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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/-Editor-484 on 2024-10-15 07:06:58+00:00.
“Female aged 20 to 22. Clare, supporting role. Brown/chestnut hair. Fresh out of school. Adventurous personality and a little rough around the edges.”
Based on that short job listing I thought Jessica had a good chance of getting the part. When she did, I was delighted. I remember the light in her eyes when she burst into the room to tell me. This meant something to her, more than just a role in a movie. She told me it proved something, not just to her but to her parents. That the years she had spent in college were worth it. This would be something she could be proud of. She’s been taking the bus too and from Vancouver since then.
The film is being produced by the upcoming film studio: Borderline Pictures. Initially I was suspicious of the studio. They don’t have a website… or almost any information when you look them up online. Neither did the film’s Polish director, Youry Nowak, have any previous work. At least now she can say she’s been paid for something in her field, I had thought. Hopefully it’ll be easier for her to get more work after this experience, whether or not the film does well.
I’m writing this post because of an incident at the studio which occurred yesterday. Before then, I had seen none of her work.
I had been excited all week—since Jessica had given me the invitation to tour the studio. She explained it would be a small group, (just the crew’s close friends and family). The plan was to show us the props department and some of the sets being assembled. It was going to be on a Saturday which meant no class for me. Even if there was, I would have taken the day off for this. I wasn’t going to miss it.
“This one here,” Jessica pointed it out. I pulled my grey car to a stop just outside the grungy warehouse. Its walls had been a tan color I think, though the paint was stained and peeling.
My eyes wandered towards the trash bins outside the entrance. The mound of bulging black garbage bags were wedging the rectangular lid open. Jessica must’ve noticed as I pursed my lips. “I know…” she said, “it’s kind of a sketchy area. We should head inside.”
“Aren’t we a bit early?” I asked, craning my neck to get a look at the front entrance, “don’t see anyone else going in yet.”
“Youry should be here,” she said, “I could tell he was a bit nervous about today.”
“Yeah?” I asked, “why’s that?”
“Just don’t want him to think nobody’s coming. And… you know that guy I told you about?”
“The guy who lives at the studio?”
“Yeah,” she nodded, “he sometimes can be a bit… unpredictable.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I told her, “you haven’t told me much about him, just that he gets really into character. Some people might be interested to see that even… don’t you think?”
“I guess we’ll see.” Jessica pushed open her door and headed up towards the studio. I followed, giving her what I hoped to be a comforting smile as she pulled the door open.
I felt somewhat out of place standing in the front entranceway. Jessica went over to greet the other actors as I lingered at the doorway. There were a few people standing around me. An older couple walked over to introduce themselves. They told me about their grandson who was playing the main role of the protagonist in the film.
“You must be excited to see the studio as well then” I said, “have you visited it before?”
“Nah,” the old man shook his head, “he’s told us barely anything. Studio secrecy and all that.”
“Right,” his wife nodded, “very professional around here I’d say. I’ve heard that about these things before. They want to keep everything a mystery.”
I nodded, turning my focus to the sound of polished shoes approaching from the hallway ahead. His features were stern, but not unfriendly with an angular jaw. He was extremely thin, and dressed in a baggy grey suit. His mustache was well grown out, but flat as a comb against his lip. Jessica returned to me as a hush fell upon the assembled crowd.
“Welcome everyone,” said the man, waving. “I’m the director of the film, Youry Nowak. Glad all of you could make it out. If you follow me we’ll be off to the main stage.” He went over some basic rules, that we were not to touch anything and to watch our step when we entered the first set.
I will say the interior of the studio was very well kept compared to the exterior. As Youry led us down the hallway the tiled floor was extremely smooth. Portions marked with wet floor signs were even noticeably fresh with cleaning solutions. Like they prepared it just for our visit.
Through a set of double doors my eyes widened. The set was reminiscent of an old English street. It was built of cobblestone with black lamp posts along the sidewalk. Off to the left hand side was the exterior of a building—which Youry referred to as the clocktower. It was enormous, tall enough that it touched the roof. We were told that it was only the bottom half of the tower. The upper half would be added in post.
My eyes roamed the space as Youry talked on. The loose stone shifted beneath my feet as I turned around taking it all in. I noticed some of the other guests wandering, a few kneeling down to get a closer look at some of the smaller details. Amongst it all something stuck out to me, seemingly unnoticed by the others. Near the storm grate along the edge of the clocktower was a large stone platform. As I got closer I could see a wooden trapdoor on its face. As I got closer I heard something that, I’ll admit, sent a shiver through my body. It was a hushed voice which oozed an aura of excitement.
“I’ve found it,” the voice ranted with glee, “the voice, the movement. Thank you, Thank you for showing me. At last, It's all coming together.” I was now standing right above the trapdoor. There was a big gold star roughly nailed into the wood.
“Excuse me…” said the director. Even at a distance I could see the single drop of sweat dripping down his forehead. He approached me at a brisk pace. The trail of guests followed behind. “I was just about to show you all the next room. There’s a lot more to see…”
Just as I stepped back down from the platform there was a creek as the trapdoor swung open. I caught a glimpse of what seemed to be an ordinary room below. A bed with a white frame. Scattered pages of comic books… and something large and swollen I couldn’t quite make out. It was obstructed as the man climbed out, slamming the trap door shut behind him. The only skin exposed was the circle of his white face. Head to toe he was dressed in grey with small round blue markers stuck all across it.
“Oh hello…” the man glared at me, “you didn't see anything, did you?” He gestured down at the trapdoor.
“N… no.” I stammered, shaking my head.
The man flashed his teeth as he smiled, “good… well, I’m glad to see you all then, I’ve been locked in my room, for… I don't know how long. You recognize me don’t you?”
His eyes seemed to fix on each of us individually as he waited for an answer. The room remained completely silent.
“I’m Andy Baker. No? Anyway, for this role they asked me to play a crazy man, a murderer who consumes his victims. All my acting is done in a motion capture suit—it’s a CGI Character. I argued with them about it for a while. Practical effects would be better I said, you know, with makeup. Not some modern generated character within a computer.... I’ve put everything into this role. To get into character I’ve gone so far as to…”
“Very insightful…” Youry cut in, “thank you Andy.”
Andy scowled. “I told you not to interrupt, remember?” he bit his grey thumb then pointed it at the director. “Or else I’ll do it again.”
Youry went pale. “Not here.”
I flinched as Andy’s eyes flashed towards me, “isn’t that why you brought all these guests? Why not give them a show.
“Andy please,” the director gulped, “no.”
“Fine then… fade to black,” Andy snarled, clenching his jaw. He then darted away on all fours. Like an animal he reached the side of the clocktower. We could still see his eyes as he crouched among the rubble. The sound of chewing followed.
“He does sell the part well doesn’t he?” Youry laughed after a pause. He began to clap. Following his example the rest of us joined in. I tried to meet Jessica’s gaze as I clapped along with the others, but she looked away quickly.
“You alright?” I asked. She held onto my arm tightly as we followed Youry to the next set of double doors. She looked back towards the clocktower, making sure he was out of earshot before pulling me closer. In a hushed voice she told me Andy Baker wasn’t actually his name. It was his character’s name. The cannibal.
“Oh I see…” I nodded, “what’s his real name then?”
“I don’t even know, “ she shook her head, “I don’t think any of the cast does. He’s a serious method actor. At least… that’s what Youry told us the first day. He told us not to ask too many questions, just to go along with it.”
Leaving the room Youry led us down a narrow hallway to what he informed was the motion capture room. It was significantly smaller than the previous space. Above our heads was a ring of cameras facing down into the center of the room.
A more friendly looking actor was introduced who explained how the technology worked. She told us that the tracking markers would be recorded by the cameras above us. This would translate to movement in 3d space and would be a starting point to animate the character. They then showed us some recordings on the monitor at the front of the room and how it looked in the final rende...
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