A perfect shot

You are placed down, and then a massive hand adjusts you a little, tilting you up a bit. Not you in fact but the camera for the video you’re watching. “Mhmmm… should be good.” Spoke a man in dark sunglasses, a dark blue beret on his head, a beard stud decorated his perfectly chiseled face. His physique was impressive too.

Behind him was a factory of sorts, conveyor belts lined the vast factory halls, a few sections were partitioned off but it’s hard to tell the details as the lights were off. He knelt down, opening up a travel case, out of the camera’s shot. A moment later he reemerged with a shoulder mounted professional camera. He adjusted dials, checked everything, and gave a confident thumbs up to the camera. His clothes were rather plain. Simple jeans, and a pullover hoodie.

The lights switched on and a whistle sounded, echoing through the empty and quiet factory floor. The factory roared to life. He walked backwards, half crouched, off in the distance, away from the door, recording the factory workers pouring in to begin their shift. A familiar static of the speakers caught your attention, announcement over the intercom.

“Alright lads the Dreamweaver’s Big Circus needs these custom orders completed by end of day! Let’s get to it, double time.”

The workers marched in an organized line, but the chatter was loud and chaotic. They split off at paths and catwalks, heading to their positions. A pre-recorded message played on the intercom. A female’s voice, rather monotonous, announced.

“Here at the Fire, Crackers & Co we value your safety above all else. Always follow the safety protocols.”

Off in the distance, the cameraman, still walking backwards came up against a wall, he was following a supervisor of sorts who was heading for his office. The heel of his shoe hit against the wall, he panned the camera sideways a little, the next planned shot was camera floating up, and away, then turning to show the entire factory from up above as the employees assumed their spots. And so he ignored the gravity for a moment and began to walk up the wall, slow and steady, like a spider cat, keeping the camera perfectly still and focused on the supervisor as he walked through the door of his office. Once he reached the ceiling, he knelt down and slowly panned the camera, zooming out to show the entire factory floor.

He cut the camera.

A perfect shot.

Next planned was an interview. He leaped off the wall, did a tuck and roll, and then dusted off his pants while he walked to where the reporter was awaiting him.

“Ugh… these cameramen are always late.”

Complained a woman with blonde hair while fixing her makeup, standing beside the loud conveyor belts of the factory, behind her operated heavy machinery. The scent of machine oil and grease, combined with gunpowder was sickening to say the least, but as a reporter, she had to make sure she looked good, and smiled for the camera. She took a deep breath that made her stomach turn but endured it. There he was, her the cameraman. He walked up the metallic steps up to where she stood.

“You’re late!” She complained.

“The wall was a tad too tall, miscalculated.”

He shrugged off her complaint and readied the camera.

“Wide shot to include machinery or focused on you and the worker?”

“Wide” she demanded.

He nodded, popped the lens protector off and adjusted the settings, then stepped back half a step, his right foot missed the step behind, so he just balanced himself on one foot, appearing to be standing on firm air with the other foot, to the reporter.

“Ready in three… two…” he counted down.

She adjusted her blouse and the interview was underway.

“So what’s on the agenda today at the Fire, Crackers & Co? You guys undertake custom orders for cities for the holidays and festivals and such yes?”

The factory worker nodded.

“Yea! We work double shifts when necessary and sometimes orders come in super delayed, like today. The Dreamweaver’s Big Circus requested a batch worthy of 15 minute show just this morning… So we’ll be working till probably thirty minutes prior to the show to get it all done and ready!” He complained.

“That sounds rather rough… I hope it all goes smoothly.” She claimed.

“Does the factory ever experience accidents that might prevent order completion?”

The worker glanced at the few partitioned off parts where readied fireworks were stored, behind thick metal walls.

“Well, rarely… but now you jinxed us! I’d say knock on some wood but it’s all metal here, obviously…”

In that moment something popped, something else crackled, and then exploded. A bright flash of light is the last thing that the television saw, along with the reporter’s distorted face when a firework exploded beside them. The action camera captured the spectacular moment in all its glory. The camera man turned his back toward the explosions, fireworks that short off in their distance, shielding his precious tool with his body. The reporter woman fell to the ground screaming, the factory worker laughed as he pulled a mask over his face. It was all but an elaborate prank by the workers below. The fireworks they shot were harmless, but loud and intimidating. He left the factory unscathed. His phone rang.

“Yo… We need you.” Spoke an out of breath voice on the phone.

“Of course, you do…”

He responded unenthusiastically.

“What is it? Where? Please not another space or big bang shot…”

The voice let out a sigh of relief.

“Ah flipping flamingo thank the flag you’re available! No no so hear the story out. We have this ballerina, performing at the DBC, and the previous cameraman broke his leg while shooting the acrobats before her. You’re in the area, take the gig?”

He glanced at the main tent.

“Be there in 2, no, 1 and 39 seconds.”

The voice on the phone continued ranting while the cameraman walked toward the main stage’s tent. “She’s like super world famous! She was on the ‘got talent’ shows of three countries, and won them all. She’s got this pretty white’ish hair like snow and AAAGGHH!!” he shouted, frightened, as the cameraman tapped his shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

He complained, still talking into the phone.

“Made it in 1, 25, where’s the star?”

While he readied the camera and identified the perfect setting and exposure to accommodate for the lights but add a bit of a dramatic effect to the videography he was about to do, he was informed of something surprising.

“She’ll be descending from the above on a rope before she begins her dance.”

He glared angrily at the show coordinator.

“… Ima need some rope!”

The time has come. Someone in the audience recorded… a man in black clothes, hanging by 1 foot off a rope, clinging onto it with his toes, that was being slowly lower by 2 men, an older guy who was clearly struggling, and a man in suit who was also, in the meantime, desperately trying to find the time to respond into the radio, the show coordinator. He was lowered down beside her but out of sight of the projector lights, keeping the camera steady on the girl’s perfect posture. She landed on her toes, took a few shuffling steps, keeping a perfect balance. The music shifted to rhythmical orchestra. He landed on his left hand. Keeping a perfect balance while doing a one-armed handstand. Carefully released the rope from his toes and in rhythm to the music did a cartwheel, doing a gorgeous panning and turning shot of the ballerina who did a leaping spin before him.

He followed her movements in perfect unison, recording her flawless movements that could resemble water flowing around obstacles. The orchestra’s rhythm picked up, accelerating the pace of her dance. She was leaping and walking ever closer to the edge of the stage. The camera man stepped off the stage, planting his foot firmly on the arm rest of the front row chairs, and began walking in front of the audience in the front row, keeping the camera focused on the dancer, ignoring the fact that he would occasionally step on someone’s hand, and ignoring the slaps. Such was his life, his role in this world. To get the perfect shot.

She miscalculated and leaped off the stage. He wasted no time, in a swift leap of his own he matched her velocity and trajectory perfectly, doing a split between the 3rd and the 4th rows of seats, camera perfectly focused on her face, her relaxed smile, he caught her with his other hand and lifted her up. The following move resembled cheerleader’s move a little, and he had a great angle from below as she leaped up, balanced on his hand, and bowed to the audience.

An audible gasp from the audience followed a moment of silence. The lights switched off, the music cut. A few seconds later and some shuffling about in the silence, central projector turned back on, with the ballerina standing at the center of the stage. The audience exploded in cheerful applause and whistling. ‘What a spectacularly unexpected shot’ the cameraman thought to himself as he slowly walked away, zooming out to show off the audience, and the ballerina at the center of the frame.

The lights switched off again. The coordinator’s voice announced.

“We’re on a short break! The next performance is gonna be a THRILLER! You won’t want to miss it! Oh hey the cameraman, wait, oops…”

The intercom switched off.

Later…

He slowly backed away and then stopped, camera held low, a set of feet rushed past him. Gasping and whimpering.

“No.. ah… no!! gah… pl…please! Please no!”

The voice, and the sound of rushed footsteps distanced quickly. The camera slowly floated up, and turned, unveiling a dark, gloomy, stoney hallway, enshrouded in fog. Off in the distance but swiftly closing in, inhuman grunts were heard. A shape appeared in the flickering torch’s light.

It was neither human, or natural. It easily stood two meters tall, hunched over, would be even taller if it straightened out, but it couldn’t, its head was already almost hitting the ceiling. It sniffed the air, the camera zoomed in on its distorted, hairy face that vaguely resembled a bull. It huffed, and then took another whiff. A loud groan echoed down the hallway, and then the creature rushed past the camera. The camera swiftly turned, following the rushing beast. And then moved, in the opposite direction. The camera man burst into a full-on sprint, away from the beast. He held it leveled at a head height, to give perspective of the size of the stoney hallway, and the beast. ‘Corner’, he dashed into it and leaped at the wall on the other side. The image flipped 90 degrees, to show a panicked person rushing past the camera.

A teenage girl. She stretched her arm out and caught the corner with her hand, tossing herself around to keep the momentum. Out of breath, tears trickled off her chin. He pulled himself back, still squatting on the wall, aligning the shot with her orientation but recording from higher up as she dashed down the hallway he had just come from. A quick pan to the left, no beast in sight. He leaped off and rushed after her, passed her and then, no longer holding the camera steady but swaying it as if it was his own head. Turning to glance behind once in a while he recorded in first person, as if he was the girl, running for her life.

Another junction, but the roars stopped, he could no longer hear them. He slammed into the wall on the other side, desperately gasping for air with a woman’s voice. She pressed herself against the wall beside him. In an instant his breathing quieted as he walked backwards, past the girl, zooming out, no longer recording in first person. She glanced around in panic, her gaze fell upon a cracked rock in the wall. She traced the crack with her fingers. A hiccup, and then a sob, followed by quiet mumbling.

“N..no… I was just here… I’m lost…”

The wall behind the cameraman burst, a rock hit him on the head and bounced off, his focus remained on the girl.

She turned on her heel, trembling like a dry leaf in the wind, pressed herself against the wall.

“N..no! No!” She whimpered.

The creature’s massive hand came into view, as if reaching for her, slowly stepping closer.

The rest of it emerged in the shot, he was now recording from behind the beast. ‘Flapping flamingo I’m hungry as a forklift’ thought the cameraman to himself, watching the horror scene unfold before him, recording it. He glanced away from the camera for a moment to read the notes. ‘a shot from above, close up of creature grabbing the girl by the neck before snapping it’. A short sigh escaped his lips, and onto the ceiling he crawled.

Closer and closer, as the beast closed the distance to the girl. She fell to her knees, petrified. The creature reached for her throat, the cameraman reached into his pocket for juice. He grasped her neck firmly, as he grasped his soft pack of juice in his pocket. Pulling it out. He reached for his mouth while the creature leaned closer to its victim in despair.

He put the tip of the soft juice pack in his mouth. A no ordinary soft juice pack, it was the…

Cameraman Special Juice Pack

Can be consumed quietly

under any circumstances

Works in 0G

Underwater

Inside a volcano

Product of Ferula Blau.

The creature’s muscles tightened as it squeezed the gasping girl’s neck. She clawed at its massive hand out of desperation. And then an audible ‘pop’ was heard…. Followed by a splash. The juice pack ruptured on the bottom when the cameraman squeezed it, and it splashed down over the girl, and the creature. The creature glanced up at the camera above it. The cameraman’s eyes widened. He clenched his teeth, a quiet

“Oops” escaped his lips.

He’s going to have to redo that entire shooting… or edit the splash out. A failed shot due to technical issues, the worst kind. The creature’s eyes glowed red as the strawberry juice dripped off his eyebrows and snout. It licked the sweet goodness and then nodded. Its gaze returned to the girl in its grasp whose eyes were wide from shock. She was baffled, uncertain as to what to do next. In that moment, a familiar ‘clang’ was heard. The camera tilted down, past the creature, showing an upside down shot of a small, hooded creature walking slowly toward them.

A lantern held in hand.

The cameraman gripped a stone on the ceiling and acrobat like, very slowly, released the ceiling and turned himself, hanging down from one hand, the shot was no longer upside down. He released the stone and landed on his feet, then suddenly dashed at the approaching creature, closing in on its green skin, and glowing yellow eyes, and then stopped, following it with the camera as it slowly but steadily wobbled past him. He glanced at the notes again, ‘watch from a distance then a swift zoom in on the scene of knife protruding from the creature’s chest’ he shrugged, keeping the frame. A few brief moments later the tall creature released the girl, she scattered off, and the small green creature found itself standing a mere couple of paces from the tall one. The green creature’s movements were a blur, as were the cameraman’s as he struggled to match the speed of the green creature. He laid down on the floor beside the two monsters now. Camera focused the on blood that dripped onto the floor. Then panned to the lantern held by the green creature’s tiny, finger-less hand. It squeaked, swaying slowly. He got up to his feet and zoomed out of the lantern to reveal a scene of a knife protruding from the tall monster’s rib cage.

The small green creature turned its face, he zoomed the camera in on it. Its expressionless and featureless face grew a mouth that grinned. The lights cut. Silence, and then shuffling.

He retreated behind the curtains, recording the actors on the stage bowing to the audience.

“THHHHRRRIILLER! AND NOW THE SHOW CONCLUDES! FIREWORKS IN 10 MINUTES!”

Announced the showman.  

The cameraman took a deep breath and stopped recording. At last, the long day of hard work was almost over. He would just pack up and be on his way.

“Wait!”

Called out the chubby man in suit, a fancy mustache that the cameraman hadn’t seen before, now decorated his face.

“I’ll pay double, get a shot of the fireworks, and the ambience. It was the other cameraman’s job, the one with a broken leg.”

He glanced at him and sighed.

“Double?”

“Double!”

“Prepare the money then.”

And so he recorded the Dreamweaver’s Big Circus’s firework show, in celebration of a local holiday. His day was long, but the smile of people who watched the DBC’s promo video reminded him that his life matters and that his hard work pays off. The firework show was more than spectacular, the Fire, Crackers & Co made some magnificent fireworks for the circus.

He was, and still is, the camera man. The one and only, the one that’s always there. Smile and wave at your cameraman.

Smile at your camera, and the 1 watching.

Audience prompts for this tale

• Prompt

• Prompt

• Prompt