I take the stage and hope
for the best. The wooden floor is worn out from over a decade worth
of shows. The lights shine bright from a catwalk above. Performers
stomp around and direct members of the audience who are invited on
stage. The actors fill the room with their mock enthusiasm and false
urgency. It is all for the sake of entertainment. I am there doing
my part. I am not an entertainer, yet I can inspire laughter and
applause all the same. I am the guy behind the camera.
Among the others on stage,
I move and frame the action with a steady hand. Timing is
everything, the sights and sounds of the show follow the rhythm of my
movements. Every show is the same, yet they are all different. The
actors and camera operators find ways to make the show their own, you
have to, it makes your shows mean something, to you if not anyone
else. This is a dance, a test of reflexes and instincts.
I quickly learned the
style and flow of each actor and react to capture the moment in the
best possible way. At least that is the hope each time out. There
is no time to second guess yourself and as soon as you reset the
stage after one show, a new one begins. It is cycle, like each
passing night that brings a new dawn. Above the stage is a large
screen that lets the crowd see everything that passes through my
lends. Maybe they're watching or maybe they're not, but the dance
continues and the show must go on.
Curt Wiser is the writer-director of the thriller Cam-Girl (aka Web-Cam). His writing has been published in Indie Slate Magazine and he is an author of suspense novels.
