Brilliant

by Rick Lakin

  “I think I can handle the paparazzi,” Jennifer said.

  “Then you and Tayla need new dresses. Call Tayla up and invite her dad and mom for tomorrow's dinner and then go shopping.”

  “That works for me. Thanks, Mom. Love you.”

  “That’s what I'm here for.”

  Tayla answered quickly. “Hi, Jen. Are we going shopping?”

  “Yes, where do we go?”

  “I looked it up. There's a store called Vintage on Rodeo Drive that caters to people attending The Virtual Copa. They print dresses on site after you select and fit them. It’s incredibly expensive but trés chic. We can look inside and drool a bit and then look for something more affordable.”

  “Girlfriend, I got us into this, it's my treat.”

  “But.…”

  “You remember those apps that I have been building for the studio?” Jennifer asked.

  “You mentioned them. Have you made a little money off the software?”

  “Six figures.”

  “OMG. Deal. You buy the threads; I'll buy dinner. I'll pick you up at six-thirty?”

  “That works. Tayla, I need to speak with your father. Mom and I are inviting your family over for dinner tomorrow. It's a business thing.”

  “I'm worried that Dad might lose his job.”

  “That’s kind of what this is about. I'm working on a couple of projects, and I need your dad to work for me. May I speak to him?”

  “Sure, I'll call him. Dad? Jen wants to talk to you.” Tayla yelled. “See you in a few.”

  “Hi, Jennifer.”

  “Mr. Mendoza, I'm calling you about a startup company called JennaTech. I need a program manager with aerospace experience to form a team to develop my designs.”

  “Your mom must have told you my situation. I'm interested.”

  “Could you, Ana, and Tayla come for dinner tomorrow to discuss this?”

  “Yes, we could. Is it possible for you to send me a look at your design?”

  “As soon as I get off the phone. It'll be called a Selfie-Drone commercially, but it'll be used in large numbers to film large and complicated location scenes. It'll be enclosed in a non-disclosure agreement.”

  “Sounds interesting. I look forward to hearing your proposal,” Steven said. “Jennifer, I need to warn you. I need to protect my family, so I will be circulating my résumé for a permanent position.”

  “Of course, Mr. Mendoza.”

  “Sami?” Jennifer said.

  “Yes, Boss.”

  “Send the Selfie-Drone design under cover of an NDA to Steven Mendoza.”

  “Tayla’s dad?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “Done.”

  Jennifer showered and dressed for a shopping trip to Rodeo Drive. Jennifer rode with Tayla as she navigated her vehicle to the hills of Beverly. They found parking a couple of blocks above Rodeo Drive and walked down to the shopping mecca. After a couple of blocks of window shopping, Jennifer and Tayla came to the store called Vintage.

  “May I help you?”

  “We have reservations to The Virtual Copa for Wednesday. We heard that you might be able to dress us up for that club.” Jennifer said.

  “You came to the right place; I'm Julia. We have a special agreement with the Copa so that the ladies attending don't wear the same gowns. All of our products are unique,” Julia said.

  “I'm Tayla, and this is Jennifer. So, how does it work?” Tayla asked.

  “We capture some motion media to generate a virtual representation of you, and then we take you through our media collection of celebrities wearing high fashion. We do our best to match your look with the most elegant contemporary gowns. When you select a dress, we get all the measurements and then recreate the dress using our patented VintageTech printing process. We'll have a sample within an hour for fitting. Our tailors will then finish the gown, and we deliver within twenty-four hours. We recommend a stylist for hair and makeup. You are then ready to attend your function in a vintage replica worn by a Hollywood icon. Also, Vintage provides you a one-page provenance of the dress identifying the original wearer, the circumstances, and the events,” Julia said.

  “It sounds pricey,” Tayla said.

  “We try to stay competitive with the name brands along Rodeo, but yes, we are a bit expensive.”

  “Like I said, my treat. Let’s do this,” Jennifer said.

  Julia took several views of the girls. The two then sat down on a virtual reality set. They viewed the stars in their dresses. When they saw one that they liked, they were able to see themselves in the gown.

  “Jennifer, why don’t you look at some gowns worn by Maureen O’Hara? You two share some stunning Irish characteristics,” Julia said.

  “She was in one of my favorite movies from that period.” Jennifer searched through the Maureen O’Hara collection. “Tay, what do you think of this pink dress?”

  “Wow. That works. Can we redo her hair?”

  “Vintage, show Jennifer with makeup, curly hair, and bangs,” Julia said.

  “Omigod, that’s perfect,” Tayla said. “You are ready for your closeup.”

  Jennifer blushed. “I think I'll take that one.”

  Julia looked at Tayla, “May I ask if you dance?”

  “My best friend can’t decide whether to be buried on Wimbledon or the Met. She's equally obsessed with both dance and tennis.”

  “Rita Moreno was the principal dancer in West Side Story and won best supporting actress."

  “I love that movie, and I know most of those dances.”

  Tayla looked through the Rita Moreno collection and selected a dress that Moreno wore in West Side Story.

  “You look terrific, Tay,” Jennifer said.

  “It really is me. You sure you can afford this, Jen?” Tayla asked.

  “Let’s do this. If we are going to be Hollywood starlets for a night, we might as well look the part.”

  The girls spent some time with measurements. “Were you planning on dinner? Now would be a good time and then you can come back and do the final fitting,” Julia said.

  “Agreed.” The girls had a light dinner along Rodeo and came back for the fitting.

  Afterward, Jennifer presented her black AmEx card. Julia turned it down. “Ladies, Mr. Kelrithian sends his compliments and hopes that you have a great time,” Julia said.

  “Thank him for me and Tayla,” Jennifer said. “Close your mouth, Tayla.”

  They took their packages and scheduled Wednesday afternoon at The Old Style. Tayla drove home, and the two girls hugged. “I think that we'll be appropriate eye candy for our movie-star escorts,” Tayla said.

  “Are you ready for the paps?”

  “Can’t live under a rock forever.”

  Ten

  JennaTech

  Executive Office Suite at Tovar Studios – February 2064

  “So, how can I help you, Jack?” Navvy asked. Jack stopped by to see his old friend from time to time.

  “Brilliant needs an Engineer as part of the crew. The ship is almost forty years old and it purrs like a kitten, but more and more often little problems pop up when we're underway,” Jack said. “David and I can put duct tape on it, but we have to wait for our return to actually fix the problem. And the Hoclarth? What happens if we suffer an engineering casualty and we have to fight a ship and fix the problem at the same time?”

  “I agree, Jack,” Navvy said. “I have had my eye on a young engineering whiz in Albuquerque.”

  The Writers' Room – May 2067

  Jennifer arrived on the Tovar lot at her regular time of seven-thirty. Kathy popped up on her HoloPad. “Good Morning, Jennifer. Navvy would like for you to sit in with the writers at eight o’clock. I sent the location info to your assistant. You should make your call time after the meeting.”

  “I'll be there, Kathy. Thanks.” Jennifer wondered how she would be accepted in a meeting with experienced screenwriters. She decided to sit in the back, keep quiet, and watch. She had
time to stop at Craft Services and arm herself with courage in the form of her double-shot caramel Frappuccino.

  She arrived at the meeting five minutes early and took a seat at the back near the wall. There was a main table surrounded by comfortable chairs. Along the walls were stacks of paper scripts, reference materials from long past movie history, and a table with a Starbucks and breakfast food.

  Four writers arrived, leaving the seat at the front table empty. The others ignored Jennifer.

  “Good Morning, James. I heard that somebody dumped a total rewrite on Navvy’s desk yesterday and he bought it.” Susie, a slightly heavy blonde with brown eyes, said.

  “They did reshoots from it yesterday afternoon,” James said.

  Susie found her place at the table. “How could he do that without running it past us?”

  “I heard it was an intern.” James, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Brit, said.

  Jennifer nervously sipped her Frap.

  “Somebody said that she's a writer,” Susie said.

  “Can Navvy do that without guild approval?” James placed his travel mug and notebook on the table.

  “He's the head of the studio, the producer, and he wrote the story. So, yes.”

  “Are we going to lose our jobs?”

  Just then, a forty-something woman came into the room and took the empty seat at the head of the table. Everyone started shouting at once.

  “Is it true?” James asked.

  “Gia, is he firing us?” Susie said.

  “Are they replacing us?” the third writer said.

  “I just signed a mortgage,” the fourth writer said.

  The leader shouted, “Quiet!” The woman, named Giorgia, looked past her crew of writers, past the table, to the back of the room. “Are you Jennifer?”

  All the heads at the table immediately turned towards the young intern.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Apparently, young lady, you are now one of us. My name is Giorgia Bianchi. I have three Academy screenwriting nominations and one win. James has a Ph.D. from MIT. Susie won a Golden Globe two years ago. I go by Gia. Team, this is Jennifer Gallagher, a summer intern who has been on the lot for five whole days.”

  There was gasping and mumbling.

  “How old are you?” Gia asked.

  “I turn seventeen next Thursday.”

  “Have you ever written anything or been published?” James asked.

  Gia interrupted, “Have you studied writing? Have you had any training?”

  “I started taking courses at UVN when I was eight.”

  “How far have you gotten?” Susie asked.

  “I completed the coursework for a bachelor’s degree in English and a Masters in English Literature.”

  “How many screenplays have you done and what's your training?” Gia asked.

  “I completed all of the screenwriting classes at UVN. Attack is my first complete screenplay rewrite,” Jennifer said.

  “But you're still in high school?” the third writer asked.

  “I decided that I didn’t want to show off for my classmates, so I do all of the college stuff as Jenna Seldon. It’s my secret identity.”

  There was a pause. “Hugo award-winning Galaxy Warrior Jenna Seldon?” Gia asked.

  “Guilty.”

  “My name is James Weldon. I consult on the technical issues for Brilliant and keep the Brilliant Tech Manual up to date. Are you the one who sent several corrections over the last few months?”

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  “Navvy sent me a volume called The Mathematics of Brilliant. Are you the author?” James asked.

  “Yes, that was my Ph.D. Dissertation.”

  “Ph.D.? You read the Manual?” Susie asked.

  “I finished the twelve volumes when I was thirteen,” Jennifer said.

  “I’m Susie Wilder; there was a rumor that you won an argument with Navvy on set by quoting a passage from the Manual.”

  “We discussed it, and Navvy deferred to my opinion.”

  “How can you quote a random passage from that twelve-volume monster?” James asked.

  “I have an eidetic memory.”

  “Alright, team. I read Jennifer’s rewrite. It's rough in places, but it's solid,” Gia said. “Jennifer, it appears you are in the right place. Navvy reassured me that there'd be no other personnel changes to our group.” There was a collective release of breath at Gia’s last comment. “Jennifer, our group meets at this time and place Tuesday through Friday. I understand that you have other duties on the set, so I hope that you can give us this first hour and we can pass out writing tasks. In the future, please send me your changes directly and keep me in the loop. Why don’t you come and join us at the table?”

  Jennifer moved to an open seat. “Thanks for letting me join you. I hope I can help.

  “Are you the one who creates all of the magical apps for that new HoloPad that people are getting?” Susie asked.

  “Guilty again.”

  “Could you write an app for us?”

  “What would you like it to do?”

  “On the set, techs can create virtual actors and program their lines. Is it possible to do that on a much smaller scale with scenes that we write so that we can see how they play out?” Susie asked.

  “Sami, could you join us?”

  Another redhead popped up to the right of Jennifer. “I have been listening, Boss.”

  “This is Samantha, my HoloBuddy”

  “Where's her office?” James asked.

  “Sami is virtual. When you get your HoloPad, you can configure a virtual assistant for yourself. Sami helps me with a lot of busy work, and she interfaces with the computing power that I have access to.”

  “What computing power will we have access to?” James asked.

  “Tovar Studios has the local HumanAI server plus the four HoloTurbo units that were installed this past weekend. There's currently enough overhead to make the HoloPads very responsive. Sami, is Susie’s idea plausible?”

  “Presently, it's possible only on the most rudimentary level. You could see the characters interacting, the resolution would be grainy, the audio would sound rather flat, and the acting would lack nuance. Current technology is approximately one-point-five Moores behind what this app would require to be robust and mature,” Sami said.

  “What's a Moore?” Susie asked.

  James replied. “A Moore generation is a doubling of computer and software capability and a thirty percent decrease in cost. It was named after Gordon Moore, an early chip developer. Currently, this doubling takes about fifteen months. What Sami's saying is that someone should start on this project, but it'll take about two years before it's fully useful.”

  “That’s correct, but I can start building it soon and have something up and running in two weeks. After that, we'll need an engineering tech team to perfect the hardware and coding,” Jennifer said. “Sami, do you remember those writing aids we developed? Could we quickly implement those?”

  “We have Actor-to-Dialogue, Character-to-Dialogue, BeatSheet, Scene Generator, Similar-Scenes, Similar-Dialogue and Similar-Action, and Unblocker. Yes, sis, we can include those.”

  “Sami, begin implementation of ScreenWriter’s Buddy using those parameters. And include an immersive tutorial,” Jennifer said.

  “You just used some interesting names. Could you explain?” Gia said.

  “The apps that I create are based on an engine that HumanAI developed which collects, maintains, and accesses Big Data. For example, the Humanities data includes about sixty percent of all literature ever written. That number's low because so much was historically lost to fire, flooding, and war before it could be scanned. It includes eighty-five percent of worldwide scripted media that was ever produced for motion pictures and television, and it contains over ninety percent of shooting scripts and screenplays. My family’s company, GGG, has helped HumanAI curate this data.

  “If you're writing for a specific actor, Actor-to-Di
alogue analyzes and makes suggestions based on the dialogue performed by the actor in the past. Character-to-Dialogue does the same if you are adapting from a specific literary character or even a historical figure. BeatSheet is based upon Blake Snyder’s book, Save the Cat. It helps generate an outline for a screenplay. It analyzes and suggests based on BeatSheets from almost all movies ever produced. It then enables you to write to the BeatSheet and keep on track with the correct screenplay paging.

  "SceneGen allows you to set up a scene based upon a detailed description and historical context of past movies and then provides analysis and writing cues. The Similar apps track your writing to help you choose whether to adapt from the past or avoid copying writing from another source in the data. I based this one of my favorite quotes, 'Creativity is plagiarism from multiple sources,’” Jennifer said.

  “I like that. What's Unblocker?” Gia asked.

  “That's a fancy screensaver and mind trick. The system tracks what you are writing, and if you pause for a time, for example, if you have writer’s block, it'll flash words, audio, video, and pictures that relate to what you are writing. I found that these take my mind out of the box and encourage better writing. Unblocker also interrupts if your writing is getting repetitious or stale and suggests a break. Sami and I designed it to adapt to the user. It'll be much more useful after you have used it for a couple of weeks,” Jennifer finished.

  “Omigod, does it make coffee?” Susie asked.

  Not sensing the sarcasm, “You can order a specific drink from a nearby Starbucks machine from your HoloPad and then walk over to pick it up.”

  “Excuse me, Jennifer, but it is ten minutes to your next crew call,” Sami said.

  “Before you go, when do we get our HoloPads?” Gia asked.

  “Sami, contact Grayson and ask him to send five HoloPads to the Writers' Room,” Jennifer said. “How many writers on the lot, Gia?”

  “There are fifty-four on staff and many others on contract.”

  “Sami, contact Grayson to coordinate a rollout to the other projects and writers. What's the timeframe on ScreenWriter’s Buddy?”