The Director's Cut by Janice Thompson Page B

reminds me, we’ll have to get Athena to bring in several sandwiches from her parents’ shop for this scene. They actually get eaten, so they have to be real.” I turned to Erin. “Make a note, okay?”
    â€œGot it.” She grinned. “Athena needs to bring sandwiches for Thursday’s shoot.”
    This led several of my cast and crew members into a conversation about how great Athena’s parents’ sandwiches were, which took away valuable time. I finally managed to get them corralled once again.
    â€œAnyway, Brock is in the elevator with the sandwiches when Kat and Scott—er, Angie and Jack—get in, dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny.”
    Scott interrupted me. “No, they’re heading out to meet the kids. Brock gets on after the fact. Isn’t that right?”
    â€œHmm.” I thumbed through my script. Sure enough, I’d gotten it backwards. Nothing like appearing discombobulated in front of my cast and crew. I released a slow breath and dove in again, this time giving instructions about the location of the next scene. “Okay, so Angie and Jack are in the elevator . . .” I paused and turned to Erin, distracted by a niggling thought. “Would you mind checking with the wardrobe department to see if they’ve got the Easter Bunny costumes ready? Last I heard they were having trouble finding the fabric they needed for Mrs. Bunny’s skirt.”
    â€œWill do.” She took off running.
    I turned back to my cast. “So, they’re in the elevator dressed up for the party, where they plan to surprise the kids they represent. Then Brock gets in carrying the sandwiches, and the elevator gets stuck, which jars them all and sends Angie sprawling to the floor. At that point, she goes into labor.” I looked at Kat. “Think you can manage that part?”
    She wrinkled her nose. “Well, do you mean ‘go into labor’ as in ‘have labor pains’? Or does my water break or something? The script isn’t clear. Do you have a preference?”
    Ack! What a question to ask a never-been-pregnant woman. I closed my eyes and tried to envision the scene. Which would be the better choice? Labor usually took awhile, right? Maybe it would be best to have her water break first. I’d just about decided on that when Kat piped up.
    â€œI read in my pregnancy book that most women just start with a few twinges. They don’t even realize they’re in labor right away. And very few women have their water break at the beginning. How long is this scene going to be, anyway? I can’t just have a pain and then deliver a baby, you know?”
    â€œOh, we’ll go back and forth from the elevator to the scene with the kids to show a progression in time,” I explained.
    â€œOkay.” She nodded. “So, how do you want me positioned? I mean, this is a family show. We have to be really careful how we handle this scene.”
    â€œRight. We want it to be funny but not crude.”
    Hmm. Looked like I needed a compass, because right now I didn’t have a clue where I was headed. And how would I steer this ship if I couldn’t even tell a pregnant woman how to deliver a baby in an elevator?
    I closed my eyes once again, picturing the whole thing. “Okay, this is how it’s going to happen. You’ll be in the elevator when Brock joins you. A moment later the elevator gets stuck, and after you fall to the floor, you feel your first labor pain. That’s not too unrealistic, is it?”
    Kat shrugged. “Sounds okay to me.”
    â€œBy the time we cut to the kids’ scene at the agency and come back again, maybe you can be lying down with Jack on one side of you and Brock’s character on the other. At that point you can be . . .”
    â€œPanting?” she offered.
    â€œSure. Panting. Whatever. Just make sure it looks real.”
    Kat rubbed her belly. “Trust