Trust Me: A Slight Dramatization of Real Events
Pre-Production My vision was clear. And though this final project was worth only 10% of my grade for this Easy A economics course, this was…
Sort by category
Pre-Production My vision was clear. And though this final project was worth only 10% of my grade for this Easy A economics course, this was…
Pre-Production
My vision was clear. And though this final project was worth only 10% of my grade for this Easy A economics course, this was to be done right. They may have not understood it, but that’s just the way fools are. I took control of writing the script, because it was my opportunity to show to the world the potential I have. In just half an hour, I had the first draft completed and sent out to my group. My group consisted of Eric, Elizabeth, Jeremy, and me, Oscar. Eric looked like a typical stoner white guy from California; though I’m quite certain he preferred drinking rather than toking on the devil’s lettuce. Elizabeth, I don’t remember well, as she was absent from class most days. Jeremy was the nerd of the group, a typical Chinese math whiz. And then, there was me, the JT of the group, the triple threat; writer, director, and actor.
“Oscar, I think we need to change the script, the movie doesn’t show much of any economic values,” said Jeremy.
“I’m sorry Jeremy, but are we making this film to make people learn about economics? Cause last I checked we were making art. I didn’t agree to join your group to lecture some retard economics majors, who can’t even get a C in this easy A course. I’m here to entertain, not learn them something. So just do as your told. You think our professor wants to watch us repeat the same thing she just taught us a month ago? No! So, let’s just do it my way. Okay?”
Pre-Production: A Week Later
With typos and grammar errors kept to a minimum, my final script was finished. My little fingees had gone sore with hard work and I needed a rest. The last thing to do before sending it off to my professor was to run it by my group members. And just as before, the group did not seem to understand what I was going for. But given the situation, these lazy boys weren’t about to put in the effort to change the script. I had creative control.
Ignoring Jeremy’s input on the situation, I sent the final draft to my professor. A few days later, she sent back feedback, but I didn’t need to read it. There’s nothing constructive in saying everything is perfect. Next step was getting the group to start filming.
World Premiere
The time had finally come. Today was the world premiere of our short film. The endless toiling away in my computer trying to figure out what color grading was, was of no concern. My Adobe Premiere free trial was over, so there was no going back now. The final cut uploaded, and class was to begin in half an hour. With the spare time I had, I went to my favorite bathroom stall to take one of those nervous dumps I was much too familiar with. I opened the door to the restroom, which I’d like to keep disclosed, only to see my stall being occupied by a man wearing highlighter green New Balances. The rage boiling away rid me of my nerves, and I rushed out of the restroom.
I’d wasted enough time; class was to begin shortly. I enter my classroom and to my surprise an almost full house. Everyone was there, except Elizabeth, of course. I took my seat and tore open my fruit snacks.
“Jeremy, do you think Elizabeth will show up?” I asked.
“She’s not going to show up. She hasn’t responded to any of our messages asking for an opinion about what we’re doing,” responded Jeremy
“I don’t know, I think she’ll show up.”
“I say we tell the professor she didn’t contribute anything to the project and tell her fuck off.”
“Woah, that’s a little extreme, no? I mean she filmed that black and white bit we did.”
“Yeah, but she didn’t do anything. All she did was sit there and look pretty. Back me up Eric.”
“Fuck her, she didn’t do shit,” added Eric.
“What hell guys, we can’t do this, we’re above this aren’t we.”
“Oscar shut the fuck up. We all know why you won’t do this.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re just tryna suck her big titties.”
“I’m sorry? First of all, that is super inappropriate. Secondly, I am doing no such thing. What do you think I am, some sort Harvey Weinstein trying to use my power on set to advance some sort of sexual deviancy of mine?”
“Yeah, now that’s taking it too far. I may not know much about filmmaking, but I do know Harvey Weinstein is a good man, responsible for some of the greatest movies ever made. Movies like Good Will Hunting, Pulp Fiction, and I’m sure as you know very well, The Lord of the Rings; you fucking hobbit!”
“Forget this, today is not a day to be fighting. Let’s just get this over with. Trust me, everyone will love what we’ve made.”
The time was 3:30 p.m., there was to be no more fooling around.
“Okay class, I hope you’re excited as am. Let’s get these presentations started,” the professor announced.
I looked up to the projected screen and saw the order in which the films were to be played. At the very bottom there it was Black Markets in Sugar (Full Documentary). I would have to sit through 60 minutes of trash, before getting to my gem. But I was okay with that. Nothing would make my film better than these pieces of shit lowering the bar for me.
After some issues with audio, the first video was ready. Of course, there were some nice little chuckles from me here and there, but overall nothing too spectacular. The first video was predictable, I couldn’t believe these people would have the gall to turn this in and expect the class to be enthralled.
“Psst,” I whispered over to Jeremy and Eric, who were distracted on their phones.
“What did I tell you guys, people don’t care about supply and demand. People want to be entertained and have art move them in ways they’ve never felt before. And right now, no one is supplying that demand,” I said.
“Oscar, shut fuck up,” whispered Jeremy.
I could tell he didn’t mean it, as I knew behind his dead eyes, he felt love and admiration for me. Eric looked at me and smiled. I looked around my class and everyone looked drowsy. It had only been 10 minutes since the beginning of class and if everyone was falling asleep now, they wouldn’t give my film a chance an hour into class.
Video after video, just as I expected, every group followed the same formula; a little bit of story with lots of explanation of economics. If people could manage to stay awake by the time my film began, then we’d have a sure shot winning best film. But then it happened, that guy I confused for a lady on the first day of class had his video premiere. I suspected nothing, but then the projector began humming and that’s when my worst fear had come true.
This film was unlike any of the other films, it wasn’t recorded on an iPhone. This film had production value. How was I supposed to compete with this? As the video played, I could feel all the regret I had of being a control freak on set and putting down everyone’s input. This film looked like a real documentary, there was lighting, clear audio, and even interviews with professionals in the industry he’s covering. It was over; it was time to throw in the towel and swallow the cyanide.
But then there, in the corner of my eye. I saw the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen, rows of half opened eyes. I couldn’t believe it, such a nice sight. I straightened my posture and began to smile. As his video came toward its conclusion, I was readying my sarcastic clap. The video ended followed by lackluster claps, no one would remember the video except for its stellar production value.
The moment I’d been waiting for these past few weeks was here. I took a handful of fruit snacks and gulped them down. I looked around and saw my group not seeming at all excited, but this wasn’t about them. The professor hit play, and it started. There I was dressed my best as Michael Moore, but no one was going to get the reference. I was playing to a bunch of dolts. But within seconds of pressing play, there it was, laughter. I didn’t even have to look around, I knew it was everyone.
Such lovely people I could share this film with. The only feeling I could compare it to is orgasming in unison, but without the mess. As the video progressed, the laughs got louder and louder, though at times it was only me. I couldn’t blame them though; they weren’t as cultured as I in high art. But then the worst part came, the part I felt the most shame for. I’d spent so much time writing this monologue only for it to be covered in wind noise. I put my head down in shame while the 1-minute wind infested monologue continued. Then, the wind disappeared, and the climax approached. The laughs returned, and I brought my head up toward the screen. The video ended on a great big laugh; I could tell I got them deep inside all the guys and girls. The girlish boy had no chance with me, I made him look like a fool. I couldn’t see his tears, but I think it was safe to assume they were there.
“Wow, Oscar, that was really good,” said Jeremy.
“Yeah, that was better than I thought,” added Eric.
I turned to them and just smiled.“I told you, you could trust me”
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
There was a problem reporting this post.
Please confirm you want to block this member.
You will no longer be able to:
Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.