The Audition

You know they say,

the stars are the most vivid

in the darkest night.

You are my star, Lilly.

You always have been.

And you are my sky, Noah.

Hold my hand.

Promise me something.

Promise me you'll find happiness.

Don't drown in the darkness.

I…

I can't…

I can't imagine, being in a world

where you don't exist, Lilly.

But I'll try.

I promise.

I love you, Noah.

I love you more than the

confines of this life.

I love you, Lilly.

I love you forever,

in this life and the next.

I am so sorry.

We did all we could.

I'm sorry, Noah.

She was an incredible woman.

It's like,

the world's lost its colors.

Everything seems so empty.

She's at peace.

No more pain.

She wouldn't want you to be

consumed by this darkness.

Yeah…

I just have to figure out how to fill

this void, you know?

You will, my friend.

Remember, you're not alone.

We'll work through this fog together.

One step at a time.

Hello.

Mr. Murray,

it's Martin Harvey from your distribution team.

We're reviewing the royalties from your last film "After The Ashes."

There's a new offer for syndication overseas.

It could bring in significant revenue,

but we need your approval.

Ok. What are the details?

The offer's coming from a major network in Europe.

They want exclusive rights for a three-year window.

It's a solid deal, but you'd be tied to their schedule,

and they want a percentage of future merchandising rights.

Three years?

What's the expected return?

The upfront is six figures. Plus with the back end,

you could be looking at seven figures

by the end of the term.

Yeah, all right. Go ahead. Sign the deal.

Just make sure we

maintain full creative control

for any new additions or releases.

Understood. I'll finalize it. Thanks, Noah.

All right. Thank you.

Hey, man. You busy?

Always.

So, what's the big idea this time?

I know you've been cooking up something.

Come on, let me hear it. Spill it.

I've been thinking about um…

Something different,

a little darker than

we've done in the past.

I'm listening.

So um…

It's about a man,

who's lost everything.

His wife is his sense of direction.

He's a filmmaker,

but after she dies,

he becomes obsessed

with finding somebody new

to fill that void.

But…

Not in a healthy way.

Sounds familiar.

So what's the catch?

Uhh, he doesn't look for it

in the usual ways.

He sets up auditions,

fake ones.

Pretends he's casting a new film,

but really he's searching

for someone to replace his wife.

Damn, Noah, that's twisted.

I like it.

So,

the guy's a filmmaker,

and he's using his skills

to manipulate these women?

Exactly.

Hmm.

He's broken, but he doesn't realize how

far he's gone until it's too late.

It's really more of a psychological

horror than anything else.

Man, that's deep.

Dark as hell, but deep.

And we can really use the suspense to

make the audience

uncomfortable in the best way.

Yeah, I thought the same thing.

But we have to be subtle about

it, nothing too over the top.

It's about the slow build.

Yeah. The tension.

No, I'm with you. I'm with you.

Okay, well...

Let's make it happen.

I'll get the ball rolling on logistics, uhh

start scouting some locations and,

make a couple calls for casting.

Hey Noah.

I think this is going to be big.

I can feel it.

Let's hope so.

I'll catch you later.

My name's Dave Casey,

and uh...

I'll be reading the role of James,

the brother confronting the main character.

Great. Whenever you're ready.

You think I didn't know?

You think I haven't been watching you,

this whole time?

Just,

sitting back,

waiting for you to screw up?

You've always been like this.

Always the golden child.

The one everyone looked up to.

The one who

could do no wrong.

But you're not perfect.

You're far from it.

Good stuff, Dave.

We'll be in touch.

Yeah. Let's keep it going.

Could you introduce yourself and what

role you're auditioning for?

Yeah. Hi. My name is Shannon Marks,

and I'm auditioning for the role of Emily,

the estranged wife.

You think an apology

is going to fix this?

You think you can just come back after

all these years, all the silence?

Come back into my life

with a sorry, a smile.

You left.

You walked out that

door and didn't look back.

Do you have any idea what that was like?

No.

Of course you don't.

Because you never cared enough to look.

I had to rebuild, piece by piece, alone.

Every time I thought

I could trust someone,

every time I thought I

could let someone in there,

there you are.

Like a ghost,

in the back of my head

that I couldn't get rid of.

Hmm.

Now,

now I'm free of you.

Thank you, Shannon. We'll be in touch.

Yeah.

Solid.

Very solid.

Next.

Next.

All right. Could you introduce yourself

and the role you're reading for?

Uh…

Hi… um,

Jessica Lane,

and I'll be reading for the role of

Sarah, the younger sister.

Whenever you're ready.

Do you ever hear them?

The voices?

When it's quiet.

They talk.

They whisper things

you're not supposed to hear.

It's always there,

you know?

Beneath the surface.