With a stain of coffee on Mia's shirt but the coat covering her, it was the day of her audition. The camera then focuses on Mia.
Mia in that coat zipped up and looked odd indoors. On her phone–
She laughed and talked to the cellphone, "And I swear to God, she was wrecked. Pure lunacy. Oh God, I know…."
Then, she seemed to be listening for a while, all interested in what she was hearing. Then, right when the scene was ongoing, someone cracked a laugh loudly.
Turning all the eyes, Naomi Li, the assistant make-up artist, talked to someone on an actual cell phone loudly and laughed. Ian's eyes went to her, and Eloise started laughing along.
Ian and everyone else joined her, although he was kind of frustrated inside. Naomi's eyes met everyone else's, and shock was evident on her face. She covered her mouth and ran outside the studio to complete her call in pure embarrassment.
"Let's start again,...." Ian gave his commands, and the cameras started rolling, "Action!"
Eloise starts laughing on the cell phone again.
"And I swear to God, she was wrecked. Pure lunacy. Oh God, I know…."
"No, no, Turner's fine. So you -- are you waiting 'til Denver to tell her...?"
Her smile contracted after the lines, "Oh… I see,"
"Clench your jaw, now," Ian ordered through the mic.
She followed, "No, you're right…." A tear fell off her face, "I just… I'm happy for you. I'm just,"
The camera had a view where a girl showed a paper through the door's glass. But it was blurred. She then comes inside and talks to the casting director.
"Jessica's on the phone?" The girl on the front line of the interviewers said, "Two minutes… No less than two minutes,"
"I'll get your lunch, then," the other girl says and walks out. It was blurred in the camera but was prominent.
Eloise was looking dumbfounded at the camera without saying a word. She was curious about whether she should continue or not. Ian had a smile on his face. So far, the third attempt is going the best.
"Oh, you know what?" The casting director's voice focused on Mia. "I think we are good; thanks for coming in," She said. This was the entire scenario screening from the camera.
Ian clapped loudly, "Cut! That was the best so far!" He said, and everyone was smiling from ear to ear.
This scene was something connected to the original world of Ryan Gosling, the star. The exact location, where the casting director interrupts Mia's emotional performance to take a phone call, was inspired by one of his real-life auditions. This exact scenario happened to Gosling when a casting director was unmoved by his performance during a reading.
This was why this movie shows the actuality of some of the actual Hollywood activities.
After that scene, only a few actions happen in-between until Mia gets into the elevator feeling sad about how the audition went. But, before her, two other friends enter the movie before her.
They started the scene right away because where they had rented looked precisely like what Ian had in mind. Ian said how exactly he wanted the environment to be going out of the current set. There were ladies in white who were more than ready to take part in their auditions.
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"Quiet on the set!" Ian gave the first command while everyone fell into pin-drop silence.
"Sound" "Set!"
"Camera?" "Set!"
"Roll sound! - Sound rolling.
Roll camera! - Camera Speed.
"Marker!" The clapper board moved in front of the camera and showed take 1, scene 5.
"Action!"
Eloise came out of the office and removed the zipper of her blue color leather jacket she was wearing.
"Cut! I want the disappointment and sadness while you remove the jacket's zipper, can we take one more, or do you need a break? Ian asked.
"Nah, it's fine. Let's do it!" Eloise said and clapped for her own encouragement. Everyone cheered her up, and they started right where it began.
Mia exits the office with a sad face. She passes one startlingly beautiful woman after another. Around seven of them were trying to keep the words in mind, or some were looking up and reading the lines.
After removing the zipper of her coat, the coffee stain was visible. She then enters the elevator with two other women-- rail-thin, legs up to their ribs. She looked sad because she was nothing like them.
"Cut! One more time, can we?" Ian asked. Eloise shook her head because she felt a bit tired from repeating the same things. "Five minutes, let's start over!" Ian said and smiled.
-
The next day they were trying to take the shots inside her apartment. They were trying to shoot where Mia comes in, and then that was the point the story expands to the end of Mia's three friends. The room was evidently in the season of Christmas as a Christmas tree was set up in one corner.
"Action!" Ian gave the signal. Everyone was on the set, ready for Mia to start her performance. The person who manages the lights was doing his own job while his helpers maintained the lighting with the boards. Cameramen were pre-ready with two cameras, one in the living room and the next in Mia's bedroom.
Mia came in wearing the same blue jacket and stained white shirt as before. She passed all the home equipment, and straightaway went to her room. Her facial expressions showed how exhausted she was. And then the camera shifted to camera-02, where it gave a quick glimpse of the wannabe actress Mia.
Her room was small. It's one of those tiny walled-off dens not part of the original design, used to siphon off rent. An Ingrid Bergman poster hangs over the bed. Mia takes off her shoes. A blister on her sole. She groaned in pain and plopped herself onto the bed with her face in the sheets.
"Well done! Great!" Ian said, and everyone clapped while dismissing themselves to take a quick break.
Some actresses came into the set. Alexa was right on time for her upcoming scene. Jenny knew there'd be dancing steps for Mia, Tracy, Caitlin, and Mia's friend.
Ms. Ward was already sitting in a chair where the other actors and actresses sat. In fact, most of the people on the set were dancers. It was because of the upcoming scenes.
"Hey, you are right on time!" Ward smiled broadly and hugged Alexa.
"Had to drop something off somewhere. If not, I would be earlier to see some more, but glad I could make it on time!" She said while hugging her back and walking her way to the make-up artist to get ready for her role.
We will do the scenes up until where these four girls go out! So get ready for it within 30, take a snack, and energize yourselves!" Ian said while grabbing everyone's attention.
[...] Now they were shooting from where Mia gets out of the shower. The curtains were interestingly made at Ian's request. The color pink and the design was prominent. During the 30 minutes, the prop master and everyone else who worked under him was able to turn the entire apartment to look exactly like what Ian had in mind.
"Action!"
It showed Mia's hand grabbing the towel out of the shower curtain. Wrapped in it, Mia came out, Just showered. The steam was visible coming out from where she was.
The mirror is fogged up with a small head scratch, and the hand towel is taken off. She dabs away some of the fog. Dims the lights. Her reflection looks like soft-focus old Hollywood close-ups with the mist in place.
After humming a little, she smiles at herself again.
"Cut!" Ian said. "That was great now, Tracy; you gotta come in. Are we ready to start this?" He asked, and everyone said yes.
"Action,"
With dimmed light, she was smiling with herself again, the door opened, and she gasped in the sudden shock.
"Woah! Holy shit! You wanna open a window?" Tracy asked with a sly smile and kept walking inside. Mia rolled her eyes and smiled at her. The camera was now focused on Mia, and her reflection was visible through the mirror to which she turned her back.
Tracy was 26 years old and had dark hair. She looked absolutely stunning in the red dress.
"I was trying to give you an entrance," Mia said.
"Thank you," Tracy replied.
"Mia, how did the audition go?" Alexia, Mia's other friend, asked with chips in her hand.
"Eh-"
"Eh, the same here. Was Jen there? Or Rachel?" She asked.
"I don't know who Jen and Rachel are," Mia said while still rubbing her hand.
"They are the worst," Alexia said with still chips in her mouth.
"Cut!" Ian interrupted, knowing he needed more emotions from Mia since she suddenly started to look like a side character.