Lord of Entertainment

Chapter 10: Filming Locations

As Firfel finished her scene, I found myself nodding approvingly. Was I biased because of her elven beauty? Maybe. But you know what? In this business, sometimes you've got to trust your gut.

Klein started with the usual spiel. "Okay, that's a good performance. We'll contact you if we—"

I cut him off. "No need to keep her waiting. I've made my decision."

The whole crew looked at me like I'd grown a second head. George leaned in, whispering, "We're rejecting her already?" Poor guy thought I was about to give Firfel the boot, same as all the others.

I could see Firfel's face cloud over. Clearly, she'd overheard George's not-so-subtle whisper. Time to clear the air.

Clearing my throat, I looked Firfel straight in the eye. "Firfel Evergreen, you'll be cast for the role of Kay Adams. That's my decision."

The tension in the air evaporated. Firfel's frown melted away, replaced by a barely-there smile that spoke volumes. She was trying to play it cool, but I could tell she was over the moon.

As Firfel left, I could feel the team's eyes on me. "What?" I shrugged. "Sometimes you just know."

***

Days rolled by, and our ragtag cast was starting to come together. Our latest addition? Kyle Brook, our Luca Brasi.

He is a demon straight out of your worst nightmares, standing at a towering 6'5", built like a brick hellhouse.

Kyle was what we called a 'behemoth' - not the actual giant monsters, mind you, just a particularly imposing breed of demon.

When Kyle lumbered into the audition, I swear the ground shook. The guy was naturally strong, perfect for Luca's intimidating presence.

But here's the kicker - in our looks-obsessed industry, Kyle couldn't catch a break. He wasn't "handsome" enough for the camera, apparently.

As you can see, even in the demon world, we're slaves to human beauty standards. Gotta appeal to the international market, they say. Humans are top dogs now, so we dance to their tune.

Kyle's "stiff" acting was just the final nail in his showbiz coffin.

When I announced Kyle was our Luca, you should've seen the looks on everyone's faces. You'd think I'd just suggested we film the whole thing underwater or something.

"Boss," one of the crew ventured, "are you sure about this? Kyle's not exactly... good looking."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Good looking? Guys, he's playing a terrifying mob enforcer. Kyle doesn't need to be pretty - he needs to be scary. And look at him! He's perfect!"

Kyle, bless his heart, looked like he couldn't believe his luck. "You... you really want me for this?" he rumbled, his voice like gravel in a blender.

I grinned up at him. Way up. "Kyle, my friend, you were born for this role. Just... try not to accidentally squash any of the other actors, okay?"

As Kyle left, practically floating despite his massive size, I turned to the team. "See? This is what Hellfire Studios is all about. We don't just think outside the box - we smash the box and build something new."

George shook his head, but he was smiling. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"Crazy like a fox," Rocky chimed in. "Or should I say, crazy like a demon?"

I couldn't help but grin at their bewildered faces. "Well, being crazy enough is what'll set us apart in this industry. You'll see - craziness is just another way of life."

My team exchanged glances, nodding along like they were humoring a madman. Which, let's face it, they probably were. But hey, in this business, a little madness goes a long way.

***

One more week of chaos, coffee, and questionable decision-making later, we finally had our cast for "The Demonfather." And let me tell you, it was a real motley crew.

As for extras? Well, my team suddenly developed a burning passion for being on camera. They were falling over themselves to volunteer, even if it meant juggling their regular jobs. Not that I was complaining - their enthusiasm saved us a bundle, and hey, no one could accuse me of employee abuse. Win-win, right?

Our cast was shaping up to be quite the colorful bunch. Take Johnny Lake, our Tom Hagen. He's a Devilkin, a breed of demon known for being sharp as a tack and twice as crafty.

One look at his sly grin and you knew he was perfect for the role of the family's smooth-talking consigliere.

Then there's Charles Flirt playing Sonny. He's what we call a Scale Demon - still humanoid, but with patches of scales that make him look like he's wearing the world's weirdest body armor. But the guy's got swagger for days, just what we needed for the hotheaded eldest son.

And of course, our Kay Adams - Firfel Evergreen. An elf in a sea of demons, standing out like a sore thumb in the best way possible. Perfect for the outsider who captures Michael's heart.

The rest of the cast? Let's just say I outdid myself. Each one chosen with the precision of a demonic ritual... and about the same level of risk.

Now, with our band of misfits assembled, it was time for the next challenge: finding spots in our hellish landscape that could pass for my taste.

***

After three days of scouting that felt more like a demonic scavenger hunt, we finally nailed down our locations.

First up, we've got the Neighborhood of Gloomstone. Similar to Brooklyn, but with a hellish twist. Narrow streets packed tighter than sardines in a can, brownstone buildings that have seen better millennia, and demons of all shapes and sizes going about their business. The air's thick with the scent of brimstone and questionable street food. It's perfect for our gritty street scenes.

Then there's the Crimson Quarter. This is our Little Italy stand-in, but trust me, it's anything but little. It's the stomping ground of the Morningstar royal family - yeah, my family. But hey, if we're going for authenticity in showing a crime family's turf, might as well use the real deal, right?

For our industrial scenes, we've got the Abyssal Docks. It's part of Gloomstone, but it's got its own charm - if by charm you mean rusted cranes, murky waters, and the constant feeling that you might get shoved into said murky waters if you look at someone wrong. It's perfect for those tense waterfront meetings.

But the real gem? That's the Great Neck. It's our Long Island equivalent, about 17 kilometers from Gloomstone.

Now, this place is a goldmine for us, and not just because it's seen better days. There's this estate we can rent for cheap - belongs to some fallen noble family.

The whole Great Neck area is like stepping back in time. While the rest of Ferland City is racing towards the future, this place is stuck in the past. Houses look like they haven't been updated in a century, which is exactly what we need.

And in Infernal Heights? Oh boy, we've hit the motherlode. Old villas and manors that look like they're one stiff breeze away from collapsing. They're practically begging to be used as a mob family headquarters.

As we wrapped up our location scouting, I couldn't help but grin. "Guys," I said, looking around at my ragtag team, "I think we just found our perfect backdrop for the Demonfather's world."

George scratched his head. "Boss, how are we going to make this look like the setting from your script? It's looking like a... backward place."

I laughed. "George, my friend, that's the beauty of it. We're not trying to recreate some modern city. We're building our own world. The Demonfather will be set in a fictional city that exists only in our twisted imaginations."

Rocky nodded approvingly. "Kid's got a point. It's not about copying something that doesn't exist here. It's about capturing the feel of a crime-ridden city."

"Correct," I chimed in. "We're going to blend these demonic locations with the vibe of a classic mob story. It'll be something no one's ever seen before."

As we headed back to our warehouse-turned-studio, my mind was racing with possibilities. We had our cast, we had our locations. Now all we needed was to actually make the damn movie.

"Alright, guys," I announced, feeling that familiar surge of excitement. "Tomorrow, we start turning this crazy dream into reality. We're going to create a whole new world on film!"

The cheer that went up could've woken the dead. And in this city, it probably did.

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