Making Movies

By Roy Severin

Chad Sparks is a twelve-year-old boy living an ordinary life when a friend shows him a newspaper advertisement.

Its words call out to him:
Movie Tryouts
Boys and girls ages 10 to 15 wanted.
Now casting for extras in a new Ninja movie.

Chad isnt just obsessed with movies, he loves ninjas in particular, and so he heads to the Oregon community college where the tryouts are being held. To his surprise, hes picked to be in the movie, and he heads to Hollywood where hell earn $4,000 a week.

He experiences every aspect of movie making learning lines, participating in fight scenes, and seeing what goes on behind the scenes. Working with producers, directors, choreographers, cameramen, agents, other actors, and stunt doubles, he makes mistakes but also enjoys triumphs.

Nothing can prepare him for a behind-the-scenes plot that could destroy the movie studio. Join Chad as he embarks on an exciting adventure and learns important life lessons in Making Movies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 28, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491854600

Roy Severin

Roy Severin, a native of Illinois, grew up in Pasadena, California. He’s been involved with the Boy Scouts for more than forty years, has taught boys gymnastics, and has been a staff accountant and tax preparer. As a boy, he enjoyed traveling to movie and television studios to learn about show business. He now lives in Corvallis, Oregon, and is an active Latter Day Saint. Contact him at: [e-mail]

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Imagine it. Me, on the movie screen in a ninja picture. Me, Chad Sparks, a twelve-year-old kid from a nowhere town. It was so totally unreal. Who would have expected a deal like this?

But I hadn’t been discovered yet on that Thursday afternoon last spring. School was over, and as usual, I was thinking, Why is everybody so slow? When the bell rings and school is out, my books are put away, and I’m out the door. With everybody else, it’s like the bell is a big surprise.

I was out in record time that day. Skipped the locker stop. Made it to the bike racks way before anybody else. But this time the big rush was even more urgent. I only had fifteen minutes to make it home.

I pumped hard and stood up the whole way. I’d been waiting for this for months. I raced around the corner to the back of our house, dropped off the bike, and tore up the back steps.

After throwing my book bag away, I ran down the hall, into the rec room, rounded the book case, grabbed the remote, and pointed it at… empty air!

The TV was gone.

Mom. What happened to the TV?

I took it downtown to get it fixed, Chad. You know how wavy and unsteady the picture’s been.

"Why did you have to take it today? The Atomic Ninjas is on. I’ve been waiting for it for months."

Haven’t you seen that movie ten times already?

Fifteen. But today was different. It was a special on how they made it, with outtakes and inside info and interviews with the kid stars and everything. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. My whole day was planned around seeing it. My whole week.

You should have said something, dear.

We were having this conversation by shouting to each other because I was in the rec room and she was in the kitchen. I think. Maybe she was in the washroom next to the kitchen.

I made a heroic effort to conceal my extreme distress.

I believe I did make mention of the program sometime during dinner last evening.

I recovered from the sudden shock enough to realize the remote was still poking the air. There was nothing else to do with it, so I set it down and started picking my nose.

Chad. Are you picking your nose? That’s what Mom would have said if she’d seen me.

Yes, I said back to her in my mind. I’m picking my nose. I’m wiping the boogers all over the furniture. And after I’m done picking my nose, I’m going to find a knife and slash my wrists.

Try not to get any blood on the carpet, dear. Sure. No sympathy from Mom. After ruining my afternoon, why should she care if I croaked?

I sank into the overstuffed couch like a deflated balloon. They were showing everyone how ninja movies were made—right now—and I was missing it. I felt sick.

If I had known then what was coming, I would have felt something different. Like total shock.

The subject of movies came up again the following Saturday. Some of our neighborhood gang, Jordan, Darren, Pete, and I, decided to venture out on our in-line skates. As usual, I was out ahead of the pack.

I wondered if there was anyone who could keep up with me on skates. Jordan probably could if he tried. But he always had some reason to hang back, like tying his shoe or picking up some dumb rock. And Pete was more interested in computer games than sports.

Anyway, I was at the playground and had my skates off before anyone else got there. Our park has a play yard outside and a rec building with indoor basketball courts and a game room with Ping-Pong tables and video stuff. Jordan and I decided to check out the action inside.

As we went in, Jordan asked, "Did you see Home Base last night?"

No. Our TV’s being repaired.

Oh man, it was so funny. Mr. Clyde got tangled up in an extension cord and knocked over his easel. The paints splattered all over the canvas and made a big mess. Then they decide it’s modern art worth thousands. Did you see the one a week ago about getting trapped in the john?

Yeah!

Jordan said, My sister drools over Jonathan Livingston Saylor.

Eh! What does he do? He isn’t funny. He just comes on and looks cute.

Jonathan Livingston Saylor was one of the stars of the Home Base comedy show. He was twelve, the same age as me, and a TV star with millions of fans. He was good looking and came on like he knew his way around, cool in any situation. No matter how hectic things might get, he could deal with it. That’s how he played it on the show. Most of the girls I knew adored him.

I often wondered what he was like in real life and what it would be like to have a role on a hit TV show. Or even to star in a movie like The Atomic Ninjas.

We walked up to the director’s desk. Hey, Jenny. Can we check out a basketball and shoot some hoops inside?

Sure, boys. She tossed me a basketball. Tell me your names again. It’s hard to remember everybody.

Chad Sparks.

Jordan Leek.

She wrote the names down, along with our phone numbers.

Be sure and check out the new class schedules. She pointed to a pile of folded yellow papers on the counter.

Oh, are they out? Cool! Jordan grabbed a couple and gave one to me. He looked through his. I stuffed mine in my pocket and raced into the gym. I picked out a basket no one else was using and tried for a three pointer. It was way wide. My next one bounced off the rim, went straight up, and dropped beside the hoop, just missing it by inches.

I did a bunch of fast layups. Jordan, of course, had his nose buried in the yellow schedule. It would be a few more minutes before he would be ready to play. There was no use hurrying him.

Why was he so slow? Once he put down the schedule and came into the game, we had a great time with lots of fast action.

Pretty soon, Darren Richards and Pete Keller came in, and we played some two-on-two. More fast action.

My side won as usual, and they were worn out before we finished the second game. I was on my own again doing layups and practicing my moves. Darren, Pete, and Jordan were sprawled along the wall, talking about a new computer game Pete had just tried.

Two girls we knew, Erin Hansen and Joan Deebro, strolled by.

Hey, Chad! Erin called out. Didn’t you take the tumbling class here last term?

Yeah. And I was pretty good, too.

Mr. Todd is doing an intermediate class, said Jordan. It’s listed in the schedule.

All right!

But look at this, Erin said as she held out a page from the newspaper. Little did I realize then that the notice she was showing me would turn my life in a whole new direction.

CHAPTER 2

Movie Tryouts

Boys and girls ages 10 to 15 wanted.

Now casting for extras in a new Ninja movie.

Saturday April 17 and Monday April 19, 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Salem Community College, 1250 Barton Ave., Salem, Oregon

Salem was about a hundred miles from where I lived in Prindle. The casting call was two weeks away, and that Monday would be a school holiday. This would make up for missing the TV special.

You’re going to go for it, aren’t you? asked Erin. You’d be great in a ninja movie.

To my surprise, Jordan, Joan, and Pete all agreed. Only Darren tried to be a clown about it.

You watch those movies all the time, and you’ve got all the moves down, said Pete.

You’re a natural athlete, Joan agreed.

I’ve seen you do tumbling. You’re good at it, and Mr. Todd thinks so too, said Jordan.

The first time you pick your nose, teased Darren, they’ll kick you out.

I can’t help it. My nose always itches, I retorted.

So, as I sailed home on my skates, I pondered the big questions: Should I go for it? What did I have to lose? How would I even get to Salem? What would Mom and Dad say? By the time I reached home, I decided to check it out with my folks and see how the idea would go over.

I had the chance at dinner. There are four of us in our family: Mom, Dad, myself, and my little brother, Jacoby. We were all together that evening, which was unusual on a Saturday because we all had so many activities.

Conversation could get really spirited when we all got going. My dad loves to argue, and my mom loves to ask questions. So I started the thing off right away after Dad said grace.

Mom, Dad. Can I ask a favor?

Certainly, son. Go ahead. My dad sounded encouraging.

Well, there was this ad in the paper for tryouts to be extras in a new ninja movie. I took out the newspaper page Erin had given me and passed it to Dad. He glanced at it and passed it to Mom.

It’s in Salem in two weeks. I wanted to know if I could go.

It doesn’t say anything about what kind of time commitment they want, Mom said slowly. In fact, there isn’t much information here at all. No name. No phone number.

I shrugged. "I may not even get a part. It’s just for tryouts. But it would be fun to