James arrived early to rearrange the desks. He moved Linda's typewriter stand closer to the filing cabinet and cleared the central table, leaving space for a donut box, a stack of notepads, and a chipped ceramic mug filled with pens.
Linda walked in ten minutes later, eyeing the setup.
"You bribing people with sugar now?"
"Donuts were on sale," James said.
She placed her bag down and flicked open her notepad. "Let me guess, no napkins?"
James gave her an annoyed look.
She shrugged and sat on her chair.
At 9:05, the door opened again. Paul Keenan came in first, sunglasses hooked on his collar, a folded newspaper under his arm.
"Morning," he said, nodding toward both of them.
"Glad you found it," James said.
"Second try. Better than last time."
Mike Lenner followed, coffee in one hand, a pack of spearmint gum in the other. He gave Linda a polite nod and helped himself to a chair by the window
Glenn came in a few steps behind wearing the same beige jacket from their last meeting.
"Please tell me there is coffee."
"Far corner," James said.
"Hero," Glenn replied, pouring himself a cup like he'd just hiked uphill to get here.
Next came Ray, their lighting guy. He walked in with a slow, unhurried step and a face that said he hadn't slept properly in three days.
"This the whole crew?" he asked, looking around the room.
"Just about," James said.
Ray looked at the donut box and grabbed one without comment, then dropped into the nearest seat.
Finally, Jerry Franks walked in, duffel in hand. He gave a short nod to James and Linda, then to Paul. He placed his bag carefully by his chair and sat down without a word.
A moment passed while chairs creaked, coffee was poured.
James stood, tapping the end of a pencil against the folder he'd brought.
"Alright," he said. "Let's get started."
"We've got two weeks to prep, two weeks to shoot. Location's booked, cast signed, insurance filed. I need to know what I'm missing before we get too deep into it."
Paul was the first to speak, slouched comfortably with one arm hooked over the back of his chair. "Two cameras. Panavision. Don't cheap out or you'll regret it when you're color timing and wondering why every wide shot looks like soup."
"I figured on 35mm," James said, flipping his notepad.
Paul gave a slow nod. "Okay, then. You'll need at least two operators and a good AC."
James scratched a line on the page. "You have anyone in mind?"
"I've got two guys. Reliable.They'll shoot what you ask and won't second-guess."
"Perfect. I've had enough second-guessing."
Jerry, sitting with his arms folded over his chest, smirked. "That bad already?"
"Let's just say script notes are not my love language," James replied.
Ray leaned in next, lifting his cup. "Lighting you want natural where possible, but woods eat daylight. I'll need two HMIs, Bounce boards, stands, gels, and backups.
Jerry raised a hand. "I'm calling dibs on one. You don't want your FX rig drawing off the same line as Ray's lighting, unless you like sparks."
Ray looked over. "You're still using those old latex pump systems?"
"They work," Jerry said flatly.
"You say that like it's a virtue."
Linda, at the corner with her notebook, didn't look up. "Noted.
James cut in before it could spiral. "Jerry, how many hands do you need?"
"Two assistants. Minimum. Fast resets, cleanup, prosthetics. I'm not duct-taping someone's neck back together solo."
"I'll find you people."
Paul leaned forward. "You've got a plan for meals?"
"We'll feed everyone."
Glenn raised a brow. "Barbecue?"
James hesitated.
Ray shook his head. "We're not eating bad hot dogs every day, James."
Jerry nodded. "Hire a cook. Someone who can handle bulk, hot meals. You feed the crew garbage, you get garbage back."
James held up his hands. "Alright. Full-time chef. I get it."
"Good," said Glenn. "Some of us are too old to live off jerky and aspirin."
Paul leaned in again, more serious now. "One more thing you need an AD. You're directing and producing. You'll burn out fast."
"I was thinking I could juggle the schedule myself."
"You can't. You need someone tracking time, calling setups, wrangling cast. It'll get messy otherwise."
Jerry added, "And an art director. Props, continuity, cabin dressing. You need one set of eyes on all of that."
James nodded, slower this time. "Yeah. Okay. I'll hire both."
Linda, finally looking up, said, "Chef, AD, Art Director, extra crew for blood and lights. We're at nine new hires on top of the cast."
James made another note, flipping back a page. "I've got budget room. We'll sort it."
Ray set down his coffee. "You're doing alright, Rowan.
"Thanks for the optimism."
Jerry cracked a rare grin. "It's optimism. I'm still here, aren't I?"
Paul smirked. "That's not optimism. That's low blood pressure."
By late afternoon, the meeting had broken into smaller pockets Ray talking gear lists with Glenn, Jerry on the phone with a supply contact, and Paul quietly stepping out to call his recommended camera operators.
James stayed at his desk, flipping through the expense ledger Linda kept obsessively neat. No highlighters, no smiley face margins. Just neat rows of numbers, job titles, and the occasional "TBD" where costs hadn't been locked in yet.
Linda was next to him, calculator in one hand, tapping keys like they owed her money.
The meeting resumed after a quick break just enough time for coffee to be reheated, donuts to lose their appeal, and James to find a clean sheet of paper.
Everyone returned to their seats, a little more settled, jackets off, note pads opened. It was time to talk about the film itself.
James stood, tapping the edge of the whiteboard marker against his palm. "So, we've got the core crew. Before we talk dates, I want to walk through the shoot rough structure. What we'll need when, and what we can cheat."
Glenn, leaning back in his chair with a half-eaten donut, gestured lazily. "Are we talking full continuity here? Or can we group by location and call it a day?"
James nodded. "As much as I'd love to shoot in story order, we don't have the time or budget. We're grouping by location. Cabin scenes first. Lodge interiors. Then exteriors. Lake comes last."
Paul uncapped a pen. "That works. Cabin interiors are tight spaces. We'll need to plan blocking carefully. I'll do a walk-through this week and draw up camera positions."
Jerry spoke next, arms crossed. "Effects-heavy stuff needs time to reset. Blood rigs, prosthetics we can't rush those. If we group the deaths into separate days, I'll need staging time between. Maybe even shoot coverage while we patch cleanup."
"Understood," James said. "You'll have the last word on those days."
Ray sat forward. "Night shoots?"
"Seven nights," James replied. "Three for cabin. Three at the lake, One as reserve for Re-takes."
Ray rubbed his temple. "We'll need towers and portable units. Quiet generator, gaffers who know what they're doing. I'll prep a list."
"What about weather?" Glenn asked.
"It's spring," Linda said dryly, "so either it'll be perfect or it'll ruin your lives."
James glanced at her. "We'll build a buffer. Shoot schedule is twelve days.
Glenn nodded. "That's fair."
James picked up a sheet from the desk and read aloud: "We open on two teens sneaking off from camp. That's an exterior path and cabin porch. Daylight, no dialogue until the scare."
"Fake blood?" Jerry asked.
"Just one small gag. Clean hit."
"I'll need the actors ten minutes early to prep them," Jerry noted.
Paul leaned in. "Sequence after that?"
"Group arrives. Long day. Interior lodge. Intro scenes."
"We do those all in one day?" Paul asked.
"Two days, max. Depends on how smooth the group scenes go."
He circled a few items on the whiteboard. "Midpoint death in the generator room. Blood rig. Big moment."
"Rain ruins that, it gets pushed?" Glenn asked.
"Next day depending on weather," James confirmed.
Ray made a note. "What about lake stuff?"
"Dawn and dusk lighting. We'll need reflectors, backup angles, and safety on the dock."
Paul looked up. "And the ending?"
"Final girl. Fight in the lodge, chase through the woods, fall into the lake."
Jerry adjusted his glasses. "The water gag the corpse rising, how are we handling that?"
"I was going to ask you."
"I'll get you options. But the kid playing Jason better be comfortable underwater."
James smiled faintly. "Any red flags?"
"Plenty," Ray said. "But nothing we can't fake."
Glenn tapped his watch. "If we stick to daylight and minimal takes, this is shootable."
James looked at the board one last time. "Twelve days. Five main locations, And we don't break anything we can't fix."
As the crew packed up, James collected the schedule notes and scribbled one line at the top:
Shoot the plan.