Chapter 4
Just wanted to give a shout out to Locker55 for my first Power Stone. Thank you and I hope you keep enjoying my story.
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"He always has this notebook on him. Even to this day he has a notebook on him. That is the only thing I can honestly say I remember about him during the filming of Se7ve." Gwyneth Kate Paltrow.
-1995-
"Cut." The voice of David Fincher yells out while letting out a sigh of relief.
It was finally over, he thought to himself. The filming of Se7ve had finally been wrapped up today. After 3 long months of gurling work the hardest part of making a movie was over. To say he had not been sleeping well these last few months would be a lie. As the director of the movie and after his failure with Alien 3 he was all too aware that this may be his last chance to direct a major motion picture. So, getting past this bump in the road was a big relief for him. Even if he knew the stress he was feeling lately was only the beginning. Well aware now came the editing. Which was another nightmare in of itself.
Looking around him, he spots the young man who made this all possible. The writer for the movie he was making. Looking as calm and cool as ever while he wrote in his black notebook. Something he always seemed to have on him. Honestly when he first met Caesar, he didn't know what to make of the young man. Oh, sure David could recognize the raw talent Caesar possessed in his writing. But as for the young himself David didn't know what to think at first.
His initial impression of Caesar was that he was just your typical hoodlum kid with a chip on his shoulder. That however evolved into your typical hoodlum who was also very dangerous and angry at the world. Only to change again during the revisions of the script for Se7ve. David had met many writers over his time in the business and he could honestly none of them were even half as calm and cool as Caesar when it came to someone criticizing their work. Often, they only get angry and defensive at someone pointing out their mistakes or when someone thought something could be improved upon.
That wasn't Caesar, however. The young man was in as few words as possible, ice cold. He took the criticism and questions with hardly a word. Then asked how that person thought it should be changed, and God help you if you didn't have an answer. He may have only been 18 years old but the way Caesar talked to someone who didn't have an option other than criticism was brutal. More than once, David had to step more than once during the revision process to play peacemaker when one of the writers of New Line had lost their temper and tried to get in Caesar's face. Something that wouldn't have ended well for them as David could tell Caesar was not the type to pull his punches. You started something with him, you had better be ready to take a few before it was over.
That said Caesar was also a surprisingly diligent worker. Any job he gave Caesar or help set him up for him, Caesar was in it all the way. For example, casting. David knew all too well now tedious even the last rounds of auditions can get, and Caesar was involved from the beginning to the end. Yet the casting director had nothing but positive things to say about Caesar. Starting clearly that Caesar didn't complain once and went over each file carefully before tossing it aside or bringing it up. That was surprising as David was sure Caesar would complain at least once.
Then came his working in lights. It was clear to anyone watching that Caesar was given the worst and hardest jobs to do with lighting but again he said nothing. He did his job with care and precision. To the point that Darius gave him a small crew to get things done quicker and efficiently. Nothing important but things that needed to be done on set but didn't require a lot of technical know-how. David was pretty sure Darius even wanted to hire Caesar at this point. If only to see how much Caesar could learn from him.
Getting up from his chair David walks over the Caesar as he is writing in his notebook and say, "Hey Caesar."
Looking up from where I was writing I stand up and say, "Hey what's boss?"
"Nothing much. We are finally done filming and saw you sitting here. What are you working on?" David asks.
"Ah just taking down some notes and thoughts. Submitted a script a few months back to WGA. But after watching all this in action am now thinking it's not good enough." I say to David.
"Come now this was one hell of a script you wrote and is going to make one hell of a movie. So, I am sure this one is just as good." David says to me but not really knowing if that was true. After all, Se7ne was unique in itself. It would be hard to write anything as good as most writers never able to match their first work.
"Thanks boss." I say to him then hear one of the guys call me. It was time to start taking down the lights and stuff.
"Have to go boss. Talk later." I say to him.
"Sure, but before you go can I see what you have written down?" David asks, interested in what Caesar has written. If it was half as good as Se7en it was worth checking out.
"Ya sure it's just notes, however. If you want to read the script you going to have to go to the WGA." I say to him before handing him my notebook and walking off.
Opening up the notebook after Caesar leaves David sees a lot of broken sentences, one-word lines with question marks and scratched out parts. Like Caesar said it was just notes and random thoughts. But after flipping the pages for a bit he comes to several names, the first is someone named the Ghost, the 2nd is a girl named Casey. The dialog is all over the place again but as he reads on one line jumps out at him.
"Do you like scary movies?" David says to himself and doesn't know why but this one line hooks him, and he keeps going till he reaches the end.
After reading the whole notebook David looks up to see the work on taking down the setting is nearly done. He had lost track of time reading Caesar's notebook. Ture it was all over the place and the few scenes he did write needed work but if this was just random thoughts and the real script was at WGA….
Should he call Arnold? No, Arnold was already taking a risk by producing Se7en. He wasn't about to take another risk by buying another script from Caesar. Not before he known if Se7en was going to success first or not. In fact, David was still surprised he was able to talk Arnold into buying the script in the first place. No, he would have to go elsewhere, but where?
After thinking about David remembers Cathy Konrad over at Woods Entertainment. She liked slasher movies. Maybe she would be interested in the script. It wouldn't hurt to make a few call after all.
So filming was over on Se7en. I didn't get an invitation to either take part in the editing or watch the editing of the movie. That wasn't a surprise. The fact that I was involved as much as I was in the movie in the first place was a miracle in itself. I couldn't ask for more and was smart enough not to. That doesn't mean I was done, however. Not even close.
You see that notebook I let David read was all part of my larger plan. I already knew Se7ne was going to be the dark house hit of the year. It was going to put David's name on the map, and I planned to ride his coattails all the way up with him. To do that I had to make him think I was working on more scripts. So, when the movie was a hit, he would immediately think of me and hopefully come looking for another.
That doesn't mean I was putting all my eggs in one basket, however. You see, after I was done writing up Se7en I had worked and submitted 3 other scripts. One for 96' and two for 97'. If things went the way the information in my head said they would then all of them should be picked up at some point. If not, well I still had over 30 years of scripts in my head, so I was in no rush. With that said again I got lucky.
Now you may ask how? Well, the answer is simple, you see in Hollywood things may seem bigger than life from a distance. But in reality, things were a lot smaller then they appeared to be. Hollywood was in fact a tight knit community of people who didn't like each other but collaborated with each other to make a profit. And that wasn't only for the executives at the top. That went for the people at the midlevel and bottom as well. What to see what I mean, go to LA and try to get a job on any set for any of the major studios. You won't find one easily, unless you have connections, like I seemed to have.
In an effort to keep me busy and in the Hollywood scene. David and Darius called in a favor for me and got me a job in lights on another movie set. A low-level job of course but it was something and hey I always enjoyed the movie Heat. Al Pacino and Robert De Niro come on who didn't want to see those two up close and personal at least once in their lives. Not that I got to talk to them, mind you but that didn't matter, I was there and that is all I need. After all I had my notebook on me and was a hard worker.
Like pretty much everything else in Hollywood everything was about how people saw you. They see a hard worker like I was, and they remember you. Next show them you're the guy who can get things done and they like you. Lastly, show them you know what you're doing or at least fake like you know what you are doing. Then sit back and watch as they take notice. Now of course I wasn't the only one who was working hard. On an active movie set you won't' find anyone fucking off. They all wanted to stand out, but you see I had an advantage over everyone else. You see while I may not have known anything about lighting like with the scripts in my head, I could also watch in what felt like real time how those movie was made. Like a personal home theater, which included on site filming. I knew where to put the lights even before being asked to put them up. I just didn't know how to adjust them or the difference between light settings. Oh, sure give me enough time and I would figure it out, but it was like with editing. You could sit me in front of an editing table, and I may be able to do something with the info in my head. But it would be a slow process and most in the end I most likely would fail.
Knowing how something is done after all is not the same as doing it. And just because I could watch the process in my head didn't mean I could copy it. Best I learn the old-fashioned way. With all that said when I was told to put up lights in one area I was rarely corrected. Something the Dante Spinotti the cinematographer for the movie Heat took notice of. Raw talent with no skill is what he called me. And he didn't mean that as an insult.
Now while I was working on the set of Heat things where going on behind the scenes that I didn't know about. As again David was stepping in to give me a helping hand. Pushing my nonexistent career forward by leaps and bounds one more. Have to say David was one hell of a guy.
It was another stressful day for Cathy Konrad as she sat at her desk in her office when her secretary called her on the intercom.
"Miss Konrad, you have a call for you on like one." Her secretary says.
"Who is it?" Cathy asks in no mood to take calls right now if she could help it. As she looked over yet another script. Hoping to find that hidden gem in a pill of shit. A gem she desperately needed at this point.
It was safe to say at this point she was looking for something good to make up for the last two failures. Well maybe calling Kids a failure was a bit much but Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead was. She needed something to set off her career. Something to leave a mark so to speak but was finding nothing.
"It's David Fincher miss."
What could he want Konrad asks herself. Not really knowing that man all that well. Oh, sure like everyone else she met him a few time and even talked with him but only a handful of times over the years. Hollywood being such a small community you eventually meet everyone there is to meet. That said they were not what some would call friends or even acquaintances. Still David was a young up and comer who was currently working on a new movie despite the cluster fuck that was Alien 3.
With that knowledge in had Cathy picks up the phone and says, "This is Cathy. How can I help you today, Director Fincher?"
"Ah Miss Konrad so happy I could get a hold of you. I hope you don't think this is rude of me, but I sent a script to you the other day. Did you get it?" David asks.
Taking a moment to look around her office she finds a package on her desk and picks it up. "I did, I haven't had a chance to read it yet however."
"Oh, I see well I just wanted to see if you have. You see the script was written by the same young man who wrote the script for the movie I am currently working on. I gave it a read myself and liked it but can't do anything with it while I am working on my current project. That was when I remembered from our last talk that you said you liked horror movies. So, I thought I send it to you to read." David says to her.
Upon hearing this it doesn't take Cathy long to realize where this conversation was headed. There was a young writer that David had taken a liking to, and he was asking her as a favor to read over the script said writer gave him. While not a powerhouse director by any means Cathy does remember that David had some pretty powerful friends in Hollywood and show business in general.
Knowing it was best to not just out right refuse him Cathy says, "I see well Director Fincher, I will give it a read and let you know what I think."
"Thank you, Miss Konrad. I hope to hear from you soon about your thoughts. I have to go now have a good rest of your day." David says in a bit of a rush.
"You to Director Fincher." Cathy says before hanging up the phone.
Thinking it was better to get this over with then putting it off till later Cathy opens the package and pulls out the script. Reading the title out loud, "Scream, by Caesar Espinar."
She started to read it. And read it some more, then sits in her chair to keep reading it. While also picking up a pin as she does. Circling first one part then underlining another. Till before she knows it, she is fully engrossed in what she is reading. Much like David was when he first read Se7en. Though she is far less hyped about the script then then he was about Se7en.
Keeping a cool head after she is done reading the script she sets it down and picks up her phone and dials a number. When someone finally picks up the phone on the other end Cathy says, "Yes, Cary this it me and I think I may have something here.... That is right... No, I don't know the writer but there is something about it that is telling me it's a hit... Yes, yes, I know we need a hit. Just come over so I can show you it... Wonderful see you in an hour."
Putting the script down Cathy looks at it one more time and smiles. "Caesar Espinar huh? I don't know who you are, but I have to say your script is not too bad. Let's see where this leads us shell we."