"So, where do you want me to stand?"
"I want you all to be sitting down, Parker can be standing. In this scene, none of you know what is going to happen next, but everyone understands things got very dangerous. It is Ripley's role to provide some degree of strategy, but even then, no one should be sure that the plan is a good one."
"Okay. Sounds good."
Filming had been going on for about a month and a half. All of the sets were ready. They had multiple sets that needed to be made, some were held and "stored" at other filming locations. They had commissioned other studios to construct and store them, so the only thing they needed to do was go there and start filming.
This was the best thing they could do as there was no space in the Dubois studio and it was not time-efficient to deconstruct other sets, just to replace them with another. They might even need the old set to redo certain scenes, so it wasn't advisable to constantly take down and rebuild another set.
This of course stressed out Catheryn to no end. James thought maybe he should get her a present as a way of saying thank you, for doing so much work and dealing with his shenanigans.
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As the filming progressed, James was made to do random miscellaneous tasks, which he enjoyed doing. He had done some of it in his previous life when he was just a rookie editor.
This felt a lot different from his past life as this was his movie and he was only doing it to cut down on costs and time. It was more efficient for him to do some of these tasks, such as placing some of the props and lighting. James could take the creative liberty to place these things as he pleased because not only was he the "creator," but he was also a co-producer.
Once filming was over and there were no more scenes left to be done, it was time for editing. James insisted that he be allowed to help. There was no way he couldn't take advantage of his 20 years as an editor, right?
Ridley was initially skeptical, but the editor that Dubois Studio got didn't exactly have the best resume. This made Ridley very hesitant to work with him, so with some persuasion from James, who lied and said he went to USC for editing (still currently undecided on his major, and was for all intents and purposes-currently dropped out).
Ridley eventually relented with the thought that if the creator of their movie could edit, then it probably wouldn't be bad.(?) He decided to give James an initial trial period until he was convinced or the studio found another editor.
No replacement was needed though as Ridley became overwhelmingly shocked by James' level of skill. James' experience and professionalism allowed the final cuts to progress smoothly, until finally... the movie was completed.
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The entire studio decided to watch the final cut of the movie together at their headquarters. They couldn't exactly rent out a theatre, so the Dubois duo decided to just project it against a white screen they used for backdrops, using their projector. This white screen wasn't that big, but it was big enough for people who just wanted to relax and bask in their work.
No one was concerned about not having the best movie theatre experience, nor was anyone concerned that there weren't enough seats. Most people had to sit on the floor, but everyone was happy to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
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The studio was quiet as they finished watching the peaceful relaxation that washed over Ripley, finally having defeated the xenomorph by throwing it out the airlock. She was in a loose t-shirt that accentuated her youthful-looking skin as the camera slowly panned over the room. The room was then overshadowed by the glow that came from the window of the ship, illuminated by the Earth and outer space.
As people took time to be in awe of this beautiful site that had not been done in any other movie, a cat jumped up on the window seal, taking their attention away from their view. The cat looked ominous as it stared out into the emptiness of space.
The audience could then see this cat slowly changing as it cried out unnaturally, its body started to contort, with bones cracking, and red lines spreading across its face.
Then the movie ended.
*Clap Clap Clap*
The studio was then filled with laughter and applause. Although this was odd since the movie was supposed to be a horror and the final scene was grotesque, the only thing on everyone's mind was how good the movie was overall.
Before this small screening, everyone was filled with worry that their sci-fi movie would fail along with all the rest. But, afterward, everyone let out a huge breath of relief that their director and editor knew what they were doing. The movie was just simply amazing and they enjoyed every minute of it, even the actors felt prouder to have been a part of this production.
Everyone was happy to see their hard work be well-represented, including the Dubois duo. Rich and Catheryn were ecstatic that they made the right investment and that it paid off so incredibly well. Naturally, they couldn't get too excited as they haven't distributed the movie, leaving them without profit, but they felt a lot of their worries wash away with the incredible film they saw.
"So, what did you think?" Rich asked Catheryn.
They were alone in Rich's office and there was no one else in the studio, everyone had gone home to take a short break with the movie finally being done. Rich and Catheryn had granted them this holiday as they weren't needed for the time being and they were going to be very busy contacting different distributors and movie theatres.
"It was good," Catheryn said succinctly, not wanting to admit how right her father was. She felt silly for worrying and bugging her father so much.
"But, you know, we got really lucky," Catheryn added.
"Yes, I know, but you saw what James did. That guy is a genius. Isn't it obvious that I recognize that sort of genius? I knew what he was as soon as I saw his comic."
"Hmph, sure you did."