Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
But first, the audition tape. Upon arriving at the sound stage door, I use my dad’s keycard to buzz me in. This causes about five seconds of anxiety when I realize that I don’t actually know if these things work at night. Thankfully, the door clicks open without protest. Once inside, I switch on the light. It illuminates the room, and I gasp at the sound stage before me. Everything here is so professional.
Cameras, booms, mics, lights – literally everything is within reach. Brick Productions is a film production company, and they make all kinds of movies, including documentaries, thrillers, Hallmark-type holiday romances, and indie films. I haven’t seen all of their productions, but I have watched my fair share. They do good work.
But now it’s my turn to make something stellar.
I brought a huge tote bag full of my supplies. There’s already a table set up in front of the camera, so I don’t have to find one myself. Convenient.
Reaching into the bag, I take out scissors, shears, ribbon, vases, and some flowers – all tools of the trade. It’s everything I’ll need to make the perfect audition tape. I quadruple-checked this bag before leaving the house; I wasn’t about to let tonight be ruined because I forgot to bring the right flowers or the perfect ribbon.
I need to nail this audition, which I’m sure will happen. After all, I’ve practiced this an infinite number of times in front of the mirror. I’ve remade my audition arrangement so many times, I’ve started to dream about it every night.
I just need to be confident.
My dad showed me how to use all of this fancy camera stuff a while back. He’d thought it was a fun way for us to bond. I enjoyed our days together, toiling with tape decks and editing software, even if it was just a casual hobby for me. I’m not saying I could shoot an Academy Award-winning film, but I should be able to produce a decent tape tonight.
I lay out all of the tools before me, making sure they look nice and neatly arranged. I don’t want the judges to have any reason to reject me. I’m going to do such a good job that they have to choose me.
Then I do some last-minute adjustments to my hair and clothes. I didn’t bring my makeup with me because I knew if I had, I would get concerned and redo my makeup, which would put me back by an hour. Instead, I finished my makeup at home, opting for a soft, natural look. Enough to keep the lights from washing me out, but nothing too drastic.
I feel ready to start recording, so I press the little button under the table. It’s connected to the camera pointing toward me, and I see the little red light blink a few times before going solid.
I take a deep breath and whisper to myself, “Okay, Tammy, you can do this.” Then I look directly into the camera, putting on my biggest, brightest smile.
And…action!
“Hi! My name is Tammy Thompson, and I’m applying to be a contestant on Fantastic Florists!” I pause; I didn’t like that intro. I’d sounded too peppy. I want them to see me as enthusiastic, but not too eager. That’s ok, though. I can just redo the intro. It’s really not that hard. Editing out the parts I don’t like will be easy-peasy. Resetting myself both physically and mentally, I start again.
Just keep it light and breezy.
“Hi! I’m Tammy Thompson, a florist from Merryton, NY. Today, I’m going to do an original floral arrangement.” I’d thought a lot about what I wanted to do for my audition tape. The theme of the competition is Expressions of Love. I kept wondering what I should do and ended up landing on the promises of a brand-new love.
“The prompt for this competition said love, but there are many different expressions of love. After sitting with my thoughts for a while, I thought it might be exciting to go with the theme of a novel romance. I’m going to start with variegated pittosporum as the foundation for the arrangement. It sounds fancy, but it’s really just a simple plant.” I place the shrub on the table, already in the appropriate receptacle for the arrangement. Pittosporum is one of my favorite foundations for an arrangement. It doesn’t take away from the main attraction, the fragrant and gorgeous flowers.
I have five flowers for this arrangement: purple lilac (beginning of love), white camellias (thinking someone is adorable), red chrysanthemums (a literal ‘I love you’), red ginger (fiery passion), and a single alstroemeria (the promise of wanting love to prosper based on an already strong bond). I also have lily grass to add some toned-down accents. I already know these flowers will look good together. Like I said, I’ve made this arrangement numerous times in preparation for this moment. Now, I just have to make it a final time for the camera.