Taffy Sinclair 011 - Nobody Likes Taffy Sinclair by Betsy Haynes Read Free Book Online

title for our show. The camera zooms in on it at the beginning of each program. We had it professionally lettered. Doesn ' t it look great? "
    Taffy nodded mutel y. The Media Club was far more professional than she could ever have imagined.
    " Well, hello, Taffy, " said Mr. Levine. He had been looking over the script when the girls approached, and now he glanced up and smiled cordially.
    Before Taffy could return his greeting, Shawnie said, " Taffy wants to join Media Club. Isn ' t that great? She ' ll be able to teach us all kinds of things. "
    Taffy was sure she heard someone groan behind her, but she pretended not to notice.
    " We ' re certainly glad to have you, " said Mr. Levine. " You might just want to watch today and see how we run our operation. "
    Shawnie pulled over a chair that had been moved off the set and motioned for Taffy to sit down, then perched on the arm beside her. " Paul Smoke and Tim Riggs are co-anchors, and Beth ' s the director this month. I was director last month. It ' s a hard job, but it ' s fun to boss everybody around, " she said, giggling.
    Taffy narrowed her eyes and watched Beth motion for Paul to scoot his chair a little closer to Tim ' s. Some director, she thought. Beth doesn ' t know the first thing about the job. My director, Jerry Lowenthal, would have noticed right away that half of Paul ' s face will be in shadows. She glanced toward Jon Smith, blinking in amazement when she noticed that he was focusing an ordinary camcorder that rested on his shoulder.
    " He ' s filming with tha t? " she asked in astonishment.
    " Hey, " Shawnie protested. " This is a low-budget show. "
    " But . . . but . . . " Taffy sputtered. She was picturing the set of Nobody Likes Tiffany Stafford, where massive cameras moved around on wheels, and the lighting equipment and reflectors created the right mix of lights and shadows, and the sound booms were carefully placed to pick up the slightest noise.
    " Where are the gaffers and the grips? " she wondered out loud. " Aren ' t you going to block out the movements of the cast? "
    " Gaff ers and grips? What are those? J okes and props? " asked Shane, and everyone laughed.
    Everyone but Taffy. She could feel her face turning bright crimson. She knew everyone was watching her, so she took a deep breath and said as calmly as she could, " Gaffers are the people in charge of the lighting equipment, and grips are the workmen who move it around. "
    " And I suppose that blocking out the movements of the cast is like blocking out football plays? " said Tim.
    " Right, " confirmed Taffy, glad that at least one person knew what she was talking about. " It ' s really important so everyone feels comfortable on the set before the cameras roll. "
    " Well, this isn ' t exactly Hollywood, " Beth said sarcastically.
    You can say that again, Taffy thought, but she didn ' t say it. Instead she looked around at the corner of the junior high media center that was doubling as the set, and at the hand-held camcorder Jon was going to use to film the show, and at her old enemy Beth Barry—the director—who knew absolutely nothing about directing, and her heart dropped into her shoes.
    " No, " she whispered to herself, " this really isn ' t Hollywood at all ."

CHAPTER NINE
    "I j ust couldn ' t believe how amateurish the whole thing was, " Taffy complained for the hundredth time. She was talking to Cory on the telephone and had spent the past ten minutes filling him in on the after - school Media Club meeting she had gone to.
    " So don ' t join, " said Cory. " After all, you ' re big- time. You don ' t owe them anything. "
    " I know, " Taffy said slowly. She twisted the phone cord around a finger and considered. " But it might hurt Shawnie ' s feelings if I don ' t join, and there really is a lot I could teach them. I ' m going to think it over some more before I decide. "
    " In the meantime, why not come over to my house Saturday afternoon and listen to The Dreadful Alternatives rehearse,