Date The CEO.com

Chapter 160: Distractions, Distractions

The car ride to the studios was a quiet experience.

Eve sat by the right side of the backseat. She focused on her business phone, keeping up with the emails and concerns. Her right pant pocket burned. It weighed heavily with messages from Avery and Andie. She was curious as to what the madam and Ambryan talked about.

But it was too risky.

Especially when the CEO was one meter away from her.

Ambryan spoke on the phone. He used a low volume that hardly disturbed the atmosphere inside the car. His words came out in a rush. She pitied whoever was at the other line. That had to be a lot of instructions in a short amount of time.

Then again, her boss didn't seem to be repeating himself.

The other person must be keeping up without a problem.

Wen sat on the driver's seat. Several black sedans stayed close as they headed for a secluded area. Eve glanced out the window. The studio gates were almost within sight. A small smile curled at the corner of her lips.

The place never failed to make people feel like they stepped inside a movie.

"What's funny?" Ambryan suddenly asked. He typed on his phone, 

"Nothing" Eve cleared her throat. "It's been a while since we visited this site."

"Is there something about it that you like?"

"Well, it's a lot livier than the others, I guess." She shrugged. The more she thought about it, the more she figured that was probably due to its large population. 

"Hm," Ambryan responded. He finished sending his last replies and hid his phone inside his breast pocket. Then, he looked at their surroundings, saying, "If you'd like, you can be the head of the studios here someday. Your office will be in the main building."

Eve snapped her head towards him. "Wha-What about the current head? Is he leaving?"

"No."

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"Retiring?"

"No."

"Sick?"

"No."

"Then..., why would I replace him?" She asked, knitting her eyebrows.

"I'll just put it at the top of your preferences for your promotion," Ambryan replied. They almost reached their destination. He assessed the buildings and squinted his eyes. "I'd be rest-assured that this place is in good hands, at least."

Eve felt her heart flutter. All this time, she thought her opportunities were limited to their headquarters. Their car drove through the gates and rolled down the street. The scenery that greeted them were filled with a number of film locations. 

The front had been refurbished like a small town. It had its diners, cafes, museums, parks and more. Groups often travelled around with golf carts. The workers inside the establishments were professionals and used to film crews renting out spaces for their shoot. 

Eve basked in everything like it was her first visit againjust before the car turned at a corner that led to a more discreet road. 'If work was in this place everyday, it probably wouldn't feel like one,' she thought.

Wen parked their car near Studio A. Ambryan climbed out of the car, followed by Eve. The lot happened to be almost barren which was an advantage. Today was a surprise visit so they didn't head for the main building. The security guard had been told to keep quiet. 

The CEO had come to personally inspect progress and proper protocol.

.

.

.

"Run it one more time!" Sam said through a megaphone. He sat on the Director's Chair. His previous aqua hair wax had been replaced with pink. It enhanced the red tone of his brown hair. He matched it with a blue and white plaid shirt and brown trousers. 

His beer belly had pushed the waistband down to his hips.

The current scene was shot from inside a house. 

They had built the living room inside the studio. Because of the previous leak, they had to move most filming locations indoors. It would have to stay like that until season 1 was released. Then, they could think about moving once they received enough positive feedback.

The camera crew reset their equipment to re-shoot the scene. The house displayed a living room and a staircase. The door to the right was designed to be the front one while the other door to the left led to the kitchen.

=== 

Keys rattled as the front door was unlocked.

A tall figure stepped inside. He wore office apparel and carried suitcases into the house. Behind him, a teenage girl blew on her bubblegum. She had her hands inside her hoodie pockets. The tips of her dark blonde hair had been dyed in multiple colors.

A backpack hung on her shoulder. 

"Make yourself at home, Sarah." The man said, turning on the lights. He shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the coat stand.

Sarah walked ahead and scanned the place, sounding raspy, "Where's my room?"

"It's upstairs" Her companion replied. He stood behind her and gestured towards the staircase. "Why don't you freshen up a bit then we can have some lunch? How does that sound?"

"I already ate at the airport."

"I see." He cleared his throat.

Sarah glanced over her shoulder and saw his troubled face. She shook her head, stomping on her way up to the second level. "I'll eat later for dinner."

"Dinner! Right! I'll order some pizza with extra pepperoni and cheese!"

"Sure. Whatever."

===

"Cut!" Sam yelled. He wiped a hand down the side of his face. In his opinion, these simpler scenes were the hardest. If not filmed or/and edited right, the audience could lose interest. This sort existed a lot in the pilot episodewhich was a crucial time to lure viewers for more.

"Having trouble, Director Sam?" Someone asked directly behind him.

"Not really," he replied with a grunt. His eyes shut while he massaged his temples with one hand. "Maybe I'm just being nitpicky. We've done the scene six times by now. It doesn't even last five minutes of screentime."

The shot replayed on the monitor. Angles from different cameras had been put together for the initial cut. The scene started out with a panoramic view before it zoomed in on the door knob. Then, the same camera pulled back to focus on the characters. 

"Don't forget to zoom in on Sarah's bag when she walks up the stairs," the same voice remarked.

"Bah, product placement!" Same exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. The make-up team touched up on the actors' faces. The lights exhibited a lot of heat, causing them to sweat often. The director watched the shot.

"Maybe that's what is odd about the shot," he mumbled.

"What's odd about it?"

"Because of product placement, some scenes can't flow naturally on screen. It can disrupt the storyline," Sam explained. He craned his head and shouted, "Someone get me the shot of the brother when Sarah walks up the stairs."

The monitor turned black before the shot had been replaced, following his request.

"There! You see!" Sam pointed at the screen. "That is a lot more essential. This part was supposed to be about the brother's emotional turmoil since the previous shots focused on Sarah. It gives a wider view on the entire scene."

"Hm," he heard behind him. "Are you saying you have a problem with the Athon contract?"

"That guy Davis is not even around," the director continued. He couldn't even remember why he agreed to this change in the script. He'd prefer product placements to be outside of the pilot episode. 

"Why should I worry about the brand's logo at a serious scene such as this?" He flipped through the script in his hands. Maybe they could improvise on a different scene. "Sarah's high school is the main location later in the episode. I remember they already planned a product placement for this setting. Ugh, this is a nightmare."

This time, his ears met with silence. 

He didn't even bother and dissected through the first half of the script. They could zoom in when Sarah puts the bag down when she reached her room? Sam frowned at his idea. The luxury item should be well-taken care of but Sarah would most likely dump it on the floor.

Eve exchanged a look with Ambryan. 

She pressed her lips together, hiding her amusement. The director was serious in his work. He didn't even notice someone had intruded the studio while the crew who spotted them had been willing to seal their lips.

But, that was merely her opinion. Ambryan might not think the same way. 

These talks behind his back happened to be one of his triggers.

She cleared her throat, preparing a speech. "Director Sam, if you have a problem, the CEO is always willing to listen to you. Unfortunately, Athon Luxury is vital to the funds used by the TV series. I'd suggest coming in with new ideas for the product placement to not disrupt the shot."

Sam whirled his head in its direction. "Just who"

Then, he hopped off his chair at once. "Ms. Hart!" 

Eve smiled at him before her eyes flickered to her left. 

Sam paled under a pair of scrutinizing violet eyes. How much did they hear? He reached out to shake Ambryan's hand, trying not to stutter. "Mr. Hathaway! Good day to you, sir! Are you parched? Someone get Mr. Hathaway a glass of water!"

"My throat is alright, Director," Ambryan responded. He pulled his hand back and said, "As well as my ears if you're wondering."