Hollywood Star by Rowan Coleman Read Free Book Online Page B

scored the film quite highly with an overall mark of 8/10
For Thrilling Action they gave it an overall score of 9/10
For Plot they gave it an overall score of 7/10
73% said that the plot was sometimes hard to follow
For actors’ performances they gave it an overall score of 7/10
48% would go and see it for Imogene Grant, regardless
9 4% enjoyed her performance
89% enjoyed Jeremy Fort in the role of Professor Darkly
72% were disappointed by Harry McLean, but we have to take into consideration his recent fall in popularity
68% came purely for Sean Rivers in case it was his last film. This alone should ensure a healthy box-office turnover
78% of the test audiences thought that the young actress Ruby Parker made an impressive debut
As an Art Dubrovnik film they scored it 6/10
54% stated they preferred Mr Dubrovnik’sless commercial work. But when asked again to score the film purely on entertainment and enjoyment factor the score went up to 8/10
    These scores were compiled from results taken from fifty screenings shown nationwide and represent the views of approximately 5000 people over a wide demographic.
    As the credits rolled I leapt out of my seat and applauded wildly. It took me a minute or two to realise I was the only one doing it.
    “Sorry,” I said, feeling myself blush. “It’s not cool to applaud yourself, is it?”
    Imogene laughed and stood up to Join me. “Sometimes it is,” she said, starting to clap. Gradually, everyone else in the room joined in and we all gave ourselves a standing ovation. Maybe it was a bit like “blowing your own trumpet” as my granny would say, but I thought that considering I had just seen myself for the first time in a proper film I could be let off.
    I sat down again as the adults talked. I couldn’t quitebelieve what I had seen. It was me, but not me. At first, while I was watching, all I could think of was what had happened on the day when that particular scene had been shot, or spotting that I had been wearing costume number four. (I had worn the same school uniform for most of the filming, except that there were thirty-two different versions, each one in a worse state of repair than the last depending on where I was in the story.) Or I found myself thinking that my face looked a bit funny from that camera angle, especially when it was blown up a gazillion times, so you could see all the pores on my nose.
    But then I finally saw the shot of my character Polly Harris as she dangled off what now really looked like a real precipice with a fatal drop below. I saw Polly leap into midair and disappear into the black void to her certain death. From that minute on I wasn’t watching me any more. I was watching the film. And perhaps I am biased, but I thought it was pretty good.
    The lights went up and as we sat back down in our seats Lisa handed out sheets of A4 paper. As I read it took a while for me to understand what it was because I had no idea that reports like this even existed.
    “Well, Art,” the big man in the blue suit who got to sit in the front row said, “I think that has a chance of being a box-office winner, I really do. Despite everything.”
    “Thanks, Jim,” Art said.
    “It’s a little long,” the man called Jim said, and I held my breath, certain that Art would lose his temper at such an offensive comment. Art was a perfectionist; he never got anything wrong.
    But all Art did was nod, adding mildly, “I think I can safely trim about ten minutes off and also improve the audience’s understanding of the plot.”
    “And that’s why we pay you what we do, Art. And it seems that the audience will love it,” Jim said, gesturing at the piece of paper in his hand, “if they ever go and see it.”
    “But why wouldn’t they?” I asked, conscious a second or two later that as a thirteen-year-old and the least important person here, I probably shouldn’t be saying anything. The man in the pale blue suit called Jim twisted in his seat to look at me.
    “Miss