Hollywood Art: System of sunnys

August 27.

In the old courthouse room, Billy adjusted his suit, preparing for what would be the majority of the trials today, possibly up to 70%. The first to be pleaded was against Billy Ray Cobb, followed by Carl Lee, who, after what happened during the trial, decided to take revenge on those who had victimized his daughter Tonya in the worst way possible. Because of this, they would take everything in small shots.

-You'll be taking the shots with Sandra today; she should be here by noon according to her agent's last call, and you'll be doing small scenes, - Paul Schumacher said. It was difficult for people to acclimate to such takes, but that's why Sandra was chosen. It was challenging for newcomers to adjust the line to her arrival, but an expert could take notes in seconds and capture the character's essence. Sandra's constant travels for promotion slightly extended her takes, but everything was progressing well.

-Sure, - murmured Billy, already immersed in his role, more pragmatic and focused than anything else.

Scene 34. Take 2.

Samuel L. Jackson was seated at the back of the courtroom, and therefore, among many other things, he presided over the trial. His demeanor had to reflect excessive concern. His face was wrinkled, with eyes reflecting hatred, discomfort, and indifference.

-Rise. His honor enters the courtroom, - everyone stands. Bullar took the fourth chair and sat down.

-Sit down, - he ordered the entire court. - Where are the defendants? Where? Bring them to the courtroom, - he shouted.

Cobb and Willard emerged in handcuffs from the small adjacent room. They were unshaven, and dirty, with wrinkled clothes and a confused appearance. Willard looked at the large group of black people, but Cobb turned his back on them.

-Listen to me, - Bullard began in a loud voice.  - This is a preliminary hearing, not a trial. The purpose of the preliminary hearing is to determine if there is enough evidence that a crime has been committed to proceed to trial. This hearing can even be waived at the request of the defendants. -

-With your honor's permission," Tyndale said after standing up, "we wish to proceed with the hearing. -

-Very well. Here I have sworn statements from Sheriff Walls accusing both defendants of kidnapping, serious assault, and raping a female under twelve. Mr. Childers, you may call your first witness. -

-With your honor's permission, the prosecution calls Sheriff Ozzie Walls. -

-Can you state your name? - Bullard/the judge asked.

-Sheriff Ozzie Walls. -

-Are you the sheriff of Ford County? -

-Yes. -

-I know who you are, - Bullard whispered as he flipped through the notes on the table. - Tell me, Sheriff, did your department receive a call yesterday afternoon related to the disappearance of a girl? -

-Yes, around four-thirty, - Ozzie/Charles S. Dutton responded.

-What did you do? - the judge countered.

-Officer Willie Hastings went to the home of Gwen and Carl Lee Hailey, parents of the missing girl, - Ozzie replied.

-Where is this residence located? - Bullard asked.

-On Craft Road, behind Bate's grocery store. -

In the audience, Jake Brigance/Billy played his role as a lawyer in the front row, not far from there, carefully assessing the case, and looking down thoughtfully.

...

-Cut,-  Paul responded.

They continued with shots here and there; in the meantime, they would take the shot where Carl Lee hides inside the courthouse in a closet, while the previous defendants described as the criminals are gunned down by Samuel L. Jackson's character, who had a conversation with Billy/Jake Brigance the night before about the fate of the murderers.

The backdrop was beginning to fill in.

-Sorry for the delay; I had to travel as quickly as possible, and flights are impossible in these situations, - Sandra Bullock commented. She was wearing a fitted white shirt along with jeans and cowboy boots, her particular attire for the role. Contrary to popular belief, Sandra isn't an outgoing person; she adheres to social protocols and eventually finds solace in her place or engages in private conversation with whoever she needs to speak to.

-Paul, great to see you, and you too, Billy. Though we met briefly for the script reading, now we'll be colleagues. - Sandra commented, arriving just before the Carl Lee scene was shot.

-Billy... - Paul mentioned, as he went off to sort out all the production details.

-We're about to shoot the scene with Carl Lee, following our shots. Are you ready for this? That's what Paul would ask. - Billy remarked.

-I'm ready. It would be an insult for anyone to say otherwise. - Sandra quipped. Billy stood back, the shots were all close-ups.

-I need to get into position for the shoot, but you can speak to the makeup team two doors down on the left. - Billy replied.

-Thank you. -

Scene 35, take 1.

Cobb was the first to cautiously descend the stairs, hands cuffed behind his back, followed by Willard and Agent Looney. Ten steps to the landing, turned right, then another ten steps to the first floor. Three more agents waited by the parked patrol car at the door, smoking cigarettes and watching the journalists. Cameras followed them from the depths, in a wide shot. But a cameraman emerged from an intersection and closely filmed the actors as they moved towards the courthouse stairs.

As Cobb reached the second-to-last step, with Willard three steps behind and Looney one step from the landing, the small door of the dirty, forgotten storage room unexpectedly swung open. Mr. Carl Lee Hailey emerged from the darkness with an M-16 in hand. He opened fire at close range. The rapid bursts of the submachine gun filled the building, drowning out the silence.

There was silence as some groans were heard, but the guns were not loaded; it was all mimed and acted. They began to fall, their shirts concealing a suit underneath, bursting with a mixture of paint resembling blood. Like bee stings, it was a moment, and the actors lay on the floor as a makeup team quickly arrived to touch up the fallen actors as cameras moved towards the scene.

The rapists froze and then screamed as they were hit by the bullets; Cobb was shot in the stomach and chest, Willard in the face, neck, and throat. They futilely tried to retreat, stumbling over each other, handcuffed and defenseless, as their skin and blood spilled out.

Looney took a shot in the leg but managed to crawl up to the cell, where he huddled down, hearing Cobb and Willard's groans and the hysterical laughter of the black man. Bullets ricocheted off the narrow staircase walls, and as Looney looked towards the landing, he could see blood and flesh splattered everywhere, cascading down the steps. The quick bursts of seven to eight shots from the M-16 echoed endlessly throughout the building. Above the noise of gunfire and bullets bouncing off the staircase walls, Carl Lee's sharp laughter could be heard clearly. When it was over, he tossed the rifle onto the bodies and ran off. He went into the restroom, wedged the door shut with a chair, jumped out the window into the bushes, calmly walked along the sidewalk, reached his pickup truck, and drove back home. Lester was paralyzed upon hearing the first shots, which rang out loudly in the courtroom.

Like bee stings, it was a moment, and the actors were on the ground as a makeup team quickly arrived to touch up the fallen actors, while the cameras turned to capture the reactions of the audience, from the lamenting cries of Willard and Cobb's mothers to the pale face of Billy/Jake.

Willard and Cobb's mothers began to scream, and the officers rushed towards the cells but didn't dare venture out onto the stairs. Lester listened intently in case pistol shots were heard, but there were none, so he left the courtroom.

-Cut. - Paul commented.

-We need another close-up of the gun later; this time, make sure it packs more punch to show a real firefight. - Paul shouted.

-Actors, get ready for the next scene. - a production assistant directed. The next scene called for a swift trial of Carl Lee; time was of the essence, and everything had to be done without further delay.

***

August 29

ID Software's new game was now on sale, and it delivered everything fanatics had been waiting for from the Doom franchise, Doom Rebellion (Doom 2), a first-person combat game. This Doom boasted a 3D rendering system with more polygons and gameplay focused on rapid shooting and mobility. It was set to launch on Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and PC platforms.

It was simply breathtaking, from its revamped gameplay mechanics that retained some of the original's essence but enhanced various aspects, offering the best gameplay on the market.

-We started distributing the demo and the offer has been a success since September 1. - Richard Boll commented, referring to the free trials and demos spread across the internet, a new strategy that, while not entirely original, was enough to attract the attention of unsuspecting players who were willing to try out and promote the game.

Sharper contours and more human-like digitized forms were the game's strong points, rivaling even the best games of the time, such as Mario 64, which was a masterpiece of its era. Doom was not far behind.

-The game orders have already come in; we have an order for a million units. - Alexa Riley, part of the administrative team, commented, that though her preference lay in development, she was involved in all aspects of the company.

-Alright, we might hit three million copies by the year's end, and with the PlayStation 1 release, we could reach four to five million, which alone covers the costs of the entire game team. - Richard Boll added in a low voice, calculating not just for himself but for many others, making a lot of money in favor.

...