Owen entered the building where the Second Take Films offices were located at around 1:02 in the afternoon.
Right as you walked in, there was a small reception area. It was simple, but elegant. A front desk, the Second Take Films logo on the wall, and several framed posters: Paranormal Activity, One Minute Time Machine, and Paperman. There were also a couple of sofas for visitors.
There wasn't a permanent receptionist. It didn't make much sense to have one, there were almost never any visitors. But when they needed one, for example, during casting days, they could always hire someone for a few days to receive the actors and guide them.
Owen closed the door behind him and walked through the place, which still felt a little new to him. He hadn't spent much time there yet since they had rented the space.
Besides his private office, there was a development office that he and Matt had set up together. Four desks, whiteboards, and enough space to work collaboratively when they were there in person. They used it to develop stories, like Lights Out, or to plan shoots and any other projects.
Matt also had his own office. He was probably there right now.
There was also the editing room, something essential for any production company. That was where the edits and the first cuts of projects were done. The lead editor, his assistant and Derek were most likely working there at that very moment on the Good Will Hunting edit.
There was also a room dedicated to casting and rehearsals. Very useful, especially that month, with the Lights Out casting process about to begin, and later it would be used for rehearsals before filming started in April.
There was also a meeting room, a space to store film equipment, a shared creative area, a rest and recreation zone, and a few smaller offices.
Owen headed straight toward Matt's office, which wasn't far from his own.
The door was closed. Through the tinted glass, he could see some movement inside.
Owen knocked twice.
Knock, knock.
"Come in!" Matt's enthusiastic voice came from the other side.
Owen opened the door and walked in.
Matt's office felt alive, very different from Owen's, which was more minimalist and still fairly tidy.
Matt's desk was covered with printed pages, handwritten notes, and a few sketches of scenes. There were also a couple of film books lying open, a half-finished coffee, and his laptop in front of him.
Matt had been typing quickly when he looked up and saw Owen.
A smile formed on his face as he stood up from his desk and walked toward him.
"Hey, man! It's good to see you in person again."
They hadn't seen each other face to face in a month.
Matt extended his hand.
Owen extended his as well for a handshake. "Same here, it's good to see you," he said with a smile.
The handshake was firm, and when their hands met there was a small, sharp smack.
Matt raised his eyebrows, amused.
"Good sound," he commented approvingly.
"It was," Owen said. Then he added, "By the way, thanks for letting Derek and the others in."
"It was nothing," Matt replied with a casual wave of his hand. "They came pretty early."
Then he rested a hand on his chin, thoughtful.
"Besides, it's good to have Derek around. I'm sure I can learn a few things just by talking to him during breaks."
He already seemed to be imagining some casual conversation during lunch or between work breaks.
Owen nodded slightly.
From day one, today, he knew Derek would take the process of assembling the first cut of Good Will Hunting very seriously. It was very likely he'd be there almost every day, Monday through Friday, maybe even some Saturdays, working alongside the lead editor.
The goal was to have that first cut ready by the end of March.
From there, they could start showing it to distributors and begin negotiations.
As for the lead editor, Derek had been the one who recommended the person who now held that position. They had worked together on several projects, and he trusted him.
Owen had reviewed his résumé and ultimately hired him.
He checked every box: experience, reasonable price, and on top of that, he came with Derek's direct recommendation.
It had been a pretty easy decision.
"I see leaving college is paying off for you," Owen commented with an amused smile.
Matt had practically spent all of February coming to the office to work on Lights Out. And now he was there again, early on a Thursday morning in March, when in theory he should have been at university.
Matt laughed, "No doubt. Leaving USC was the best decision."
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Here I can work on real things. Preparing the shoot, doing the shot list, planning scenes…"
Then he made a small gesture toward the hallway.
"And now we've got Derek here too. I can talk to him and learn a ton."
Matt had already spent several years in the directing program at USC. He had good grades and had never had problems with his professors. But, to be honest, he no longer saw much point in staying there just to get the degree.
As Owen's creative partner, he could learn far more by working on real projects, and money certainly wasn't a problem either.
Owen had paid him that half-million-dollar bonus for Paranormal Activity.
And now they had also signed his contract for Lights Out. Owen had paid him $300,000.
Normally, that kind of work was paid weekly or monthly during the production process.
But Owen knew Matt.
He knew that even if he paid him all at once, Matt's enthusiasm for the movie wouldn't change in the slightest. Matt would keep working with the same energy as always, completely focused on making the film as good as possible.
So he preferred to pay him everything upfront.
And that wasn't all.
Because Matt was more than just a collaborator, he was his creative partner, Owen had also included something extra in the contract.
A 2% backend share of the film.
It seemed fair to him. Matt wasn't just the director. He was also the co-writer and was involved in every stage of the project: from pre-production to filming and post-production.
"USC was a good phase, but it's time to move on," Matt added in an almost solemn tone.
And in truth, it had been.
Thanks to the university he had improved his foundations a lot. It had also been there that Owen had seen enough in him to trust him with directing Paranormal Activity.
But now Matt didn't see much point.
"That's the spirit. College sucks. It didn't do anything for me," Owen said, more as a joke as he sat down on one of the sofas.
Matt let out a small laugh, "Well, your case is special. Very different from mine."
Then he raised a finger slightly.
"And by the way," he added, changing the subject, "why did you come so late?"
"I had a few things to take care of…" Owen replied vaguely. "Besides, it's not that late. It's barely one."
In reality, Owen arriving at one in the afternoon instead of seven or eight in the morning, as he usually did, was already strange.
For most people, it might only be a difference of a few hours.
But Owen wasn't most people.
He was just as obsessive about projects as Matt himself. And besides, that day wasn't just any day.
That was the day they would publish the casting call.
"Were you with a girl?" Matt asked suddenly.
Owen raised an eyebrow. He took a second to respond, which immediately made Matt's suspicions grow.
"No. I had dinner with my family after not seeing them much for a while."
Matt stared at him, "Suspicious."
Owen frowned slightly, "What?"
"A second ago you said you had 'a few things to do,'" Matt pointed out. "If you had dinner with your family, you could've said that from the start."
Then he narrowed his eyes even more.
"Confess."
Owen opened his mouth to respond, but Matt beat him to it.
"Were you with Emma Watson?"
Owen looked at him, confused, "What? Why Emma?"
Matt shrugged slightly, "I read a theory online."
Owen already seemed to know where this was going, "What theory?"
"That you date your co-stars."
Owen grimaced, "That stupid theory…"
"So it's not Emma," Matt said immediately.
Owen shook his head, "No."
Matt crossed his arms, "But it is someone else."
Owen didn't answer.
A smile slowly appeared on Matt's face.
"I knew it!"
Matt leaned slightly toward him, "Come on. Trust me. We're best friends."
Owen stayed thoughtful for a few seconds.
Things with Jenna were improving. It was becoming clearer and clearer that she wanted something serious, and everything between the two of them was going well.
Maybe it no longer made sense to keep the secret absolutely hidden, at least not from the people closest to both of them. And Owen had also noticed a few signs that Jenna no longer wanted to keep everything so hidden.
"You won't tell anyone?" he finally asked.
Matt raised a hand. "Not a word. I'll be like a corpse," he replied with complete seriousness.
"With Jenna," Owen said, and there was no need to say her full name.
"Ohh! Ohh!" Matt exclaimed, almost jumping out of his chair. "You are a god!" he added, pressing his hands together as if he were praying.
Owen rolled his eyes at the reaction. "Don't be ridiculous."
Matt immediately stood up and started bombarding him with questions. "Since when? How serious is it? How did it happen?"
Up until that moment, Matt had always assumed the chemistry between Owen and Jenna was simply part of the movie's marketing, and, of course, the fact that both of them were good actors.
But apparently it hadn't been just acting.
Owen ended up telling him everything. They talked for several minutes. He didn't hide anything, not even how it had all started.
He told him it had begun on New Year's, when he was still on that supposed break with Sophie.
Even though he had already planned to break up with Sophie, what had happened with Jenna during that time could, strictly speaking, be considered cheating.
Matt listened to that part with a slightly more serious expression.
"That is complicated," he said finally.
He ran a hand through the back of his neck. "Breaks are always a weird gray area. Some people say it counts as cheating, others say it doesn't. I think it depends, if both people agreed to the break, then yeah, it might count. But if the other person proposes it without giving you any real choice, then it's not really your fault."
Then he looked back at him and smiled.
"But honestly, I'm happy for you. From what you're telling me, it sounds like you two get along great."
"We do," Owen nodded. "Though I don't want to rush things," he added more cautiously.
Matt thought about it for a second and then said in a lighter tone, "Besides, if Jenna is as obsessive about work as the two of us, maybe one day she'll end up helping us."
"It wouldn't be impossible," Owen replied with a half-smile.
He knew Jenna's personality. She was quite obsessive about her work, though in her case it was more focused on acting.
But he had also seen some signs.
Small comments here and there. Ideas about projects. She had even told him that a long time ago she had written a script she would like to direct someday.
Nothing immediate. But not impossible either.
Matt looked at him for another second and suddenly widened his eyes.
"Wait!"
He straightened in his seat and exclaimed, "The theory is true! Jenna was your co-star."
Owen grimaced. "Shut up. Let's upload the announcement to Backstage."
Matt chuckled lightly. He knew it was better to drop the subject.
"Time to break the internet again, or at least Hollywood."
He stood up, grabbed his laptop from the desk, and walked back toward the sofa area. He placed it on the coffee table in front of them and sat down beside Owen.
The screen lit up as he opened the browser.
Matt already had the entire announcement prepared.
"Mm… alright, this too," he murmured while reviewing everything on the Backstage page, in the account they had created under the name Second Take Films.
"Alright! Everything ready. Two roles: Rebecca, the lead, and Bret, supporting," he finally announced.
"Sarah already accepted the role of Rebecca's sister. My mother will give me her answer in a few days. If she doesn't accept, we'll post that role too," Owen said.
Matt nodded. "Want to do the honors?" he asked.
Owen shook his head. "You do it. You worked more on this than I did."
Matt nodded and moved the cursor toward the button.
For a second he hesitated, then clicked Publish. A few seconds later he refreshed the page and opened the listing.
Owen leaned slightly forward to read it better.
[LIGHTS OUT — Feature Film]
Horror — Paid — Union — Feature Film
Seeking talent nationwide
About the Project
Studio: Second Take Films
Owen Ashford — Writer / Producer
Matt Rogers — Writer / Director
Production Description
Second Take Films presents the feature film adaptation of the viral short film Lights Out, which has accumulated more than 40 million online views.
The project is developed by the team behind several internationally recognized short films, including productions selected for Short of the Week, winners at Sundance, and most recently one that has been nominated for an Academy Award.
Now they bring their most viral concept to the big screen.
Synopsis
Rebecca thought she had left the fears of her childhood behind.
But when her family begins to experience strange events in the darkness, she is forced to confront a presence that only appears when the lights go out.
Roles in this Project
Rebecca:
Female lead — 20 to 35 years old.
Bret:
Male supporting character — Rebecca's love interest — 20 to 35 years old.
Dates and Location:
Filming in Georgia, United States.
Production start: Monday, April 3, 2023.
Production will cover travel, accommodation, and meals for the selected actors.
"Done!" Matt said with a grin. "I'm excited! Who will Rebecca be? The next queen of modern horror?"
Owen smiled as well. He was excited about the project too.
Posting an announcement like that on Backstage was eye-catching, but not impossible.
Union production, guaranteed pay, a production company with a growing reputation, and an adaptation of a viral short film that had circulated widely online not that long ago.
It wasn't unusual to see professional projects on Backstage. But it was unusual to see one with this much buzz.
"By the way," Owen said, "I've almost hired the casting director. Francine. The same one I hired for Good Will Hunting. Her schedule is free, and tomorrow I'll finalize her contract."
Matt nodded. He knew perfectly well they would need her.
Posting something like that on Backstage probably meant that, between both roles, they would receive more than a thousand submissions.
It was completely unrealistic to think that just Owen and him could review everything and manage the casting process the way they had with Paranormal Activity.
"Nice. What's her fee?" Matt asked.
"I paid her seventy thousand dollars for Good Will Hunting," Owen replied. "But this movie is cheaper and the process much smaller. There are only two important roles and a few extras, nothing like the big casting we had for Good Will Hunting."
He leaned back slightly on the sofa.
"I'm guessing between thirty and forty thousand dollars."
Matt nodded. That made sense. They didn't have to organize a massive casting with dozens of characters here. They only needed to find two people, and then a few extras.
"Ping pong?" Matt suggested.
Owen nodded.
In truth, he hadn't done much since arriving at the office. Just tell Matt the gossip about Jenna, publish an announcement with a single click, which he hadn't even done himself, and now play ping pong.
A day that felt more free than productive.
But he also thought about how they had almost never used the recreation room. Having all those games there and never using them felt like a bit of a waste.
The two of them headed over to that area.
Besides the ping pong table and other games, there was a display case that Matt had insisted on installing. Inside it, they had placed the two awards they had won at Sundance.
Matt grabbed a paddle and, before starting, stood looking at the display case.
"In a few days there might be an Oscar in that case," he murmured.
He was referring to the award Paperman could win for Best Live Action Short Film.
Owen stopped beside him and also looked at the case, "Yeah. That would be great."
Then he lifted the paddle.
"But let's play. I'll give you free ping pong lessons."
"You sound confident, but there was a ping pong table at the college, and considering I was there longer than you, I'm better," Matt said with a smile as he took his side of the table.
"We'll see about that," Owen said, serving the ball.
The ball bounced on the table and the match began.
The day ended up passing fairly quickly.
And fortunately, Owen had already started the process of hiring the casting director.
Because his predictions had turned out to be completely wrong. In just one day, between the two roles, they had already received more than 1,900 submissions. And the announcement had only been live for 24 hours. Submissions would remain open for three full days.
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