Stars of My Heart

At the Museum, the atmosphere was a mix of nervousness and anticipation. The technical team was adjusting the last details: lighting, framing, and floor markings for the actors. The first crucial scene between Ana and Léo was about to be filmed. It was the introduction of the characters — the disastrous meeting in the art gallery, where the initial spark of their conflicting chemistry would be lit.

Emily, like Ana, was focused. She adjusted the elegant black dress she was wearing for the scene and took a deep breath, trying to dispel the slight discomfort of reshooting something that, in her opinion, had already been executed perfectly before.

"Is the lighting okay?" asked an assistant, as he adjusted the focus on Emily's expression.

In the other corner, Artur Mars, with his impeccable white shirt and a camera hanging around his neck, exuded Léo's natural insouciance, but inside he was also questioning the need to reshoot everything. He approached Emily, with a smirk.

"So, what's the verdict? Why are we redoing a perfectly filmed scene?" he whispered, playful but with a touch of irritation.

Emily sighed, straightening her posture.

"Don't ask me, Arthur. The entire crew is uncomfortable with this too. Look at them."

Arthur looked around, seeing the technicians and camera operators exchanging frustrated glances. He raised an eyebrow, amused.

"It's good to know I'm not the only one who thinks this is nonsense."

Before Emily could answer, Roberto entered the room with quick steps, his voice cutting through the air.

"Come on, guys! We still have a lot of scenes to shoot! Get in position!"

Emily and Arthur exchanged a resigned look before heading to their marks.

"Okay, guys, shooting Scene 1: The Encounter. Everyone in position! And... action!" announced Roberto.

The camera began to roll, capturing Emily walking through the gallery with purposeful steps, casually looking at the works of art, while Artur, as Leo, moved in the background, trying to take pictures without being noticed. The tension between them would begin with the accidental bump.

Emily was approaching the exact mark when Artur deviated from the script, improvising an awkward step that made him drop an empty glass he was holding, instead of simulating the spilled glass of wine as planned.

"Cut!" Roberto shouted, exasperated. "Artur, you're carrying wine, not water! Concentrate!"

Artur shrugged, amused.

"Oops, my bad. Let's go again."

Emily, already accustomed to Artur's relaxed approach, held back a laugh as she returned to her starting position.

"Scene 1, Take 2. Recording!" shouted the assistant director.

This time, Artur managed to get the move right, but the wine glass slipped unexpectedly, falling to the floor and splashing fake wine on Emily's dress before the planned time.

"Cut!" Roberto shouted again, massaging his temples. "Are you sabotaging the scene or is it just me?"

Artur raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, while Emily looked at the stained dress, sighing.

"At least the dress is 'authentic' now, don't you think?" she commented, ironically.

"Let's try again," said Roberto, already visibly frustrated.

In the following takes, more problems arose. Once, the audio captured the laughter of an assistant who found the dynamic between Emily and Artur too funny. Another time, Artur lost his balance while trying to dodge an extra, which resulted in him knocking over another glass, which was not even part of the scene.

Finally, after nearly a dozen attempts, Roberto shouted:

"Scene 1, Take 13! Recording!"

Emily walked into the gallery with firm steps, her gaze scanning the artworks while Artur, as Leo, absentmindedly took photos. The impact of the encounter was executed perfectly this time: Artur knocked the fake wine glass onto his shirt when he bumped into her, exactly as planned.

Emily turned around immediately, her expression of calculated disgust on her face.

"You should pay more attention." Her voice carried the sarcastic tone that Ana would naturally use.

Artur gave an awkward smile, playing Leo perfectly.

"And you could avoid stopping halfway. It's an art event, not a racetrack."

The exchange was quick, precise, and the two maintained the tension until the end of the scene.

"Cut!" Roberto shouted, his voice echoing through the room. He was silent for a moment before sighing. "Finally! That was a good one."

The crew let out sighs of relief and weary smiles. Arthur looked at Emily, smiling contentedly. "It's always the last take, isn't it?"

Emily laughed softly. "Maybe that's the charm of the number 13."

As the crew began to dismantle the equipment and prepare the set for the next scene, Roberto approached the two.

"Good job, you two. Now, please follow the script next time, okay? No creative improvisations."

Artur gave a slight bow, playful.

"As you wish, boss."

Emily just smiled, already looking forward to the next scenes, despite her tiredness. She knew that, with so many interactions between Ana and Léo still to come, the challenge was just beginning.

After the successful completion of the first take, the mood on the museum set lightened a little. As the crew adjusted the cameras for the next scene, Emily went to one of the nearby benches, trying to relieve the tension in her shoulders.

Artur appeared next to her, handing her a bottle of water.

"I think we made it through the first round."

Emily accepted the bottle with a slight smile.

"We made it through, but if the next scenes go like this, we could end up stuck here for days."

"Don't be so pessimistic." He sat down next to her, leaning in casually. "And to be fair, I was just trying to give the scene a more spontaneous feel."

Emily laughed, shaking her head.

"Too spontaneous, maybe."

Roberto, always alert, shouted from across the room

"Do you think this is a break? Let's move on to the next scene!"

Emily and Artur exchanged a knowing look before standing up.

"It's like he thinks we don't even need a minute to breathe," Artur commented, as he headed to the position marked on the floor.

The next scene was the moment when Ana and Léo had their second significant interaction, this time during the discussion about the construction work in the square. The dialogue was supposed to be quick and full of jabs, highlighting the personality differences between the two characters.

"Scene 2, Take 1. Recording!" announced the assistant director.

Emily, now completely immersed in her character, began to speak, gesturing to the project drawings on the table:

"This doesn't make any sense. Your idea of ​​'bringing movement' to the space will only create confusion."

Artur responded with Léo's characteristic carefree tone:

"Confusion, not. It will create life. Isn't that what you want for a public place? People connecting, feeling inspired?"

Emily crossed her arms, tilting her head.

"Inspiration doesn't come from chaos, Léo. Planning is the key to making anything work."

The exchange seemed to be going well, but suddenly, a loud noise of something falling interrupted the scene.

"Cut!" shouted Roberto, turning to locate the source of the sound. "Who left that tripod badly adjusted?"

The crew quickly picked up the fallen equipment, while Emily and Arthur, still in position, tried to keep a straight face.

"Scene 2, Take 2!" the assistant shouted.

This time, as Emily was arguing her next line, an extra in the background accidentally walked into the frame, distracted while checking something on his cell phone.

"Cut!" Roberto shouted again, rubbing his temples. "Can someone please remind the crew that we're filming?"

Arthur couldn't help but laugh this time, turning to Emily.

"It's like the universe is conspiring to stop this scene."

Emily sighed, but couldn't help but smile.

"Maybe the universe is trying to tell us that our dialogue needs tweaking."

"Or maybe it's telling us that we need a real break." Arthur blinked.

"Scene 2, Take 3! Filming!" the assistant director interrupted, ignoring the actors' comments.

Finally, the exchange between Ana and Léo began to flow. The tension in the dialogues was just right, and the chemistry between Emily and Artur was palpable.

"If you think that throwing a fountain in the middle of the square will solve everything, you're delusional," Emily said, pointing at Léo's sketches with a critical eye.

"Delusional?" Artur replied, leaning closer, as if he were genuinely offended. "At least I'm trying to bring something unique. You're so stuck in the rules that you can't see the potential."

There was a heavy silence as they both stared at each other, and then, in a moment of improvisation that not even Roberto dared to cut, Emily responded with an ironic smile:

"You know, maybe you should open a school of "potential". It seems like it's the only thing you know how to defend."

Artur laughed, breaking the tension in the scene in an organic way.

"Good idea. I'll open it. I can sign you up for the first class."

The camera cut away soon after, and Roberto finally relaxed.

"That was good. Let's keep that energy going in the next ones."

Emily, still in character, looked at Artur.

"You're impossible."

He smiled.

"And you're brilliant. I guess that's how it works, huh?"

As the crew prepared for the next scene, Emily went back to the bench where she had left her bag, picking up her cell phone to check her messages. There was one from Matthew:

"How's it going? I bet you've already surpassed everyone on set. Love you."

Emily smiled, feeling her heart warm. She quickly replied:

"You have no idea. Endless takes, but we're surviving. Love you too. Come back soon."

Artur approached, peering at his cell phone curiously.

"Motivational message?"

"Something like that." She put the phone away, not elaborating.

"Well, if it's any consolation, at least we're doing better now. Maybe we'll be done before midnight."

Emily laughed softly.

"That would be a miracle."

Back on set, the crew was ready for the third scene.