Being Juniper Montage

by Bookish Delight

02: Pieces of a Work

Neither Photo nor Sunny paid attention to Juniper when she walked into the theater room—at least, until Juniper cleared her throat. Both of them then looked up from their bags.

"Yes?" Photo asked. "What is it you want?"

"Hey there, you two!" With enthusiasm rousing her heart, a guitar-heavy theme song resounding in her mind, and strobe lights lining the walls that only she could see, Juniper pointed straight at the two girls and flashed her most photogenic smile. "I'm Juniper Montage, at your service!"

Silence overwhelmed the room as Photo and Sunny stared wordlessly at her.

"R-Right. Um." Okay, so overcompensating for her nervousness hadn’t worked for anyone, including herself. The lights faded, and the theme music wound down, bringing her back to the mundane theater room. Juniper rubbed her neck and cleared her throat again, deciding on a humbler approach. "Anyway, I'm really sorry for eavesdropping, but I couldn't help but overhear what was going on. I mean, with your movie project?"

Sunny huffed. "Well, you should be sorry for eavesdropping, because this isn't any of your busi—"

"Wait!" Photo held up her hand. "Juni—Juniper Montage?" She stroked her chin. "I, Photo Finish, have heard this name before, but for the life of me, I cannot place." She looked directly at Juniper. "Did you perhaps attend the last Fearless Photographer’s Conference in Cloudsdale?"

Juniper shook her head.

Photo stepped towards Juniper. "The Manehattan Shutterfest?"

Juniper shook her head again.

Photo stepped closer. "The Fillydelphia Photo Camp?"

Juniper, dreading the consequences, shook her head a third time.

Photo took one final step, putting herself right in Juniper's face. "The Wedding Workshop here in Canterlot?"

"No!" Juniper finally said, her voice frantic. "I've never been to a wedding in my life! I've never been to any of those things you just mentioned!" She paused, looked at Photo, then added in a whisper, "Please don't hurt me."

Photo raised her shades with one finger, stared at Juniper with focused, indigo eyes for several seconds, then let her shades plop back down onto her nose. She stepped back. "All right! Give Photo Finish lifeline, because Photo officially has nothing."

"Does the name 'Canter Zoom' ring a bell?" Twilight said, walking in behind Juniper.

Photo snapped her fingers and gasped. "Ring a bell? It rings a chorus of chimes!" Photo's palms went to her forehead. "Herr Zoom is only one of the world's greatest movie directors! The new Daring Do film was nothing short of fantastic! It felt like I was really there." She looked to Sunny, who nodded in agreement.

"Well," Twilight said, gesturing to Juniper with both hands, "What if I told you that standing in front of you is his niece, in the flesh? She's worked with him for years."

Juniper put her hand behind her head, blushing and sighing in relief. "Oh, it's not that big of a deal. I was just a gofer," she said, quickly learning that it was possible to feel both proud and humble at the same time. She faced Sunny. "In all honesty? I've always wanted to be an actress."

Sunny raised an eyebrow, her expression visibly softening.

"But that's faraway life goals, am I right?" Juniper chuckled. "We're living in the here and now. And right now, I think I can help with your movie troubles. If you're willing to tell me exactly what the problem is."

The room fell silent, until finally, Sunny spoke, turning away from the others. "I don't know. Ask Photo," she said.

Photo threw up her hands. "There is nothing to ask! My only problem is that I am clearly going to go through three whole video cameras before we land on a shoot that Princess Sunny here is satisfied with!"

Sunny whirled back around. "I keep telling you, it never comes out right! If you're not happy with that explanation—"

"No! I am not happy with it!" Photo took a step forward. "Because I am happy with you! Everything I see you do on the stage is complete perfection, and I wish you saw what I saw!"

Sunny hesitated, then sighed. "You really think that, don't you?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Photo said, walking over to Sunny. "And it has been that way ever since I saw you practicing on your own during Chance to Prance! That is why I asked if I could make a movie starring you in the first place! I wanted someone who I already knew had the chops, so then at least I'd be able to—" Photo stopped. "What I am trying to say is, I have no idea why you think none of your performances have 'come out right'. Because that is not close to true." She pointed to the camera. "Not from where I have been standing."

"I..." Sunny faltered.

An idea flashed in Juniper's mind. She stepped in. "Is it alright if I look at your raw footage?"

The other two nodded, removing the flash card from the camera and playing its stored footage on a nearby laptop. Juniper looked at the screen, and watched Sunny on stage, making an impassioned speech while holding an apple to the sky. Every word was perfectly inflected, every ounce of body language clear. Juniper could feel the intensity, down to her bones.

When it was over, she smiled in Sunny's direction. "You really are a fantastic actress."

"I know," Sunny said, visibly doing her best not to blush. "Still, thank you."

Sunny's voice then sounded again from the computer, taking the scene from the top.

"Do you see what I mean?" Photo pointed to the laptop. "You got it in one, Sunny. A couple more takes would be prudent, but there are ten of these on this drive! I am not made of money, to say nothing of time and energy!" She placed a hand on Sunny's shoulder. "And I know it is the same for you."

Sunny clasped her hands together. She looked away, then stepped away.

"Sunny?" Juniper ventured. "What's bothering you about this? I mean, really bothering you?"

"What Juniper said," Photo added, putting her hand to her heart. "You know you can tell Photo Finish anything."

Sunny took a deep breath, and exhaled loudly. "I hate how I look when I'm filmed," she said. "I always have."

Photo scratched her head. "But you get filmed a lot—"

"I know!" Sunny balled her fists. "And I put up with it! But I always, always, hate it." Sunny sat on the desk next to her, and stared at random patterns in the wall. "Whenever I'm on stage, I just know. I know what I'm doing is right and perfect for that stage"—she gestured around the room—"and the audience looking at me, with their own eyes.

"But then I see myself on video, and I can just tell, you know? Whether the camera's standing still or following me, it doesn't understand my pacing. It doesn't understand my body language. Sometimes it doesn't even understand my voice. Every step I take, every move I make, and every line I deliver comes out looking… bad!" She slumped. "Being filmed ruins every performance."

Juniper nodded, an uplifting confidence building in her heart. She'd heard such grievances before. "Cameras are capable of playing a lot of visual tricks," she said, making sure to not sound patronizing. "But at the same time, they only ever capture what the lens sees. Barring what you intentionally leave out of that field of view, and any on-set effects, there's no real 'changing of reality' going on until you get to the editing booth." She pushed her glasses back up on her nose. "My conclusion, then, is that there has to be something deeper going on here. Would you agree?"

Sunny didn't answer.

Photo sat next to her on the desk. "Sunny. I promise you, your acting is fantastic. But based on what Juniper has just said, I am pretty sure that this is... well, my fault."

"What do you mean?" Juniper asked.

"Photo Finish lives up to her name every chance she gets," Photo said pointing a finger upwards. "I can work nothing short of the magicks with a telephoto lens and any subject you put in front of me! I have done this very thing ever since I was a little girl, and nobody will stop me from doing it for years yet. But!"

Photo folded her hands and sighed. "Operating a video camera is another beast entirely! It intimidates me. It controls me, instead of the other way around, and I can't stand it! It was like this during Chance to Prance as well—I stood behind the crazy thing, with no life in me, as I captured life on film, simply hoping I wouldn't mess something up! But I refused to blame myself." She rolled her wrist. "So maybe Photo Finish blames something else. The hardware. The lighting. The script." She looked at Sunny. "The perfectionism of a friend who, in my heart of hearts, I already know truly does care."

"No way, Photo!" Sunny squeezed Photo's arm, shaking her head. "I know your work. You're the best I've seen at being able to capture the essence of a person on film. You'd put even Crystal Prep to shame in that department."

"Thank you, Sunny." Photo sighed again, and looked at the floor. "But you have to admit, even with both of our skills put together, we are completely stuck."

Now certain that she had enough to work with, Juniper dug into her mind's archives. It didn't take long for her to recall one of her most vivid memories from working at her uncle's studio. Specifically, the first time Uncle Canter had ever taken on a classical actor as the star of one of his movies.

A few years ago, Horson Wells had been the rising stage star that everyone was talking about, and with good reason. His commanding appearance, mastery of expression, and reliable work ethic had gotten him rave reviews from theater audiences and stage directors alike. Thus, the entertainment world had celebrated when he'd signed for a role in Canter Zoom's latest film—which, ironically, had a disgraced theater actor as the story's main protagonist.

Juniper smiled as she remembered. The industry and press had learned to never bet against Uncle Canter—he had an uncanny knack for turning even weak ideas into profitable motion pictures, without ever stooping to the lowest common denominator. When word got out that he and Wells were to be working together, they were proclaimed the perfect match.

Nothing could have been further from the truth, however—at least at the beginning. From the very start of filming, the spats between the two of them went on for days, taking a toll on everyone's morale.

She remembered the day it had all come to a head. She had looked around the lot, looked at the crew, only to see dejection. Boredom. Worry, in spades. The movie was going to take so much longer now. How much longer? They'd bet everything on Wells. What if he walked out? They'd have to cast someone else, which would either delay production—or shut it down entirely. Production companies were fickle like that, and besides, the marketing hook was that the star of the film was comically linked to its premise!

The thought of a shutdown had truly scared Juniper. She'd never seen one happen personally. She never wanted that to happen to her uncle. Heck, she never wanted that to happen to a movie, period.

Not on her watch.

Juniper looked at Photo and Sunny again, who looked just as sad as those crew members—to say nothing of just as sad as when Juniper had first walked into the theater room. Pangs of fear stabbed her chest. Have I made things better, or worse? Heck, have I done anything at all?

She looked around the room. Also, where's Twilight?

Indeed, there were only three people in the room. It was then that the reality set in for Juniper. She was on her own. She gritted her teeth.

All right, Montage. You've been here before, and won besides. Time to dig deep. Take the first thing your gut tells you, and let's do this.

She stepped toward the two of them with the first thought that came to mind, and that felt right. "I have one question for both of you," she said. "Why are you filming a stage?"

"Well, that is simple," Photo said. "Photo Finish always shoots people in their natural habitat! Sunny is, of course, most at home on the theater stage."

Juniper nodded. "Sound logic, but what does the scene itself call for? Do you have the script on you?"

Sunny nodded. "I do. Hang on, I'll pull it up." She tapped several keys on the laptop, loaded up the script, and scrolled to the scene she had been performing.

Juniper scanned the scene, her eyes widening the more she read. More ideas flooded her mind. "Sunny, this scene this calls for so much more than a stage! Adverse weather conditions, acoustics, natural lighting, lonely grass as far as the eye can see—this is complex!"

"Proper stages can approximate many of those things, and the audience's imagination can take care of the rest." Sunny scoffed. "It'll do them good anyway."

Juniper turned around, and stood in front of Sunny. "I understand what you're saying, Sunny, and I completely agree." She placed her hand to her heart. "The first time I went to a Bridleway play was one of the most memorable nights of my life. Whatever wasn't on the stage—and believe me, it was an elaborately furnished stage—I mentally added myself. Honestly, that was part of the fun."

Sunny's expression went from defensive to relieved. "You get it, then. What play did you see? If you don't mind my asking."

"Phantom." Juniper blushed. "Sorry about the, uh, casual choice."

Sunny shook her head. "What, are you kidding? It's popular for a reason!"

Juniper squealed. "I totally got that when I saw it! The passion, the strife! I may have survived the experience, but my heart sure didn't!" Juniper saw Sunny smile, and Juniper matched it. "So yeah. I get it. Such is the power of theater. Nothing but love."

Juniper raised a mischievous eyebrow. "However." She took out her phone, and played a scene from classic movie Hinny of the Hills. "When you work with cinema, you have the power to communicate directly into those imaginations. The mind suddenly has less work to do, meaning you can reach their hearts sooner, do some wicked stuff with people's emotions, and then give the mind all new surprises to chew on!" She grinned, showing teeth. "Plus, movies these days are a little more portable than stages."

Sunny nodded as she watched the scene.

"The catch, though," Juniper continued, "is that human vision and machine vision are fundamentally different in how they capture and process the same subject in front of them. To say nothing of what happens when the human brain gets involved."

"Ah!" Photo snapped her fingers. "So, when you look at one through the other, and then to a stage which carries expectations from the audience..."

"Unnatural city," Sunny breathed.

"Bingo," Juniper said. "At least, for some people." She looked at the script again, then called up an app on her phone to check a specific piece of information. Satisfied, she put her phone away again and turned to the others.

"Okay. I have a plan. Today's Thursday? Meet me at the big lamppost in the center of Canterlot Park, Saturday evening at six. Don't even think about this project tomorrow. That way we can all come back to it with fresh minds. On Saturday, if you're willing to take my input, then I promise to prove to you that we can have it all." She raised a clenched fist and smiled.

"What is this plan?" Photo asked.

Juniper smiled wider. "You'll just have to wait and see. Mainly because it involves prep work on my part. Are you in?"

Photo and Sunny looked at each other.

"Photo is in," Photo said. "Sunny, you?"

Sunny sighed. "At this point, I'll try anything." She nodded. "See you Saturday, Juniper."

"Indeed! Sunny, let us stop at Sugarcube Corner. Photo will treat you to a smoothie before we head home."

Sunny's eyes lit up. "Whipped cream? Please?"

Photo laughed. "Of course! What, does Photo Finish look like a barbarian to you?" After a squeal from Sunny, the two closed their bags, and headed out the door. "Until Saturday, Miss Montage—and thank you! We go!" Photo proclaimed.

Juniper watched the two leave, then plopped into the seat next to her with a massive exhale. Talk about tough negotiations! She could still feel her brain sizzling.

She felt a tap on her shoulder. With a startled yelp, Juniper jerked up straight in her seat. Turning her head, she saw that Twilight was back, with an orange girl wearing a blue dress and leather jacket now beside her. "Twilight? Wh—where were you?"

Twilight giggled. "Well, you seemed to have everything pretty well in hand. So, I went to visit Sunset in the library, to tell her about your day." She thumbed over to Sunset Shimmer, who waved.

"Oh! Hi, there," Juniper said.

"Hi, Juniper," Sunset replied. "I hear you've been busy."

"Busy totally winging it!" Juniper pointed to Twilight. "Y-y-you just left me! I was scared stiff!"

Sunset walked behind Juniper. Juniper soon felt Sunset's hands rubbing her shoulders—and suddenly, half of her nervousness was gone. Thin air. Just like that.

"Wow, you're right," Sunset said. "I can definitely feel it."

Juniper relaxed under Sunset's attentions with a soft sigh. "Whoa. Okay. Did not know you had a massage therapist among your ranks."

Twilight grinned. "It's more like she's just a natural with her hands. Ironically." Dodging a playful swat from Sunset, she pulled up a chair and sat down next to Juniper. "Anyway, I still stand by you not having needed me around. We just saw Photo and Sunny in the hallway, and they were seriously happy! They couldn't stop raving about you."

Juniper blushed as well. "R-Really? That's good." She glanced out the theater room door. "I just didn't want to see them sad anymore, I guess." She hesitated. "The punchline is, all of that was the easy part. Now I've got to follow through."

Twilight took Juniper's hands in hers. "And I'm sure you'll do that, too."

"Same here." Sunset squeezed Juniper's shoulders. "If you have any questions, or just want to talk about this stuff? Call up Twilight or myself. We've both been where you are at this very moment."

"Thanks, you guys." Juniper looked out the window. "I sure hope I have it in me to pull this off."

Comments

[BenRG]

I'm wondering if Sunset was using her empathic magic there to force Juniper's fears out of her conscious mind.

You've been doing your research, haven't you? The difference in how stage and movie audiences think and react? The necessary differences between the two art forms?

[lazyreader19]

It's more like she's just a natural with her hands. Ironically.

[Nali]

Juniper walking through life as a fully edited shot at all times is adorable, not gonna lie.

Wondered if Photo Finish would have trouble with film instead of her usual shoots, and there we are. They're both out of their element, and Juniper's right in it, and... yes, we are in fact making a movie as the plot here, alright. For... some reason which I assume will come up later.

Horson Wells

Editing catches:

with your movie project?"
Sunny huffed. "Well, you

Short a line break here.

Photographer’sConference

perfection,and

[Nyperold]

I watched a filmed stage play of King Lear once. And yeah, didn't do much for me.

Now, there's a group called Sight & Sound Theatres that presents stage plays, and also films them, but their production values are much higher, and they have access to multiple cameras on cranes and things that a high school would typically lack. I don't know that anyone would forget that they're watching a stage play, but those stage plays are still quite the spectacle. (Full disclosure: the plays they put on adapt Bible stories, so those who aren't willing to watch that sort of thing might want to stay away. Also, there is some conjecture about events in the story, but they do some research and bring out some things that you might not know is there.)

[Luna Aeterna Solutae]

Sunny Finish? I ship it.
Look what you make me do, Bookie.

[Bookish Delight]

9136690
i.imgur.com/yNMscvM.png

[CapNTilfy]

Dayum. Nicely done!

Juniper was giving me some mental Sherlock vibes!