1: Brit is going to serve a purpose for this chapter only - nothing long term, so there really isn't going to be many details on her other than what's in this chapter.
2: One of Janet's affirmations from the last chapter changed. 'Adored' was cute but I switched it to 'enough' because it fit with her dialogue. I try not to change glaringly obvious things once a chapter has been posted, but it just made sense.
3: GYAT!!! She is so damn fine... 🗣️ Janet Damita Jo Jackson, if you ever read this, YO ASS IS FINE!!!
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Okay? Okay! Let's go!
Peyton
The sound of crashing ocean waves was always soothing for me. There was a peace that being around water had provided for me that I could only really find one place else - in the arms of Janet Damita. That was the preferred option, but I would have to settle for what I could get right now.
I was sitting in the so-called director's chair on the makeshift set for the night. I wanted to keep the video as true to the song as I could in certain areas, so opening at the beach was a given. As plans would have it, we'd be out here for two nights, just in case we ran out of time and started losing the night sky to the next day's rising sun. After this, the remaining two days would be shot at a set that was built to replicate two separate living quarters that would house two different abusive scenarios. The last shot would be on a street between rows of townhouses.
I was getting acclimated to the different cameras, their setups, where the cranes would capture various shots, and where I would essentially be located to view the monitors. Dave, in all his infinite video creation wisdom, was explaining the potential catastrophes in post production if the lighting was just a smidgen off, or if one camera was blocked when it wasn't supposed to be. It was a lot of information to take in, but I absorbed it happily. It actually didn't even feel like work. I felt like I belonged.
When Janet reached out to her dancers from the tour, they all volunteered their time and talents to be part of this production. Most of them would give anything to help and support J, but the cause itself was a major driving factor for a lot of them. Most of the dancing choreography would come at the very end of the video, but would be recorded tonight, and even then it wasn't an extensive or intricate routine. Most of the choreography was in the acting, where the bulk of the abusive scenes were, to which I pulled all of those who would be involved into a separate conversation before they all dispersed to hair, makeup and wardrobe.
"I want to be mindful of the heaviness of what we're about to create, and be responsible for how this can affect each of us. Abuse, in whatever form, can stick with us and trigger emotions that we may have believed that we've dealt with. Believe me, I understand it. So for that, I want to introduce a very good friend of mine, Dr. Brittany Gaskins. She is a professor at Georgetown University, with a PhD in Psychology and Sociology. She's also a therapist that specializes in domestic abuse and grief counseling. She's going to be on set with us to lend support if you feel that you need it. Now or in the long term. If at any point you feel that you can't do this, let me or Janet know immediately. I promise you, we will not be upset. We don't want you to be in a situation that is going to be detrimental to your mental health. Raising awareness for one thing shouldn't negatively affect another..."
