Talented Maestro

Chapter 18: Post-Production

At 2 p.m., Jimmy knocked on the door of Wayne's apartment. When the door opened, he noticed Wayne had lost a bit of weight over the past two months.

Wayne invited him in, handed him a bottle of water, and only then got down to business.

"I need to rent a place for post-production," Wayne said, sitting across from him. "Ideally, somewhere with a proper editing suite and a professional editor. Do you have any contacts in that area? If I can't find something good and affordable, I'll have to take the film back to the university and do it myself. But without a pro editor, I'm not sure I'm up to it."

Jimmy thought for a moment and replied, "I'll have to check around. Forget about the big studios, but I'll see if I can find someone willing to rent out a professional space."

"Please do it as soon as possible. Time's tight, and we've got a ton of work ahead. If we finish the post-production in time, I still want to aim for the Sundance Film Festival in January. If not, I'll be forced to go knocking on studio doors one by one."

Wayne was clearly anxious. The film didn't have many scenes—just enough for a tight edit and basic score. He wasn't even concerned about an opening or closing title sequence. His plan from the start was to get the film ready fast and screen it at Sundance. The submission window for official selection had closed, but renting a private theater to screen it was still feasible.

"You want to go to Sundance?" Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you've had this plan for a while. Sure, there'll be studio scouts there, but I've got to be honest with you—my connections don't extend to the big players. You know how it is. I'm just a junior agent trying to break in with a roster of fresh faces."

Jimmy looked troubled. Wayne's idea was bold—screening the film at Sundance and trying to attract the attention of buyers or distribution scouts. But that approach relied heavily on an agent's network, and Jimmy simply didn't have the clout to get the right people in the room.

"Don't worry," Wayne said calmly. "Just get whoever you can. As long as someone sits down to watch it, I've got confidence. Someone will pick it up."

He smirked, then added, "Unless you think I've made a pile of garbage and I'm definitely going to fail? Even if this doesn't sell, I've got backup plans."

Jimmy sighed. "Wayne, I'm just being real with you. You don't get backup plans—not in this business. You only get one shot to prove yourself. I don't know where you pulled this funding from, but if you blow it, no one's going to invest in you again."

Wayne raised an eyebrow. "So you're convinced I'm going to fail?"

Jimmy's expression tightened, like he was trying to hold back a stomach ache.

"Wayne, statistically speaking, a director your age pulling off a successful film is almost unheard of. If you can tell a coherent story in the edit, that alone would be an achievement for a first-timer."

Still, despite his doubts, Jimmy added, "I'll do my best to help you find a post-production studio. Hopefully, you can still make the festival deadline."

With that, he politely took his leave.

Wayne wasn't bothered by his agent's skepticism. In fact, he expected it. To Jimmy, aiming for a theatrical release with a debut film seemed overly ambitious—maybe even delusional.

The next afternoon, while Wayne and Luke were discussing editing plans, Jimmy called back. He'd found a space: the editing suite at Castle Pictures.

They rushed down to Burbank Boulevard. The place turned out to be a modest two-story building. Jimmy was already waiting at the entrance.

"Come on in," he greeted them. "They've got everything you need here—equipment, a professional editor. Just a heads-up: it's a daily rental setup. You sure your budget can handle it?"

"No problem," Wayne replied. "The entire shoot cost under $800,000. I saved a lot by keeping things tight. Everything's been running smoothly so far. What's left should be more than enough."

Jimmy nodded in approval. Upstairs, he knocked on the office door and introduced Wayne to the studio manager.

"Wayne, this is Brown Jennings, the manager here. Mr. Jennings, this is Wayne, one of my clients. He's looking to rent your post suite for his film."

The two shook hands, and with Jimmy's help, quickly finalized the rental contract.

"Mr. Jennings," Wayne asked as he signed the last page, "I'll be here to work starting tomorrow. Will the editor be available?"

Brown glanced at the unusually young director and nodded. "Absolutely. Tomorrow I'll introduce you to Julia—she's the best editor we have. You won't be disappointed."

Wayne and the studio manager shook hands and exchanged polite farewells. Once they stepped outside the modest two-story building, Wayne asked Jimmy:

"This is Castle Pictures' post-production studio? I thought a film company would have a much bigger place."

Jimmy chuckled.

"Wayne, Castle Pictures is barely considered a mid-tier studio. There are tons of companies like this in Hollywood. You really think a small studio like this would be in some grand office building?"

"Fair enough. Luke and I are heading back—we need to collect the film reels from the bank. Later."

He and Luke had already agreed to start work first thing the next morning. The sooner they finished, the better.

Wayne had shot a whopping 900 minutes of footage. Even though he'd followed a clear mental storyboard during filming, editing it all down into a tight 90-minute film was no small feat.

The core post-production team consisted of Wayne, Luke, and the editor, Julia—a middle-aged woman with a good temperament and a solid grasp of Wayne's creative intentions.

Julia handled the actual editing while Wayne explained his vision, stylistic choices, and scenes that needed to be retained.

"Wayne, let's go over the main plotline one last time. If everything's good, I'll get started," Julia confirmed.

"It's all good. Go ahead."

Every film needs a central narrative. Wayne's was straightforward: the protagonist, Tree, gradually uncovers the identity of her killer using a process of elimination—growing as a person through the ordeal.

Wayne had one major creative demand: preserve the graphic, large-scale scenes of Tree being repeatedly stabbed to death. These were the film's core visual hook, the only area where he significantly diverged from traditional storytelling.

He approached this choice from a marketing mindset. A beautiful blonde woman being gruesomely killed—again and again—was sure to spark morbid curiosity and a protective instinct in young viewers, keeping them glued to the screen.

On the first day, progress was slow—even the rough cut took time. Wayne was cautious. The final result hinged on these choices, and a different sequence could tell an entirely different story.

While Julia focused on cutting, Wayne sat behind her, occasionally discussing edits with Luke and giving feedback. He insisted on watching each completed segment, ensuring every shot he wanted retained made it into the rough cut.

His goal was for the final product to match the version in his mind as closely as possible. This was his debut feature. There was no room for gambling—he had to play it safe.

"Luke, I think Tree's first death needs to happen as early as possible—right near the beginning. We hit them fast with beauty and gore, set the premise, and hook the audience from the jump."

He shared his thoughts with Luke and hoped for input. Since entering the editing room, Luke had mostly stayed silent, just observing.

Watching Julia work, Luke carefully considered Wayne's idea. His role here was to help—and learn. Before joining this project, he had no experience in post-production, and he'd come in with the intention to absorb as much as possible.

After thinking it through, Luke finally spoke:

"You're right. If I were the viewer, that scene would make me curious—why is this happening to her? I'd want to watch more. My suggestion is to tighten the pacing overall. Use a snappy rhythm to create tension. Also, for that first death, use the overhead tracking shot—the one that moves downward. It immediately sets the mood, offers a full view of the space, and delivers that intense, dramatic impact. Plus, it hints at a slightly dark comedic undertone."

Wayne appreciated the suggestion—Luke clearly understood the film's tone.

"Julia, let's swap in the overhead tracking shot here," Wayne said, pointing to Tree's first waking scene. The tracking created a narrowing focus, drawing viewers into the scene with a sense of claustrophobia and intrigue—making them want to know what happens next.

"Got it. Replaced. How's that?"

"Perfect. Keep going. Luke—make a note. We'll need some voiceover here for added emotional weight."

Most of the time, Wayne kept his focus on scene transitions, carefully guiding the edit without interrupting Julia's workflow. Though Julia came off like an ordinary middle-aged lady, her editing skills were undeniably professional. Wayne felt like he'd really lucked out.

After the day's session ended, Julia began packing up the film reels and asked, curiously:

"Wayne, have you studied editing? You seem to know quite a bit."

Wayne smiled. "I sat in on a few classes, that's all. If you asked me to do the editing myself, I couldn't pull it off."

He had indeed audited several film-related courses. After fulfilling his main course requirements, he'd dabbled in everything related to filmmaking—just enough to understand the process.