Waiting inside the Private Lounge of the convention center, in which the after-party of the Oscars was held, Will sipped on his bourbon as he gazed outside the window down at the people enjoying themselves at the after-party of the Oscars. While he would have loved nothing more than to head home and rest for the night, he had decided to humor the CEO of OP Studios. He was almost certain about the topic of discussion that the CEO would be broaching when he arrived.

His musing was interrupted by a knock at the door, and he turned around just in time to see an immaculately dressed old man enter the room with a glass of alcohol in his hand. The man looked around the room and spotted Will. A giant grin became visible on his face, and he approached Will, extending his hand forward for a handshake.

“Ah! Mr. Evans! I’ve been looking all over for you. What are you doing here? Your company’s CEO said you’re over here, so I came to check.” He said as he shook Will’s hand.

This was Michael Williams, the CEO of OP studios. He was known in the industry for his upbeat personality, which masked a very cunning business mind.

Will smiled and replied, “Actually, I was just getting ready to head home, my girlfriend is not feeling well, and I wanted to go back and check up on her.”

The man nodded and took a seat by the poker table in the room. “Oh, I hope she’s feeling alright. I won’t hold you for long then, I merely wanted to corroborate something, “My friend Lucius Wolf from ICM told me recently. I believe the two of you have met.”

Will nodded, taking a seat in front of the man and placing his bourbon glass on the table. “Yes, I did meet him some time ago. It was about loaning Clark Reed for [500 days of Summer].”

The man smiled and then continued, “Yes, fantastic movie, and congratulations to you for writing another fabulous screenplay. Please pass on my congratulations to Miss Bergmann as well. She was magnificent in the movie. Getting back on the topic, Mr. Evans, I believe you and Lucius also discussed a program we want to air on our latest endeavor, the RBO TV channel?”

Will nodded and said, “Yes, we did. And as I said to Mr. Wolf previously, I have no disagreements with producing a screenplay for a show to air on the program. However, it would have to wait, my current project [Liberty City] has finished filming, and I am a little preoccupied with finishing the rest of the work behind it. Once it is finished, I will be able to divert my attention to the promised TV show.”

Michael Williams nodded and said, “Lucius did inform me about the promise. I merely wanted to move ahead and establish something more concrete, like a contracted agreement for one season of the show, perhaps? Do you have any idea what the genre of the show would be?”

Will thought for a second and said, “I will have to consult with my CEO before I finalize anything. Why don’t we schedule a meeting this week? Dream Vision Studio office?” He proposed.

He knew that this was a fantastic opportunity to delve into the TV show market, so he didn’t want to let the opportunity slip. The TV Series market would develop quite rapidly as it did in his previous reality, and Will had access to many resources to have his own streaming service, as well eventually. So this opportunity was basically a good opportunity to make headway in that area.

Michael Williams smiled and drank the rest of his drink and said, “That’s perfect. Lucius and I would like to meet with you this week. Your office sounds perfect. Thank you for giving me your time, Mr. Evans, and I hope Miss Roberts recovers quickly.”

Will shook the man’s hand one last time and left the venue so that he could rest for the evening.

***

If one were to ask a filmmaker what he thinks is the most important aspect of a movie, he would first say story, and then he would say music. Music gives life to a story. It gives it emotion, elegance, and empathy. Without music, a movie will feel hollow, incomplete, bland, and uninteresting.

The mission Will had received from the system required him to produce the movie’s score all by himself. It was a daunting task, for even if he had cheated his way through getting the required skill and knowledge for being a good musician, using the system previously, he had no clue whether his audience would like the music he was going to produce.

He had picked music that matched the changing pace of the movie, with the music being light and inviting at the beginning of the story, which would play in the background around the time, Mario sets off on his journey in [Liberty City], but it would dramatically pick up, and alter in nature after his interaction with Wilson Manfredi when he is introduced to the harsh reality of the gangster life and is made to come to terms with his choices.

He had just finished recording music for his fight scenes, which incorporated real sounds of bullets and gunfire for the beats of the song, and was reviewing the beats in his studio. He had to add a few segments with an electric guitar to complete the tune and finish the final segments of the music when he was interrupted by a knock on the studio, and his secretary walked in with a folder in her hand.

“Sir, I am sorry for interrupting you, but you have an upcoming meeting with Director James Cameron in thirty minutes. I have received the box office reports and analysis of [1917], here with me,” Alexia said.

Will waved off her apology, saying, “Not a problem, Alexia. I was going to take a break anyway. When Mr. Cameron arrives, would you please guide him to the waiting area outside my office? I will be there in twenty-five minutes either way. And thank you for getting the report for me.”

She handed him the report. “It was my pleasure, sir. Would you need some tea for the meeting?” she asked.

Will nodded and said, “The usual Alexia, two sugars. Have them ready in my office when I get there. Thank you.”

She nodded and left as Will started to go through the box office reports of [1917]. The movie had exceeded his expectations, as it made over 300,000 $ on its first day of release and, within a week, had crossed over 1.3 million dollars. It was sitting comfortably now, having already broken even with its initial budget of 92 million dollars and climbing steadily.

His team had estimated that it would make around 400 million dollars as its final figure, and that figure still had room to spare for more.

***

Amanda Garcia finished compiling the finishing notes of the report made by the accounts team and called for Alexia.

As soon as the young woman arrived in her office, she said, “Alexia, please take this report to Will, I won’t be in the office today, so would you be a dear and take my calls for the day? Charlie has football practice in a few hours, and I promised him that I would be there.”

Alexia hesitated briefly but nodded, “I will do it, Amanda, don’t worry. Say Hi to Charlie for me, will you?”

Amanda smiled at her, “Thank you, Alexia, this means a lot. Hey, why don’t you come over to my place this weekend? We girls should hang out more often. I should probably invite Jeffery’s wife Emma, and June, as well. So we can have a girl’s night out.”

Alexia smiled, excitement showing on her face. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, Amanda. I will text you tonight, then.”

Amanda nodded, smiling at her, as she left the office. She looked at the calendar on her table.

Her schedule was becoming increasingly more packed, but she still made time for her children. It was one of the things she had with her ex-husband.

Shaking her head, she cut that line of thought. She did not want to go back into the self-pity line of thinking, she had come out of her divorce, and she was better for it.

Getting a job at Dream Vision was one of the best career decisions she had made. She had a respectable job, and people respected her, for her achievements, personality, and talents, not for her looks. In addition, her children were cared for, despite the absence of their father.

Her boss, Will Evans, even though he could be quite unpredictable, was perfectly respecting her decisions in the running of his company. He listened to her advice on most decisions and helped her as well, whenever she thought she needed it.

Her son, Charlie, was slowly becoming a football genius, and her daughter, little Mary, was slowly coming out of her shell, and she had taken up singing. She reminded herself that she had to attend her audition at her school next week.

Making a note in her calendar, she finished up her work and turned off her computer.

Life, for Amanda Garcia, was looking up, thanks to Dream Vision studios and Will Evans.