Returning home, Mark took a while to freshen up and have some food, since their lunch time had been pushed back due to the discussion, and ended up being replaced by the meeting with Mr. Lucas. After that Mark had not been too hungry, it was the natural reaction of a routined body to a disruption in the routine, it tries its best to bring you back to the routine.
So Mark did not feel much hunger until he got home, and effectively just had some snacks at work and directly two cup noodles for dinner. Of course, he did not forget to have an apple he had bought on the way back for a more balanced diet.
'Constipation is an experience that wastes a lot of time for little to no benefit, and to prevent it, all I have to do is eat enough fibre. I should figure out a good source of protein and vitamins and minerals as well. Perhaps I should take up cooking again, like I had done as the older Mark. But I will need a kitchen for that, which will have to wait until I get promoted to junior scriptwriter and can afford a better place.'
After getting his food sorted for the night, Mark opened his notebook, opened the scene 2 and began correcting it. An hour later, he rewrote it on a new page, before taking another page and beginning to write down the next scene.
[Movie: The Sixth Sense (Scene 3)]
[Despite Cole’s reluctance to open up, Malcolm tries to build a relationship with him. Malcolm sees Cole as a chance to redeem himself for failing Vincent. He approaches Cole gently, trying to gain his trust through therapy sessions and conversation. Cole is often jittery, and he tells Malcolm that he feels like a “freak.” He also hints at being constantly afraid, though he doesn’t reveal why. In the background, Malcolm continues to struggle with his relationship with Anna. They seem to be growing more distant by the day, and she is seen having dinner alone, while Malcolm sits across from her, silently watching. She doesn’t acknowledge his presence, heightening the sense of isolation between them]
The work with Star Wars, where they were still discussing the plot and now with a potential sequel added to the mix, the discussions will likely last for another week before even a rough draft of the script could be made. On the other hand, Mark recalled the entire movie in his mind, and he had his experience as a moderately established scriptwriter to rapidly make progress in this script. So far, he had already written 3 scenes of a movie involving only around 8 or 10 scenes.
Mark was not sure exactly how many scenes he would need, since he did not know the script by heart. However, most of the story revolved around the build-up to the climax, and the sudden twist near the end before a sufficiently acceptable resolution wrapped up the entire movie, and Mark was planning to give it just that. He would use the overarching plot he remembered, and cook-up a good story and as good of dialogue as he could come up with.
Other than the Sixth sense, Mark knew many movies, and knew their scripts a lot better as he had watched them multiple times to experience their emotions again. He did not make scripts for them yet as he knew most of them involved budgets that were really high and he could not possible be involved in the making of those movies.
He knew, to be the best scriptwriter, he had to have control over how the movie was being made, and the only two ways to do that was to either become the director, or become the producer.
The current Mark had studied directing, but that was it. He had no experience to speak of, and had only made a half-decent short-film for his project in college. Meanwhile, the old Mark did not have any experience in directing, as he had spent all his time writing scripts, and only later realising that even if he wrote good scripts, without control over the production of the movie, it could turn out to be absolute garbage even if the script was really good.
There was this scene from X-Men, where Storm was talking to someone she attacks with lightning. The writers had wanted her to say it in an off-handed manner as though she was talking to someone lesser than herself, but the director's choice for the scene and the actress' acting made it seem as though she was talking out of anger, which felt really jarring to the audience.
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'Ultimately, scriptwriters have very little control over a movie's direction, with a majority of decisions being made by the director, while the producers can veto the choices of the directors at the cost of potentially angering them into leaving the project. Essentially, its a delicate cooperation between producing companies and directors, so I will have to either become a director or a producer to ensure my scripts turn into the movies I want them to be.'
'Producing takes a lot of money, money which I do not have. Directing will take time. Time to practice and perfect the craft to the point I can recreate those movies and emotions, which could take years. Perhaps, I might not even be able to direct movies. It is not a very efficient route to take. On the other hand, if I can make enough money, or have enough works under my belt, I can get someone to loan me money to produce a movie for myself.'
'I could also try to make as much money as possible through other means like investing or stock market options. There are a few companies that have very low value for now, but in the future they improve a lot. But that again would take years of long-term investment to make something worthwhile.'
'Either way, if this is the only way to make a decent amount of money, then the director route is also a feasible option, since the time taken would be considerably similar. The only difference is that the director route revolves a lot more around luck and having existing connections within the industry which I severely lack...'
After a while of contemplations, Mark went to bed, deciding to investigate possible short-term investment options that could gain him a decent amount of money within a few months at most. Of course, for that, he would need some starting capital, and that could only happen if and when he successfully sold his movie script. Otherwise, his current salary was just barely enough to provide food for him, and only the cup-noodles kind.
...
The next morning, work began with a twist, as the possibility of a second movie caused the group to rethink some decisions. Strange ideas like having Luke be a fatherless child, without having a biological father and instead being born off the force quite literally. But that idea was quickly thrown out the window since it would most definitely cause problems with the Catholic community since it would basically be a symbolism of Jesus Christ.
"How about we have Darth Vader be the father of Luke, but do not reveal it... this movie, only leaving plausible clues that are impossible to put together until the truth is revealed?" Mark added, with a moment of thought to make sure he did not use the words next movie.
The room fell silent for a moment. Kraig was rubbing his chin for a few seconds before nodding. He turned to the board, but stopped just before the market touched it.
"Luke and Leia are siblings, separated not long after birth, and their father is Darth Vader. However, this relationship will only be known by us in this room. To better keep the secret, we will only inform Mr. Lucas about it, and the other staff and actors will only get to know when it is written in the relevant script," Kraig nodded to himself before motioning for the group to continue the discussion and note-taking session.
...
Upon returning home, Mark had dinner, spoke with Eddie for a while, but the unlucky fellow was still unable to find a job. After the unfruitful conversation, he began editing the previous scene before writing the next scene.
[Movie: The Sixth Sense (Scene 4)]
[One day, Cole finally breaks down and reveals his terrifying secret to Malcolm: "I see dead people." He explains that these ghosts appear around him all the time, walking through his life, and they don’t know they’re dead. Cole is haunted by their presence, which causes his fear and isolation. Malcolm is initially skeptical, assuming that Cole is suffering from delusions or hallucinations as a result of trauma or a psychological disorder. He tries to comfort Cole, but deep down, he’s unsure whether to believe him. Cole insists that these ghosts are real, and they often approach him with unfinished business or unresolved issues from their lives.]
'Hmm, once I finish writing all the scenes, I will have to go through the entire thing and change parts of it, then go back and make the relevant changes scene-wise again. So after the first draft is completed, I will need at least another week or two to make a finished script. And I can only begin selling my script once I have it, and I have no clue how long it will take. It might work out on the very first try and be sold on the first hour, or it might never actually get sold. Money and connections, to get any of them, you need them in the first place, a paradox that has been used as the very foundation of modern capitalist society.'
Mark closed the notebook, packed up all his things and placed them neatly in their respective places in the drawers or on the table, before changing into his night-suit and heading off to bed.