After Peter had spent two days lying in his dormitory, the call finally came. It was the crew of Desire, Betrayed, telling him to prepare for filming. The location was at the Metropolis Studios base, not far from his school.
The next day, Peter spent over a hundred on a taxi that took him directly to the set. As he stepped onto the bustling scene, he assumed he was the officially chosen stand-in. However, a quick look around told him he had been overthinking things.
An assistant director gave him a brief, hurried overview of the situation and then asked him to wait outside. It turned out that all the main plot points of Desire, Betrayed had already been filmed. Only the three notoriously difficult sex scenes remained. Before Peter, more than a dozen stand-ins had already tried and failed. The results, the assistant director had said with a grimace, were hard to describe. Most hadn't even finished a single take before Director Evans sent them packing.
Peter found a chair and sat down, waiting quietly. He remembered from his past life that Director Evans was an incredibly harsh perfectionist. While filming this movie, he had even made the lead star, Julian Croft, personally rehearse the scenes before shooting. When it came to the sex scenes, Evans was demanding nothing less than perfection.
Though he had lived two lives, this was Peter's first time on a real film set. Everything around him felt novel and exciting. But the thought of the intense scenes he was about to perform made his stomach churn. He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. Even with the system's help, he didn't feel entirely stable. He took out the storyboards he had drawn and began sketching on the paper, marking key points and thinking about how to get into character.
Half an hour later, the door to the studio flew open.
"Where did you find this substitute? He's absolutely terrible!" Director Evans's voice boomed as he strode out, his face a mask of frustration. He immediately lit a cigarette, looking profoundly depressed. This scene had been dragging on for days, and he still didn't have a single usable shot. He looked furious. The assistant director trailed behind him, sweating profusely.
"Julian, why don't you just do it yourself!" Evans pleaded, looking at the film's star, Julian Croft. "These stand-ins are completely useless!"
At that moment, the assistant director who had greeted Peter hurried over. "Director Evans," he said nervously, "the substitute from Starlight Media is here. Do you want to try again?"
"Hmm?" Evans looked confused, his gaze finally landing on Peter for the first time. He took in Peter's youth and immediately dismissed him. His eyes, full of cynicism, drifted away. After all, if experienced stuntmen had failed, what could he expect from a newcomer? But after another look at Julian Croft's hesitant expression, Evans knew he couldn't push his star any further. The scale of this scene was simply too big, and it was natural that Julian didn't want to do it.
With a sigh of resignation, Evans glanced back at Peter, who was still sitting on the edge, writing and drawing. What is this kid doing? Curious, he walked over and peered at the draft in Peter's hand.
Suddenly, the director's eyes widened in surprise. This kid was drawing storyboards for the sex scene.
Peter had been using the new skill for the past few days, combining his memories of the movie from his past life with his innate talent to sketch out the entire sequence.
"Are you the substitute from Starlight Media?" Evans asked, his voice interrupting Peter's focus.
Peter looked up and saw the director and several others standing over him. He nodded.
"Have you studied storyboarding?"
"I learned a little bit in my free time," Peter replied.
"Can I see?"
"Of course."
Evans took the draft from Peter's hand. The assistant director leaned in to look as well. The art style was messy and a little rough, but it was clear and usable. Evans looked at it carefully, and as he flipped through the pages, his expression shifted from curiosity to utter shock.
How is this possible? The concept for every shot is exactly the same as my own vision. It was as if this young man had reached into his mind and drawn out the very images that had been floating there, vague and unformed.
"Brilliant… this is brilliant! It's art!" Evans exclaimed, his voice filled with a relieved, manic energy. "This is the picture I want! Every shot here is perfect! Did you draw all of this?" He looked at Peter, his eyes shining with disbelief. Even top-tier directors couldn't always produce storyboards of this quality.
Peter simply remained calm and nodded.
"This is really your work?" Evans pressed, still stunned. "With this level of talent, you're a substitute?" He simply couldn't believe that such a young man was responsible for this.
Peter nodded again, his expression unwavering.
It took a moment for the director to compose himself. A slow smile spread across his face. He looked from Peter to Julian Croft and back again. Peter was a bit taller than Julian, but their body shapes were similar enough. As a body double, the difference would be unnoticeable.
Then, he turned back to Peter, his eyes full of genuine appreciation. "If you really drew all of this, then your understanding of the character is incredibly deep. You are the perfect person for this scene. Your vision is completely in sync with mine." He clapped Peter on the shoulder, his excitement palpable.
"Let's go! Get in there and try the scene!" he boomed, already leading a stunned Peter towards the studio door.