Chapter Eight: On Again, Off Again
Under Duncan’s decree, neither Travis nor Tiffany had any choice in the matter. They were both assigned to the Dreamboat project, and their professional destinies were once again intertwined like a tangle of Tommy’s electrical cables. They hugged one another in front of the mogul, as if there had never been a cross word between them, and each expressed their enthusiasm at collaborating again, since they had already made so many movies together and were so well acquainted.
Everybody shook hands. Announcements were made in the trades, and preproduction began. There was, of course, no written contract. Duncan’s word was a check, which was fortunate because, under the command of captain Travis Lazar, Dreamboat set sail to become the most expensive project that AXE had ever undertaken; there were elaborate sets, a variety of shooting locations, a cast of the most prominent stars, and a crew of the finest ship-rats. Howard took arms and sank beneath a sea of production troubles, related to schedules, permits, rates, contracts, rental agreements, invoices, call sheets, insurance certificates and sundry logistical matters, switching him from a perfectly adequate diet of El Porno Loco to a regimen of aspirin and Pepto-Bismol. Jack and Tommy went over lists of equipment, repeatedly because the electrician was in a constant state of panic that he had forgotten something important. Maria went out shopping for makeup effects for the fantasy sequences. Travis was kept busy keeping his eyes open for political sabotage from the in-house director at AXE, Alec Zig.
Alec Zig was a secretive, conniving ferret of a man with a full red beard, bad teeth and a cough, whose clothes hung on his flabby body like they had been thrown there. Even though he was considered to be some sort of wizard by the critics, as far as Travis was concerned, he did not have magical powers, and his directing skills were not as sharp as his expertise with a computer. His movies were full of high-tech special effects manufactured during editing, accompanied by evocative synthesizer music. He had been discovered by Nicholas, to his everlasting regret, who was impressed with a low-budget one day porn feature Alec had made for a cheap studio. Nicholas brought him into AXE as the in-house director, and under the coaching of the brilliant executive, he delivered Duncan a string of hits. A talent like Alec Zig showed no gratitude whatsoever. He maneuvered into Duncan’s favor, and shifted away from Nicholas’ influence into his own faction. Nicholas would have relished a silent revenge. A hit movie from someone else would help. Travis realized that he had been thrown into the middle of a war of attrition, and that Nicholas was using him as a weapon to dilute the influence of the other director. In keeping with his supportive nature, Travis was pleased to offer his allegiance. Travis figured that Alec would be a problem, but he was content to let Nicholas handle the palace intrigue. What worried Travis the most–a secret that he shared only with Howard and Jack–was the sun.
As the summer crept closer, and the temperatures in the valley started climbing, the days were stretching longer and longer. Since most of Dreamboat was to be shot outdoors at night, there would be fewer and fewer hours of darkness available. Sunlight was one element that could not be negotiated by the producer.
They were planning to shoot most of Hooker Alley under shadowy skyscrapers on a real alleyway in Hollywood, down which the camera could see the passing traffic and the lights of the famous boulevard. It was going to be a spectacular shot with Jack operating a crane to boom down from the fire escapes onto a gothic street lined with porn stars, dressed as streetwalkers in a dream sequence.
Each performer would lead the camera along sidestreets, nooks and crannies to her own fantasy scene. Tiffany was to play the disturbed woman who was having the dreams, a role for which everyone agreed that she was ideally suited.
To get the shot, which was the opening shot of the movie, and utilized repeatedly at strategic story points throughout the narrative, required that they would have to shut down half a block in Hollywood. They would have to apply to the city for permits to close the streets, post various production assistants on walkie-talkies, and arrange parking and support facilities. They would rent a few hotel rooms to stage talent, to set up a makeup area, and to utilize as a production office, with a microwave, a Xerox machine and a laptop on the desk, and all Howard’s paperwork strewn across the bed. They would have to bring in a generator on the street. The crew was bigger than usual, with additional makeup artists, runners and additional electricians to lay in cable, to prep and strike, and to keep an eye on the equipment. At a nominal fee, the city provided retired policemen to keep an eye on the crowd. For a modest surcharge, Officer Fleet from the Los Angeles Fire Department would ensure that the production was safe from fire hazards.
It was going to be an expensive night.
The challenge was going to be to film all of the necessary night footage in the alleyway before dawn.
Partly because of the issues with light, and partly for the sake of preventing the public from being harmfully exposed to visible or audible nudity, a section of Hooker Alley was being built on Sound Stage B, which was a hub of activity. Props and wardrobe were coming in, labeled and stacked until the proper time when they were needed. There were carpenters, painters and set dressers working on the construction, with sawdust whining, and the smell of paint and fabric. They consulted photographs of the actual location in Hollywood so that they could match the illusion to reality. They also had to build some of the interior sets where the fantasies of each character took place. The school room and the medical clinic were standing sets that they polished up for the new production; they had to construct a new dungeon, and a set that they called the tiger cage, for a sequence entitled The Lady or The Tiger. The director was planning to bring in a live tiger for the spectacle.
Howard had been working the telephones with Billy to line up a stellar cast: Tiffany, of course, was to interpret the lead role, supported by Traci, Ginger, and Jasmine Lanoire, an ex-contract girl from Paradise with perfect features, a lithe torso, almond eyes and cinnamon skin. It was something of a coup to lock in the ex-Paradise player for AXE, but now that her contract had expired there was nothing that Selwyn could do to prevent his rival from using the exotic beauty. There was a total of seven actresses to cast, and one bright note for Howard was that a steady stream of hopefuls kept coming to the production office to audition in the nude. The roles always called for one or two newcomers in the line-up. He was at his most cordial, cleanly shaven, with a beam on his face, a fresh shirt and the reek of cologne.
In addition to his personal redolence, he scented the production office with a haze of incense, supplied to him with recommendations from Nicholas, enhanced the mood with soft, new age music, and kept the blinds to the parking lot drawn for the sake of ambience.
Howard’s romantic hopes were raised one afternoon when there was a tentative knock at the door of the office, since Billy had promised to send over a prospective performer, but Howard was dashed when he saw that the visitor was Alec Zig.
“Uh…Travis is on the stage where they are building…” Howard thought it safest to pretend not to know who Alec was. “I’ll go and get him.”
“That’s okay,” said Alec, “I am just taking a look at the set.” Alec Zig, like Travis Lazar, did not need anyone’s permission to walk onto an adult movie set in the valley.
Alec slipped down the hallway, and after a moment of internal conflict spurred by the imminent arrival of the afternoon audition, Howard concluded that he had better follow Alec and try to warn Travis, or at least, stand by, in case there was a need for witnesses.
Pacing across the stage floor, crouching down low, Travis was on his game, as he planned camera moves for the epic with Jack and Tommy. His arms were sweeping around like a camera crane, with Jack and Tommy squinting, as they imagined shots and lighting and everyone kept pointing up in the air, and making viewfinders by framing boxes with their fingers. Unobserved, Alec stood in the doorway, without advancing, with a jaunty smirk on his face as if he were watching a silent comedy accompanied by a piano score in his brain. It was Jack who noticed them, as Howard came up alongside Alec, who was seized with a spluttering cough, probably because of the sawdust, but possibly as a result of Howard’s cologne.
“You have an interesting fan,” the cinematographer said, with a nod.
Travis eyed Alec through the square outline formed by his fingers. “A spy from Duncan.”
“Making sure you know what you’re doing?”
“I’d better go and say hello.” Travis walked over to his brother director.
Howard shrugged, as if to indicate that there was nothing he could do to prevent the rival from walking onto the premises, but Travis was not intimidated by Alec Zig. “You here in case I get hit by a bus?” he inquired.
“Oh, just want to have a look at the set,” croaked Alec, still hacking,
“I have a science fiction cop movie coming up, and I need a city block.”
“Well, that’s up to Duncan,” Travis said diplomatically.
“Oh, Duncan will agree.” Alec replied, and turned on his heel, and walked down the hallway.
“What a prick,” said Howard, “He just barged in like he owned the place.”
“I want these sets destroyed the minute I say wrap,” instructed the director, “You understand, Howard? I’m not building this set so that Alec Zig can use it in another movie.”
“Doesn’t AXE own these sets?”
“It is standard procedure for a producer to demolish a set after it’s been shot. We’re just following the rules. I want the scenery made into toothpicks. Understood?”
“Yeah. I don’t like him either.”
They went back to the fragrant hospitality of the production office to wait for the three o’ clock actress, and Travis called Nicholas at AXE.
“Just wanted to let you know that we had a visitor,” Travis informed the Head of Production and Creative Affairs, “Alec Zig dropped by to wish us luck with the movie.”
“That’s interesting,” said Nicholas, “I know he had lunch with Duncan.”
And then, the three o’ clock actress arrived, and Travis had to hang up so he could watch her read her lines and take off her clothes.
Casting was not all fun and games. Actually, it was essential that they booked all the performers as soon as possible, so that Nicholas could submit the final budget to Duncan and the production would be formally funded, an event to which Travis was looking forward with great anticipation.
Preproduction was always the best part of making a movie, especially a big movie like Dreamboat. During the preparations, everyone had wonderful creative ideas about what was going to be on the screen, which all changed as soon as the actual period of principal photography began, something like battle plans when a war explodes. Compromises had to be made. Details were forgotten. There was never enough time.
There were all sorts of snags that could go wrong, but there were only three problems formidable enough to shut down a production. Travis expected each one of them to confront him sooner or later, and he was never quite satisfied until after they struck, so that he could deal with them. He did not like the big issues hanging out there like stalkers leering at the porn stars as they walked down the red carpet into the awards ceremonies.
Of the three problems, the least severe was losing a major location at the last moment. There was always the possibility that they might not be able to get the permit, so his backup plan was to shoot more of the stage work, and to go out to the back of the parking lot to cheat some night scenes, if there were concerns with the city. It would look as cheap and cheesy as pizza man porn, and he hoped he would not have to stoop to it. The second problem was a snarl with
the star. But this time around, Tiffany was under exclusive contract to Duncan, so Travis expected her to behave. The biggest disaster was when you had a crisis with the financing.
When Nicholas called, late on a Friday afternoon, Travis was alone in the production office, while Howard was in the bathroom, a place of refuge to which Travis also wished he could escape as soon as he heard the tone in the executive’s voice.
Nicholas said, “We have a problem.”
Travis could already tell what was coming next, and tried to remind the AXE executive that he was already a little bit pregnant. “The set is completely built, crew and equipment are booked, and all the talent are locked in.”
Nicholas was not persuaded by the producer’s reassurances, and delivered the bad news without any delay. “Duncan does not want to fund the movie.”
“What does that mean?”
“He saw the final budget, and he said no. He says he can get two or three movies for what this is costing him.”
“What else?” Travis did not have to ask.
“He said that he doesn’t even spend this much on a movie with Alec Zig.”
Travis understood that Alec Zig had got to Duncan. “So we’re off?”
“Duncan said not even for half this price.” Nicholas had tried hard. “I debated with him for an hour.”
The producer was not going to take no for an answer. “Nicholas, who else knows about this?”
“I just came from the meeting. Nobody.”
Travis had anticipated this pitfall, and loyal to the movie, he would not go down without a fight. “We are going to make our movie. But the crucial thing is that nobody can find out about this over the weekend. Set up a meeting with Duncan for first thing Monday morning. I will close him.”
The producer was concerned that if word leaked that the production was off, the cast and crew would start looking for work elsewhere, and everything would start to unravel. The news would travel through the grapevine, and the project would be so tainted that its collapse would be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Alec Zig was using precisely the strategy against him that Travis Lazar had used against Blimp Pullman. Travis did not mind being attacked by another producer, but it was insulting that his own weapons were being wielded in the offensive.
Ignorant of the latest developments, Howard came trudging back from an eventful journey to the bathroom. “Fleet was here.”
“The stage is up to code,” said Travis.
“It’s not about the stage. It was about the location work in Hollywood.” He held a clipboard in his hand. “We can’t get the street.”
Travis saw the looming prospect of the dismal alley behind the stage, which he was trying to avoid. “I’ve got to have the street. It’s my opening shot.”
Howard was exasperated. “You want to talk to Fleet? Fire won’t give us the permit.”
“Why? What’s his problem? It’s dialog only. We’re not having sex on the boulevard.”
Howard looked at his clipboard. “We don’t have a water truck.”
“We need a water truck?”
“Fire says so, or no street.”
“Okay, get the truck.” Haggling with the fire department was as hopeless as trying to sweet talk the sun. “I will use the water to wet down the alleyway. We were going to use a fire hose but the water truck will be better.”
“I just got to find somewhere to park the thing,” Howard grumbled. “It’s not enough that I have to store a ferocious tiger, and a ferocious amount of tiger shit.”
“You don’t have to keep the beast in your apartment,” Travis said,
“Anything else?”
Howard thumbed through the scraps of paper littering his desk.
“Irmalinda called again. From the German television. Are you ever going to call that woman back?”
“Not right now.”
“Everything all right?”
“Absolutely,” said the producer, keeping his own counsel.
He had a strong impulse to contact the Duchess for advice, but, after the revelation of the Ryder Mackenzie situation, even with the best of intentions, Travis decided to say nothing to anyone. He spent Saturday and Sunday in seclusion with his children, attending a birth- day party where there was a puppet show and a piñata, and enjoyed an afternoon at the zoo making ugly faces at gorillas.
True to his word, Nicholas also kept tight-lipped all weekend.
On Monday morning, like a déjà vu, Travis and Nicholas found themselves sitting in the pincers of the semicircle of chairs in front of Duncan’s desk, face to face with the jowls of the mogul, which was vaguely reminiscent of the producer’s excursion to the primate house.
“This is the most expensive budget that has ever come across my desk,” the studio head began with a blast.
“Absolutely. It’s going to be a huge movie for you,” the producer responded, “It’s the introduction of Tiffany West as the AXE contract player. The whole movie is designed around her, but you have a spectacular cast. Doesn’t he, Nicholas?”
“Spectacular,” Nicholas agreed, “All box cover material, and we want to have them all on the cover of the box.”
“With Tiffany in front…?” warned Duncan.
“The other girls are all behind her,” Nicholas assured him, “Lined up as she walks down the alley.”
“I don’t like it.” Duncan shook his head. “I don’t like group shots. There’s always one girl who looks cross-eyed.”
“We will do some single box covers of Tiffany alone, of course.”
Travis covered for Nicholas. “So that you have a choice.”
Duncan peered through his gold-rimmed spectacles at the budget again. “It’s still too much money. Alec Zig doesn’t even get an amount like this. Can’t you do it for less?”
“This is the movie we want to make,” Travis tried to show his passion. “We already took out the tiger.”
Nicholas stepped up for him. “We have trimmed as much as we could, but to get the shot he wants, that’s what it’s going to cost.”
“It’s the opening shot,” explained the director, “We’re going to do it in Hollywood with a crane coming down into the alleyway, and Tiffany in her nightgown wandering in a dream past all these hookers.”
“We can get a permit for that?” Duncan checked.
“We have already filed it with the Permit Office.” Nicholas rifled through the paperwork on his lap.
“Look, you boys have done a lot of work, and I can see you want to make this movie. I don’t want to say no. Maybe we can do it later in the year.”
Travis knew that postponement meant cancellation. “Duncan, as Nicholas said, we have already filed the permit. Everything is in place, including the cast. No matter what we are going to have to cover the costs of the set construction. Which I fronted, in good faith.”
In truth, Travis had not advanced one penny, but had been accumulating a stack of invoices, payable in thirty days with his impeccable credit. “If we pull the plug now, it will not look good to the talent. We won’t get a lineup like this again.”
“There are always other girls,” argued the mogul.
“Jasmine Lanoire….” Nicholas reminded him that they had locked in Selwyn’s former contract player for the movie.
“Tiffany West,” Travis played the trump card.
“All right,” Duncan announced, talking more to Nicholas than to Travis, “Cut him a check.”
“Yes, sir.” Nicholas got to his feet.
Without uttering one word to jinx it, Travis stood up and held out his hand.
Duncan shook hands with him across the desk, and said, “But this better be the best fucking movie I have ever seen.”
They were on again.
Their first day of shooting began at four o’ clock in the afternoon, when the performers streamed into a hotel room in Hollywood, where makeup had been arranged in the vanity area. Maria had been allocated two assistants, because they had to have all seven girls ready at the same time. It was going to take at least two hours of preparation, including hair, lips and lashes, not to mention getting everyone dressed, and since these were busty women, it took them longer to struggle into wardrobe. They began on Tiffany first, not because she was the most time-consuming, but because Travis wanted to shoot a short day sequence with her, while there was still daylight, and grab a shot at magic hour, in the warm glow as the sun was setting. They got the shot of Tiffany with the golden horizon of Los Angeles in the background.
As soon as the sky darkened to a purple hue, Tommy announced, “It’s time.”