My Hollywood System

Chapter 17:

After the casting was finished, there was only one more problem that Will had, and that was finding a crew for [The Blair Witch Project].

Finding a crew was really hard for someone like Will with almost no connections.

If [17 again] was released by now, then Will would have a few connections as the screenwriter.

As a talented screenwriter, he would be able to find a crew easily, but [17 again] was just in pre-production, and it would take a long time before it was released.

Will urgently needed a crew, and for that, there was only one connection he could think of, and that was his uncle.

That’s why, after taking contacts of both Zach and Marcus, Will bid farewell to June.

John had already left earlier since the auditions were over, and he had wanted to go home since the start.

After going to his rented apartment, Will took out his phone and called Benjamin.

– Haha! Hello, Will. How are you doing?

A lively voice came from the other side. It was rare these days to see Benjamin in such a mood.

“I’m great. How are you, Uncle?”

Will asked in a voice that matched Benjamin’s enthusiasm.

– I’m good, everything is going great. You sound happy too. Did the auditions go well?

Benjamin asked, sensing the happiness from Will’s voice.

“Yeah, it went great. I found all the three leads for my story, and they’re all great actors.”

To Benjamin, great actors were only the ones who were at the top, but still, he laughed heartily and said.

– That’s nice. The preparations for [17 Again] are going great too. Edward accepted the script immediately after reading it. He even praised you for blending so well with the trend and directly coming up with such a plot.

“It’s good that you’re doing so well.”

Will didn’t speak much and let Benjamin talk since he was so excited. He’d get his turn sooner or later.

After a while, when Benjamin was finished talking about [17 Again] and told how it’d be better for Will to be present during the casting so that he could make some connections while seeing his script come to life.

– Oh, yeah, Will. What about the crew? Have you gathered a crew yet? Or at least have an idea as to what you’re looking for?

After his talk was finished, Benjamin asked the question Will had been waiting for.

“Actually, Uncle, I contacted you because of this too.”

As he started talking about how he had yet to find a crew, Will said. He mentioned his requirements and how he didn’t need a big crew.

– If it’s like that, maybe I can help you. I know a person, I’ll give you his contact, and you can talk to him. Just his personality is a bit….

Benjamin said, and Will immediately agreed. He didn’t care about their personality as long as they could do the work properly.

Benjamin gave him the contact number and address of the said person. After some small talk, they hung up the call.

* * *

The next day, Will went to a small studio where Benjamin had told him to go. It was here that the cinematographer that he has recommended worked.

Jeffery Houlston.

He was the cinematographer for a couple of movies MCA has invested in, but his career was primarily dead for a long time.

Last year, he even opted to work in some porn movies to make a living.

The reason Benjamin has told him to be careful of his personality was also the reason for Jeffery’s downfall in the industry.

His stubborn personality.

He has rejected many movies for reasons like not liking the director, the script being bad, or just because he felt like the movie won’t work.

There was a high chance that Jeffrey would reject [The Blair Witch Project] too, but Will has to take this chance.

After all, a cinematographer is the most important person for a director. He was the builder of the building Will had designed, so it was imperative to have a good cinematographer in any movie.

As Will entered the small studio, he could see posters of some movies on the wall, and there were even photos of almost nude girls on the wall.

As Will was looking at the posters, someone came out from the inside and stood near the glass table filled with various movie CDs.

“Oh hello, I’m looking for Jeffrey Houlston. Where can I meet him?”

Will asked politely to the small-framed man.

“I am right in front of you. What brought you here, kid?”

Will was surprised at the gruff voice coming out of such a person. Jeffery was shorter than him, but he had a strong voice, and he looked like someone who would be annoyed at every little thing.

He thought Jeffrey Houlston would be a towering man with manly stature from the description he got.

He immediately hid his surprise behind his polite smile as he introduced himself.

“I’m Will Evans. Benjamin Charles would have told you about me?”

“Ah, yes. The talented screenwriter who is making an independent movie and needs a crew.” Jeffery nodded his head. “Come in.”

He walked inside with Jeffrey, and they both sat down at a table. Will was just about to tell him about his movie when he opened his mouth.

“First of all, I would tell you that if the script doesn’t satisfy me, I will reject the offer no matter how much money you give me. And I also need to make sure that we can work together well and you know how to handle directing a movie.”

Will nodded his head, confident that he would be able to satisfy Jeffrey. He pulled a script out from his bag and passed it to him.

“This is a short script. Are you making a short movie?”

“No, I just want most of the scenes to be improvised. That’s why the script is small. My horror movie is trying to be as realistic as possible, and I want my actors to act the same.”

Jeffery was satisfied with the explanation, and he slowly began reading the script.