Ethan leaned back in his chair, staring at the studio ceiling. The words Rachel had said at the café kept circling in his mind like a broken record. He had the factions down: the Old Guard, the New Blood, and the Neutral Players. He knew where most people stood, but there was one question that gnawed at him: Where was Mr. Davis?
As the head of Beacon Studios, Mr. Davis held a lot of power, but his silence on the politics was unnerving. He had greenlit their first season and approved the second, but he hadn't taken a clear side in the brewing divide between the old and new ways of doing things at Beacon. And that made him unpredictable.
Ethan had always seen Mr. Davis as pragmatic—focused on what worked and what kept the studio afloat. But now that the stakes were rising, Ethan couldn't help but wonder: Was Mr. Davis with the Old Guard, supporting the safer, more formulaic content? Or was he secretly backing the New Blood, hoping for more creative, ambitious projects like Breaking Point to lead the way?
Ethan glanced over at Liam, who was hunched over the latest version of the script, making notes. Liam, like him, didn't have a confrontational bone in his body. Pushing Mr. Davis for answers, for clarity, wasn't in Ethan's nature. He wasn't the type to pick fights with the higher-ups, and he had no intention of starting now.
"I can't figure him out," Ethan muttered, half to himself.
Liam looked up, eyebrow raised. "Mr. Davis?"
"Yeah. Where's he stand in all this? I mean, he's given us the go-ahead, but I don't know if he's on our side, or if he's just waiting to see how it all shakes out."
Liam frowned, tapping his pen on the edge of the desk. "Davis is smart. He probably doesn't want to pick sides yet. Not until he knows which side will come out on top."
Ethan sighed. "Yeah. That's what worries me. He could shift either way depending on how things go."
Liam smiled slightly. "Just focus on the work. We're here to make the show better, right? If we keep delivering, Davis will stay on our side."
Ethan nodded, letting the thought settle. There wasn't much he could do about Mr. Davis's position right now. What he could do was make sure the second season of Breaking Point was even better than the first. If they could prove the value of their approach, the studio would have no choice but to support them.
The next morning, Ethan and Liam were back at the studio, refining the script for season two of Breaking Point. With the boost in funding, they had more room to be creative, and they weren't going to waste it. The second season needed to be bigger—more drama, more backstory, more emotional weight. They were diving deep into the characters, exploring their pasts and their motivations in ways that hadn't been possible before.
"This is where we reveal more about Luke's character," Ethan said, pointing to a scene in the script. "We've hinted at his struggles, but now we need to dig into what's driving him. His past, the trauma he's dealing with—let's give the audience something to hold onto."
Liam nodded, already scribbling notes. "We can build that into his conflict with Eric's character. Make it personal. The rivalry's already strong, but this season, it should be explosive."
Ethan leaned back, scanning the outline. The second season had the potential to be everything they had dreamed of, but they needed to make sure the execution matched their ambition. "We've got the story, but with the upgraded budget, we can do more with the visuals too. Let's elevate the production value. Use better camera techniques, more dynamic shots—make it feel bigger without losing what made the first season work."
Liam nodded in agreement. "We've got the budget now. Let's make it count."
They immediately called in Rick Donovan, the director, and Andy Jacobs, Beacon's lead cinematographer. Ethan knew they needed to talk about how they could maintain the gritty, grounded essence of the first season while taking the visuals to the next level.
Rick strolled into the room, his usual calm, no-nonsense demeanor in full effect. Andy followed, a wiry man with glasses perched on the tip of his nose. He had a reputation for working quickly and efficiently, but he was also a master of making the most of limited resources. With the extra budget for the second season, Ethan hoped Andy could push the show's visual language into new territory.
"Alright, fellas," Rick said, sitting down at the table. "What's the plan for season two?"
"We want to expand on what we did last season," Ethan explained. "The show's going to be more dramatic, the stakes higher. We're going deeper into the characters, especially Luke's and Eric's roles. But we also want the visuals to reflect that shift. We've got more room to experiment with better cameras, more dynamic shots. We want to keep the gritty feel, but we need to elevate it."
Andy leaned forward, intrigued. "What are you thinking in terms of camera work? More movement? Different angles?"
Liam chimed in. "Exactly. More movement, yes. In season one, we used static shots and handhelds to create a sense of intimacy, but this time, we want to mix in more ambitious shots. Wider angles for the bigger moments, but still keeping the close, tight shots during the emotional scenes. We're thinking about expanding the world visually—showing more of the city, more of the environments. It's not just about the characters anymore; it's about where they are."
Rick nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I like that. We keep the essence of the first season, but we're pushing the limits. That'll create more visual tension, especially during the confrontations."
Andy rubbed his chin. "We can definitely play around with that. We'll need to get some better equipment in here—cameras with more range, better lenses. But the key will be finding the right balance. We don't want to overdo it and lose the raw, grounded feel that made the show work in the first place."
Ethan smiled, feeling the momentum building. "Exactly. We want to build on what worked, not change it completely."
They spent the next few hours discussing the specifics of how they would shoot the key scenes. Ethan knew the second season would hinge on the emotional weight of the characters' interactions, but now, with Andy's expertise and Rick's direction, they could enhance those moments with powerful visual storytelling.
"We should storyboard the biggest scenes," Rick suggested, scribbling down notes. "Especially the confrontations between Luke and Eric. We'll want to be precise with the camera work in those moments—each angle, each cut has to serve the tension."
Andy nodded. "We'll use a combination of handheld for the emotional close-ups, but when the tension peaks, we pull back. Let the environment swallow them. That'll give us the contrast we need."
Ethan felt a sense of satisfaction as the plan came together. They were taking the show to the next level without losing its soul. The second season wasn't just about telling a bigger story—it was about telling it in a way that felt more immersive, more cinematic.
As the meeting wrapped up, Rick and Andy left to start working on the storyboards and camera setups, leaving Ethan and Liam alone in the production office. The day had been productive, and for the first time in a while, Ethan felt like things were moving in the right direction. The script was solid, the visuals were coming together, and with Eric Ross on board, the cast was shaping up to be stronger than ever.
But even as the excitement built, that lingering question still sat in the back of Ethan's mind: Where did Mr. Davis stand?