Who Run the World? Girls.

4 - Showtime

Jesse hastily packed his shoulder bag and followed his boss until they reached the cafeteria.

"Right, this is where us lot eat. Very simple, just grab a tray, tell 'em what you want and hey presto! You have food. It's such a wonderful thing," Phillip Daniels expressed. Jesse thought he heard a hint of sarcasm and he wasn't sure if he was trying to be patronising or amusing.

It was Jesse's trial day as an apprentice movie composer, only a week after he had arrived in Los Angeles. It had just so happened that one of his friends from High School Drama Club had landed himself a minor role in a small movie, and had found out that the demand for composers was very high. He'd given Jesse the head's up, and a few days later he got a call asking for him to meet with a composer who'd produced music for quite a few big, independent films. That composer was Phillip Daniels, a middle-aged, long-haired man with a moustache. He definitely seemed like a Hollywood kind of guy.

"I like you, kid. You've got flare. You said you did Acapella at university, correct?" he had asked when they had met up at an expensive bar in Hollywood.

"Yes, sir. I-"

"Awesome. That should be interesting," he cut in. "Well, I see no reason not to bring you into the studio on Monday. Because, I mean, you've got it all on paper and your personality is good, but I wanna see what you can do for real. Don't let me down, son."

Then in a quick blur they were shaking hands and before Jesse could say another word the man was gone. He stood there stunned for a few seconds, before his trance was interrupted by a young waiter.

"Wow, quite something you bagged yourself there. I'm sorry, I couldn't help but eavesdrop," he said, looking more excited than Jesse even was at that moment.

Jesse just stared at the young man, unsure of what to say.

"I'll get you a gin. On the House. Looks like you could do with it."

And then there he was, sitting in large cafeteria with all sorts of people sitting around him. He was pretty sure he recognised some of them as actors, but they weren't any he had a particular interest in. Anyhow, it was still a jaw-dropping experience.
"So, I've shown you everything I know. This afternoon, it's your turn. I'll give you a scene without music and I want you to bring it to life by creating a piece to accompany it. You're not going to know the theme until you watch the scene. This is your exam, if you like. If you thought there was an easy route in, you were wrong," Phillip explained.

"Of course. I promise I won't let you down," Jesse remarked enthusiastically.

"We'll see. You have half an hour to clear your head and do whatever you're used to doing on a lunch break. And then you're going to meet me in the music block at 1:30, alright?"

"Yes, sir."

He'd been composed in the cafeteria, but as soon as he went outside he began to panic a little. Maybe he should've been an actor instead. That had always been his second choice of career.

He got his phone out and called Beca, pressing the wrong button a couple of times and accidently calling Benji instead. Eventually, he got Beca's voice on the other side.

"Hey, babe. How's your trial going?"

"It's been fine, well, really great actually. Until now that is," Jesse said, tracing his foot on a bit of gravel.

"Why, what's the matter?" Beca's voice was full of worry.

"I knew he was going to get me to show my stuff, but it's basically an exam. I thought I could just do my thing, you know? I'd even had some ideas prepared. But he's going to make me do it spontaneously and I'm kinda worried, Bec."

"Okay, listen here, Jesse. You know every note of every song in pretty much every movie you've watched. You know your shit. You are going to awesome. Use your acapella, use your brilliant voice and make people cry. Like Fat Amy once told me, you are Jesse effing Swanson and you are going to go out there and kick ass, okay?"

"Man, I wish you were here right now. I needed that kick, I mean, I'm still a little nervous but I feel better," Jesse sighed in relief.

"It's my voice. It's the voice of your guardian angel," Beca stated.

"You are my angel, and next time I see you I'm going to treat you like one because I'm gonna ace this," Jesse said, trying to up his confidence.

"Yes you will! Nothing's gonna stop my boyy!" she shouted, and Jesse heard Fran saying something in the background. He laughed.

"Well, wish me luck. I've got to go."

"Good luck, weirdo. I love you so fricking much, don't forget that," Beca said, a little more seriously.

"I know. But as always, I love you more," Jesse said sweetly.

And he waited for her to say "You wish," before she hung up. He loved that so much.

He glanced at his watch and saw that he still had twenty minutes to spare, so he decided to make a mental list of all the genres that could come up in the scene, and how he could deal with those. He considered crossovers, such as rom-coms, and the subtle differences he would make in a scene that included both or only one of those.

"Suspense, Action, Tragedy..."

He was listing as many as he could think of. Preferably, he wanted a moving scene, just like the one at the end of Breakfast Club, since that had touched his heart so much. The reason he was going into this business was so that he could do the same to others.
At 1:30 Jesse was in the music block, pacing around, trying to keep his head clear so he could be as creative as possible when the time came.
"Ah, on time. Good sign. Lets me know you're talking business," Phillip said as he strolled in with a bag on his shoulder and took off his shades for the first time that day.
He set the bag down on a table and took out a laptop. He opened it and started it up.
"Now, let's have a look. Which one should I give you?" Phillip muttered as he peered at the screen of the laptop. "Uh huh. Yes..."
He flipped the laptop round to face Jesse.
"Watch that a few times. Get it in your head and then get cracking. You have until 4:30."
And when Jesse watched the video, he was no longer panicking. He thought of the Breakfast Club, the film that had inspired him into it, but then Beca's face popped into his mind, and he now knew she was the real reason he was there, and he couldn't be happier about that.