“It’s always ‘poor me.’ I have to explain the littlest details just to get through your thick head what needs to be done. I was told that you could do a lot of physical stuff. But you couldn’t even run through a swamp without me doing it first so your delicate sensibilities wouldn’t be ruffled. It’s a shame that America no longer produces
“I don’t think you’re capable of listening,” I started, which surprised everyone.
Up to this point, I might have made a few minor retorts to Laurent, but they could tell that this time, I was pissed. I looked around and saw that several of them seemed eager for me to stand up to him.
“Guns are not toys. Even with blanks, they can hurt you. What he’s trying to explain to you is that your idea is stupid!” I shouted and then took some deep breaths. “I will not put my life in danger for this movie again.”
“Once again, I suppose you need a real man to do it first,” Laurent said.
He suddenly reached his hand out and took the gun from the stunt coordinator. We all took a step back as he raised it to his temple and pulled the trigger. Everyone froze at the sound of the gun going off. Kitty screamed, and we watched in horror as Laurent fell to the ground and the gun clattered across the cobblestones.
I immediately rushed over, and my first aid experience kicked in. First, I checked Laurent’s neck for a pulse; there wasn’t one. I tilted his head back to make sure his airway was clear and immediately started CPR. There was mayhem as everyone became aware of what had just happened.
I focused on the task at hand, so I was unaware of what was happening around me. I might have hated Laurent, but I didn’t want to see him dead. It seemed like I performed CPR forever before an ambulance crew arrived and pushed me out of the way. They worked on him, then put him in the back of the ambulance and whisked him away.
Everyone was in shock. Finally, Roger came out of it enough to send everyone home.
◊◊◊
Fritz didn’t get me back to the hotel. The police took me and most of the crew to the local police station where we were all questioned. It took them several hours before they finally got around to talking to me, and when they did, they treated me as if I’d shot him. It was fortunate that I’d been through this before, or I would have lost my temper, which was what they wanted.
When they couldn’t get me to confess, which was ridiculous, they finally let me go with an instruction not to leave town. They’d gone to the hotel and collected all our passports to ensure we weren’t going anywhere.
It was after midnight when I finally got to the hotel. I was tired and hungry but tired won out, and I went to bed.
◊◊◊ Tuesday May 31
Everyone was required to go to a meeting first thing in the morning. Roger Brooks must have drawn the short straw because he had to talk to us.
“Laurent Vance was declared dead on arrival at the hospital yesterday afternoon. The movie has been put on hold until the police finish their investigation. I would ask that you remain patient while we work this out,” was his short statement.
“Is there a chance they might pull the plug on the movie?” Heath asked.
From Roger’s look, you could tell the answer was ‘yes.’ Bob Trimble, the studio suit, saw this might turn ugly, so he stepped up.
“The studio has sunk a lot of money into the production of this movie so far. I would think it would only make sense to finish it,” he reasoned.
“The problem is insurance. We’ve had the problem with the crocodiles and now a death on set. I would suspect that we’re considered a serious risk, at this point,” the stunt coordinator said.
While that conversation continued, I stepped out the back door of the room and called Caryn.
“I need you to find out something for me. If the studio pulls the movie before it’s done shooting, do I get paid?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Is that even a possibility?” she asked.
“Laurent Vance accidentally shot and killed himself on set yesterday.”
There was silence on the other end except for the sound of her keyboard tapping.
“Oh, my God! He really did.”
Someone had just done an Internet search.
“I know this sounds mercenary, but find out. We might all be packed up and out of here in the next few days.”
I stepped back into the room, and people were upset. Fritz filled me in. They were all complaining about the movie shutting down … or that was what was assumed was going to happen.
“Before we pack up and leave, I have a question? How much of the film is left on the storyboard?” I asked.
“We’re a little over halfway done. The good news is we have a big chunk of b-roll that needs to be shot, so the acted scenes are close to done,” Kitty told us.
B-roll was cutaway or filler shots either to establish a location or to move the story along between scenes with actors in them. A good example would be a couple having dialogue in an outdoor café. The b-roll would be the cutaway shot of across the street.
“Did Laurent share with you his remaining shot list?” Bob, the suit, asked.
