Syncopated Rhythm (6 page)

She looked around as a transition happened on her storyboards and an animation that looked like it was drawn in colored pencils started with Mandy Fay Harris singing the solo in Miranda's voice since it was her solo originally.  Then it transitioned to the choir again and she said, “Then using Sandra Callahan herself, locate some homeless people with vocal training and a child from the burn or cancer ward to sing the other three solos.  She could do it in a moment, she has a gift for knowing what each homeless person can do.  This album benefits those people on the streets and in the hospitals, shouldn't they be represented in some way?”

The storyboards rapidly progressed, showing solos by a homeless man, a bald child, then a girl signing with her hands as she sang.  Then it ended with colored animated sketches of Penny Franklin dropping to her knees and arching her back and screaming out “Meeeeeeoooooowww!” And it cut instantly to black.”

It was silent in the conference room.  She nervously babbled,  “It wouldn't take the focus off our talent here because each one will have a video of their own on the album.  It also illustrates that they are behind these causes.”

I was nodding as were most of the other artists.  That would make this more about the people and less about us.  I thought it was amazing.  And she was right, everything would be the same except who sang the solos yet it changed everything about the concept and impact of the video.  Kimi and Skylar were grinning back at my imp who looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Evan nodded.  “Interesting, but we already have a solid plan here.  If there are no other questions, your helpers can show you to the group location.  Wardrobe, hair, and makeup will meet you up there and get you all situated.”

He stood to indicate that the planning meeting was over and everyone started filing out.  A couple artists encouraged Kylee as they walked past her.  She was as pale as a ghost.  Kimi and Skylar both stopped to give her a grin.  After everyone else left I stepped next to her.  “You OK?”

She nodded sheepishly.  “I guess.  Why did you do that?  I was so embarrassed.”

I shook my head.  “Because everyone seemed to be offering suggestions except you and I knew you had stuff.  I just didn't know that your stuff was that cool.  You did that this morning?  Holy crap woman, you got skills.”

She shrugged.  “I had already sent it to the production teams.  If they thought it was any good they would have brought it up here.  I send ideas all the time.”

I tilted my head.  “How many do they use?  And how many do they dismiss out of hand like this one?”

She frowned.  “They have never used any of my ideas except for the time Leanne stole one from me and presented it to them after they already shot it down from me.”

I was shocked and pissed off at that revelation.  “What the hell Ky!?  Did you call her out on it?”

She shook her head.  “No.  All I have to do is get through this internship and I'm hoping to get a real position somewhere.  The fewer waves I make before that happens, the safer I'll be.”

I snapped.  “You were born to stand out and make waves!  You need to make them stand up and take notice. Your vision for this video was leaps and bounds better than what we are about to do.”

Her bubbly self was missing as she hugged her iPad to her chest with her eyes down.  “We should get going and get you handed over to wardrobe, hair, and makeup.”  She started out of the room without me. 
Crap, did I just put my foot in it?

When we got to the shoot, there were people bustling everywhere around the set.  Before I knew it, a twenty something girl was grabbing my elbow and leading me toward a dressing room.  “Hi, I'm Taylor and I'll be helping you get ready for the set today Miss LaLanie.”

I shot a look of mock terror toward Kylee, her face finally broke into a grin again as she mouthed “Sorry.” She hopped up on a studio chair to wait for my re-emergence.  I relaxed a bit, at least she is smiling again.

Taylor was smooth and professional but the outfit she was giving me was... “No!  Absolutely not. I'll wear long sleeved shirts and pants only.  No sexy elf skirts and barely there tops!  Harmony Trax should have sent instructions on my wardrobe.”

She looked at her notes.  “They did, the producer was just hoping you'd reconsider, this would get more viewers.  With your body...”

I shook my head and cut her off.  “Absolutely not.”

She sighed in resignation and then rooted around on the racks for a moment then came up with a festive outfit that I knew I'd rock.  I nodded.  “Much better, and if we accessorize it right, this will be just as sexy as you wanted.”  I stared at her as she started reaching for my shirt.  “Whoa.  Did none of my instructions get to you?  Out with you.  I dress myself.”

She looked at her notes again and nodded as she left the room.  Perhaps she should have done that
BEFORE
meeting with me.

I listened to the screaming silence for a moment as I stood... alone.  I shook myself and started getting ready.  I was frustrated by my confrontation with Taylor and was being fast and careless.  As I pulled my shirt over my head the sequined fabric in the back caught in the pins in my wig.  “Ow!”

I tugged a bit and it felt like I was going to rip my real hair out.  I tried to get to the offending pins but the shirt was twisted around two of them.  I pulled hard and steady so I didn't tear my hair out but it hurt too much. “Dammit!”  I looked in the mirror and the splotchy bleached stripe on my side and arm were painfully evident. What the hell could I do now?  Nobody could see me like this.  I tried pulling the shirt back down but that made me look even worse.

Maybe I could get Kimi or Skylar in here, they wouldn't judge me.  I wouldn't trust anyone else to see the real me... except...

I walked to the door and called out. “Taylor?”

She answered quickly.  “Yes Miss LaLanie?”

I paused a second.  “I'm in a bit of a mess here.  Could you please send Kylee in here to help?
NOBODY
else.”

She responded, “Just a moment Miss LaLanie.”

A few seconds later there was a light knocking at the door.  I turned my discolored skin away from the door, like it would hide it.  “Kylee?”

She replied, “Yes Amber. Is everything OK in there?”

I sighed, trying to gather the courage to show someone, besides the Roths, my vitiligo for the first time since high school.  “No.  It isn't.  I seem to have got myself in an embarrassing mess and need your help.  Please come in.”  My voice cracked and my eyes were tearing up.

A concerned looking Kylee popped in and shut the door quickly behind her and she looked at me. She tilted her head as I tugged on my shirt.  “It got all tangled up in the pins fastening the wig.  Please don't tell anyone about what you see here.”

She was shaking her head.  I know she already saw my skin discolorations but she didn't say a single word.  She went to work trying to twist the shirt for better access to the pins.  “Wow.  You really did a number up here.  I don't know if I can get to them without cutting your...”

I cut her off.  “No!  No cutting.”  I took a deep breath and calmed down.  “I'm sorry Ky.”

She shrugged and put a warm hand on my shoulder with a smile.  “No problem.  The wig is just in the way.”

I took two shuddering breaths and sat in the chair in front of the mirror.  Then whispered, “Then take it off.”  A tear rolled down my cheek as I tried to be brave.

She went to work removing all the pins fastening the wig to my scalp.  Then she pulled the wig back and was able to get to the two offending pins that were weighted down by the shirt.   I felt the pressure on my scalp release as the wig came away and she untangled the shirt from it and my hair fell down around my shoulders.

She looked at me with a huge grin.  “Taa daa! ...Jesus!”  She gasped and her eyes went wide as I shrank back in embarrassment.  She pushed my hair back, the contact of her fingers on my scalp felt heavenly.  Her smile doubled as she looked at my shame.  “You're fracking gorgeous Amber!  Your hair is amazing!”

She wasn't looking at me in pity or disgust?  She was just smiling, her hand moved haltingly toward my side, toward the blotches then it stopped.  She locked eyes with me.  Her smile got cute and lopsided.  I quickly grabbed the shirt that Taylor had supplied and pulled it over my head.

I blurted, “I can do it from here.”

She got a sad look on her face.  “OK.  Why do you... can I ask...  is it... why do you hide it?  It is beautiful.  It's a shame you keep yourself hidden away all the time.”

I closed my eyes and didn't say anything.  I heard the door close behind her.  What in the hell was she seeing that I wasn't?  I looked in the mirror at my brown and blotchy white striped hair.  I pulled the shirt up a bit and ran my fingers along my vitiligo, the source of so my ridicule in the locker rooms in school.  The bane of my entire existence.  I refused to be “Amber Lee, Leper of District Three” anymore.  If nobody could see it, I could pretend it didn't exist.

I put the rest of my wardrobe on then went about fastidiously putting my hair up and fastening my pink wig.  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath then I looked up to the mirror and opened my eyes. “There she is,” I whispered.  Amber LaLanie had come out to play again.  I smiled at myself, much better.

I looked at the door while I fought off the silence booming all around me.  What must Kylee think of me?  Now that she has seen the real me?  I stepped over then opened the door.  Taylor came in immediately and started fussing about with the outfit and two others followed her in.  They were the hair and makeup people.  “Umm... I do my own hair and makeup.”  Gawd, I sounded like one of those high maintenance divas that Kylee had joked about.

They stuck around and gave me “pointers” as I did my own.  But, they didn't need to know what I was hiding under my foundation and they certainly didn't need to know I wore a wig.  I could see Kylee sitting out in the hall, cute as ever, with her iPad up and a grin on her face.  I couldn't look her in the eye.

Finally, Kylee looked at the time then stood and motioned her head to me that it was time to get on the set.  I excused myself from the ladies and joined her in the hall.  She snickered.  “They were like hover-drones in there.”

I snorted, against my will, and glanced at her.  Her eyes were trained on me.  Those damn dimples were threatening to kill me.  Finally I broke and smiled back, locking our eyes.  “I'm pretty sure they think I have a diva complex.”

She grinned a self satisfied grin and said to nobody in particular. “DI-VA.”

“Hey now traitor.” I bumped her hip playfully as we walked to the group standing on the stage.

She smiled nervously and said, “I'll be right over there if you need anything.  Good luck Amber.” Then she shuffled off to one of the chairs off to the side of the set, filming the whole time with her iPad.  So I stuck my tongue out at her and she scrunched her nose at me in retaliation.

Skylar and Kimi stepped up to me.  Sky greeted me with, “Hey Amber.” Kimi with her emotionless mask added, “Hi Pinkie.”  I grinned at them both as the other talent all congregated.

They were wearing Victorian dresses from the nineteenth century.  I whispered, “What no sexy elf outfits like they tried to get me into?”

Kim snorted and Skylar laughed.  “Oh no, they tried.  My wife here had a little something to say about it.”  I grinned at that.

The producer and director spoke about this set a bit.  It was basically a background choir shot that would have many camera angles, dolly shots, and sky cams that they would edit for transitions later. They would pipe in the track for us to sing along to for more realistic takes than straight lip synching.  They would take separate close ups near the end of the shoot.  Soloists would be shot on Monday.

They also informed us that there would be a production meeting with each artist on Monday to present storyboards and schedules for our individual number video shoots afterward.  That would lay out our time line for the next couple weeks.   Oh joy, two weeks or so of doing absolutely nothing, with like two days of actual shooting.

They positioned us in the virtual winter wonderland with the green screen backdrop that would have a winter shot of a little town down in a snowy valley inserted in post production.  I got to stand next to a cute little snowman. 
Go me!

Before I knew it, fake snow was falling and they were calling action as the music played.  We had an awesome time singing the background choir.  We all played off of each other and had a general blast.  Three takes later they filmed us kicking snow and having mock snowball fights with each other, or tossing brightly wrapped presents back and forth. Then we sang portions of the song again, this time with cameras shoved into each of our faces.

Then it was lunch time and the director was calling a wrap for the day and thanking all of us.  He reminded me that I had a solo on Monday.  I nodded and assured him my keeper was very efficient and stormtrooper-like and she wouldn't let me forget.  Ky shot cute little daggers at me with her eyes.

Miranda Keys looked around at everyone with mischief-filled eyes.  “Ladies... and teenaged looking gentlemen.”   Conrad Chase and Max McDonald, being the only male talent on the album, feigned hurt.  But they did, they looked like kids to me!  Gawd I feel old.  She grinned at them apologetically then continued speaking to the group, “Let's go cause a scene?  Lunch out in public?”