coffee that her tongue discovers.

PADME: I shouldn’t have done that.

ANAKIN: I’m sorry. When I’m near you, my mind stops being my own.

PADME: It’s the situation… the stress…

He looks at her.

ANAKIN: …the view.

-cut.-

-wow.-

-Twenty minutes for the next takes!- the editor’s director shouts. Billy is reminded of Lucas.

Lucas is at the other end, filming scenes with some clones for the next plan of the television series, where everything will be shot from Padmé’s perspective. This series belongs entirely to him. He will film the first six episodes in his own way, with some help, and the remaining six will be directed by someone else. It will be a darker series, intended for adults.

-Do you want to watch movies tonight?- Billy asked Natalie. She watched him; she saw everything.

-I have to study.- she replied, about to mention the academic exam she needed to take to apply to universities.

-Well then, I hope your night is comfortable.- Billy replied, returning to the scenes.

-Studying isn’t very comfortable when you want to go watch movies.- she joked.

-Then relax and watch a movie with me; tomorrow will be another day to study.- Billy replied.- Besides, you know you don’t need a perfect score, you just need distinction and dedicated excellence to get into any university. A name overshadows the rest.-

-scene 52, take 2.-

NANDI places dessert in front of PADME. TECKLA does the same with ANAKIN. The dessert is a kind of fruit. PADME picks up her fork and tries to spear a piece— but it moves! She frowns and tries again; the fruit moves. She looks at ANAKIN. His eyes are fixed on the plate.

PADME: Did you do that?

ANAKIN looks up innocently, eyes wide.

ANAKIN: What?

PADME glares at him. She tries again to grab the fruit; ANAKIN subtly moves his hand, and the fruit lifts from the plate, hovering in front of her.

PADME: That! Stop it!

PADME laughs. ANAKIN laughs. She reaches for the fruit as it spins.

PADME

(continuing)

Anakin!

ANAKIN moves his fingers. The fruit flies into his hand.

ANAKIN: I really shouldn’t do that… for fun, I mean. If Master Obi-Wan were here, he’d be very grumpy.

ANAKIN is pleased. He cuts the fruit into several pieces and hands one back to PADME. She bites it from the air and laughs.

-cut.-

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