Who: Mike Lane mikelane & Portia perfectlyportia What: Offering a set piece to a film studio scout When: Monday, September 21, midday Where: Open Artist Market Rating: General Audiences Warnings: None. Status: Closed/Completed GDoc
~*~
Orange County catered to all types. There were plenty of places for local artisans to show their work off. Mike had found the Open Artist Market as a venue for displaying pieces he created without a specific buyer in mind. He left business cards on his pieces in case someone was interested in purchasing them or in hiring him for a custom piece of their own. Mike had gotten quite a bit of business as a result of the market's regular patrons. It was well worth the cost of the shop space he leased for the installations he had set up.
He noticed someone was staring at the new bar set he'd just finished setting up. It was a good piece made of found driftwood, recycled glass, and chrome from wrecked cars. Mike had put weeks into the set intending to use it for himself only to realize it deserved to go to someone else. His place wasn't quite ready to have anything permanent put into it. There was no one other than Mike at his place and he didn't own it. The last thing he wanted to do was set it up as a permanent bachelor pad.
Some guys wanted to be single forever.
Mike Lane wasn't one of those guys.
A crowd of regular arts purveyors wandered by talking, drowning out what the young woman was saying so Mike could only give her a quizzical look. He wasn't certain what she had said. It could have been anything from a pick-up line to a criticism on the piece. The most likely thing was she had some interest in the piece. Mike figured worst case scenario? He asked if she was interested in buying it and got told where to shove it since she had been critiquing it. There was also the chance he might be opening the door to a potential sale.
"Excuse me? Were you asking if this is for sale?"
He pointed to the crowd who was continuing on with their circuit, jabbering as they went.
"I couldn't hear what you said over those guys. They're regulars. You get used to them."
~*~
It wasn’t technically part of Portia’s remit to locate set pieces, but since she was closely involved with the costume and makeup it sometimes made sense for her to help out. Especially when the whole look of the movie was linked closely with costume and this one was. She had to admit she rather liked looking for props, you discovered the most incredible things sometimes and she had to admit to having a number of nice pieces in her own home as a result. She couldn’t help it when things just called to her.
The Open Artist Market was new to her and she was spending a long time walking amongst the stalls chatting to the vendors and inspecting potential pieces. But one piece in particular had caught her eye, the wood and chrome was perfect and matched wonderfully with the costumes she was putting together. The chrome was a great idea and she could tie that in using makeup on the actors. Things were coming together in her mind and she asked the, incredibly good looking, guy at the stall if it was for sale only for her efforts to be thwarted.
“I’m sorry, I spoke at entirely the wrong time” she said with a smile, “But yes, I was enquiring about this piece. It’s incredible, do you make all of these yourself?” she asked him because it was obvious he had a talent.
~*~
"It is for sale and yes, I do make them all myself. The bar set you're looking at is all found driftwood from a local beach which I've bleached and treated. All of the glass and chrome is recycled from wrecked cars. It's a one hundred percent found-item piece. I'm pretty proud of it."
He stroked a hand over the slick top with a smile. It was a great piece to dance around, too. Mike had a tendency to lose himself in his music when he was working alone in the shop. There was something nice about being able to dance as if no one was watching---with no one watching. He didn't have to make excuses for the way he liked to throw down. No one was there to judge him. Mike wondered if some day he'd find out a reason as to why he liked to dance as much as he did. So far? It was just an aspect of his personality he accepted without question.
"I'm Mike Lane. Mike Lane Custom Furnishing Art."
Mike didn't offer a price though he did offer his hand to for her to shake to say her hello.
~*~
“How incredible. It looks amazing” she told him with a smile, “You should be proud, it’s obviously been a labour of love” She could tell by the way he spoke about it that he put a lot of himself into his work. Just as Portia did herself so she definitely respected that level of commitment.
Portia wasn’t one for dancing but she did sing and hum a lot when she was designing, she wasn’t sure why but it relaxed her. She missed music when she didn’t hear it very often which was why there was usually the radio or a cd playing in her office.
“Portia, Fashion Stylist” she replied, shaking his hand, “I work for a Los Angeles film studio”
~*~
Film studio reps weren't as uncommon in the OC as they might have been in the rest of the world. They tended to scout for talent elsewhere, but Orange County offered unique wares which couldn't be found anywhere else in California. Mike had never had one of his pieces purchased for a film set or a studio. He was flattered to think Portia was interested at all in his work. A light flush spread over his face as he released her hand. She was pretty. He wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't someone's go-to girl for trends.
"Nice to meet you, Portia. You are the first studio rep I've met personally. Are you looking at the piece for personal use or for a film? I'm not going to change the price. I'm just curious. The set is set at $11,500 with free delivery as long as it's within a hundred miles of here."
Mike could have charged twice what he was asking for the set. He knew it as well as he knew his own name. There was a lot to be said for offering a fair price to a new client however and Mike wasn't in the furniture business to swindle anyone. He had less than $2,000 in it in terms of materials. The junkyard he went to had a deal with him: anything he carted out on his own was free so long as he promised to make something for the owner once a month. It saved him more than he could ever say.
~*~
“Nice to meet you too” she said with a smile, “Oh really? Well I have to say they’ve been missing out” she told him, because honestly these creations would absolutely sparkle on the screen. At least in Portia’s opinion anyway. She had a feeling the studio would agree, especially for this film. “This piece would be for a film” she told him, nodding at the price, she had expected much more and he could demand it too. “Delivery would be Los Angeles and obviously we’d make sure your details were in the credits of the film under the props section” she added because she felt it was important that he know that. Sometimes it led to an increase in business from other studios and productions as well as general custom.
~*~
LA was only around thirty miles from where they were in Anaheim. Orange County was connected fairly well to the rest of the state. Mike had few customers who were outside his delivery radius. Typically if they were farther out than a hundred miles? They weren't shopping in the OC for anything. It wasn't as if the OC was known as an artist's haven. They could find custom pieces in a lot of places in California. Plenty of craftsmen called the state home; Mike knew he was not as unique as many thought him to be.
He smiled at the thought they would put his name in the credits of a film. Mike sometimes felt a long way from home even if the OC had been his home for the last several years.
"It's hard to imagine my name in the credits. I can definitely do an LA delivery. When do you think you'd want it? Or are you going to need to call someone or consult or---I don't know how this works."
~*~
They were lucky that they were far enough from the big city to have space and beautiful beaches but close enough to be able to commute without too much of an issue. And a lot of the time she worked out of the local office or her own home. She was only at the studio when the film was fully in production, Portia had a hard time trusting the continuity people to get the makeup and costumes correct so took her own shots.
“Well then I will make sure to get you an invite to the premiere so you can see it there on the big screen” she promised him, “I can place a deposit now and then once I confirm the purchase with the props department I can contact you about the full payment and delivery. Would that be okay?” she asked him, she was sure they’d give the okay but she should go through the correct process.
~*~
Chuckling, Mike shook his head, "That's fine. Absolutely. A premiere, huh? You know, I've lived here for years and never been to a premiere of anything. I don't even know the last movie I saw in theaters. I think I was still on the other side of the States."
She likely thought that was crazy. Mike knew if he were told by someone they didn't ever look at art he'd have wondered how they were making it through life with their eyes shut. It had to feel similar to her seeing as the movies were her business. Portia seemed a lot nicer than Mike would have expected from someone who worked in the industry. He'd always figured them to be the kind who ate their competition for breakfast, laughing while they chewed. It wasn't exactly as if there was a different view of Hollywood being passed around on the regular.
"I can hold it for at least a few weeks. This space is mine on a five year lease."
That didn't mean he wanted to hold a sold piece in it for five years, but Mike figured Portia would know that.
He imagined her time was a lot more valuable than his own.
~*~
"Oh my goodness, you've missed a lot of great films. Although I have to admit having worked at the studio for a while now I look at them with a whole new appreciation" she grinned, she now knew exactly how much work went into them.
Portia wasn't anybody's stereotypical Hollywood type though there were many of them in the industry. She just didn't see why you couldn't be a nice person and still do your job. A smile went a lot further. At least in her experience.
"I promise it definitely won't be that long. A week at most" The props department should get back to her within twenty four hours.
~*~
Movies weren't the only thing Mike felt he'd missed out on in the last few years. He'd been so busy trying to start up his business, get some pieces into his portfolio, working in his studio he hadn't really done anything else. Thinking about how long it had been since he'd taken a woman out on a real date was embarrassing. Most guys his age would have never admitted to how long it'd been. He went dancing often enough, sure, but he went alone and went home alone after, too.
Mike didn't really have a lot of time to devote to women and he had gotten over one-night-stands before moving to the OC.
"I'll write you up a ticket. Do you want to take some photos to go with you? I'm not worried about the time. Honest. I'm just excited someone is interested in seeing my work in more than their living room."
He laughed, "I don't think I ever really imagined my work being cut out for more unless it was commercial. I do a lot of pieces for local businesses. Displays need to be eye-catching to help sell. I'm good at eye-catching."
~*~
Portia was much the same, she attended premieres in order to support the crew who worked on the films but she left before the after parties. Her work took up a lot of her time and when a project needed completing it could take all of her energy, there were not many men who were happy with that kind of arrangement. And she’d never had a one night stand in her life, it just wasn’t her style.
“Thank you that would be wonderful” she nodded, “And if I’m being honest I can see your work creating quite a stir at the studio both professionally and personally. You should get a good number of commissions from it if all goes well”
She couldn’t deny there were a few pieces on display that she would personally like but that could come later. Right now she wanted to help him out and herself, this could influence everything on set and Portia was excited about that.
~*~
"Here's hoping," Mike agreed, stepping back so Portia could take photos with her phone. He really did hope the people in her studio enjoyed the bar set. There was the potential to rack up quite a list of new clients, all of whom Mike could use. He wasn't anywhere near to a stage where he didn't have to worry about having steady work. Mike had to constantly be producing in order to keep ahead of his expenditures. Starting up his own business had proven to be a lot harder than anything Mike had anticipated.
It figured he would run into problems given his lack of business experience.
"I'll be grateful for any business I drum up. It's nice to have new customers. New regulars? That's very nice. I'll have to do a thank-you piece for you if I wind up with enough business to afford to do some free work."
He couldn't stop smiling at the thought.
Mike felt lucky to have met Portia. She was a bright light he could use in his starry skies.